JB's- JB: 2013

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Happy Christmas from John & Annette in Australia.

Here is a little gift to all fellow J van owners, a tin of Cadbury Milk Chocolate in a tin shaped just like the Joyville JB. Not yet in the shops in the UK, Australian owners only.

John and Annette being festive in the sunshine.
To all J type enthusiasts everywhere we wish you seasons greeting and a prosperous New Year.

Sunday, 24 November 2013

Historic Commercial Vehicle Show Pictures.

The Annual HISTORIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW was on in Melbourne 24.11.2013 and the J Vans got together in force
A lot of history was on display but no other brand had 5 of a kind
The day was a bit damp, but we got 5 Vans - all different colour's.

From Left to right
John Brooksmith, Nick Fuller, Mike Slaney, Sandy Payet, Andrew Trollope
Three other Van apologized, as they couldn't make it

Lots of Trucks and Buses also there, and here is a selection
Austins

Old Buses.

And New Buses,

Large engines for new Buses

Ford Model T.

And Lots more

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Historic Commercial Vehicle show.

Gooday Boys
Next Sunday is the Historic Commercial Vehicle show again. We are looking for a better than last year’s 7-vehicle show. If we all turn up we will make it – so here is the call to arms!
The show opens 9.00 am, so if we all make it around that time or soon after, and see if we can get the same spot as last year, we can make history: THE BIGGEST J VAN DISPLAY OUTSIDE THE UK…
That should also get us a front page on the J-Register website, so we will be world famous.
It is also the 65th Anniversary of the J Van so it will be a fitting culmination for the year.
Well done for last year – we will get some better pictures of a bigger display this year
See you there, John Brooksmith

Monday, 7 October 2013

Centenary Day of the Morris, Show n' Shine.

With Summer coming, and the 100 Years of Morris still being celebrated, we had to go to a local show.
The Centenary Day of the Morris, Show n' Shine, held in the Caribbean Gardens, Melbourne.
There were some 250 Morris's attending, and it was a great display.

We won the Best Commercial with our Morris JB van.

A close up of the award.

Here are just a few pictures of some of the other vehicles.
A Morris 25,

Lots of Minors,

A Trench Warfare Cowley (Made to take MORRIS made sea mines down to the dock WW1).

Two JB vans, "Hercules" the cream one belongs to Andrew Trollope.

Lots of Wolseleys.

Sunday, 29 September 2013

The Guru Mr Peter Bateman visits.

The Guru Peter Bateman was in town and stayed the night. He reviewed the fleet and he just couldn't help himself, after breakfast he just had to drive the Van.
Verdict. Yes, it passed the guru's driving evaluation.

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

JB's grand UK tour continues.

Did the normal sightseeing trip around London, kept an eye out for any Morris JB vans fleeing from Buckingham Palace but none were to be found.
Of more interest, We followed a Messerschmitt run to the Nean Valley railway workshops.
There were best part of 40 Messerschmitts attending the rally, and some 30 went in convoy on a run to the railway workshops
Guess what, when we all arrived G.S. with his magnificent Post Office J mail Van was already there as part of a historical Post Office vehicle Display.
We thought Christmas had come early with so many Messerschmitts AND a Morris J in the car park.

Thursday, 4 July 2013

JB's UK tour continues.

JB could not resist entering the Mini Pork Pie eating contest, while they stopped at Lands End to admire the view. Despite being out of practise for many years JB was the overall winner. The epic road trip continues with the north coast of Cornwall and North Devon next on this grand trip.

Sunday, 16 June 2013

Australian J van owners flying the flag in the UK.

Yes we managed to get to the UK for the two day J van display in Wythall Bus museum just south of Birmingham (home of J van production).
Here is proof we made it and we had first pickings of a wonderful J type sponge cake.

Bottles of Bateman Beer, won't he be surprised when he gets these, even more surpassed when he finds them empty.

JB saying to AT, we came all this way to sit in a bus museums tea room, nods from A and S, warm tea and warm rain.
I know lets go and see if the local's are friendly.

