Desperate to find myself a Morris J Type, we pulled out all the stops. Bought numerous magazines , for months on end and joined several clubs specialising in "vintage" commercial vehicles. Followed up loads of leads , and in fairness did find a few J's. But they were all in a pretty bad state of repair, or in my eyes, much too expensive. Always hoping to find that one in better condition , but at a price we could afford, we soldiered on . Our leads took us to many overgrown gardens , small tucked away villages, across mountains and far into woods.
I don't know what exactly it was that leaned me towards the Morris J Type. It's just that sad looking front , or maybe the overall pleasing shape of the van. Can't pin point it exactly.
I just love 'em.
The last one I can remember working locally , and that was in the early 70's , was an Austin 101. It was painted in what I suppose was a shade of Farina Grey, and sign-written in the livery of it's owner, Theo Evans,who was a baker from Gilfach in Bargoed.
Anyway, couldn't find myself one, and so thought of another way to try and find one. I had a "Wanted" T - Shirt printed.
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.........MORRIS J TYPE VAN.
As we went to loads of shows and jumbles , it was my main article of clothing and I wore it as often as I could. Then one day the owner of an autojumble stall I was looking at, said to me ..."I've got one of those"........
We had a brief chat , and all in all the van sounded to be complete , in good condition , and under cover. Must be worth a look.
So, we made arrangements to view the van , which was located just outside Gloucester, on the road to Ross-On-Wye. Not too far from me, only about an hour's drive. We went up on the following Sunday and found the yard , and old British Rail property, quite easily. ( Parked there in the yard was an old coach from the early 60's , in what I think was Black and White Motorways livery. )
LDG was in the building in front of the coach , and we were led in for a peek . It was very dark , and murky. Spider webs everywhere , and numerous piles of metal bits and pieces, scattered about the floor. And there tucked in the corner was what we'd come to see.
We could only see the drivers side, part of the front, and part of the back. If you can imagine a small alcove in the left hand side of the building, with LDG pushed sideways into it, you'll get the picture.
Well, she seemed complete. All the clocks were there !! It didn't look too bad, from what we could see, and the deal was made.
Arrangements were made to return the following Sunday , by which time the owner agreed to pull the van out into the open.
So, with sturdy trailer off we set the following weekend.
As we turned into the yard, what we saw made us think.Oh My God !!!.LDG was outside in the summer sun , after many years of slumber in that dark dismal place. But she was a broken lady , literally. Her back was in two , and her rear quarters were up through the floor. She'd broken her back in her effort to escape her resting place.
What had we done, what had we bought ? Seeing the van outside for the first time ,and being able to have a good look around her, we realised how despirately ripe she really was. But the deal was done , and we'd taken on the challenge.
Another challenge was getting the van onto the trailer !! We had to lift up the bodywork and build a timber frame inside. My friends Dave Sheldon and Paul Rudge ( both Ford Sidevalvers ! ) were a big help with it all, and we finally were ready for the trek up to Kidderminster after strapping LDG firmly to the trailer.
We were taking the van to a garage owned by brothers Mark and Chris Tuffy...."Autoweld "..., who had agreed to take on the restoration. It was a job they were used to as they'd previously restored J Types before. But I felt a bit guilty about this task , because I didn't think LDG would be this bad.
It was an uneventful drive to Kidderminster, although we were frequently checking to see if any bits were falling off on the way.
Upon arrival , Mark couldn't believe his eyes , and I honestly thought he'd back down . And I wouldn't have blamed him. But true to his word the van was wheeled, pushed and shoved into his premises.
It was to be almost 3 years before LDG would feel that warm summer sun again.
Mark and Chris agreed to work on the van when work was slack, which was just fine by me. So for the next couple of years work progressed. I would find the parts required, and ferry them up to them, and Mark and Chris would get the bodywork sorted. I managed to find a new front wing at a jumble, a good second hand one came from Ed Morgan of Cirencester ( Morris Service J Type ). The rear wings were made as a class project at a local college in Crosskeys. An exhaust turned up at a local jumble, marked Morris J ( R ) . Never thought till months later that the R meant right hand drive.
I rebuilt the engine, and did what I could.
Found all the required bits one way or another, and of course the Tuffy Brothers worked an absolute miracle on the bodywork. Repair panels weren't available then, and all the sections were hand made by them.
In the meantime I managed to get the registration sorted, and thankfully retain the original registration number. I'd bought the van with no paperwork , but Gloucester is one of the counties which have kept their records.
Further reseach found that the van was originally owned by Gloucester Council itself, and is belived to be used as a sort of mobile library, ferrying books between schools , etc.. It was still in the original green livery when we found her.
It took almost 3 years of hard graft to complete, and when ready, the chosen body colour was Ford Lacquer Red ( Yes, I know Ford !! ). I collect memorabilia of a local bus company, the West Mon Omnibus Board ( now Islwyn Borough Transport ) and thought it would be nice to put the vehicle in their colours. The Lacquer Red is an almost perfect match to their livery. Front and rear wings were finished in black.
LDG was finished as a Service Vehicle for the company, although they never owned a J Type. I had to get special permission from the local council to use the company crest, and to use the names of the company directors of the period written on the van side. But she looked great,
and all hand sign written by Hook Signs of Barry.
No transfers , thank you very much !!
Well, the van was wheeled in, and when she came back out 3 years later, it was under her own steam. She was a gleaming example of a very pretty van. All ready for the road , with full MOT and tax.
We drove the 90 miles home from Kidderminster to South Wales without a hitch, to find my wife and family had draped the house with " WELCOME HOME J TYPE " ribbons .
We travelled a lot of miles in the van over the next couple of years going south as far as Bournemouth for the commercial run back to Bath, and up as far as Tatton Park for the annual J Type pilgrimage. Many shows in between were completed too . The only hitch I used to get was the occasional petrol vapourisation on a very hot day, which was soon remedied with a squirt of cold water from a garden squeezy bottle, onto the fuel line by the carb.
And the occassional fan belt.
But nothing else.
And then I began to look at Austin Devon Pick-up's , and thought I might buy one. But, being only on modest income it would mean selling LDG to finance one. So, I advertised the van. Within only one or two weeks it was sold, and I'd found a pick-up.
The van was purchased for the RAC heritage collection, and they still own it today.
It was a move I regret to this day . I didn't realise it at the time, but I really miss the old thing, and although the Austin was a great vehicle I should NEVER have sold my J Type.
I would dearly love to own one again some day, and I can only wait and see what comes along. Maybe I'll get a T shirt printed...now there's an idea !!
Like the story pops :-)
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