A cautionary tale about drink driving this time of the year.

A cautionary tale from down under.
"As the New Years Crackdown approaches I would like to share an experience with you about drinking and driving, something never to be taken lightly.


As some of you will know, some of us have been known to have had a few brushes with the authorities on our way home from the odd social session over the years.
Well, I decided to do something about it.


A couple of nights ago I was out for some drinks with my mates and had a few too many whiskeys as well as beers and some rather nice red - but knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I have never done before - I took a bus home.
I arrived back safely and without incident, which was a real surprise, since I had never driven a bus before and have no idea where I got it from."

Mike from the MCJTV group, thank you for this chilling tale, let this be a lesson to all J type owners about the dangers and expense of drink. Much better to spend the time and money on your J type in the comfort of your garage.

A Merry Christmas to all J type owners, everywhere.

Maybe see you in the New Year?

Christmas down under, roll on Summer.

Another J type found in Australia.

This van has been standing in this spot in Maddington for the last 40 years. Prior to that, it was parked on this same property at another spot for 10 years. It just drove on to the property and parked up and its been there ever since. It is now parked on a high bank, under a large gum tree near a creek. It is slowly rusting away but is still quite sound after sitting for 50 years in the open.

Anybody in Oz care to track it down?

The new toy to join the fleet.

I was hoping to post a  picture of the new toy I hope will join the fleet in the next few weeks, the picture will appear once the car appears....... delivery delayed till the New Year...

A new project is coming! Maybe?

I'm often asked  "where can I get some engines spares?" I say "which engine?" "why a B series" . I always reply "B series, easy, no problem".
The e-mailer often feels spares are hard to get. I sat down and made a list of vehicles that had the "B" engine fitted in one of its many forms, I'm sure any one of the owners clubs could help with any spares needed. The best source I have found is the MG owners club, a good web site, plenty of pictures and easy on line ordering. Its also good site to look up parts and get the current part numbers.
Here is my list. I'm sure I've missed many, care to point out my errors, yes I'm sure you will.
Austin Devon/Dorset 1947-52 (1200cc)
Austin A40 sports 1951-53 (1200cc twin carb)
Austin A40 Somerset 1952-54 (1200cc)
MG Magnette ZA/ZB 1953-58 (1200 and 1489 cc versions)
Austin Cambridge A40/A50/A55 1954-58 (1200/1489cc versions)
Morris Oxford/Cowley 1954-60 (1200/1489cc versions)
Metropolitan 1954-61 (1200/1489cc versions)
MGA 1955-62 1489/1588/1622cc versions
Wolseley 15/50 1956-58 1489 cc
Riley 1.5/Wolseley 1500 1957-65 1498cc
Morris JB/J2/JU250/Austin 101/152 1957-74 1489/1622/1798 cc versions
Elva Courier 1958-65 1489/1622/1798 cc versions
TVR Grantura 1958-67 1489/1588/1622/1798 cc versions
Austin A55/60 Cambridge/Morris Oxford/MGmagnette Mk3/4 Riley 4/68 and 4/72 Wolseley 15/60 and 16/60 1959-71 1498/1622 versions
Rochdale Olympic 1959-65 kit car 1489cc
Gilbern GT 1961-67 1622/1798 cc
MGB 1962-80 1798 cc
Austin/Morris 1800/Wolseley 18/85 1964-75 Transverse mounted 1798cc
Morris Marina 1.8 1971-78 1798 cc
Leyland Sherpa 1974-87 1622/1798 cc
BL Princess 1975-78 1798cc
I may well be gaining a new project vehicle, an on the road fully legal, 1950's car.
Just needing TLC over the next few months. It can and will be used and enjoyed straight away.
If this car does appear in my drive I intend to do a blog site on it. This J site of mine WILL be mothballed but I will carry on with the other blogs I do for other van owners.
I'm sorry to say I have lost interest somewhat and need a rest and a different type of vehicle is just the thing, a new adventure. 
Oh K.D. get your trailer at the ready, you may well be needed to do some transportation.

So many nice e-mails and so interesting.

 A nice e-mail from Australia supplied the above picture, a rough van but it is going to live again. Customising is not my thing I must admit but at least it will survive and not be just robbed of a few bits and crushed. You never know in 20 years time somebody might decided to restore it back to originality.

