The gathering has started for Monday’s Australia Day J-type get-together. Will Hughes and his van have arrived in Sydney for the CARnivale display. His van was given a traditional “Welcome to Syd’sKnee” by JB 41717 and escorted up King Street Newtown.
More to follow…
Four Morris J vans have changed hands in Australia in the last three weeks. All have gone to Victoria. The Register is endeavouring to keep in contact with each new custodian.
Review 39 is about to go into the post. Collected from the printers a couple of hours ago!
This 20-page issue includes:
A Review of the Classic Van and Pick-up Show at Gaydon
A follow-up article about M~C’s post-war styling
A Review of the Goodwood Revival
Archive street scenes
‘A chance encounter of the J-type kind’ by Peter Bateman
‘On the Move’ Down Under…
‘On the Move’ nearer home…
‘Riding the wave of popularity’
An archive colour Morris advertisement
Diecast Model Update
and A Review of the Classic Motor Show at the NEC
Yes, two vans new to the Register have surfaced ‘down under’, one in Australia and one in New Zealand.
The Australian van has been saved by Register member Laurie Ballette. Remarkably, the van is from the same Tip Top Bakery fleet as the van he already has.
The NZ van is currently for sale on Trade Me.
More to follow…
Certainly time to add some interesting stuff that has turned up this week.
Of major interest is a van previously unknown to the Register, which has surfaced after at least a decade in storage. It is a 1957-registered, low-mileage, one owner from new van prior to being purchased by its new owner. We await more details but do know it was one of a pair of vans used as ice cream vans although it doesnt have a raised roof. The standard steel body, which seems to be in remarkably good condition, has a serving hatch in the side windows. We are told that more info and photos are on their way…
From Australia Peter Bateman writes:
“Those blokes from Oz must have a special brew in their water supply. Only months after reporting the magnificent Queensland V6 J type Hot Rod (blog June 22, 2014) 1200 kilometres away in New South Wales another Morris JB van is being admired. The upholsterer Will Hughes not only has saved this van but is driving this 1958 JB EVERYWHERE!
Carrying the livery The Upholsterer is chassis # JB/R 41298 and was one of the Golden Crust Bakery fleet from Goulburn in southern NSW. It had been “grazing” in a paddock for many years when it was bought at auction with heaps of farm machinery. Will glimpsed it one dark night whilst it was being carted to his local metal recycler. One can only ponder the magic of chance on that important evening. Will grasped that serendipitous moment and now has a working gem, a beautiful restored JB”.
We have also received photos of PAF 764, the ex-Bryn Jones’ van now carrying neat graphics for ‘A Steph Back in Time’. Thanks to Ken Bennett for these.
The Queensland rural town of Warwick in far away Australia had a population of about 10,000 in the early 1960s. It also had about five Morris J type vans. One, JR 32164, suffered the ignominy of being crashed and became a firewood store in a suburban backyard. There it sat for over 40 years before being saved by Graeme Collins. Graeme’s Dad, Stan and a wartime chum, Roy Willi had started a garage in Warwick in 1948 and sold Jowett cars and Fiat Tractors. That garage, Fitzroy Motors prospered and soon they sold Austin vehicles. BMC came next, then Leyland. It was during these years Graeme was born.
Graeme recalls his dad selling three Austin 101s to the local milkman. That would have been in the late 1950s of course. He can’t remember exactly but he had seen the wrecked J type in that back yard for many years. It took over thirty-five years to procure that van. Eventually Graeme was able to take the firewood out and the van found a spot in Graeme’s shed and his long held dream of “dropping a J type on the floor and putting something serious inside” was able to start.
Due to the shunt the nose had gone and the chassis was crooked. The Oz ‘J type grapevine’ led Graeme to Far North Queensland and he found a ‘paddock feature’ through Alan Hurst who had saved a J type which had sat in a paddock beside the Redlyncyh to Cairns road for yonks. Enter JR 22909, only 18,000 kilometres away. No sweat.
All you really need to know is this finished J type Rod still has an original J type chassis (JR 22909) although much strengthened. Graeme started the rebuild by asking a local tradesman to have a look at the project but realized this dream project could only be successfully completed by a mob of pros. He sent it off to Queensland’s Gold Coast and the famous bunch at Oz Rods. Many quality Oz Hot Rods have left these artisans and JR 22909 is no exception.
