You’ve got my attention!
I will send you a PM shortly.
Cheers, Glen.
Hi there my name is Andy and i only found this website a few days ago. I think its great by the way. I have signed up as Noddyman because i have just bought within the last 3 weeks not one but 3 Austin Noddy vans. My first is a 1961 then went to look at two others for spares and bought them both. These other two are both Austins one being a 1964 and the other a 1966. I was going to break the 1966 model to restore the other two but am wondering if i should try and get this on the road as well. I am a carpenter by trade so the timber frame on all 3 lorries should be easy for me to sort out. I will try and post some pictures of all 3 later today. I have read with great interest Mr Glen Anderson,s story and would like to say good luck and if there,s anything i can be assistance with please let me know. I,m not very knowledgeable about these trucks at the moment but am doing my best to find out more. Which is how i found this website. I will also be looking for spares for mine so if anybody knows of any in Surrey i would love to know. Andy aka Noddyman
I had a vague recollection that there was a Bedford version of the Noddy Van but I couldn’t find anything on the net to confirm my memory - until now, that is ! - - - see: rmweb.co.uk/community/upload … _thumb.jpg
While the body is not identical, the concept is exactly the same.
wow… that Bedford was a good find i can’t remember seeing one of those.
Sorry for the long time without any updates. It’s been a busy (and frustrating) few months. I have been all over looking at various projects/hulks/massively overpriced examples. I am hoping to be able to report some success in the purchase of a viable project in the next few days. I’ve bought one, but getting it moved is proving to be the mother and father of all headaches. Hopefully I’ll get good news tomorrow.
I’ve also bought a donor Daf 45, so the engine/gearbox swap is definitely a go.
All the best, Glen.
Oh and Andy (Noddyman), welcome aboard, I’ve sent you a PM.
I’ll draft a proper update when I’ve a bit more time, but I thought I’d let everyone know that I’ve managed, finally, to get this one home:
GlenAnderson:
I’ll draft a proper update when I’ve a bit more time, but I thought I’d let everyone know that I’ve managed, finally, to get this one home:
Hiya Glen…that one looks quite doable. the number plate not fantastic but quite good as well
John
Right, bit of an update.
Have had a couple of afternoons tinkering with the Austin over the month or so it’s been within reach, so I’ll bring you up to speed.
The tyres were all very soggy, so when it arrived I had pumped the front ones up a bit to make it easier to steer. The passenger side went up OK, but the driver’s one developed an alarming bulge, so I let it down again!
This is after I’d let it down!
Fortunately I’ve got five of the old van’s tyres that still hold air, so I took one of them along to swap over.
One pic of a big brake drum, but I neglected to take any of the “new” wheel fitted… Doh!
Anyway, with that done, and needing to regain my breath, I took a walk around and took a few more pictures.
These first two ^^^ show the area of chassis at the very front that will need attention. This seems to be a common weal point on these; all the ones I’ve viewed have been bad here, with this one being one of the best. Access should be OK with the engine out and front wings off. I can cut repair sections from the bits of old chassis I’ve kept. I may also add a strengthening web to the open side of the “C” section along the length of where the engine and gearbox will sit to make sure that doubling the power and torque output won’t cause me undue problems down the line.
The next two show the cab step areas, which should also have runners on them to support the door bottoms. These will both need stripping out and rebuilding. They’re only ply, which is why they’ve not lasted. I’ve been thinking, and will probably use pre-machined oak floorboards to repair these areas, and the cab floor, as it’s easy to obtain, relatively cheap and will be very long lasting, even in areas exposed to the elements like here.
“Interesting” rear step/towbar affair. This will be going straight in the skip! It will be replaced either with something adjustable and less easy to walk into, or by a tail lift. I’m undecided. A tail lift will make my life very much easier, but will be difficult to reconcile with my plan of keeping the external appearance “period”…
Rear plywood doors (which were knackered), are in the back of the wagon, along with a load of other rubbish the seller couldn’t be bothered to remove. The mounts and runners from the original roller shutter are still there. Most of the ones I’ve seen or seen pictures of have the short tailgate and roller shutter at the back, but one of the hulks in Lincolnshire had a tailgate and two barn doors. I’m not sure which way I’ll go, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. It mainly hinges on the tail-lift decision and what is available secondhand when the time comes. A full height roller shutter is another option, or full height barn doors.
