Not French but a seroius lot of enthusiasts.

[Gibbo2286]

https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheMorrisJTypeVan/

[white exec]

One of those vehicles which were made with body panels that took the minimum of bending to manufacture. No 200-ton press and expensive dies required! Flat glass everywhere too.

Love the R.G.Jones of Morden High Fidelity van too. Would have provided endless fun for a young Jim.

[Peter.N.]

Central Electric in Orpington had those vans, I remember seeing one spread over quite a large section of the road when I was a kid, there was a crossroads just above our house with no priority markings!

I had a couple of the 'E' model Velox/Cresta in the video and my boss had a Standard 14 like the one at the end.

Peter

[CitroJim]

One I spotted in the New Forest back in the summer...

A daily driver too...

Own Work

[Peter.N.]

Not seen a live one for may years Jim. Do you remember the GPO Morris 8 vans with the rubber wings?

Peter

[CitroJim]

Do you remember the GPO Morris 8 vans with the rubber wings?

Just, as my dad was a postman all his working life...

Although I have better memories of his Morris Minor GPO vans with the Yale locks on them and then at the end of his career, the Bedford HA vans that replaced the minors...

I have better memories of the J-Type as a milk float. A milkman neighbour used to do his rounds with one and as a kid I often helped him... Loved riding in the old J

[CitroJim]

One I spotted in the New Forest back in the summer...

A daily driver too...


36199736875_919040103b_k.jpg

Forgot to say, this one is in daily use as an electrician's van; it earns its living...

[xantia_v6]

Here, they were still in use in the delivery fleet of the largest local bakery, until the mid 60s, so they were always called bread vans.

I remember my dad describing the experience of a local motorcycle shop that bought one for transporting motorcycles to and from the workshop. After using it for a few weeks, they found that the back door would no longer close. The weight a a motorcycle leaned against the interior wall had permanently twisted the bodyshell

[CitroJim]

Here, they were still in use in the delivery fleet of the largest local bakery, until the mid 60s, so they were always called bread vans.

Ahh! So that's where the term comes from then

Loved the bit about carrying motorbikes in them... I reckon one would be utterly perfect as my bike transporter - no risk of bodyshell damage with my featherweight carbon ones

[Peter.N.]

I bought a couple of Morris Minor vans, the first one when I lived in Kent was ex Rentokill and the second after we moved down here was ex GPO, I bought it from a depot in Guildford. It had only done 19k miles but second gear synchro was shot due to the restrictor they fitted between the carb and inlet manifold to reduce the power, the postmen would scream the guts out of it in first then crash it into second, only paid £100 for it mind and the paint was still shiny on the floor!

I went to the local BMC garage in Axminster, huge it was, you could drive in and park by the counter! I bought a synchro ring and a set of gaskets for a fiver and fixed the gearbox, then I resprayed it yellow and white and fitted side windows, a pair of decent seats from the breakers and carpeted it and had it sign written, very nice it was.

I did the same to the one in Kent and fitted a heater from a Vauxhall Velox behind the driving seat, that one was warm as well.

Oh how easy things were in those days.

Peter

[CitroJim]

It had only done 19k miles but second gear synchro was shot due to the restrictor they fitted between the carb and inlet manifold to reduce the power...

I remember dad telling me about those restrictors and how they would remove them on their fleet and remember to put them back in when the vans were called back to the depot for servicing or other work...

Very naughty but in hilly Somerset it was much needed...

[Peter.N.]

I think I might have done that.

Peter