Austin a55 van essex police dog unit

[etypephil]

A lovely old thing, well found.

[Rich]

Lovely van, presume as you have sourced the light and radio it’s going back to police spec? Very cool if so

[Paul Y]

May 31, 2022 17:42:28 GMT oskar22211 said:

May 31, 2022 17:23:53 GMT Rich said:

Lovely van, presume as you have sourced the light and radio it’s going back to police spec? Very cool if so

That's the plan going to put it back police spec
It already has a mgb rear axle
50/50 to fit mgb 1800 engine or mx5 unit
Then maybe slam it down

Approved.

P.

[Rich]

May 31, 2022 17:42:28 GMT oskar22211 said:

May 31, 2022 17:23:53 GMT Rich said:

Lovely van, presume as you have sourced the light and radio it’s going back to police spec? Very cool if so

That's the plan going to put it back police spec
It already has a mgb rear axle
50/50 to fit mgb 1800 engine or mx5 unit
Then maybe slam it down

Very cool, MGB would be easy, but MX5 would be good. Also a big thumbs up to lowering too

[retrolegends]

Always liked the A60 van, this will look great lowered 👍

[akku]

What an awesome project

I didnt realise the commercial had a different grill to the saloon.

You know if I ever get a saloon I'll want a commercial grill for it!

[Paul H]

I'm guessing that the added-on grille was to bring the front end more in line with the Farinas, or did the commercial ones always have a different front end, even when the saloons of this style were still in production?

I must admit that I think it looks much better now than it did with that added-on grille.

[retrolegends]

I reckon your right Paul H they were pretty prehistoric by the time the Farina was around and it baffles me how they were still in production up to the early seventies along with the Moggy van, typical of skint old BMC I suppose.

[Paul H]

Indeed. From what I understand, a lot of that was due to the BMC marque dealer network, in particular the need to provide different vehicles to both Austin & Morris dealers, when in reality, the financial investment would have been better spent rationalising & sticking to just one of those brands rather than constantly competing against themselves. VAG have a not too dissimilar situation with all their mainstream brands, but have done a much better job of providing each with their own USP, which BMC & then BL didn't really do to differentiate Austin & Morris, whereas they did a better job with MG, Wolseley & Riley, in terms of who the target customers were, but in most cases, still managed to squander the brand heritage that they had.

[wildrover]

Jun 1, 2022 9:50:35 GMT oskar22211 said:

If anyone knows of any I am looking for the 2 tone siren

I bought this from Amazon - it's pretty good IMO.  I have plans to fit it to my P6B one day...

smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNH0HM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[devilishdesigner]

Nice work. I convert old radios regularly to Bluetooth using a bare amplifier, the original speaker, and reinstating the original volume control. Instagram.com/thereimaginarium

[etypephil]

Jun 3, 2022 7:55:15 GMT akku said:

What an awesome project

I didnt realise the commercial had a different grill to the saloon.

You know if I ever get a saloon I'll want a commercial grill for it!

The earlier ones had the same grille as the saloons; many of the later commercials (with the late grille) were sold and badged as Morris products.

[Morris63]

Lovely all round - have a bookmark.

[norfolkshire]

One issue that would influence a Police Force to buy this style/make of a van, which was to be deployed as a 'Dog-Van', is the weight carrying capacity of the vehicle
I had a meeting with the Fleet Manager of West Midlands Police and a Leyland Daf Rep in mid 1980's where a discussion took place concerning the ordering of a vehicle, capable of carrying four dog-handlers, their respective dogs, and equipment. The meeting started by discussing the weight carrying capacity of the required vehicle. I stated that it would have to be 3500kgs. GVW, to which the Fleet Manager stated that it should be a lesser GVW. I explained my thinking and the Leyland-Daf Rep immediately stated that 3500kgs GVW was required. Up until this date West Midlands Police had been buying, what were described as Multi-cage kennel vans, with a carrying capacity that was wrong.
Move on in time, and now working for Norfolk Constabulary, I had a discussion with the Fleet Manager of this Force, concerning the GVW of the Ford Escort Dog Vans. These vans were caged to carry two dogs/handlers. Their carrying capacity was not rated to be able to cope with this task. Subsequently I arranged for the Traffic Dept. to have a double crewed Escort Dog Van put across a certified weighbridge, when fully loaded. Surprise, surprise the vehicles were found not to be legally capable of carrying the designed load. There after new vehicles had to be uprated, etc...
The Essex Dog Van would have been sourced for exactly the same reason; a vehicle made to carry a specific load, that other models could not.
I hope that this explanation explains the thinking at the time of the vehicle's purchase, even though more modern versions would appear to have sufficed.

[glenanderson]

Have you decided what powerplant you're going for?

[glenanderson]

Well, the 1.8 BMC lump is certainly period and well proven.

What’s put you off the MX-5 route?

[dazcapri]

Jun 3, 2022 20:51:46 GMT oskar22211 said:

Jun 3, 2022 17:45:07 GMT retrolegends said:

I reckon your right Paul H they were pretty prehistoric by the time the Farina was around and it baffles me how they were still in production up to the early seventies along with the Moggy van, typical of skint old BMC I suppose.

When you think the marina van and escort van was in production at the same time as these it's crazy the a60 van stopped production in 1972

You could still get the HA Viva van until 1983

[norfolkshire]

Local politics usually had something to do with choice of vehicles.

[ovimor]

Yes.... I thought 'sill mount' handbrake lever was a bit of a Rootes thing.
My dad liked his Minxes, trouser turnips/handbrake/stagger like a drunk out of the car >> Not Unknown :-)

OVIMOR