dumb idea

[justinball]

A little info and a dumb question.

I've always had odd vehicles. At 16, in Vancouver (the end of the world) I fell in with Austin/Morris Marinas (had 4 and tuning bits). I fell in love with motorbikes at 19 and used Honda 400's with sidecars to drag chest freezers as sales vehicles (had 6). I ran a demolition crew from a large sidecar and athsmatic old honda. I presently use a Honda CD250 u and sidecar to transport windup gramophones to gigs. I'm used to grease, cold fingers, busted knuckles, unavailable bits, making do, for bikes, cars, gramophones, 19thC stereo photography gear and a dozen other hobbies (?).

Does anyone use an Austin 7 van for daily short haul business (florist?). I can't think of a better vehicle for exposure, and of the right period. And simple. My old man in Vancouver has two Ruby's in an underground parking lot (in terrible condition, about the same as our relationship).

Can you give concrete answers based on what you have experienced or seen work? If this is foolhardy, can you recommend a better, later machine?

Justin

[JonE]

a late long wheelbase AVK one will give you just enough space, perhaps. But can you afford the tinkering time for getting and keeping it fettled and dealing with inevitable breakages if it's not newly restored? An early - pre 1960 - 2CV van would be a good choice with a busier lifestyle, perhaps.

Why not try a 7 van and blog whether you think its possible or not?!

[Chris KC]

Hi Justin, a Ruby if properly built ought to be entirely feasible for short haul deliveries in my humble opinion.
I guess if a business depends on it I'd prove its reliability in my spare time for 1000 miles or so first.
Good luck!

   

["Slack Alice" Simon]

A 35 van?

Austin heritage, Marina-like engine, less quirky to work on.

[justinball]

Cool glass slide stereoview. I'll need to print it off then re edit it with a razor blade to fit a Holmes format viewer. 1925 ish? German? Brits had tired of 3d by 1920.

The Ruby's are in Vancouver. Not what I want. But I know there are the bits for another four (engines, axles, gear boxes) under the stairs.

I want a van for the sign writing area, and I have a couple of up right cabinet gramophones as well so a saloon is out. And I dabble in teaching joinery...just 19thC hand tools.

Simple is paramount. A hammer always works. How many bits are interchangeable with the cars and year to year?

ps, when you've done 30 winters on a bike and sidecar, an open van is nothing...

---

Very true, I looked at one a month back. £6k. Nice. Just didn't ignite lust. But most of my stuff doesn't. I get it dumped on me and I grow to like it.

[Mike Costigan]

Cool glass slide stereoview. I'll need to print it off then re edit it with a razor blade to fit a Holmes format viewer. 1925 ish? German? Brits had tired of 3d by 1920.

GO 6285 registration dates from mid-1931 so the slide cannot be earlier than that. The car is listed on the Register as an Ulster replica, so it may even be a modern photo ...

[JonE]

hasn't Chris just made that image from a recent hols? Works nicely if you know the cross-eye technique

some nice stuff on this by Charles Warner here...
http://home.clara.net/carefuleyes/index.html

[Chris KC]

Oh yes it's definitely a cheat! 2 x 35mm images shot a few inches apart then paired up later. Taken on our hols in Sweden 2008.
If you have a stereo viewer you can just about manage to view on screen images with it, if the size is adjusted appropriately.
(I do have a lovely Lancaster stereo camera circa 1890 though...)

[Martin Prior]

To get back to the original question, I use a 1933 A7 saloon as daily transport with no problems and we're building on a '33 van which we'll use for light business work.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

If you know a bit about them, most bits are interchangeable.

There are books and the vast experience on the Forum to help.

My ratty special was our only form of transport for three years, probably covering 60,000 miles in that time.

A spare engine and a collection of spares helped - you can change an engine in an evening, and outside - during that time I didn't have an easily available garage.