Your from where? Stoke Poges?, Never heard of it.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Gaydon, UK commercial Rally 2013.

Hi all,
I've braved the UK weather and a hire car with a 6 speed gearbox to bring you a few views of the Classic Commercial rally held at Gaydon Heritage centre.

Harvey and Peter.

Rear view of the tipper truck.

Four vehicles in the Ray Herritt's fleet, this is the best one.

Three J vans and a folding chair make up a good display in front of the museum building.

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Gooday all,
Well I am disappointed.

Took the JB van to a show, to see the Cadbury's van, to be told that the Cadbury's Van was not coming. Insurance, payment, parking for the tray truck, - The guy organising it said "it was too hard in the end" and the Joyville Van was un-booked.
They will try again to get it for a proposed show on 6th October, for those outside Australia (it's going to be in a bigger park in suburban Melbourne).

Jb's Jb van hiding at the back of the Morris display.

Flinders St station (the big building in the background) is the main surburban railway station in Melbourne (That hasn't changed apart from a wash and a coat of paint) but on the left an new multi story building was built in the 60's, that has since been torn down, and Federation Square has been built. Federation square is a big open space, an art gallery and cafe's.
Flinders street station, mid 1950's. Thanks to A.T. for the picture.

Flinders street station May 2013, I hope to get the JB van in the same location as the above picture, for a real Now and Then moment.

Let's hope we have some Joy with the Joyville van in October, it will be nice to catch up with it in the flesh.

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

The Cadbury Joyville JB Van is coming to Melbourne.

Come and see a display of Morris vehicles to celebrate 100 years since the founding of Morris Cars.

The Morris centenary vehicle display will be in Melbourne's Federation Square 26 th May 2013 with 30 other Morris Cars.

The Cadbury's Joyville van will be on display with us.
Come and see us there 10.30 am onwards.

All about the Cadburys Morris JB Joyville van.

The Joyville-wacky commercial follows the Joyville driver in his Joymobile as he makes his journey to deliver three different chocolate creations, towing fifty thousand purple helium balloons behind him. Joyville surfers deliver life-sized chocolate surfboards. Joyville dog trainers present a giant chocolate sausage dog and an archaeologist accompanies a Dairy Milk T-Rex.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

200 Army vehicles, what a gathering.

We had to leave the Van behind as we took our Army Moke on a week’s holiday.

First we went to a working Tank farm and watched the live action.

A “Grant” tank in operation.

A collection of “Blitz” trucks awaiting restoration.

A "Grant" tank moving well and ready for battle.

Then we went on to a reunion of Ex Army Vehicles. There were nearly 200 vehicles, but as we had a “Leyland” we had to have a picture of the “Leyland” contingent and drivers.

One 1978 Army truck and Trailer, 2 1973 Army Moke's and Trailers, one 1975 Army Moke and Trailer.

Here are the others.

Not a Morris in sight!

Monday, 4 March 2013

JB Verses LD who wins?

We have been to a few car shows recently, individually with the Van, the Army Moke, and the Messerschmitt ( We rarely take more than one vehicle out at any one time)
We went to a car show yesterday and caught up with a Austin LD van we have meet before
It makes our little JB look small, but it should as the LD is the 1 Ton version of our half ton JB

The J won hands down.

The History of this van and the plan of work that needs to be done.

All about the owner.

I have 2 Australian built Mokes and have seen the J series Van around in car museums / at show for some time. Our Mokes have been restored and are in original condition, but all the J Vans I had seen were “Restorers” –too much for me .

The J Van is rather cute, and everybody who has seen ours thinks the same. My initials are JB so I bought 3 “Corgi” J models off EBay

While I was browsing the internet I came across “Roland’s” blog site and a Blue J restored van in UK was on eBay UK . I tried to contact the seller, but got no response and the Van subsequently disappeared off E Bay. Another, a Red J ute turned up on eBay UK, and that too disappeared before the end of the eBay auction. A virtual shell turned up 200 km from here, but that would have been too much work for me.