You can see from these next two that one of the side panels (the one with the awful butchered side door) has popped a few screws on the journey up and down the country. Considering it did over 500 miles at motorway speeds on the back of a lorry, and I thought when I first saw it that it wouldn’t take the move, I’m pleased that there is as little damage, and that the structure is obviously still as sound as it appeared when I looked properly. I could re-secure the existing panels, and seal the side door shut, but I thin I will take the opportunity to replace the entire panel and doing so make a better job of it.
This one shows how roomy the cab is, by 1950s/60s standards. The view of the road out of the windscreens is impressive, particularly compared to that from the Land-Rover!
I then moved on to the engine. With a socket on the crank pulley bolt I could turn the engine about 1/3 of a revolution before coming up against something hard. I suspected a stuck valve, so whipped the rocker cover off to check. I say whipped, getting the air-cleaner off the inlet manifold was a challenge, the alloy manifold and steel pipe were reluctant to part company after so long, but did so eventually.
I was presented by a very grotty oily mess. The exhaust valve for number six cylinder was stuck open, so I gave it a squirt of WD40 and a couple of light taps with a small hammer and it popped shut. Sweet. The engine then turned easily by hand through several revolutions, so I was happy enough with that. I then replaced the rocker cover, trying not to think of all that muck, and refitted the air cleaner.
I then disconnected the electrical services completely from where they joined the main battery feed cable at the starter. The wiring looks pretty ropy, and I don’t want any chances of it going up in smoke. I put a jump lead on the starter terminals but, although the starter was clicking, it wouldn’t spin. It was getting late then, so I quickly whipped the starter off to strip, clean and rebuild, and make up a short loom to connect to a temporary starter switch.
Returning a couple of weeks later, the first job was to assess the state of the fuel (or whatever was in the tank). I couldn’t get the drain plug out of the bottom of the tank. The tank itself was flexing, and I was unwilling to force matters and end up tearing the bottom of it. I pulled the fuel filter off and used the lift pump to pull out what I could. The result was just old diesel. Nice and clear, very yellowy/brown, but no water or debris. I put a new fuel filter on and bled it through, then bled the injector pump. If I can get it running, I’ll pull the feed pipe off the sedimentor and use an old fuel pump to empty the tank as much as possible, and refill it with fresh, but that’ll have to wait until later.
I then refitted the starter motor and temporary wiring and gave it a whirl.
It was pretty lazy on 12v, and my jump leads were having a hard time of it. Even with a good snort of easy-start there was no sign of life. Compression is pretty poor and I suspect that the years of standing have resulted in stuck rings and bores with little or no oil on them to aid compression. After several attempts, the compression was noticeably better, but still not good at all. By this time I’d got fuel up the injector pipes to the injectors, and it was spurting out at the right times for each cylinder, so at least the pump appears to be working.
By now I was both a little fed up and completely stinking of stale old fuel. The battery was also losing a bit of it’s fizz, so I decided to call it a day. When I return I’ll take with me the necessaries to sort out the starter cabling properly, and have a fully charged battery ready for another go. I think I’ll also pull out the injectors and squirt a few ccs of diesel, WD40 or Plusgas down the bores in an effort to unstick the rings. It will also mean zero compression for the starter to fight against, which should mean a heathy cranking speed which should encourage both oil splash from below and get some heat into the rings themselves, which can only help.
I’m not sure that the starter is ever going to be capable of cranking it hard enough to get it going, I may have to resort to dragging it around the yard behind the Landy if I can find a suitable volunteer to help (and if the yard owner is happy for me to do so). Whatever, we’re further down the road than we were, even if it’s not actually going yet.