 Another e-mail from Australia shows this 1956 Morris JB van before restoration commenced.
The owner said in the e-mail "I have owned this van for four years and it has been a slow on and off project to restore it, more off than on.
The attached photo is of the van when I puchased it , it doesn't look too bad but it had a lot of rust and some very bad repairs.
I have replaced the rear crossmember and door frame, both sills and door steps and the front valance panel under the grille.
The body had a lot of filler in it, in some places 20mm thick, this was all sand blasted out and most of the damage has been panel beaten out. Apart from the brakes, mechanically the van is pretty good. I still have a fair bit of panel work to go before I can start reassembling it."  I know the full details of both these vans but to protect the owners I have withheld their and their vans details.

 A period London street shot? No, a shot taken last year, part of the filming I did with the JB van. It has taken nearly a year for the film to come out, it was due for release in the spring but like the filming, everything over ran.

 Another shot from the film, this one at the back of Pinewood studios and features my mate Brain Holdsworth's Wolseley 6/80.

Four other views of 940 BYY, now fully on the road and being enjoyed, that's what it's all about. Thanks to all who have contributed.

The profile of the J type van has increased, thanks to Harvey Pitcher's efforts.

BLOG: J-REGISTER WEBSITE WINS TOP AWARD!
Stop Press: At the Classic and Sportscar Awards (in association with Lancaster Insurance) ceremony at the NEC on the 12th November, the J-type Register won the award for the Best Club Website!
We were the first award announced too. First one I’ve ever been to in all the years we’ve been doing the show, and we win something!
And the award isn’t for the best SMALL club website, it’s The BEST Club Website! We beat all comers!
Our thanks to the guys at Carousel Digital, without whose help the website wouldn’t be anywhere near so professional.

Well done that man, What is the next improvement in the site? Now you have set the standard you cannot stand on your Laurels or ( Hardy's). Keep up the good work and well done.

Lots of e-mails!

Well my last couple of postings generated so many e-mails, most on the 10 out of 10 Ranting scale. Its so good to use the delete button, on the ones that are all written in CAPITALS.
The planners van in a Birmingham garden, was in fact a west London van. Another e-mail gave me the vans details and yet another e-mail informed me the van was no longer there! Get my facts straight! Said the sender.  The west London owners who were going to restore the van (for about the last 20years) and had resisted all offers to sell the van. Well its not there anymore (moved 2 plus years ago) so where is the youngest JB van hiding? Or has it been scrapped, exported to China and made into the new i-van.

More complaints! Re my posting of the GPO J van batch details, why had I not included chassis numbers? In a curt reply I said "it has taken many months to get this far with the PO data, that I'm working on chassis numbers but it all takes time, would he like to have a go and produce a list and share, if he can do it quicker than me" I await his reply. (Me thinks I will wait rather a long time unless it was David Allison, in disguise sending me that e-mail). Oh for the days of the J Register, not just pretty pictures but FACTS! Who had What, Recently Seen,  Spotted on the Box, On the Move, lots of nice section with Data/Facts. It seems to be all smoke and mirrors these days, cloak and dagger, nobody wants to share, knowledge is power and the majority like to keep all information about their vehicles, chassis numbers, history, location, to themselves, that is till they want something, where can I get? comes the plea and your expected to supply the details, once you have helped them out you never hear from them again, always one way traffic.
At a recent club meeting I attended (nothing to do with J types), a volunteer was asked for from the gathered group, to deliver some boxes of small car trim parts to a fellow member that had just come out of hospital and could not drive, it was amazing at that very moment everybody studied their shoes. Yes I took them on the back of my motorbike, took about an hour round trip, including a nice warming cup of tea with the old gent.
Right my rant over, got something to contribute?, send it in, got a problem? send it somewhere else and go do your own site!!

An apt way to explain running old vehicles?

Some GPO J type van data. A few months hard work here, going over old lists. I like to share, unlike some sites, please feel free to copy anything on this site for your own use.

GPO Fleet, Postal vans just had a fleet number, 
Telephone vans had a pre-fix of U which stood for Utility.

