The £4000 plus van, what it looked like many years ago. And has been re-advertised for one day only at a reduced price of £2100!

Strange old world, the van below sold for over £4k, then it reappeared Saturday morning on e-bay, for a buy it now price of £2100, the advert has since disappeared! Why buy something then re-advertise it at half price? The new seller was London based, May-be the (SWMBO) said no way! I have done no work on the J's but have been e-mailing various people to gain parts for Charlie's and Steve's restoration. I will post some pictures of the modified bike shortly.It use to deliver Paraffin with its first owner! Then Riverboats? Sort of a FIRE and WATER theme here. I believe it is going up north, Scotland to be restored and sign written for a shop advertisement.!!
If you do happen to spot it out and about do let us know, and please take a picture of its new livery.

No J type progress, why? The bike needed me!

The Royal Enfield let me down, it had been standing in the back garden for two years without a cover, I decided to start using it again so brought it in to the garage before Christmas to check it over.

After a service and a brake overhaul it went to the MOT station and passed so I started using it for work.

It has always been a heavy uneven lump but the other day excess vibration, strange rumbling noises and finally it stop with a metalic click, like a spring braking.

So its full strip down time.
Off with the tank, cylinder head, barrel, timing cover.
I drained the oil out of the oil pump and crankcase but forgot when I was stipping it down to drain the clutch housing.

Oil every where..
Here is the crank with a broken oil control ring on the piston and the big end has so much play in it, no wonder I had bad vibrations....
Timing side plate showing oil pump housing and oil filter housing.

Now all I have to do is buy some bits!!!

The reason for the big end bearing failing is normally due to low oil pressure or blocked drillings in the crank shaft itself.

A nice surprise in the post,

I had a nice surprise in the post, a little letter from a fellow J type owner who had taken the trouble to have his own van printed on his stamps.

I knew you could do this and I had had one before but It was still nice to get it.

I wonder what our postman thought of it? 

Realised that there were more of these quirky vans elsewhere in the world and not just the two in my driveway.

Yet another YLH !

You have seen on this blog YLH 449 and YLH 859, Now feast your eyes on YLH 799.

Many thanks for Maurice Rapley the best welder in the west! for these pictures from his collection.

All strapped in and ready for the off.

The Bowie van all strapped up and ready to roll.

A long journey and all went well, no problems at all.

A J type changes hands.

A beautiful 1954 J type van (Bowie) changed hands on Saturday afternoon, I had been invited to watch/help/get in the way and drink coffee. Its a lovely vehicle and has some work already done to the near side front wing, sill and step.

Also some new brake parts had been fitted some time ago and the seller had the foresight not to fully adjust up the brake shoes, meaning that when it came time to push it it rolled easily.

It comes with all the main items and has been fitted with a later "B" series engine and four speed box. This improves the drive-ability no end.

This is the only picture I took as the camera batteries went flat and the spares I took also failed!!

A van finds a new owner.

This pre-55 van is moving home, from being a bit of a film star, he (Bowie) has been "resting" while he waits to meet his public again. I hope to meet both the seller and the new owner on Saturday when he is loaded up for a return journey of four hours.

I will try to find out some more history about this delightful van and I'm pleased to say he is in good hands. 

yet another j type for sale!

Another nice 1958 JB van, has appeared for sale on e-bay. The Original registration number was WAD 264. This number is on the DVLA computer so the new owner should be able to get it re issued.

Looks like an easy rebuild if you ask me. These old J types are getting rather common now. I thought they were rare. I have sent my local contact out to view it and he will I hope report back with its history/condition and chassis number shortly.

It's so surprising just where all these J types keep coming from, the Cornwall van, did not sell, owner wanting around 12k for it, the shabby film star van has sold to a good home for a reasonable sum. The G.P.O mail van is an excellent project, complete with all its hard if not imposable to replace G.P.O. fittings.

The above van may have surfaced on the "crest of a wave" of interest generated by the Cornwall van.

Another J type link added on the right hand side, do check it out.

For sales and Blog loading speed.

YLH 859, a nice 1960 JB Mail Van for sale on e-bay, Yes I know you all know about it as the seller has told me it's got 130 "watchers". Nice to see its got all it's original G.P.O. fittings, these would be so hard to replace.Another YLH 449, picture taken at a HCVS Rally in Battersea Park in the 1980's. The van is still with us according to the DVLA, but where, who knows.

To help some of the people who check out my blog but are still on dial up, to help speed it up I have removed most of the photo displays. Don't worry, just click on the links on the right of this and it will lead you to them. (some are work in progress).

The Dr Who link has 39 pictures in it and tells you what they are all about.

The Superman now has pictures in it as does the willy wonka section, enjoy.

I will be doing a general J type van rally album shortly will feature not just my vehicles all J type pictures welcome.

The Magpie van has been Invited to show off.

The Magpie Van has been invited to this event so I must get it road legal and remove the current van sign writing and replace it with the magnetic "Magpie Electricals " signs I had made. 

It should be a good event and I hope I can sell the remaining sets of fifty photographs I took during the three days the BBC filmed the van for the episode entitled "The Idiots Lantern".

I have promised the organisers that I won't be selling dodgy secondhand hand televisions out of the back of the van.

side-valve engine for sale.

If anyone is interested, a side-valve engine is on e-bay for sale for £50.

Item number 160308004589. Auction ends 10/1/09

Many thanks to Stuart for the information about this.

The Cornwall J type was removed even after an offer of 10k, he is going to keep the van a little longer.

The other project van that I listed here on my blog has now been sold and I'm so pleased to say that the buyer saw it here and it has gone to a good home.

Happy New Year to all J type owners.

The e-bay van has been removed, reached £7500 then disappeared, maybe somebody made an offer the seller could not refuse.

Its been cold these last few days, far too cold to work on the J types outside, wish I had a nice barn to keep them in. The only work I have done is to get an MOT on the Royal Enfield bike so thats now back on the road after 3 years in the back garden.

If any body out there goes to a few rallies this year could they please take a picture of any J types they find and please record any details of the vehicle. Please send the details to me to update the lists of owners and location/history etc.

Roll on the slightly warmer dryer weather I have so much to do to all the fleet.

My vehicles are a bit like the advert, I'm on "STOP", I'm "Waiting" till it gets warmer, and when I get the "GO" signal it will be full steam ahead.

I'm also pleased to see that in 13 days we have passed the 500 visitor mark.