1966 Ex BRS Austin VAK 100 "Noddy" van. Shack building.

[glenanderson]

Local storage now arranged. :-)

Hoping to string things out another couple of weeks, because the sooner it's here the sooner I have to start paying for storage.

Currently agonizing whether to trek back up there with a van load of tools etc. and see if I can get it going. I probably won't, because it's just too far and I can't really spare the time...

[v8ian]

Good news. one thread I enjoy catching up on

[glenanderson]

Touched base with the old boy in Doncaster today. I was feeling a bit guilty as I've been stringing it out a bit. Turns out he's been doing the same! He's hoping to make a start emptying it this week, weather and workload permitting.

That, unfortunately, is all I currently have to report.

[glenanderson]

Lorry now emptied. Waiting on a call back from transporter bloke with a date for delivery.

:-)

[v8ian]

Splendid, I can see a very busy summer on the Horizon,

[düdo]

This is such a mad tale. My first thought was : keep taking the medication. But respect for your passion and drive to save such an old behemoth. It makes the rest of us 'rust addicts' look tame in comparison. I'll show this to the wife which will serve to make my mania look normal.
Good luck with your special mission!

[glenanderson]

Update...

Lorry supposed to be delivered this week - Yay! 

Transporter bloke poorly sick and has had to postpone - Boo! 

I am trying to find an alternative as seller is beginning to get a touch narky. Hopefully, worst case is transporter bloke well enough to do the job next week instead.

On other news, I have today sourced an organ donor:



This little beauty is hopefully going to be mine. It is very local and not going to break the bank. I have to confirm that storage alongside the Austin will be OK (and affordable), and then it will be all systems go.

It will hopefully be a one-stop donor for all the upgrade parts I am going to need. It's a 5.9 litre 150bhp turbo/intercooled Cummins BT6, with a five speed ZF S5-42 overdrive gearbox, which are both long-lasting and very well regarded pieces of kit. Physically it's all roughly the same size as the 5.1 litre 80bhp BMC in the Austin, and a bit of creativity should see the entire power plant within the stock silhouette of the Austin, so no visible mods. It's also air-over-hydraulic braking, so that lot can get transferred to the Austin complete and replace the hydrovac system. I can also rob the complete fuel system too, as well as most of the wiring (if needed) and loads of sundry stuff like battery carrier and night heater etc. There will be plenty left over to either sell or (more likely) weigh in and recoup some of the purchase cost. It also means that, other than making an attempt to get it running to aid shunting about, I don't have to waste time or resources on the Austin's BMC lump; if I get it going, great, it will be useful in the early stages. If not, then out it will come and off to the scrappy it will go. 

More as it happens. 

[Siert]

So this 1980s (?) recovery truck will rescue its final vehicle by donating its organs to a 1966 van, which probably was taken of the road already before that recovery truck was build? Excellent, I bet nobody predicted that the day the recovery truck rolled out of the factory

BTW The licence plate on the recovery truck can be somewhat disturbing to those who read Dutch...

[v8ian]

Glen, good to hear you are making progress,

Now all you need to go and give it a bit of stance, Have some inspiration........

[glenanderson]

Mar 17, 2015 20:29:38 GMT Siert said:

So this 1980s (?) recovery truck will rescue its final vehicle by donating its organs to a 1966 van, which probably was taken of the road already before that recovery truck was build? Excellent, I bet nobody predicted that the day the recovery truck rolled out of the factory

BTW The licence plate on the recovery truck can be somewhat disturbing to those who read Dutch...

It will. It's a 2000 built lorry, so pretty new by my standards, and on the road for less time than the Austin was, as well as much less time than the Austin's been laid up. It was a double-deck car transporter in it's previous life, but the body was removed before the current owner bought it. He planned a beavertail banger racer transporter, but poor health and lack of storage means he's moving it on. Back in a previous existence I used to deliver new Dafs, either Dutch built ones from the docks at Dartford, or Uk built ones from the factory at Leyland. This is the only snap I have of my transporter, circa 1996. It's got three bigger Dutch built wagons on it; I'd have got four 7.5 tonners on there:



And no, back then I had no idea I'd be doing something like this, let alone that I'd be able to buy £30,000+ worth of truck for under a grand.

