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

Having seen your thread and the pics of you pulling the Goddess' engine I might look at hiring one when the time comes.

On a completely unconnected note, does this forum have a multi-quote function? Or do I have to answer people one at a time?

Fork trucks are great for moving things and lifting, another thought, what about a harvey frost crane on the back of the landy?, they seem to go for very little money on EBay
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Cheers Darren, I'll try that next time. :-)

Just to say...loving the thread....and whilst browsing evilbay...

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUSTIN-BRS-LORRY-/191567971964?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c9a57467c

Great to see the evidence of their simple lightweight construction & the wild "modern" translucent plastic roof. Much more interesting seeing these features as a van than some of your earlier considerations of a tray or box rear body. Could be really beautiful showing off quality woodwork & alloy. Like the idea of roller shutter at the back too as another unexpected surprise feature like the roof.

Not really an update, as I've been busy with work and not able to get to the lorry yet this week, but here are some more pictures from when I was last there...



I think this level of signwriting is within my grasp...



Flaky paint makes it look worse than it is. When I get it home I'll hire a hot water pressure washer for the weekend and get as much of it off as I can.



Old school step on the reverse of the tailgate. Nice touch.



So much for clearing it out! You can see the translucent glass fibre roof panel here. I will have to do some research into how best to restore/renovate the glass fibre parts, it's not a material I have much experience with.



Original plates should clean up well. 



Rear timber door frame appears sound all round. The one in Woking was absolutely chock full of filler here both sides...



Area above the cab that's destined to be a bunk.



View of the side door from the inside. I will be getting rid of this. Fortunately whoever chopped it out did so between the body side uprights, rather than cutting one out, so reinstatement should be straightforward.



Nicely hand-painted sign. I wonder how the artist reacted when he proudly showed it off to his appreciative audience and someone said "that's not how you spell octopus..." 



Amongst the junk on the floor... Shame it's not the one for the lorry, I could sell it and retire! 



My sister donated this sideboard to the cause. It's a nice solid oak one, and will be converted so the top lifts to reveal a sink and hob. that's the plan anyway. I want the interior of the living space have a nice vintage feel, not look like I've robbed it wholesale from a knackered 70s caravan.



Instruments have all seen better days. Combined gauge has, if I remember right, fuel, temp and oil pressure. 2" gauges are amps and vacuum (for the brakes). I took the speedo out hoping to be able to assemble something from it and the several other elderly Smiths/Jaeger units in my shed, but it's also kippered. Ignition key is actually just an old one I had laying in my toolbox, but it works for the time being. More luck than judgement!

Most of the times with old fibre glass panels the resin has just dried out so a liberal dose of resin does wonders.

This and the green goddess are the two best projects on here I read with baited breath and genuinely look forward to the updates...

Thanks..

The green is, I expect, more likely it's old delivery company livery than army. Like this one.



At least repainting will be easy, it's a really nice simple set of panels and they look in good order from the pictures shared so far.  I'm guessing as well that your interior is going to be more in line with 30s and 40s caravans and campers.

Yes, I think so. Much better than any of the others I viewed certainly. 


Cheers. I have literally zero experience with glass fibre other than some dreadful bodgery to get a 2CV through an MoT back in the late eighties! The cowl above the cab has a split in the top, where it looks like someones clipped an overhanging branch or obstacle. It should be an easy repair, and handily one which will be unseen from ground level, so neatness will be the target, rather than invisibility. The wings from the original one are probably in better shape than the grey ones, and as they'll have to come off for the chassis repairs I'll make a comparison between them and fit/refurbish the best ones.

I hope I can meet your expectations with this, the Goddess project has certainly set the bar very high indeed. All I've really done so far is fret, worry and spend money! I'm hoping to get to the lorry next Tuesday, to see if it can be persuaded to run, and to try and get some air in the rear tyres. I'll also hopefully have time to strip all the rubbish and junk out of the back and sort it for tip, scrap and bonfire. 

No Owen, Vulgalour is on the money with it down here \/\/\/


One of the things that swung me to doing one of these, rather than something more mainstream, is the simplicity of construction. It really is something any reasonably skilled/equipped workshop could turn out, with no complicated pressings or construction techniques more suited to mass production/mechanisation. 

The original one was red all over, under the parcels green paint. Even the "BRS" and "Canterbury" writing was painted over. It had obviously been done quickly and I can clearly remember getting into trouble as a kid for peeling bits of the green off to expose the red underneath; more for making a mess though, than because my dad thought it was better in green!   When I went through all the original panels at the farm, the only signwriting on them was the weight marker and "Canterbury", this, together with the red paint, leads me to suspect that JOY430D was on the general fleet, rather than the parcels one, at least to start with. This picture of JOY432D, although black-and-white, also has no "parcels" branding, just what I think is "Guildford" on the side, and I'm pretty sure this one is in red livery too, although it's impossible to say for sure.



Because there are at least two survivors in preservation in parcels fleet green, and because my original one was red, my plan is to do GUG in red with either "Canterbury" or "Dover" depot markings. Something like the following:







And yes, that kind of interior is exactly what I envisage. I shall panel out the living area with hardwood faced ply, stained dark to match the sideboard, and will search out some other bits to compliment them. The living area will be fully insulated, with a new bulkhead separating it from the loadspace at the rear. With a five ton payload I don't have to worry at all about the weight of interior fittings, or the equipment I may choose to build in. Not unless I get massively carried away!