Next job was to further address the flat tyres, this time at the back. I pulled the driver’s side pair off the back axle, pumped them up and refitted them. I was going to do the passenger’s side, but ran out of time.
After that I just had time to rumble through the back and all the delightful stuff the previous owner had left me. I sorted it into three simple piles: Tip. Scrap. Burn.
By far the biggest pile was “burn”, especially after I’d knocked out the chunky shelves and racking. I brought all the burn stuff home and subdivided it into bits that would go on the log fire, and the rest that would go on the bonfire.
Doesn’t sound like much when it’s written down, but that lot ate the best part of six hours. I may not be able to get away to do any more for a week or so!
Oh, I’ve also done a bit on the Daf:
It was indicating very little fuel in the tank(s), and I was concerned it might be in danger of running out. Being unwilling (and currently unable) to spend any money on fuelling a vehicle that’s not actually being used I decided the best thing to do would be to drain both tanks, remove the larger “long range” one, and move the smaller “standard” one. The smaller tank is somewhere around the thirty gallon mark, the larger one nearer forty five. I’m not ever likely to be able justify carrying anything like seventy five gallons of fuel, and as long as I have a bit more than the twelve gallons the Austin came equipped with I’ll be happy enough. The big tanks fetch strong money on ebay, and I have got someone interested in it already, so it seems like a bit of a no-brainer.
Anyway, armed with a couple of old washing up bowls, I merrily undid the balance pipe joining the bottom of the two tanks. What proceeded to drain out was very red in colour; the consequences of buying from a herbert! Anyway, it became swiftly apparent that there was a good deal more than just a little bit of fuel in them, so I had a busy time running round looking for suitable receptacles to fill up!
Once emptied, I removed the big tank, swapped the small one into it’s place so the fuel lines would all reach, and plumbed it all back in again. I then stuck the best part of ten gallons of red back in again!
I also pulled the front bumper off as the chap that wants the tank wants that as well. Hopefully they’ll be gone by the end of next week and my misbehaving account will be a little less empty.
Glen I dont know if you have seen it but there is a good write up in this months Classic & Vintage Commercial mag relating to WEL115J BMC noddy van
Yes thanks John, I’ve got a copy. It makes interesting reading; some details there that were new to me. 
I would be extremely wary of adding a flitch plate inside the chassis as described. Unless this is copied from a similar heavier chassis or designed properly there is a strong chance that a stress point will be created somewhere else in the frame or alternatively the body will be subjected to excessive racking.
I wouldn’t be giving up on the BMC diesel just yet. Fresh, clean fuel and sufficient voltage to turn it over rapidly stand a good chance of getting it going. The later 6.98 engine had a CAV flame starter (I can’t recall the proper name) in the inlet manifold to assist cold starting. This can be simulated by pointing a hot air gun or blow lamp into the intake. But do be careful with the latter.
Throw the can of easy start away.
Further pondering recalls that DPA pumps from that era had a cold start device. This was a peg protruding from the advance unit underneath the pump, this originally had a cable attached to it which when pulled activated the device.
The 5.1 was a decent engine, more reliable that the 5.7 in that it suffered less from cylinder liner and block distortion as it had more metal around the liners. I don’t remember them as being bad starters, though you do need decent compression of course! The engine was a development of the Swiss Saurer diesel that Morris-Commercial used in the earlier FVO/NVO models, hence the fuel pump and injectors being on the right hand side. Looking at that oil sludge I would be inclined to drop the sump and check the oil pickup filter before starting as they could get blocked easily and occasionally the filter gauze broke off of the pickup pipe though I seem to remember a modified pickup assembly was fitted to cure that problem.
Pete.
Hiya looking at the tow bar and electrics, can i say maybe fair ground lorry…no problems its been saved that whats good.
keep up with the photo,s
John
cav551:
I would be extremely wary of adding a flitch plate inside the chassis as described. Unless this is copied from a similar heavier chassis or designed properly there is a strong chance that a stress point will be created somewhere else in the frame or alternatively the body will be subjected to excessive racking.I wouldn’t be giving up on the BMC diesel just yet. Fresh, clean fuel and sufficient voltage to turn it over rapidly stand a good chance of getting it going. The later 6.98 engine had a CAV flame starter (I can’t recall the proper name) in the inlet manifold to assist cold starting. This can be simulated by pointing a hot air gun or blow lamp into the intake. But do be careful with the latter.