Next “Roland’s” site turned up a Austin 101 in Sydney. I rang the seller and he really didn’t know much about the vehicle. He had bought it, in 2007 as a reasonably restored body, with mechanicals “to be restored”. He was not mechanical so he sent it to a very reputable “Morris Minor” repairer in Sydney. After some six months or so of being in that repairers garage the Van appeared and was registered in Sydney for full road use.

I told the seller I would have to come and see it (Sydney is 1000 km away) and I was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. An operation fixed the cancer and a month or so after, I went to Sydney. The body had been done up, a bit on the cheap, but not bad. The mechanicals were terrific (with receipts to verify the good work)

I told the vendor we would think about it and next day, with a pile of cash I my pocket, I phone and suggested I call and speak. The vendor was too busy that day, so I offered a lot less than he was asking. I think he nearly fell over, but agreed to think about it for the weekend. He rang an hour later and told me he had sold the van to the mechanic who repaired it for the price he was advertising, and if I wanted to bid higher I could have it. I declined.

Two weeks later, he rang my partner, we had used her phone when we spoke to him before, and advised the sale had fallen through and "was I still interested". I had expected the call as the Van was still being advertised for sale, and I really didn’t think the mechanic would want to buy it after charging for his work over the past three years.

I delayed calling for a week or so, and over the following weeks got the vendor to accept a low price. The Van was picked up by a trucking Company in Sydney and delivered to Melbourne.

I got the details of (and have visited) the seller who had the Van before it went to Sydney and have managed to piece the following together

The van is defiantly a Austin 101

The Van was delivered new to a Company called “Federal Springs” in Brooklyn (An inner Melbourne suburb) who made springs for cars, trucks etc

I have also found a plate on the Van saying

Ausdis Pannel and Engineering Pty Ltd

Stubb Street

Kensington (This is another inner Melbourne suburb)

The Van was then discovered near Geelong (50 km south of Melbourne) by a “Car restorer” in 2000. It had been a "Paddock car".He had the body repaired, and in 2007 sold it to my Vendor who took it to Sydney on a trailer.

A Sydney “J” enthusiast (Peter) was aware of the Van in Sydney and he advises it is defiantly a “JB”.

I am in an inner Melbourne suburb, so apart from 3 years in Sydney, the van has been all its life within 50 km our home., in its early years within 5 km of here

That is the story so far, and is yet to be confirmed. It can’t be both an Austin 101 and a Morris J so I have requested a search of the factory records in UK based on the chassis Number – the original engine was replaced in Sydney with a 1622 cc BMC “B” series engine so I can’t search on the Engine Number

I understand the Morris Commercial records are just about non existent, so if it can’t be traced it must be a Morris – probably 1959 JB

If it can be found it will probably be a 1959 Austin 101 (Which would be quite rare)

It was registered for the road in Sydney as a 1952 Austin 101 – all the paperwork form the original owners is lost, and the Austin 101 was not produced till the introduction of the JB in 1957. In brief we have a few contradictions to date.

I may have to look for a new Front Panel and grill to make it JB’s JB or it may have to be JB’s 101

I really must acknowledge the help I have had from Roland, or I would not have found it, or been able to find out what I have found so far.
In the UK the chassis number would have been stamped on a small tin strip and mounted by the radiator filler cap. It would have been stamped with a prefix of either JB/MR 45066 or JB/AR 45066 (M for Morris, A for Austin) the chassis dates the van as being late 1959 production. The Australian plate misses out this vital prefix. Maybe this is not important, maybe the fact that another 50 years old vehicle is out there being enjoyed and used for what it was designed for.
Plan of work.
Well I would like to investigate the steering set up as to me there is rather a lot of play in it, rather like steering a boat. I just intend at the moment to enjoy my new toy, take it to a few rallies and with luck meet up with another J owner and compare vehicles.
Watch this blog for more postings about its history, restoration/improvements under taken and rallies/shows attended.

Road legal and ready for 90 days of fun in the sun.