LUU 572 – 970   41308 – 41706   Morris J  100cf. mailvan

          971   42490              “       “       “

(610 with ‘Demister’ & Fog lamp. 634 = J531 Jersey. 
971 sold to Cyprus 4/51)

MLB 591 – 969   42491 – 42869   Morris J  100cf. mailvan

MLH 567 – 634   42881 – 42948   Morris J  100cf. mailvan

MYE   1 – 158   43204 – 43361      “       “       “

(104-6,8,9-26,9-47,9-54,6-8 had opening o/s windscreens)

MYF 492        U58826           Morris J  10cwt Utility (Prototype)

MYF 856 – 951   44060 – 44155   Morris J  100cf. mailvan

NXO   2 – 251   44857 – 45106      “       “       “

(115/129 to Jersey as J15121/J8363 – 249 to Cyprus Postal Dept. 4/54)

NYH 280 – 414  U66436 – U66570  Morris J  10cwt. Utility

 “  416 – 428   45515 – 45527      “   “  100cf. mailvan

 “  432         17054              “      Planning (Utilibus)

OYF 224 – 318  U67526 – U67620     “   J  10cwt. Utility

 “  332 – 841   50239 – 50758      “   “  100cf. mailvan

PGO   2         17110              “   “  R.I. van

 “   35 – 119   50762 – 50846      “   “  100cf. mailvan

(2 later re-regd 461 DJJ, it had a coachbuilt,largely 
wooden body apart from a std. front end)

PUL 435 – 456  U68407 – U68428     “   J  Planning

 “  480 – 611  U68429 – U68560     “   “  10cwt. Utility

RGJ 980 – 999   52246 – 52265      “   “  100cf. mailvan

RGK   1 – 490   52266 – 52755      “   “    “      “

 “  491 – 663  U69827 – U69999     “   “  10cwt. Utility

 “  664 – 730  U76000 - U76066     “   “    “      “

(9/11 to Jersey as J 17504/5)

RLB 725 – 784  U76475 – U76534  Morris J  Planning

SGH 479 – 572   53337 – 53430      “   “  100cf. mailvan

 “  573 – 609  U77490 – U77526     “   “  10cwt. Utility

 “  610 – 666  U77527 – U77583     “   “  Planning

SLO  26 -  65  U79004 – U79043     “   JB    “

 “   66 – 345   54327 – 54606      “   J   100cf. mailvan

 “  346 – 565   54607 – 54826      “   JB    “      “

(326 to Cyprus 11/56)

SXH 227 – 246  U79941 – U79960     “   J   Planning

 “  380 – 504  U79123 – U79247     “       10cwt. Utility

(237 with large rotatable roof ariel for use as a R.I. van)

TGC 309 – 356  U79892 – U79939  Morris J   Planning

 “  666 – 770  U79961 – U80065     “   “   10cwt. Utility

UXH 981 – 999   56204 – 56222      “   JB  100cf. mailvans

UXV   1 -  61   56223 – 56283      “   “    “       “

 “  379 – 396   56284 – 56301      “   “    “       “

 “  397 – 628   60000 – 60231      “   “    “       “

 “  650 – 658  U80906 – U80914     “   J    Planning

WLA   1 – 326   60974 – 61299      “   JB   100cf. mailvan

XXD 814 – 914   61911 – 62022      “   “      “       “

YLH  74 -  91  U82474 – U82491     “   J    10cwt Utility

 “  417 – 959   62648 – 63190      “   JB   100cf. mailvan

 “  962 – 981  U82496 – U82515     “   “    Planning

YXF   1 -  45  U82516 – U82560     “   J       “

 “  989 – 993  U84334 – U84338     “   JB      “

(1-45 + 989-993 some used as R.I. vans)

807 – 857 BLE  U84339 – U84389  Morris J    Planning

392 – 491 BYY   64938 – 65037     “    JB   100cf. mailvan

492 – 496  “   U85024 – 85028     “    “    Planning

922 – 949  “   U85212 – U85239    “    “       “

(492-496 some use as R.I. vans)

598 – 729 BXE   65120 – 65251   Morris JB   100cf. mailvan

311 – 334 BXY  U86015 – U86038    “    “    Planning

615 – 619  “   U86171 – U86175    “    “        “ 

This blog got a couple of hits from Vietnam today Hue and Hanoi ( that is Central Vietnam and North Vietnam) from John B, who even when on holiday took time out to check on the J type world, thanks John, a true enthusiast.

LYM 297 has chassis number 6733, this has been confirmed by The J type register who have added pictures of the van to their website in it's correct location, yes a nice early van, the 2nd oldest UK van in fact.