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I've ended up buying yet another Bedford, this time a QL but I've got some questions. It's only a chassis cab but the cab is in remarkably good condition, no glass or rad and the grill is missing from the radiator, no lights, covers are missing and the seats etc.

 

What's the likelyhood of being able to source parts to put it back to original?

 

Where are the serial numbers on the chassis?

 

Are there any useful modifications or conversions?

 

I'm picking it up on Saturday morning so I shall get some photographs once it's back to the yard.

 

I really wanted to put it back to original but I think it's going to be too costly, all the goodies have been sold off but the only reason I bought it is that he said he would cut it up otherwise.

 

Just one more question:

I have been looking on the net and I keep seeing QL's with Perkins badges on, I'm assuming the engine would be a P6, how the hell did they get it in there? I'd love to see some pictures just out of curiousity.

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Oh that's great, I did wonder what that was on the side of the chassis, I thought it might be the fuel filter, I did wonder why it was the opposite side to the tap, are, another learning curve coming on!!

 

Any chance of any pictures of the windscreen frame? It's the only bit I think I'm going to have trouble with.

 

Thanks for your fast response Niels.

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Cheers guys for the photos, great help.

 

There's quite a bit missing for mine.

 

The wife has suggested a camper rather than me turning it into a period recovery truck, the likelyhood of me finding a rear box body which would look right would be pretty slim I suppose.

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Just one more question:

I have been looking on the net and I keep seeing QL's with Perkins badges on, I'm assuming the engine would be a P6, how the hell did they get it in there? I'd love to see some pictures just out of curiousity.

 

I have a P6 surplus to requirements if you want to do a P6 conversion. I bought it to put in a Coles Milo diesel electric crane I bought with a stripped engine, but sold the crane before doing so. It was originally the propulsion engine out of an RAF snow blower (one of those with twin from axles) and is supposedly very low mileage. I have heard it running and it seemed excellent. It would also comes with the stripped down remains of the original crane engine (missing the crank, conrods and pistons) plus the gearbox from the snowblower.

Feel free to PM if interested. I need the space!

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The one thing you need to check on the perkins P6 is the type of piston fitted the low speed engine has cast iron pistons with an out put of 50 hp at 1500 rpm max ,the road engine has aloy pistons with 100 hp at 3000rpm max ,there is one other thing to check that is the condition of the vacume govener belows if it has split or gon hard it will not govern corectly hope this is of youse.

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I wasn't thinking of fitting a P6, I was just curious to see how they got one in there. To be honest I've got a Cummins 5.9 130bhp n/a which would be more than adequate and I'd be able to afford to run it which is a pity because the petrol engine looks like it's been overhauled and before somebody suggests LPG, I'm not a fan, I'd rather put up with the noise from the diesel. It was nice of you to offer the engine though utt61, if you had been closer I may have had it off you anyhow.

 

Niels - I haven't decided what to do with it yet, I had a sneaking suspicion it was a tanker, there are some large square brackets on the side of the chassis and there's none of the bracketing shown in your pictures, but this could have been a post war conversion, there's also an aluminium makers plate on the rear cross member.

 

mogmaner - thanks for the info mate.

 

Oh well I'm going to go and pick it up on Saturday morning, we have the lorry booked, preparing for my wife to say 'what the bl**dy hell have you bought now' when she actually sees the vehicle without the rose tinted glasses which I have been wearing!:D

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I wasn't thinking of fitting a P6, I was just curious to see how they got one in there. To be honest I've got a Cummins 5.9 130bhp n/a which would be more than adequate

 

Hi mate,

 

A P6 is not that big against a Bedford 28hp, Perkins did kits to fit a large number of vehicles in the 1950's. Biggest problem with a QL is making sure you have adequate clearance between the diff and the sump, exhaust downpipe, etc. There is a fairground operator in Sussex who has used a QL with a P6 engine for years, and is still using it.

 

A friend in Australia, fitted a later Perkins in his QL, the 6.354, which is about 5.4 litres. It caused all sorts of problems, due to its size and configuration, exhaust downpipe is above the diff, no room for the handbrake lever, so as it it has a compressor, brakes were converted to air over hydraulic and a cylinder was fitted to the rear axle for an air handbrake. Radiator had to be moved forward, I think. Then you also lose speed due to the lower rpm of the diesel, so larger tyres were fitted, also a 5 speed Turner gearbox.

 

A QL is a beauty to drive with the 28hp, just a bit slow on the hills, but once over the top, its away again.;)

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I had a good look at it yesterday, it is a bit tight in that engine bay. Had a go at getting the petrol engine running, it turns over but needs a new distributer cap and the proper carb. I thought these engines were only 28hp but I did a search on the internet and it came up with 70hp.

 

Found the chassis number, it's a QLT how do you work out what year it is, hopefully will be able to attach photos. There's a makers plate on the back of the chassis that says Allan Taylor, Wandsworth, SW18 would this be the original body builders makers plate or is this something from later on in the lorrys life? Apparently it was used on a farm for years, according to the speedo it's only cover 36k miles, whether this is correct or the speedo is broken I'm not sure.

