I suspect many here would’ve kicked off their HGV driving career by driving a company van until you were trusted enough to take on something bigger, or you would’ve driven one of the fleet’s van at length.
So, what did you drive? Did you have any favourites? Have you ever said to the boss “if you ever ask me to drive that poxy shed again I’ll shove it so far up your [deleted] you won’t [deleted] for a month”?
Let me define “vans”: I mean old vans - Mk1 & Mk2 Transits, BMC J4/ Leyland Sherpa, BMC LD, Bedford CA/CF, Commer FC, Thames and earlier.
Just to kick off, a couple of my own experiences:
Mk1 Transit with the V4 and a luton: these days I love V4s - think Lancia, SAAB, (I’ve had a Honda VFR for 19 years). But that luton Transit was flat-out at 43mph and oh god the noise.
Mk2 Transit (1.6 or 2.0 litre OHC): perhaps it’s just the ones I’ve driven, but I learnt to always watch the temperature gauge cos they’d boil their heads if asked to do some serious work. The steering was awful, loaded or empty. Speaking of empty, a twin-wheel Transit on a wet road for 2 hours was all the excitement you needed for the week. Off the lights in a straight line though, they were hard to beat.
VW LT (late 70s/ early 80s): I admit I have a bit of a soft spot for the LT35 because at the tender age of 18 I used to drive one (DEL 446T) all over Somerset and Dorset and I thought it was a tidy-looking thing. However… it didn’t half like to drink and it wasn’t unknown for them to boil their heads, and don’t start me on pinking.
Leyland Sherpa: perhaps the later Leyland/DAF versions were better but I never drove one. My abiding memory of these is driving my old man’s '78 Sherpa - sliding doors, ancient 1800cc B-series and a 4-spd manual whose throws in each gear exceeded the cross-gait movement by 14:1.
M-B 307D: of all the vans I’ve driven over the decades (and I include the recent Toyota Hi-Ace), this was one of my favorites. Why? Because it handled. Yes, it was slow no matter whether it had the 4- or 5-spd box. Yes, the gearchange was awful (a long wand sticking out of the floor; a rubbery, gravelly, notchy and vague shift); no, a 70bhp diesel didn’t make it quick off the mark and at 70+ it made a heck of a din. But by gum it would handle any load and it would keep on tramping while all the Transits in our yard were off the road for another head gasket job. I still remember me driving one of the company 307Ds chasing a bloke in a 2.0 twin-wheel Transit across the Lincolnshire Fens some time in the 80s - every straight he would s0d off, but every time there was a corner or some twisty bits I’d reel him in.
As a mechanic I drove most of the vans from the fifties/sixties and seventies. BMC J2/J4/3250 JU and 350 EA, all the BMC LD range in van and ambulance form, Thames 400E, Transits, Bedford CA and CF’s (flying machines with the 2.3 engine, plodders with the Perkins 4.154! ) Commer walkthru’s and PB’s. Never tried a Standard Atlas though, we did service one but I never got to drive it but with an engine of less than 1 litre they pulled no trees up. The BMC ranges were ok for that period, although I was pulled over by the Police while testing one J4 as I had the sliding door open but just got a slap on the wrist! I never liked the Transits but the petrol Bedford CF’s were lovely to drive and had a smooth ohc engine.
Until recently I owned a 3.5 tonne LDV 400 with the Peugeot 2.5 non turbo engine, it was generally well loaded and with a 14ft caravan behind it when we went away to shows and it never let us down. Comfortable to drive as well. Performance wasn’t great even solo, with the caravan behind it was second gear on the M1 heading up the bank between gates 29a and 30, but it just kept on going. Alas I had to sell it a couple of years ago to buy a smaller van but it was 25 years old by then and still going strong and the only welding done on it was a repair to the battery carrier, most Transits of that age had succumbed to corrosion long before then.
Not really a van but in my tyre fitting days i was driving a Leyland threpenny bit FG dropside for a couple of years . The Transit that replaced it was like a Rolls Royce in comparison There was a couple of vans in the depot, a Morris Marina, which i could take home if on call outs and a Leyland Sherpa.
windrush:
As a mechanic I drove most of the vans from the fifties/sixties and seventies. BMC J2/J4/3250 JU and 350 EA, all the BMC LD range in van and ambulance form, Thames 400E, Transits, Bedford CA and CF’s (flying machines with the 2.3 engine, plodders with the Perkins 4.154! ) Commer walkthru’s and PB’s. Never tried a Standard Atlas though, we did service one but I never got to drive it but with an engine of less than 1 litre they pulled no trees up. The BMC ranges were ok for that period, although I was pulled over by the Police while testing one J4 as I had the sliding door open but just got a slap on the wrist! I never liked the Transits but the petrol Bedford CF’s were lovely to drive and had a smooth ohc engine.
