JB's- JB: 2015

Monday, 21 December 2015

Not to be outdone !

Not to be outdone our JB van had to get into the Christmas spirit at a car show.

Friday, 18 December 2015

The Moke is out and about in the festive sunshine.

Our Moke hasn't had a outing for a while, so we dressed it up for a Christmas party!

Monday, 7 December 2015

The Heinkel met Santa the other day.

Christmas is coming so we had to take the Heinkel to meet Santa.

And overindulging in Christmas festivities Annette broke her foot the other day, but you can't keep a good girl from celebrating Christmas.

Happy Christmas to all from Australia
(Knee scooters are easier to use than crutches!)

Monday, 23 November 2015

Micro cars get-together .

We arranged for an "Isetta" and a "Bond Bug" to join our "Heinkel" at a show last weekend

It was a good show, and we drew a good crowd, but Micro cars always get attention. Was it the cars or just the nice splash of colour?

Saturday, 7 November 2015

Albert Park Lake reserve

Morris J Van get together

A number of Morris J Vans in Melbourne normally have an annual get together at the HISTORIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW November each year.

This year the get together was in the Albert Park Lake reserve 25^th October 2015

4 Vans were invited to be displayed at the MOTORCLASSICA show at the Exhibition Buildings and the day after there was a bigger get together. The unofficial chief of J Vans in the world, Harvey Pitcher, and his wife Bez from UK were in town. Harvey runs the web site http://www.jtypevan.com/. Peter Bateman from Sydney was also in town. Between them they think they know of EVERY J van in the world.

And of course we had to have the compulsory shot of drivers (and if their van was not at the meet, the Grill).

Nine J vans, 5 J Van grills and 17 owners. Not a bad effort.

Sunday, 1 November 2015

Ernst Heinkel’s personal Mercedes.

We recently had an opportunity to show off our Heinkel Kabine with Ernst Heinkel’s personal Mercedes.
In 1936 Daimler Benz lent this particular Mercedes, when it was new, to Ernst Heinkel.

Ernst Heinkel used it till the outbreak of World War 2, and during the war the car was used as part of the Third Reich car fleet.

Only 122 of these cars (Mercedes Type 540K Cabriolet C) were made out of a total production run of 419 540K’s. This model of car was popular in its day with High Society, and owners included Jack Warner (of Warner Brothers Studios) and Grace Kelly. The car was described as “an international concept of beauty and speed” and was designed for high speed touring.

This Mercedes 540K Cabriolet C was imported into Australia in 1989, and was involved in a dispute with the Australian Customs over its declared value. Eventually the car was auctioned by the Australian Customs 1994, and it has now been restored and lives in Melbourne Australia

Our Heinkel Kabine with the Boss’s car.

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Motor Classica.

The Event "Motor Classica" was held last weekend in Melbourne, and only "invited"cars get to be indoors.

To be invited indoors the cars have to be very special and very valuable. Outside is still "by invitation only", but there are club exhibits.

Four Morris “J” vans were "invited" to be in the club area on the Saturday - and our van got an invitation.

(From Left to right)

John / Annette Brooksmith, Andrew Trollope, Graeme Kurzman, John Beaton.

Saturday, 26 September 2015

Failed project van purchase.

We bought this project Van, but my Vendor told me yesterday he has pulled out of our deal and sold the van to someone else.
So anyone who wanted to buy it from me - I am sorry, I can't deliver.

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

The finished Heinkel !!!

Our Heinkel is finished at last, and has had its first outing.

Lots of admiration, but no prizes.There is no question we must have got the most smiles for the day, everyone was fascinated.

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Another J Van surfaces.

Another J Van surfaces in Australia - Well it is a project or a donor

We have just bought this J Van project. (J/R 11378) 1950 Engine No VS/15/C 118663
In brief the body has been cut up, but what is left is in prety solid condition. No Wheels or brakes, no doors.
It is in a guy's garden about 200 km North of Melbourne
I plan to put it on E Bay in about a month - Starting A$500.00. Where it is the guy doesn't want tire kickers, so it will be sold sight unseen. I have inspected it and have lots of pictures, so if anyone has any questions - let me know
In brief, it needs a lot of work, it could be a Van, a tray truck or a donor.