Throw the can of easy start away.
Good point about the plate. I shall have a think before I make any rash additions. I’ll probably replicate the mountings from the donor Daf, and if (as I suspect) that chassis is unbraced, will leave the Austin chassis open. I’m not going to give up on the BMC just yet, but I really don’t want to be spending too much time or money on it as it’s definitely coming out. Oh, and easy-start is an option of last resort in this household; I had to buy a new can specially as my old one was empty when I took it down off the shelf. No surprise really, I genuinely can’t remember the last time i used it, and I inherited it from my dad. I’ve no idea when he bought it, but as he died in 1987, and had been in poor health for a number of years prior to that, I imagine it must have been at least thirty years old!
cav551:
Further pondering recalls that DPA pumps from that era had a cold start device. This was a peg protruding from the advance unit underneath the pump, this originally had a cable attached to it which when pulled activated the device.
Ah, that explains the short cable pull under the bonnet. I shall investigate further on my return.
windrush:
The 5.1 was a decent engine, more reliable that the 5.7 in that it suffered less from cylinder liner and block distortion as it had more metal around the liners. I don’t remember them as being bad starters, though you do need decent compression of course! The engine was a development of the Swiss Saurer diesel that Morris-Commercial used in the earlier FVO/NVO models, hence the fuel pump and injectors being on the right hand side. Looking at that oil sludge I would be inclined to drop the sump and check the oil pickup filter before starting as they could get blocked easily and occasionally the filter gauze broke off of the pickup pipe though I seem to remember a modified pickup assembly was fitted to cure that problem.Pete.
The oily sludge is truly horrific. The oil level is OK though, and I have pressure registering on the gauge in the cab. I don’t think I have any chance of getting it running with the compression as poor as it is. The seller told me it drove into where it was stored, and that it came off the road because of being replaced by a newer and bigger lorry, so I’m hoping my theory of stuck rings is the problem. If getting the injectors out doesn’t prove too difficult, I’m going to put some diesel or some such down the bores in an effort to get things loosened up. Hopefully, with the injectors out, the engine will spin over free and fast enough to generate enough heat and friction to loosen things up. If it can then be persuaded to fire, even if only briefly, I was going drop the oil, run a flush though it and put some fresh in. I’m reluctant to fork out for two gallons of oil for an engine that won’t go and that’s earmarked for replacement though, but I take your point about dropping the sump and will probably do so if it can be persuaded to go.
3300John:
Hiya looking at the tow bar and electrics, can i say maybe fair ground lorry…no problems its been saved that whats good.
keep up with the photo,s
John
Yes John, the bloke I bought it from was a showman, he said they bought it direct from BRS by tender in the mid seventies.
Another tip: whilst its many years ago, I ran an FFK 150 with the 5.7
The fuel sediment filter bowl (glass) is just a standard jam jar from the kitchen
If that lorry has been in the hands of a showman since the mid 1970s then I’ll lay odds that the last engine oil change was probably carried out by BRS! I suggest that you inspect the oil filter element,it will give you some idea of what is in the sump. If it is swollen or broken up then this should confirm that the oil has been in the engine a long time. If you look carefully in the bottom of the filter bowl you may well see shiny bits of engine bearing etc. If the filter is full of sludge then I would not be attempting to start the engine without as suggested by Windrush, removing the sump and having a look inside. You can quite easily have oil pressure, but very little flow.
This is a cracking site. The advice and information that is coming in is first class. Been tinkering with old tractors for a few years now and found that good clean oil and unrestricted flow is a must. Best of luck and please keep those wonderfull photos going. Jim.