A diesel twin wheel lwb Transit was my introduction to Commercial driving.XLB 443S from memory I liked it.
Drove lots more on the council the JU being the worst heap and didn’t like the Sherpa either but yes the 2.3 Bedford was quick.
We also had some BMC from memory LD type 6 cylinder C series engined ambulances which I drove sometimes.But can’t find any references to the LD being fitted with a 6 cylinder option anywhere.
Never used a van for work but I had two Bedford cf vans converted to campers . Thr first one was an ex ministry crew bus with the small angled engine and gave sterling service for 7 years . Had several gearboxes ( from the scrapyard) leaked oil from the rocker cover but soldiered on until the bodywork gave up the ghost . The 2.3that followed it was very thirsty and and didn’t last as well . The best Bedford was a later one with a 2litre engine and 5 speed box , flying machine as vans go .
The van was for fetching fish and chips or bacon butties when there were a few drivers kicking about, it was the worst looked after vehicle in the yard and smoked like a kipper
windrush:
As a mechanic I drove most of the vans from the fifties/sixties and seventies. BMC J2/J4/3250 JU and 350 EA, all the BMC LD range in van and ambulance form, Thames 400E, Transits, Bedford CA and CF’s (flying machines with the 2.3 engine, plodders with the Perkins 4.154! ) Commer walkthru’s and PB’s. Never tried a Standard Atlas though, we did service one but I never got to drive it but with an engine of less than 1 litre they pulled no trees up. The BMC ranges were ok for that period, although I was pulled over by the Police while testing one J4 as I had the sliding door open but just got a slap on the wrist! I never liked the Transits but the petrol Bedford CF’s were lovely to drive and had a smooth ohc engine.
A diesel twin wheel lwb Transit was my introduction to Commercial driving.XLB 443S from memory I liked it.
Drove lots more on the council the JU being the worst heap and didn’t like the Sherpa either but yes the 2.3 Bedford was quick.
We also had some BMC from memory LD type 6 cylinder C series engined ambulances which I drove sometimes.But can’t find any references to the LD being fitted with a 6 cylinder option anywhere.
I worked at BMC main dealer when the LD was current. I never heard of a six cylinder version and doubt they existed. But then I had never heard of a V8-engined EA van either. But only a few existed, built for the BMC rally team as support vehicles.
1975 35cwt Lwb transit van had a 2lte engine fast when empty but when loaded to the gunnels slow. I did Christmas hamper deliveries loading from maidenhead in to Greater London and city , A-Z master atlas was essential. 2 runs a day , loading night before and away down the M4 before rush hour for the city and business deliveries back dinner time , hour to load and back for the afternoon / evening residential drops.
It was a brilliant job , the boss was old school do it get it done dont care how you do it, sort your self out dont call me unless you’ve bent the van / been robbed or arrested ! Oh and keep yer eyes open for extra receipts .
Got arrested, the van matched the description of one used in a robbery , half a day wasted before I was sent on my way . Many of the drops in the city resulted in " not here any more take it away" Boss would write them off as undeliverable , we all did well out of that one.
Last drop was about 9pm in Romford, I called in and was told take the motor home for the break, see you in the new year.
Took it back 2nd Jan got paid , in cash and bunged a bit extra , threw all the rest of the undelivered stuff in the van , less the booze to take home.
Worked on and off for him when on leave.
Carryfast:
A diesel twin wheel lwb Transit was my introduction to Commercial driving.XLB 443S from memory I liked it.
Drove lots more on the council the JU being the worst heap and didn’t like the Sherpa either but yes the 2.3 Bedford was quick.
We also had some BMC from memory LD type 6 cylinder C series engined ambulances which I drove sometimes.But can’t find any references to the LD being fitted with a 6 cylinder option anywhere.
I worked at BMC main dealer when the LD was current. I never heard of a six cylinder version and doubt they existed. But then I had never heard of a V8-engined EA van either. But only a few existed, built for the BMC rally team as support vehicles.
I was at a BMC dealership as well Dipster and the only two types of ambulance I encountered with the straight six petrol (apart from the older NV series) were some based on the single rear wheel FG series but with special bodywork and the Vanden Plas Princess range. We used to fit some of the petrol engined LD’s with special carburettors and then test them at high speed to see how they performed, things got a little scary handling-wise at times! The Princess’s were bought mainly for when the M4 opened through Berkshire, they could shift but I never liked driving them as the driving position was rather cramped with a large almost vertical steering wheel practically touching my stomach, and I was slim in those days!
windrush:
I was at a BMC dealership as well Dipster and the only two types of ambulance I encountered with the straight six petrol (apart from the older NV series) were some based on the single rear wheel FG series but with special bodywork and the Vanden Plas Princess range. We used to fit some of the petrol engined LD’s with special carburettors and then test them at high speed to see how they performed, things got a little scary handling-wise at times! The Princess’s were bought mainly for when the M4 opened through Berkshire, they could shift but I never liked driving them as the driving position was rather cramped with a large almost vertical steering wheel practically touching my stomach, and I was slim in those days!