It has Ford Econovan underpinnings at the front. A Flaming River steering column connected to a Billet Specialties ‘Outlaw’ steering wheel makes direction changing a breeze. There is a set of leather trimmed Mercedes Benz Sprinter van seats to make long Oz distances pass comfortably. The entire interior is trimmed but behind the trimming are kilograms of Dynamat, which keeps this van very quiet on the inside. At the rear a four link suspension holds the Econovan’s rear axle/diff assembly and that holds a set of 255 70 R15 Maxxis Bravo tyres. That is slightly more rubber than the 600 x 16s of an original J type.
And under the front seats is a Holden V6 3.8 litre engine coupled to an automatic transmission. That combination makes this very mild J type van into a very great Morris J type Oz Hot Rod.
Peter Bateman
Australia July 2014
Check the Oz Rods website for the build photographs
http://www.oz-rods.com/Graeme’s%20J%20Van.html
Wendy Clipstone spotted this new Easter advert which features the Cadbury’s Joyville J-type van in the opening sequence. Happy Easter to all J-type enthusiasts!
Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJ863JqGM8
The Joyville van also appears in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQAJIY2uQIk
and: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNV_a14VAyA
one more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6G13W5OHGA
and another… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SoO9u5q4ys
and yet more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhZ14-zTGM
Peter Bateman sends this update regarding a couple of vans currently being worked on in Australia:
The Oz J fraternity have about 12 J’s in reconstruction this year. And that is not counting the V6 Hot Rod just completed by OzRods in Brisbane.
JB 41298 is to be sign written ‘the Upholsterer’ and is almost ready for its trip to the New South Wales registration department following a two year rebuild. This van is almost original. Will Hughes, upholsterer and custodian of the van, hopes to visit Mr Ferguson, the original owner, on one of his first drives. It will only be a journey of 250 kilometres, lovely distance to get to know the van. The Ferguson family had 14 J type vans in their Golden Crust bakery at Goulburn, NSW.
The second revitalisation is of the old Golden Galley Clothing van from central NSW. This van, whilst keeping a very original J type look and feel is fitted with a Ford Mustang V8 coupled to a Jaguar rear end. As with many Oz J’s using a larger engine we find the Mitsubishi L300 a convenient chassis to use. Those who have never been in a J type with disc brakes, power steering and a surfeit of Vrooooom AND handling will be left with a big grin on their faces.
To those who have sentiments of sacrilege at such a thought I’d just like to say the custodian of the V8 has another two J projects and both will be original.
By the by, the 12 projects mentioned are those currently in progress. There are others just a little further away. There is no stopping the J in Oz.
Peter Bateman Sydney March 2014
Peter was also surprised to see Kelly Ashton’s son AJ playing on a computer game that featured a J! Go to
http://kizi.com/games/rich-cars-3 to see what it’s all about, but don’t expect to understand how to play it!
The 1:24th scale J-type model that was mastered by Phil Knight, one of our J-type owning Register members in Australia, is now available to purchase. It is listed for sale at www.thepartsbox.com as a complete kit (code number 1426), or body kit only (code number 1427). The body-only kit caters for those intrepid Aussies wishing to make a model of one of the custom J-types that exist over there. Prices are 1426: $82.50 + postage, and 1427: $35.20 + postage. I wonder how many of these kits will find their way to the UK?
If you are interested in purchasing one, visit:www.thepartsbox.com
The models are also available on ebay, but at higher prices than those quoted by The Parts Box
Six J type vans drove to the Australia Day CARnivale display in Sydney on Sunday. I have to thank Andrew Trollope and Susan for coming all the way from Melbourne to drive a van to the event. Their help was great. All of the vans from 2013 attended and this year we had an addition of the old Norge Village Dry Cleaners van (featured on the cover of the J type book by D Allison and H Pitcher) in its new livery of the Sydney Packaging Company. This van has been nicely prepared and is now in daily use. It still has the Holden red motor it had when in Tasmania although the brakes and undercarriage have been improved.
I continue to be amazed at the positive sentiments the public has towards the J type. Many were only too happy to stop and tell their personal J type yarn and others just wanted to get into the drivers seat for a photo. I was told of a J which was deck cargo on a coastal steamer going around the Pacific Islands. When in port it was hoisted off onto dry land and provided transport for the crew whilst waiting for the cargo to be unloaded.
Also I was given a photo of Kelvin Mowtell and his company vehicle. It was J type in Ramset (NZ) livery. Kelvin still has great memories of that van. As a young surfer the J was a perfect company ‘car’ as on week-ends he simply popped his surf board and mates into the back and headed to the best breaks.
The 2015 CARnivale will see more J type vans. Let us aim for….
Peter Bateman Sydney January 2014
