A J type on Brazils version of e-bay.

Fed up with the high prices of UK vans, check out this early (square side lights) van.

Do a "Top Gear" and drive it back to Blighty as a new years challenge.

Details are as follows.

Morris Furgão 1948
Otimo Furgão
Mecanica Original
Funcionando
Precisa de um banho de tinta
Peça Rara
Valor de 15 mil Reais

Thanks again to Mike Parry of the MO and 6/80 car club for this.

Further up-date on this vehicle, it has been pointed out this is the same van that was for sale in Montevedeo, Uruguay. (Montevedeo is about 800Km far from Rio Grande do Sul (the place where it is now). If you compare it to the pictures posted of it in September last year on this blog you will see it is the same van. This vehicle sold for $500US, It has moved across the border and according to the current advert it is in running order with all original mechanical items.
My local contact Diego Moreno Bravo, who is restoring a Morris Oxford is contacting the owner by e-mail to try to get the chassis number. In the original advert it was listed as a 1951 van, while it is currently being advertised as a 1948 vehicle. If this was true it would be the oldest known J in the world and the chassis number would be barely into double figures.
I will keep you posted.
This a 1980's picture of OBL432 outside the original (stars entrance) to Pinewood Film Studios. All general traffic had to use a side entrance, as Pinewood was a grand house (and still is) and has often been featured in period films. I will take the van back to the same location soon so you can see how it has changed. Thanks to D.E. for the picture. (sorry about the quality, the print has faded in the last thirty years).

We had a bit of snow, just a light dusting.

I have been using OBL432 all last week and most of this week to get to work and do my shopping. It handles rather well in the snow and ice, maybe the low gearing helps, moving off in first gear on tick-over speed, no wheel spinning and away we go.

I have been out with the grease gun twice these few weeks, it's a wise thing to do, to drive out the water in the king pins and handbrake cables.

A happy New Year to you all.

Some feedback and another new site.

I had a very nice e-mail today and I quote "Your website has been very useful to me during my restoration and I have enjoyed the latest news and information that you show.
Thank you very much".
It is rather nice to get some feedback on what I get up to. One of the things I always wanted to do was a full blown web site covering all aspects of the J. Blogger can be limiting in many way.
One thing I have just competed is a separate blog on windscreen rubber replacement. I would ask you to have a look at this blog and give me some more feedback. If it is a success I will do more of the same. Take a look at it here. windscreen-rubbers.

Of interest is the fact that this site in its present layout was started on the 20th December last year, we are coming up to our first years anniversary and have had a staggering 20475 visitors.
Of those I'm pleased to say 737 people have viewed/downloaded the on-line manuals the most popular is the windscreen rubber profile page!! Hence the above new blog!!
I'm rather busy at the moment so I may well break my promise to do at least one blog entry a week, so if this is the last one of 2009, Have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year... I know I could do with it..
And as a fellow J owner always remembers " The only way is a J ".. Thanks G.S.

Probably the Best Beer Truck in the World!

Mike Parry of the 6-80 and MO club visited the Carlsberg J type in Denmark and kindly sent me a selection of pictures. You can see them here Carlsberg.

A rather nice J chassis number JL32694 dating from 1954.

As Mike states " A great day out- they even let me drive it- very interesting, being LHD but driving on the right hand side of the road- the accelerator pedal being in-between the brake and clutch pedals".

Below are some more www finds by the Great DG, thanks mate.

The last day of house clearance.

A rather frosty start to the day. Yes its being used again to cart stuff about.
The van started first press of the starter button. It took many minutes to scrape the windscreen both inside and out.

This is the view from the driver seat, thick frost on both sides of the glass.
It took along time to clear totally but as the van slowly thawed out I had the normal sensation of condensation dripping from the roof, the joys of an old vehicle use most days and not just kept for a couple of summer time rallies.
I have had contact from NZ, via this blog, they are looking for a J type to buy and use. They have sent me a couple of nice J type pictures of J's they have come across, which I will put at the top of this blog in the next couple of days.
If you know of a J for sale in NZ do let me pass on the details.

If you have a Corgi /Dinky GPO van in your collection this is the original van the model is based on.

This is an interesting J type van being the subject of the Corgi model of a Royal Mail J type. Dry stored since 1992, and now available for restoration. Very original, it still has the Pyrene fire extinguisher in place and all instruments are intact.The engine is removed and is not seized. Many spares including NOS brake master cylinder, two good headlights, two side doors, steering box, wheels, drivers seat and other bits and bobs. There is also a Royal Mail index card indicating its service. Obviously a trailer job, but I can help with this. If you wish to discuss it then please phone 01942 725868 daytime. Payment is cash on collection.Item number 220519431889.