Pete.
Along these lines looks right ?.That looks like a Surrey reg number too.
It was deffo a BMC C series petrol fitted with an auto box not manual and a from memory a short floor mounted shift which I used to gratuitously hold in the lower ( two ? ) gears to make the best of that cracking engine note.
windrush:
I was at a BMC dealership as well Dipster and the only two types of ambulance I encountered with the straight six petrol (apart from the older NV series) were some based on the single rear wheel FG series but with special bodywork
Pete.
Along these lines looks right ?.
Edit to add.
I guess that what I remembered was an FG ambulance not an LD.I never even made the link then to date.It seems to be the similar LD type body that fooled me.Thanks for correcting me.
windrush:
As a mechanic I drove most of the vans from the fifties/sixties and seventies. BMC J2/J4/3250 JU and 350 EA, all the BMC LD range in van and ambulance form, Thames 400E, Transits, Bedford CA and CF’s (flying machines with the 2.3 engine, plodders with the Perkins 4.154! ) Commer walkthru’s and PB’s. Never tried a Standard Atlas though, we did service one but I never got to drive it but with an engine of less than 1 litre they pulled no trees up. The BMC ranges were ok for that period, although I was pulled over by the Police while testing one J4 as I had the sliding door open but just got a slap on the wrist! I never liked the Transits but the petrol Bedford CF’s were lovely to drive and had a smooth ohc engine.
A diesel twin wheel lwb Transit was my introduction to Commercial driving.XLB 443S from memory I liked it.
Drove lots more on the council the JU being the worst heap and didn’t like the Sherpa either but yes the 2.3 Bedford was quick.
We also had some BMC from memory LD type 6 cylinder C series engined ambulances which I drove sometimes.But can’t find any references to the LD being fitted with a 6 cylinder option anywhere.
No no “CF” now come clean ! So just admit that your first van was a Robin Reliant which you drove on the Council for a number years delivering new broom heads and handles to the likes of Trigger’s mates ! Cheeres Bewick.
Bewick:
No no “CF” now come clean ! So just admit that your first van was a Robin Reliant which you drove on the Council for a number years delivering new broom heads and handles to the likes of Trigger’s mates ! Cheeres Bewick.
I’m sure if my memory is correct you’d find that XLB 443S was deffo a lwb twin wheel diesel Mk1 Transit panel vanel actually registered to Chubb Fire Vehicles division which I drove a few years before I started with Surrey County Council.HTH.
As for broom handles what I do remember was an ‘incident’ with a load of Sikkens Paint which turned much of the inside of that Blue van Red.
Yes Carryfast, those are the type I was talking about. I can’t remember who operated the one I encountered as we normally only repaired the Berkshire County ones when something major occoured (a mobile fitter did the general servicing and running repairs) and it wasn’t one of theirs, they had LD’s and later the Princess’s. Reading Corporation Transport looked after the Reading Borough LD’s etc at the bus depot on Mill Lane, although we did do the mot’s on them for a while in the 60’s and actually failed one when the bell dropped off while brake testing it using a Tapley meter!
Carryfast:
A diesel twin wheel lwb Transit was my introduction to Commercial driving.XLB 443S from memory I liked it.
Drove lots more on the council the JU being the worst heap and didn’t like the Sherpa either but yes the 2.3 Bedford was quick.
We also had some BMC from memory LD type 6 cylinder C series engined ambulances which I drove sometimes.But can’t find any references to the LD being fitted with a 6 cylinder option anywhere.
I worked at BMC main dealer when the LD was current. I never heard of a six cylinder version and doubt they existed. But then I had never heard of a V8-engined EA van either. But only a few existed, built for the BMC rally team as support vehicles.
I was at a BMC dealership as well Dipster and the only two types of ambulance I encountered with the straight six petrol (apart from the older NV series) were some based on the single rear wheel FG series but with special bodywork and the Vanden Plas Princess range. We used to fit some of the petrol engined LD’s with special carburettors and then test them at high speed to see how they performed, things got a little scary handling-wise at times! The Princess’s were bought mainly for when the M4 opened through Berkshire, they could shift but I never liked driving them as the driving position was rather cramped with a large almost vertical steering wheel practically touching my stomach, and I was slim in those days!