De-Rooy was/is a Dutch company and, as well as them, I've worked for several companies based in Holland or Belgium; so I know a fair bit of colloquial Dutch. The license plate made me smile, but as I'll be scrapping the lorry and it's a couple of years out of tax and test I'm afraid the number will be lost. I could have been tempted to transfer it to the wife's "modern" so we could annoy/amuse people when we were on holiday, but I think she'd have a proper sense of humour failure if she found out what it meant!  

[glenanderson]

Mar 17, 2015 20:45:40 GMT v8ian said:

Glen, good to hear you are making progress,

Now all you need to go and give it a bit of stance, Have some inspiration........

Air suspension is on my future wishlist. However, let's not run before we can walk! 

[guinnal]

Good engine for your truck. I have a friend who recently fitted a brand new hot-rod version of that engine 400+ hp in a boat and doubled the top speed instantly. Good luck with it all

[jpsmit]

I am excited by progress but, surely it would be easier and safer to transfer the Austin body to the DAF than to transfer the DAF bits to the Austin?

[glenanderson]

Mar 18, 2015 2:54:08 GMT jpsmit said:

I am excited by progress but, surely it would be easier and safer to transfer the Austin body to the DAF than to transfer the DAF bits to the Austin?

Not really. The Austin's body is constructed piece by piece onto its chassis, removing it whole would be very difficult, that's why I can't really swap it over onto my original chassis. Also, rules in the UK mean that I can swap an engine and gearbox, but provided I keep the origina chassis and a couple of other major components like axles and steering the powers that be will still regard the vehicle as being a 1966 truck, which brings loads of benefits in terms of free tax, cheap insurance and, crucially, a clear and unequivocal exemption from the need to have a tachograph, keep driver's hours records or abide by the working time directive. It's the last bit that's most important. 

I'd judge it easier, physically, to swap the engine and gearbox, than the body. Mechanically, lorries are pretty simple things and much easier to accommodate these kind of changes than cars. Most of the stuff will be fairly straightforward, if heavy. As to safer? Well, as with any modified vehicle, you could argue it was more dangerous than stock or safer, depending on your viewpoint. More power means better drivability not just more speed. Better economy, better control over the brakes (and a fail-safe, which the original system lacks). Horses for courses. I'm pretty happy doing it this way; more so than rebodying an entire modern chassis and underpinnings. 

[darrenh]

an exciting update !

the DAF is made by leyland, so it does have some legitimate, fag paper thin and extremely tenuous, lineage to the austin VA

[düdo]

Onwards and upwards! Have you got a set of those oversize spanners like they used on steam trains?

[glenanderson]

Mar 18, 2015 9:12:05 GMT darrenh said:

an exciting update !

the DAF is made by leyland, so it does have some legitimate, fag paper thin and extremely tenuous, lineage to the austin VA 

Yes, tenuous indeed, but it's more appropriate than a Ford or Mercedes engine. 

Prior to viewing the Daf yesterday I had been a little worried that it might be too harsh and modern, but when I started it up it ran so lovely and smooth I just know it's going to work well. I think they only get harsh when you start to tweak them to silly levels of power. The stock 150 bhp and 450 Nm of torque should be more than enough for my purposes. 

I've made a commitment to buy the Daf today. Hopefully I can break the original lorry to make way for it here. If not, I've agreed temporary storage at the same place as the "new" Austin will be living. I've a couple of weeks to get my act together before the Daf needs to leave its current home, so I'll be getting my skates on!

[glenanderson]

Mar 18, 2015 9:47:55 GMT düdo said:

Onwards and upwards! Have you got a set of those oversize spanners like they used on steam trains?

Yes, I've plenty of big spanners  . I used to be a lorry/plant fitter in another of my previous lives, so there's plenty of kit and experience to call upon, even if I have got a bit soft in recent years doing an indoor job with no heavy lifting! .

[Notwen]

Have been watching this thread for a while, perhaps another for your collection ?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201310454127?clk_rvr_id=799839518942&rmvSB=true

[glenanderson]

Mar 19, 2015 17:21:16 GMT Notwen said:

Have been watching this thread for a while, perhaps another for your collection ?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201310454127?clk_rvr_id=799839518942&rmvSB=true

Thanks for the link, but I simply daren't! 

That one, at first glance, looks to be in around the same kind of condition to the one I'm awaiting delivery of. If it were nearer I'd go and have a look just for curiosity's sake.