Hello everyone!

Commercial talk! email JCC UK Registrar. Technical Question? Try Service Bulletins or TechLibrary first. Note that you need to be a club member to view the Tech Library.
Post Reply
Andrew Eales
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:44 am
Location: Tayside Scotland

Hello everyone!

Post by Andrew Eales »

Just aquired a bradford van - its a 1950 station wagon in fetching green KGS 179.
I was hoping to renovate it - but the wooden frame is completely rotten - so its probably a pickup conversion in the waiting!

Does anyone have any dimensions or drawings / photos of the original pickup?

Cheers All

PS anyone want some rear van doors - or side glass?
Tony Fearn
Posts: 1743
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:33 pm
Your interest in the forum: Early pre-wars. Owner of 1933 'Flying Fox' 'Sarah Jane, and 1934 Short saloon 'Mary Ellen'.
Given Name: Anthony
Location: Clayton le Moors, Lancashire, the Premier County in the British Isles!!

Post by Tony Fearn »

Hello Andrew and welcome to the site. Don't go down the 'pickup' road just
yet as there may be help out there.

Paul Beaumont is the Bradford Registrar and his details are in the member list. If you haven't yet joined the Jowett Car Club, then I recommend you do so asap. You will never regret it! There is a flourishing Scottish section with at least one of the members having a vast knowledge of all things Bradford, along with many others across the U.K..

The National Rally is in Cheshire this year over the May Bank Holiday (25-28th May). There will be quite a number of Bradfords and their owners there as well as many other Jowett vehicles. Further details can be seen within this site - see UK events - Jowett Annual Weekend.

Best wishes

Tony Fearn.
Andrew Eales
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:44 am
Location: Tayside Scotland

Post by Andrew Eales »

Thanks for the info - I have a printer fault at the mo so cannot print off the application form just now - but i do intend to join the club.

I made an error with the registration it is GKU 179.

I have just about removed the rotten wooden frame - then I will be working on the chassis and engine along with the front end metal work. So there will be quite a while before I decide which body route to go down.

I stumbled across the van lying in a corner of my mates garage - it was his son's who had aquired it about 7-8 years ago but did not have the time to spend on it.
I had watched it deteriorate over the years then had the option to aquire it. - it was my intention to convert it to a chassis cab / pickup all along as I could do with one ! - and finding all the wood to be rotten confirmed it.

However - at the time I knew nothing of Jowett or the Bradford van - I just thought it was a good looking front end (with a not so good looking rear end) semi vintage vehicle.

I usually do old tractors you see.

I suppose whichever route I will at least be saving one more vehicle as it would have gone in the skip otherwise.

I am told that this van was a bradford owned vehicle which was used to ferry things around the factory - however I have yet to be passed any paper work or registration certificate to substantiate any of this.

I take it that the vans are not worth much yet - but maybe an investment over a longer period.
They are a lot less than an Austin 7 which was the other option.

Cheers
Drummond Black
Posts: 448
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 10:38 am
Your interest in the forum: Jowett Jupiter, Jowett Javelin, Rover 75 (s)
Given Name: Drummond
Location: Kirkliston, SCOTLAND

BRADFORD

Post by Drummond Black »

Andrew - Welcome to Jowett Talk and hopefully to the Jowett Car Club. Tonys comments are spot on. Help and advice is out there. There is a very experienced Bradford owner in Edinburgh who has a lot of experience on Bradford bodies. I also recall that there is a Bradford owner in Blairgowrie. I am a Javelin and Jupiter owner and have little experience on Bradfords, however I have a few Bradford spares in the shed. Hope to have you at one of the Section Meetings

Drummond Black - Scottish Section Chairman
Andrew Eales
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:44 am
Location: Tayside Scotland

Post by Andrew Eales »

Hi Drummond,
Thanks for the info - if I can get hold of the application form I will join the club straight away and attend as many meets as possible!
I live 5 miles from Blair - my Bradford might be the Blairgowrie one !
PAUL BEAUMONT
Posts: 452
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:57 pm
Your interest in the forum: Bradford Registrar and club Chairman
Given Name: Paul
Location: South Yorkshire

Bradford Register

Post by PAUL BEAUMONT »