Pete.
I never saw an ambulance version of either the LD or FG. Not sure that the brakes would deal with being pushed too much though!
Dipster: the petrol engined LD ambulances usually had a servo (Girling Powerstop) fitted to help with the braking, the diesels didn’t go fast enough to need one though as they only operated locally. All LD’s had that distinctive ‘brake squeal’ though! One problem was the ambulances were based on the larger 30cwt chassis with the heavy solid steel wheels and wheel balance was an issue at speed, the Princess versions were the same. The Princess had a very small wheel stud pitch diameter on the heavy wheels, and also small diameter studs as well, and due to the weight the studs used to bend in service and sometimes it was difficult to remove the wheels. I was the first locally to notice this but despite being informed about it the factory never changed anything.
When I started at the garage in 1966 we were changing the Ambulance rear axle ratios to give more speed, they had a split case axle and the ambulances had the differential off set to one side to get a lower floor level for loading stretchers. This involved removing the axle, splitting it and changing the crownwheel and pinion and the shimming the preload using numerous paper gaskets. Of course one half shaft was extremely short and the other very long, I doubt that spares were that easy to obtain! Otherwise I can’t remember ever stripping an axle on a standard van model.
Overall though the BMC LD range was a very good van, they were strongly built with a seperate chassis and a wood framed body and easy enough to work on.
windrush:
Yes Carryfast, those are the type I was talking about. I can’t remember who operated the one I encountered as we normally only repaired the Berkshire County ones when something major occoured (a mobile fitter did the general servicing and running repairs) and it wasn’t one of theirs, they had LD’s and later the Princess’s. Reading Corporation Transport looked after the Reading Borough LD’s etc at the bus depot on Mill Lane, although we did do the mot’s on them for a while in the 60’s and actually failed one when the bell dropped off while brake testing it using a Tapley meter!
Pete.
I was based at SCC’s Ewell depot where together with Merrow near Guildford we had our own large workshops facility and numerous different transport operations based there in my case attached to the workshops.
We had some of those type of ambulances based there and others throughout the County.
I brought some of them in for maintenance and delivered them back, or moved them between different locations, sometimes using the multi lift plant body on the Clydesdale and other times I actually drove them.
But they deffo had the BMC C series engine which is what I remembered most about them.
Strange why they also didn’t try to fit that engine in the LD for emergency use.It must have been more powerful than a 2.2 litre 4 cylinder.
The vast majority of CF vans here were factory fitted with 3.3 or 2.8 litre (202 or 173 cu") six cylinder petrol engines. The Transit Mk 1 had a 4.1 litre (250 cu") motor. The engines were from the Holden and Falcon sedans, respectively. Each had acceptable performance, but the added weight and lack of aerodynamics had a price to pay at the bowser.
Star down under.:
The vast majority of CF vans here were factory fitted with 3.3 or 2.8 litre (202 or 173 cu") six cylinder petrol engines. The Transit Mk 1 had a 4.1 litre (250 cu") motor. The engines were from the Holden and Falcon sedans, respectively. Each had acceptable performance, but the added weight and lack of aerodynamics had a price to pay at the bowser.
In the UK Ford did produce some early Transits powered by the 3 litre V6. I believe they were primarily meant for the emergency services but I know the BBC had some too. My brother worked with a local builder who had got a well-used one from them for his business. My brother told me it went quite well but it did not have startling performance he had expected.
And the “Sherpa” series of vans from BL could also have the V8 fitted. Many in Ambulances. Indeed up until a few years ago a hospital in Dakar, Senegal, had an ex-London Ambulance service one in service there! I used to see it often.
Dipster: the Police used LDV 400/Convoy vans and crewbus with the Rover V8 and there are a few around that have now been converted to motorcaravans. Driven sensibly they are not much heavier on fuel than the rather underpowered diesel models, although many folk convert them to use LPG.
) Commer walkthru’s and PB’s. Never tried a Standard Atlas though, we did service one but I never got to drive it but with an engine of less than 1 litre they pulled no trees up. The BMC ranges were ok for that period, although I was pulled over by the Police while testing one J4 as I had the sliding door open but just got a slap on the wrist! 
I never liked the Transits but the petrol Bedford CF’s were lovely to drive and had a smooth ohc engine.
. The Transit that replaced it was like a Rolls Royce in comparison 
There was a couple of vans in the depot, a Morris Marina, which i could take home if on call outs and a Leyland Sherpa.
The Princess’s were bought mainly for when the M4 opened through Berkshire, they could shift but I never liked driving them as the driving position was rather cramped with a large almost vertical steering wheel practically touching my stomach, and I was slim in those days! 