An update…
When I left you, I’d just finished getting it turning over, albeit slowly, and had been swapping wheels and pumping up tyres. A proper survey of all the wheels and tyres I have shows a typical fleet vehicle mixed bag of rims and tyres. I have four different types of wheel; two different two-piece rims (scary), with riveted centres, some three-piece ones (less scary), and by some strange good fortune, a total of seven matching three-piece welded centre rims, which will be the ones I use. I also have a mix of tyres, not just makes, but sizes too. My original truck had one 7.00x20 and one 7.50x20 on the front, and four 8.25x20 on the drive axle. All knackered, but five of them appeared to hold air. The “new” one had a pair of 7.50x20 on the front, and two of each 7.50x20 and 8.25x20 on the rear. Again, all shot, but four of would at least stay up.
I had a day at the wagon last Thursday, so thought I’d get the heavy work out of the way first thing before things got too hot. I was greeted by this:
Which the sharper amongst you will remember is the first one I changed a few weeks back. Oh ■■■. Still, this is the “odd” 7.00x20, which is why it looks a little lost on the arch, and I’d planned swapping it for one of the 7.50s from the rear axle; so I set to:
I then finished the passenger side rear two, which I’d not had time to do at the last visit. So she’s now sitting on six inflated tyres, all 8.25s on the rear, and 7.50s on the front. They’re all kippered as I say, but they’ll do as “rollers” while I get the back of the project broken. New tyres are going to be one of the biggest expenses I’ll have to look forward to. I’ll need seven really, and they’re a smidge north of £200 each. Gulp. 
Still, they’re a pretty critical component, and the lorry is going to be capable of performing way beyond it’s original limits, so when the time comes I’ll have to bite the bullet.
Next job was another crack at getting it running. In the time since my last visit I’d sorted out a set of temporary battery cables, so the jump leads could be relegated to reserve. I got the battery hooked up properly and the resultant cranking speed was markedly improved. Then I pulled the injectors out and put few ccs of diesel into each cylinder and turned the engine over by hand to work it around the rings in an attempt to free off anything that was stuck. I then refitted the injectors, gave it a quick snort of easy-start and turned it over…
It tried to go! Ha Ha!
However, it didn’t actually go. Further removal of the injectors showed they weren’t doing any injecting, despite fuel getting to them. ■■■ again.
So. Next step what? I didn’t want to spend the significant cost of getting injectors reconditioned on an engine I plan removing and selling on; so what did I do?
I’ll tell you, but you must keep it to yourselves, because most diesel experts want you to believe you can’t service these things yourself and, if you try, the world will end. Worse than that, all the nuns and goldfish will die first!
Armed with the removed injectors I returned home. Here’s what one looks like:
As you can see, it’s caked with carbon, and generally a bit grotty. It’s vitally important that you have somewhere totally spotless to work. Even the most microscopic bit of dirt will kill a nun or a goldfish. So the first job was to clear and scrub a bit of workspace at the bench:
My garage is currently a total mess, my apologies. Still, I did take the precaution of working on some clean kitchen roll (lint free), and scraped a bit of that crap to one side. All joking apart, it’s important to keep the bits clean when you are ready to assemble them, but you’ve got to get them clean first.
After a quick wire-wheeling to get most of the grot off we’re left with this:
Being a direct injection engine, these injectors don’t have the really vulnerable needle sticking out of the bottom of them like indirect injectors do, instead they’ve got several really tiny holes around the ■■■■■■ at the end.
The top cover here:
We are going to leave well alone. Under here is where you adjust the spring pressure that in turn governs the leak off pressure. This is the bit you need specialist equipment to set and check. I’m making the assumption that this pressure is going to be OK. Maybe not 100% within factory limits, but close enough to get the engine running again. If you were going to be fitting new nozzles then you’d want to get these pressures checked, particularly on an engine you were planning on relying on, but in extremis the tolerances on these things are high enough that for a “bush repair” you can just sling in a new nozzle and get them checked when you get back to civilisation.
However, I digress.