Bedford QLT 1.JPG

Bedford QLT 2.JPG

Bedford QLT 3.JPG

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I thought these engines were only 28hp but I did a search on the internet and it came up with 70hp.

 

There's a makers plate on the back of the chassis that says Allan Taylor, Wandsworth, SW18

 

The term, 28hp was the RAC rating of engines at that time, done for taxation purposes, the actaul Brake Horse Power rating being 72 ( I think without checking).

 

Allan Taylor did conversions of vehicles, notable the Ford Tructor for the RAF. This instance it might have been something done after demob, I note it has extra windows cut into the rear of the cab.

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As RICHARD said ALLEN TAYLER done some wired & wonderful conversion during WW11 . It looks like the frame has been cut behind the rear spring hanger . Check all the frame measurements to see if anything has been altered.My WOT 1 Tructor has had 5ft cut shorter & low range box fitted by ALLEN TAYLOR ,

You might have a one off QL modified by ALLEN TAYLER so do some research before taking it apart. T CORBIN

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Cheers Richard, I did wonder about that.

 

So is there some pictures of these weired and wonderful conversions on the internet that I can peruse as you've peaked my interest?

 

I don't know about a nice truck, there's quite a bit missing, that's all I got unfortunately. The chassis number is QLT11xxx. Is it possible to find out where it served and it's military registration?

Bedford QLT 4.JPG

Bedford QLT 6.JPG

Bedford QLT 7.JPG

Edited by ACH
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Hello,

Chassis numbers 7230-18161 were built in 1942 :-D. This is from Bart Vanderveens Kaleidoscope of Bedford & Vauxhall Military vehicles, isbn 0 7232 2875 2, or the bedford bible as its become known. Its now out of print but they do come up on ebay, book fairs etc. Its a must for bedford owners. Another book that i can recommend on the QL is, Bedford to Berlin and beyond-QL the forces Favourite 4x4, by Robert Coates.

As for tracing your QL's service history, Is there a brass reme rebuild plate on the chassis? The Rlc museum is worth a try to, we've never had any luck but i know some people who have so its worth a try. Other than that you may find some numbers under the paint on the doors, the passenger side on your would be worth a look.

I've done many miles sat on the engine cover of a Quadruple Locomotive, the are by far the best of the wartime bedfords. Like richard says once you get them wound up they are reasonably fast, Quicker than a MW, untill you hit a hill!! They also drive very nicely, the steering is lighter, and the gearbox is easier to get through. They are very evenly balanced, from what we were told by veterans, there wasn't much that could match one off road, but i've never tried it for myself! I've fancied one myself and been to look at a few, but need a bigger shed first.

Yours, although missing some parts, looks reasonably clean, the cabs tend to rot badly, but yours seemd pretty good. Good luck with the restoration.

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Cheers for that, somebody had said before about the Bedford to Berlin book, but I have ordered both from Amazon so hopefully they'll be here at the end of the week.

 

The plate above the chassis number has been torn off, there's no plates anywhere else, the cab looks like it's been sand blasted at some point so it's probable that I won't find any numbers there.

 

The back of the chassis has been really badly hacked off, which sums up my feeling about this as well.

 

It would be nice to drive an original one for the experience, could I do better than driver Twisik?:nut:

 

I've got some steam cleaning to do this week so I'll clean it for a proper assessment and hopefully get it under cover soon.

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Hello Mate,

"driver Twisik" Thats a great wartime film, some nice shots of early QL's on there.

 

The chassis on the trooper is the same as a general service QLD, the extensions for the longer body bolt onto the chassis at the back. So i think you've lost only a couple of foot which shouldn't be to hard to remake.

Parts for the bedfords are reasonably easy to come by, so i think you should be able to pick up the bits you need quite easily. Pete gain would be worth a try.

Going back to your point about the P6, a friend of ours had a QL with one in and wasn't impressed with it at all. The noise in the cab was terrible and from what he said it wasn't much more powerfull.

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I forgot, I renewed my subscription to Classic & Vintage Commercial and got a free book, Bedfords at War, which came today. Just had a quick look while having my lunch, I like the half track prototype and the tractor and fixed trailer, but there's no recovery trucks, I'm surprised that they weren't converted for light recovery.

 

Niels - yeah saw that, but no cap unfortunately, I would have most probably had a bid if it had a cap on it.

 

Any chance anybody could furnish me with some detailed pictures of the cab so I can work out which holes are supposed to be there and which are just happy driller syndrome. And what went under the passenger side seat, the air filter?

 

Cheers

Adam

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Cheers for that.

 

What did the seats look like?

 

I have noticed that mine has not got the slots for the bar that goes round the front of the radiator.

 

I think I might have to look for a QL with a rotten cab as there's so much missing to put it back to anything near original. Buying the parts here and there will end up costing a fortune. I may just put it back on the road as best I can as a light recovery truck.

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