Morris Minor Gown Van Oddity

Here's something you don't see every day, or indeed, in my case, ever at all.  Its a Gown Van based on a Morris Minor LCV.  In this case it appears to be the rare and short lived Austin version as well for extra weird points.

As the name suggests, a gown van was used to deliver fancy ladies dresses back in the day when long gowns were de rigueur for polite society events.

This odd little van has curious proportions and hopefully will be restored by an enthusiast of odd light commercials.  Its certainly started cheap enough on its eBay listing but who knows what the reserve may be?

If the van's a rockin' don't come a knockin'

There is rarely a car on eBay which makes me audibly go "wow" or laugh out loud.  This Marina van did both.  What we have here is a proper old school custom mini van Brit style.

When I were a lad, and all of this were just trees, the local disco lethario would drive a van like this.  Its all there, the draylon, the porthole windows (in the shape of a heart for crying out loud, its perfect) and the curiously inappropriate performance hard-tuned engine.

It all appears in good cosmetic order, the seller claims long term storage and knowing what 1970s British Leyland products are like for rot if exposed to the elements I can only assume this to be the cause of its survival.

The white paint is curiously restrained.  I would imagine when built the van should have been treated to a full custom stripe, candy, flake, eerie des, vreeble and fogged paint job.  Maybe it was built late in the van fad or maybe it was never finished?

Whatever the story this van is a wonderful survivor of an era when enthusiasm was more important than taste.  I miss those days.  I think I might sneak a bid.  It's here for another 2 days...  

Whoever buys it has a wonderful oportunity to either preserve it as it is or perhaps finish what waa started with some nice paint (not matt black puuuuh-lease) and a little detailing.

Retro Throwback Morris Minor hot rod truck

If you've been reading this blog you'll know I am a bit of an enthusiast of the 70s/80s customs and rods.  I especially like it when old cars turn up again. So I was happy to spot the Morris Minor LCV on eBay

This is truly redolent on an era.  That looks like Triumph brown to me, as seen on many T2000s and Dolomites when I was a lad.  The flip front, Daimler Hemi and bias ply tyres are all period delights. Appliance Wire Mags are definitely the winning wheel on a car like this.

Those wheel arches could only have been formed in a time when taking hallucinogenics in the garage was an acceptable pass time.

Needing work to recommission its currently bid to a little over a grand.  No IVA worries here on an old build like this.

Auction is HERE and was still active at time of writing.

Paint yer wagon

Short on words in this update, but just to let the world know I'm repainting the Fleetwood Brougham.  This was one of those things where it had a few stone chips and other little marks on the paint but by the time I'd gotten down to rubbing each one out I had work on every panel so I thought I might as well paint the whole thing.

So I've spent two days rubbing down, filling, stoppering, puttying and yet more rubbing.  Its getting there now, I guess I'm about half done.  The car has one repaint on the factory paint and I'm rubbing most of that right out as it has some bad "orange peel" effect in the finish.

The photo above should show the orange peel in all its gory glory.  Getting back down to perfectly smooth is the big deal here so that when the new paint goes on it will look sharp and shiny.  The new colour is going to be a slightly lighter shade of blue in a slightly pearlescent finish.  This will be topped off with a clear lacquer rather than the paint on there now which is a single stage paint.

The Boston Strangler - Fad T Rod from back in the day

Here's some proper British hot rodding history and like a lot of the really famous early cars this one has a proper American connection as well.  Some of you will know this car already, and for those who don't I'll just copy the information which is provided on the eBay auction for this historic rod.

Originally built in the 1960's by Rick Heinrick of Boston Massachusetts hence the cars sinister moniker.

The metal flake green body,

327 Chevy four speed

62 Chevy live axle

Whilst on Tour in the USA bought by Rock Star Jeff Beck who in 1969 imported it back to the UK.

Soon after this the “T “had an accident and Jeff Beck re-built it adding a full height screen, black top and purple flake paint.

The “T” then was sold to the late John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. It made a brief appearance in the Led Zeppelinn movie “The Song Remains the Same” along with the Brizio C Cab.