Monday, 17 August 2015

Sunicrust Bread.

This Van has recently been Sold in Australia located about 200 km West of Melbourne.
It was a Baker's bread delivery van for all its life, and when the driver retired, his boss said "The van is old and to be retired - take it home as a present, and thankyou for your good work".
The Van sat on his property under pine trees for many years. The owner restored "Skoda cars" and never got round to restoring the van. I understand he died recently, and all his estate was sold. I saw the van about 8 years ago, and the body was getting very thin at that time after years of exposure to "Acid rain" from the pine trees.

Sunday, 16 August 2015

Victory in the Pacific rally.

We celebrated "Victory in the Pacific'" with our Military Moke in the company of a number of other old Military Vehicles

Thursday, 13 August 2015

A Blog update.

Our Blog has been quiet recently as we have been away.
We drove Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago, and not far from Los Angeles we called on an "Isetta Expert" who had a serious collection of microcars.

Lots of interesting things to see on the way, and we had to finish the trip with a picture of us at the finish sign of the road.

Monday, 30 March 2015

Update from the Australian Motoring Festival Show.

The Australian Motoring Festival Show is over and we got a good showing.
The Event Ambasador "Shane Jacobson" (He made his name in the film KENNY about toilets) got into our Messerschmitt and caused a lot of excitement.

Our cars drew a good crowd all the time but no prizes. We were amongst top cars - all were "by invitation" so being there was an honour by itself and it was fun event.

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Australian Motoring Festival.

We are having a busy time with cars.
We have been invited to show our J Van and our Messerschmitt at the Australian Motoring Festival Melbourne.
This is a show that has replaced the Melbourne International Car Show.
The web site address is,
australianmotoring festival.com.au
We took the cars in today, not all the exhibits had arrived, but there were some very nice cars there already

Our cars are displayed together on a nice corner site, so we will get some good exposure
We have tickets for the show, so we will drop in and look at all the displays later in the week.

Monday, 16 March 2015

Annual Army Vehicle Reunion.

We took our Army Moke to an annual reunion of Army Vehicles at Corowa New South Wales
It is the bigest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere .
Check out, http://www.corowaswim-in.org/

It was a week long event, culminating with a Grand Parade on 14.03.2015

About 215 ex Army Vehicles were in the Grand Parade including our Moke and another Moke
(Ours is the one with the roof down).

There is a big car show in Melbourne 26 to 29th March
australianmotoringfestival.com.au watch out for us there

John

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Vehicle show.

The car Show season is running strong,

so we took our Army Moke along.

No prize for us, but a member of our Club (Victorian Military Vehicles Corp) got a prize for his class, and "Best in Show".

Not an Army vehicle but a very rare 1934 Bentley - Concourse with countless hours of restoration.

Monday, 19 January 2015

Little Mouse 2, Gets A New Coat .

Friday, 16 January 2015

Work on our Heinkel is progressing. We stripped it down and found out a lot of the floor had been repaired, and also parts of the lower sides. The front wings had been bogged in to hide totally rusted areas, and the side panels and door were like waves on a rolling sea.

A lot of the engine cover was so thin with rust areas, it was see through. We now knew what we had really bought!

It was described when we bought it as “nearly finished – you just fit a few parts”

Many many days of welding, panel beating and plenty of bog, and the car is literally taking on the correct shape. A coat of the original Red paint (RAL3000), and it is now certainly on the improve.

We have to wait for the car to dry, before we finish and polish the paint, but we have some supplies coming from the Heinkel Trojan Club in UK, and we are working on an order of more parts from the Heinkel Club Germany.

All we have to do is to put it together.

Monday, 12 January 2015

A gathering of Mokes!

Seeing as it is summer, we couldn't resist a day out with a group of Mokes

(Our's is the Army one - different)

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.