Andrew, Another welcome to the world of the Jowett Bradford. I agree with Tony, you really ought to rebuild the vehicle as it was originally, or at least as a van. I am the Bradford Registrar and if I can help you at all please get in touch. A word of warning though. Body section drawings do not exist, as far as I know (I would be delighted to be proved wrong!!) so do not go making a bonfire of the old bits just yet, you may need to copy them carefully!!
Oh yes, and if you do ignore us all and build a "Lorry" I will buy your doors etc!!
Can you let me have any other numbers that you can find please? anything on the engine data plate and in the data plates above the electrical cut out on the off side bulkhead will be very useful - and may help you retain the original registration number too, in the fullness of time.
Andrew Eales
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:44 am
Location: Tayside Scotland

Post by Andrew Eales »

Paul - I will look for all the No's tommorrow and post them here.
As for having a bonfire - Most of the wood is in a pile of dust on the floor !
I have never seen such an infestation of woodworm.
The rest has been affected by rot - I took one of the side panels off and that familiar smell of rotten old houses came wafting through !
Wet rot I can handle - but dry rot is nasty stuff !

Anyway I will get the chassis no's etc together.
Its a bit of a shame its in such a state as it seems pretty original - there is a little wooden hand pump under the bonnet - the spare wheel is there and the jack and tools were in a little box behind the drivers seat (which had fallen through the floor - made of dust).

Cheers All
PAUL BEAUMONT
Posts: 452
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:57 pm
Your interest in the forum: Bradford Registrar and club Chairman
Given Name: Paul
Location: South Yorkshire

Post by PAUL BEAUMONT »

Don't go getting ideas that you have been singled out for special treatment. Most Bradfords that come to light these days seem to have frames that are held together by woodworm holding hands. Trouble is that if you dont talk to them nicely they let go!
The good news is that there are several people out there making parts - you may have noticed Heindrick's mail. but if you are fairly accomplished you can do it your self. I have some drawings of the floor frame components that were produced a few years ago by one Dick Goodall - up in your part of the world. I keep on intending to copy them in AutoCad, but never get started!. The real challenges are the "A" posts and the vertical posts at the rear of the van body. Sadly if you build a lorry you will still have the fun of the "A" posts.
The Bradford body new, is not a well engineered item and you will find yourself asking time and time again "Why on earth did they do that?"
Again, If I can help, please let me know, but have fun!
Andrew Eales
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:44 am
Location: Tayside Scotland

Post by Andrew Eales »

Ok - Here be the vehicle numbers.

The bulkhead plate reads
Model CC
Chassis No EO CC 25477
Body No EO CC 584H


The Engine No is the same as the Chassis No.

Reg GKU 179

The A frames are OK - its really everything behind the cab that is gone - the floor is not original from what I can see - and indeed the frame has had some additional supports placed inbetween the original green wood.
It would need a complete new rear wooden frame making up.
I suppose this could be done at any time as it would in effect be a new frame wheras the cab at least is original.
The jury is still out on this one.
I would be interested in finding out anything about the van, however, if this can be done from the frame and chassis no's

Cheers All
PAUL BEAUMONT
Posts: 452
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:57 pm
Your interest in the forum: Bradford Registrar and club Chairman
Given Name: Paul
Location: South Yorkshire

Post by PAUL BEAUMONT »

Andrew, Apologies for the delay, but I have now been able to check your vehicle on the Bradford register.
Firstly, I have no record of the vehicle either under the registration or chassis number, but that is not new. Jowett built close on 40000 Bradford vehicles between 1946 and 1953, and I have details, sometimes very incomplete, of less than 500!
What I have found is, however, quite interesting. I do have details of GKU 177. This is chassis number E0CC25472. E0 indicates a 1950 model year vehicle, but interestingly GKU177 was first registered on 29 December 1949. It is unusual to have 2 vehicles on the register with such close chassis numbers.
It would be a great help if you could register the vehicle with me. If you do not get a vehicle registration form in your membership pack please send me a private message and I will supply one
I would guess, given the close proximity of both chassis and registration number, that your vehicle was also registered around new year 1950. the next vehicle that I have details of is E0CC25590 which was first registered on Feb 1 1950.

The final "H" on your body number indicates that the vehicle as new, was a 4-lite Van. ie it had 2 windows per side behind the driver, but no rear seats.
It is a very early CC model.
Post Reply

Return to “Bradford”