Bedford QLC

Well here is a bit about my Bedford QLC, I bought it 3 years ago from a friend who had rescued it from a scrap yard.

The Danish army bought a batch of vehicles from the British in 45 from the huge surplus yards in Germany. As most of the vehicles where well used, they were sent to an airfield in Jutland were they rebuild. The Ql stayed in service until they were replaced by Bedford RL´s and put in storage. They were all rebuild in the sixties and kept in storage until 87 were they auction of.

My one was bought by a scrap dealer and driven to his yard where it was left for around 10 years. It took my friend a couple of years of negations to get it of the scrap dealer. My friend kept it in his barn but did not have the time to restore it, as he has a large collection of Bedfords and east block armour.

He lived fairly close by so got it towed home, after a Saure DM2.

The rear body had been filled with scrap, when it was in the yard, this had resulted in a sheared bolt and the rear body twisting. The Danish climate is not car friendly which has resulted in the wood in the rear body being rotten and a lot of rust in the cab and the sides of rear body.

The engine had a stuck water pump, valve and a bent push rod, at the clutch plate is stuck to the flywheel, and the top of the engine top was filled with muck, but the chassis and remaining mechanical parts are in good condition.

I have taken the cab and rear body of. The rust on the cab where to complicate for my welding skills so that has been sent off to one with a bit more sheet metal experience.

I have had new side panels made for the rear body. The rest of the restoration is mostly going to be taking things apart, stripping paint, removing surface rust and replacing fuel and brake lines and renewing the wiring.

Nice work... the Bedford QL is one of those vehicles along with the Austin K5 that I wouldn't mind owning in the future. Its one of the few WW2 vehicles that I would like to own.

Keep up the good work its nice to see something other than American Vehicles being restored.

Hello Neil,

I've chased a couple of these danish ql's but so far not brought one home. Yours seems to have the original bedford rear body where as the ones i've seen had a fordson body on. Also its got more modern indicators fitted the ones i've seen had semaphore's fitted.

Are you going to keep it in danish colours or you putting it back to is wartime guise?

How do you get on finding parts, or were there some sold off with the trucks?

Yes I also think that it is a Bedford body, I have never found out why they changed them. I know that Richard Farrants Ql is a ex danish with Fordson body.

I am going to kept it danish, with the notex indicators and rifle mounts on the side of cab.

I have only been able to find 4 Qls Left in Denmark, so I think it will be the most fun to have one in danish specs.

I am painting it Ral 6014 (german nato green), which is fairly close to the color it had in the fifties

The guy I bought it from had some mechanical spares, other small things I have found on ebay and have bought some parts form a Forum member.

I got the new seals for the wheel and master cylinders form www.pastparts.co.uk

Great to see a QL brought back to life. Good for you to restore it to Danish Army spec., it was an important part in the truck's history.

:thumbsup:

And keeping it danish gives me the opportunity to fit it out like this.

as used by the light anti air defence.

It seams that when it was rebuild by the army, it was striped of all paint, but I found a small patch in side the frame of what looks like sand color on top of red primer. would it have been painted sand form the factory or where they painted when they arrived in north africa and italy?

The more I look at your QL the more I reallise is missing from mine.

I was lucky to get my one, it has never been used or been on the road since it left the army in 87.

If you need pictures of any thing, just write.

Thanks for the offer Niels, I'll definately take you up on that in the near future. Be interesting to know about interchangablity of parts from later models and other Bedfords from the period.

a small update.

The remaining frame section has been painted, I gave it a coat of zink spray in the places that had traces of corrosion. The shocks and bump stops have been fitted again, I use a ratchet strap to compress the spring back to the correct hight so that the bump stops could be fitted.

The friction plate was stuck to flywheel, but with the help of a spoke from a wirewheel I could pull out. Its a bit worn and on side is almost down to the rivets so I either have to replaced it or reline it, any leads on a replacement is welcome.

The pressure plate is a bit lopsided, Could that be a spring that has gone?

A bit more progress has been made, I am almost done with the priming of the chassis now, there where some surface rust that I could not get to on the rear axel so it had to come off.

The rear body had been filled with scrap, when it was in the yard, this had resulted in a sheared bolt and the rear body twisting. The Danish climate is not car friendly which has resulted in the wood in the rear body being rotten and a lot of rust in the cab and the sides of rear body.

Hi Neils

I have a QLC body like yours in very good condition but the wheel boxes have been removed to make a flat load area.

What I need are drawings, photos & measurements so that I can make exact copies.

Can you help please ?

Cheers Ian.

P.S. I have emailed your friend in Denmark.

Hi Ian

I dont have any good pic of the wheel box before they where taken apart, but I can take pictures and messurment of the parts. Can you take a picture of how your body looks now with out the boxes?

A bit more progress has been made, I am almost done with the priming of the chassis now, there where some surface rust that I could not get to on the rear axel so it had to come off.

Looking good Niels!

How did you clean the chassis and axles? Wire brush in angle grinder? And then paint with a brush / roller?

Hanno

the paint is very crisp, so i have used a chisel and scraped the most paint of (the large flat areas, its very effective, a bit hard work but it leaves almost no dust only a couple of millimeter big flakes, and it goes through paint a primer and some rust in one go) I used a needle gun for the corners other tricky places. then finally I ran it over with and angle grinder with wire wheel or cup to remove rust.

the scraping leaves a good surface to paint.

I use mostly brush to paint it with.

Thanks Niels!

Rear axel is painted and back on the chassis and the engine has been given the first coat of paint. The colour is not entirely right but it will do... Its Marcus Glenn engine blue,and is very nice to work with.

Hello Niels,

Shortly I will start with the restoration of my bedford QL. I have to start with the truck and a bare chassis.It started life as a QLR radio box and lost the box after it was sold by the army and was equipped with a crane for the lumbering trade (as so many 4x4 trucks after active service)[ATTACH=CONFIG]0[/ATTACH].

As you can see on the pictures I will need a rear body and think to make a QLD body for it because tracing a original cargo body will be very difficult.

But no panics I know somebody locally with a QLD that i can use as a sample to copy the rear section.

Rear axel is painted and back on the chassis and the engine has been given the first coat of paint. The colour is not entirely right but it will do... Its Marcus Glenn engine blue,and is very nice to work with.

Hi Niels

Nice job buddy, will she be finished for W&P 2012 ?

I have just got back from Scotland (850mile round trip) with a trailer load of QL parts for myself & Danny152.

I will be starting my restoration this weekend & hope to post a restoration thread aswell.

Great to see another QL has been saved just down the road from you Niels.

Ian

As you can see on the pictures I will need a rear body and think to make a QLD body for it because tracing a original cargo body will be very difficult.

But no panics I know somebody locally with a QLD that i can use as a sample to copy the rear section.

 

What about a machinery body? http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=59308&cat=4

If she was a QLR there should also be a PTO for the generator carried above the rear axle.