In 1980 “The Strangler” was sold to Terry Richards (Birmingham) who totally re-built it adding the 471 blower auto gearbox and orange paint.

October 1981 The “T” was featured in Custom Car Magazine.

Terry sold the “T” to John Cullen who had more work done by Nick Butler hence the addition of the Butler-style fenders.

A few years on the “T” was bought by Alan Bradley who in 1987 put the car into a pop memorabilia auction at Christie's. The “T” was bought from the auction by Mercedes Specialist John Lewis who often parked the “T” in his Parsons Green Showroom.

After his death the “T” was owned by (T enthusiast) Maurice Takoor insurance assessor. He showed the “T” at the 1st NSRA Super-nationalss at Knebworth in 1991, and again at the NASC Nats in Essex.

Maurice was soon approached by a rep from US Brewery Anheuser Busch who were looking to open a new chain of US style restaurants in the UK called “TJ's” and wanted a radical looking T as a centrepiece for their Farnham Branch.

For Health and Safety reasons the fuel tank, battery and some wiring were removed. Also removed was the windscreen never to be seen again.

The Restaurant chain was not a success leading to closure.  The “T” was not heard of again for many years................

Today the “T” is owned by Robert Cumming of Bournemouth Dorset who bought it from the brewery. Robert has had the following works done by Gordon Evans who has bought the “T” back to life.

• Rebuilt Holly Carb
• New:-
• HT leads
• Mallory distributor
• Alternator
• Fuel cell
• Brake master cylinder
• Brakes
• Re- wired
• Battery
• Windscreen
• Gaskets
• Plugs
• Oil
• Etc..........

The car drives and engine runs strong..........

THE CAR HAS DONE NO MILES SINCE 1980 FULL REBUILD

Its on eBay for £7000 start and no bids yet.  Its a fantastic piece of rodding history being such a well known car with rock star heritage to boot.  

Another Corvette with vintage FIA papers

Also not for the small of wallet is this delightful C2 Corvette in a superb gold livery with big block power and FIA papers ready to race.  Its been on eBay as a classified ad at £135,000.

You get a fair package for your semi-detatched-house-in-the-Midlands money.  Its a 396 big block which has just has a fresh rebuild at a cost of some £10K, which is naturally backed with a Muncie 4 speed manual box.  The rear end s a 3.55 posi and it has factory dual pin discs all round.

Those lovely looking wheels are wrapped in proper Dunlop 700L rubber.  They certainly look the part.  The spec also includes chassis sand-blasted , seam welded, gusseted with period trick modifications .SW gauges. Fully working lighting with separated wiring looms for endurance races . Tinted quick lift Perspex door glass in lightened doors. Period-correct interior with side-bolstered 1965 seats and 1967 headrests Foam filled big tank inside car as factory original. Lightweight 1963 grille. Le Mans style Perspex headlight covers. Banana-bunch headers with side-exhausts and adjustable mufflers.

The interior looks very plush for a racer, the racey red is certainly attractive and you have to love the use of a Cadillac tail light as a shift light (I'm assuming thats what its for)

All in all a delightful package and one I would happily find a home for if I didn't have to sell my home to pay to buy it.

What is it with 400E hot rods?

You know when you think you may have fallen asleep and woken up and the last 20 years were all a weird dream, kind of like Bobby Ewing in Dallas?  Some days I look at eBay and its the 80s all over.  I do not say that this is a bad thing at all.  Witness the number of Ford Thames 400E based hot rods which have been popping up

This is the third in as many weeks.  This one features a nice selection of period mods such as a roof chop, nose & deck (or whatever the van equivalent is) and pearly paint.

Whatever else, its certainly prostreet with the de rigeur Micky Thomposons out back on a narrowed Ford 9" axle.  Power comes from a mild 318 small block Mopar which according to the accompanying photos has been painted pink.  One has to wonder if that was intentional, but then this van has survived the 90s...

The interior is functional, but fully spec'd with gauges and so forth.  Over all from the photos the van looks in nice shape and generally ready to cruise or show.

You can check the details out in the eBay listing here.