The bit we’re interested in lives under here:
You need to hold the injector body in a suitable vice, careful not to damage the threaded boss the injector pipe fits on to. Thus:
A big adjustable spanner, because these are normally tight (and these were no exception):
Unscrewing the collar and removing it and the needle reveals this:
The centre hole is where the spring pushes down onto the needle, the two offset pegs are to make sure you can only reassemble it the right way, and the small hole between them is the passageway through which the diesel flows. You can remove this bit from the vice now, and give it a good clean off with a bit of kitchen roll. Beyond blowing through it, to make sure the passageway isn’t blocked, there’s nothing further to do with this part for the time being, so put it carefully to one side somewhere it can’t get dirty.
Next we move on to the nozzle and needle:
Clean any further carbon off the end, that disassembly has revealed, wipe off any dirt or muck, and make sure you’ve got no gritty debris on your fingers. If you look at the end that mares with the top part of the injector you should see this:
There’s the two holes for the dowel pegs, and the smaller hole for the fuel to pass through. The pin sticking up in the middle is the end of the needle. This is the bit that opens and shuts the flow of fuel to the engine, and should slide freely in and out of the main body of the nozzle. As expected, this one is stuck firmly in place and won’t come out, even when gripped with a pair of pliers. So we resort to slightly more brutal tactics:
Holding the pin in the vice, and gently tapping the body with a small hammer. Don’t worry, these two components are made of extremely high quality material and you’re not going to damage them. Trust me. Well, not unless they’re seized together beyond any salvage anyway.
This method freed the pin and this is what it looks like:
It’s hard to see in the picture, but the pin is discoloured with a yellowy varnish/residue which, given the very tight tolerances between it and the body of the nozzle, is enough to jam it solid and stop it opening. What is good though, is that the tip is still sharp and unworn, so there’s good reason to believe the injector will work properly once the work is done. Next step is to remove the residue from the pin. You can use a solvent like acetone (nail varnish remover) and a wooden stick, but I used a bit of clean diesel and some very fine wire wool. Again, the experts will tell you that you’ll destroy the pin this way, but in practice it’s so hard you stand zero chance of damaging it. Don’t use an abrasive like emery though. Once cleaned it should look a bit better:
Now, there’s no real way of cleaning out the inner bore of the nozzle. You don’t want to get any debris in there, and the holes in the end are truly tiny. make sure they’re clear by blowing through the body (clean it first, diesel tastes foul; admittedly not as foul as brake fluid, but still…). If you can’t blow through yourself, then use an air line, but you should be able to do so by “hand” so to speak. Next, make sure the pin is clean and put some fresh clean diesel or thin oil on it. Then work it in and out of the body of the nozzle until it is free and easy to slide in and out by hand. I do this by holding the end of the pin in the vice again, and working the body on and off by hand.
Once you’ve got it sliding in and out nicely, spin it around a few times to make sure the tapered seat is clear too.
Once you’re satisfied, pull it all apart again, wipe everything down, blow through the nozzle again to make sure it’s still clear, then lubricate it with some fresh clean diesel and reassemble. It’s worth putting a drop of light oil on the nozzle where the collar bears down on it, so that it tightens up nicely and doesn’t try and twist the nozzle off the locating pins as you tighten it all down the final time:
And, once it’s all back together you’re left with this:
Repeat as required. Do them one at a time so as not to get parts mixed up between injectors. An hour or so’s work and expenditure of £0-0s-0d later I’ve these sitting ready to go:
Do they work? I hear you cry.
I don’t know yet.
Well, I know they’ll work, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough to get the engine running or if I’ll find another obstacle to overcome. I may get a chance to get up there one morning before work next week, but there’s no guarantee. If not it’ll be the week after I suppose. I am hopeful though; very hopeful.
If it goes, then the next step will be lashing up some kind of temporary cooling system. I don’t know if the rad is any good, but if it runs I’ll bodge some hoses on it and see. If, once that’s done, it holds water and doesn’t leak into the oil I’ll bite the bullet, drop the sump and do an oil and filter change.
More as it happens, until then, thanks for looking in! 