JEMIMA

Ha Ha - its bound to be the wrong calibre of brick - not the orriginal colour or the wrong size !

Ha Ha - reminds me of a few years back......you own a jeep and everyone refers to it as a "landrover thingy"........you then years later purchase a landrover.......yep - you guessed it....."nice jeep thingy !"

My personal favourite, - Oh i thought it was American? - Thats odd......it has the American star on it......even though it clearly says Bedford/Humber /Morris ect.....and then they have to wrap their knuckles on the front wing to hear the metalic "knock" a couple of times ....why....who knows ?!?!?! I love what i call the "armchair experts" - those who read one book and then know all there is to know about that paticular vehicle....we will never get rid of them - and for every "anorak" there are some great recolections of time in service driving one of those or similar stories....some really useful tips and amazing stories that i will always treasure.... My answer - an information board set out for people to read.....then whilst sitting comfortably at the rear of the vehicle i laugh as they then inform their "audience" of the inner-workings and ins and outs of my vehicle - usually completly wrong - but when im sitting comfortably,sunning myself and cradling a beer or two - there are more important things in life to get me worked up over..... .My argument to all the anoraks who claim wrong engine/marking/nut/bolt or rivet.....Surely its better that its here in whatever form,preserving history and giving pleasure to others .....surely better than the alternative----rusting away somewhere or being used for re-cycled baked bean cans !

My idea of hosting a Bedford QL register has really taken off ! - so far 15 owners / QL's have registered and already members are swapping information ,advice and spares as well as making new contacts and friends ! Ive sent a few request forms out to owners and awaiting their return - however so far im anticipating surviving numbers to be less than 50 in the UK and numbers of less than 20 in Europe. However their are a few QLS to be found on Google Image that have not yet registered and i havnt as yet started to try and track down any residing in Museums...... - of course not everyone uses this forum - but if you do and you know of any QL owners or Museums that house any - please get them to drop me a line and i will send them more details - its all free and the information will remain out of the public domain - being only available to persons registered on the register. For more info or to join - please e-mail me andy.kyte@bt.com Thanks in Anticipation.......

Good Luck Rosie,Its been ages since ive seen you guys - hopefully we will catch up sometime this summer - maybe Havenstreet ? - Now go and get drunk girl - you deserve it !! - Andy Kyte x

Thanks for that - Happy to report that Peter is now on-board and signed up to the register ! - For those interested..... So far we have - 6 X QLR's 3 X QLC's 3 X QLD's 1 X QLB - The numbers are swelling slowly - a big thank you to all those who have supplied details - and to those who have asked for registration forms but have yet to return them !

Look on the positive side......its got a cracking good front nearside tyre.............

Hi To everyone who is reading this - Im trying to track down some possible QL Owners - appolagies as the information is old - but do you know of them ? - if so do you have any contact details for them please ? - All of the details below are readily available on the public domain but i cant trace / make contact with the owners ! GEOFFREY DRAY (QLD) - reg GVS 631 GARY DRISCOLL (QLD) - reg YDL 554 LESLIE CURTIS (QLD) - reg 431 XUP FRED HUGHES(QLD) - reg GFO 261 TONY GEORGE (QLT) - reg BVF 556J PETER WALKER (QLR) - reg TFO 813

Can i point you towards the Bedofrd QL register? - It will put you in touch with other owners (some of whom may not use this forum) - its free and confidentual to all apart from those who are registered - please contact me - Andy Kyte for more details. andy.kyte@bt.com

Can i intrest you in my link ? - http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?37466-Calling-all-bedford-ql-owners Im putting together a register of all the surviving QL's in the UK / Europe - ive had lots of interest and requests to join.....its all free - why not drop me a line for more details - andy.kyte@bt.com Thanks Andy

Early Days and still awaiting someforms to be returned......but im anticipating a little as less than 50 QL's surviving and on the show/rally scene in the UK at this time....and an additional (Approx) 20 in Europe......this is suprising to me bearing in mind how many would have seen post-war service as recovery / lumbar trucks.... A huge big thank you to all those who have taken the time to register their vehicles on the QL Register - already reaping the rewards as owners are already contacting other owners and networking those questions/solutions and tips ! Keep the details comming in,and have a great summer show season ! - Andy K

I know i did......and still do.....and now i can combine the two - having an airfix (or tamya) kit to replicate all the MV's ive owned over the years......and a few more that i strive to own one day !

A chap called (Richard Notton) - took a stolly for a swin around the pier in Bognor a few years ago to publisize o local MV show we were running - all went well although the attempt to swim under the pier was abandoned due to wind/swell which was making it too dangerous to attempt - the look on peoples faces as it emerged from the sea aka james bonds lotus in that famouse film sequence was priceless - Richard had the hindsite to arrange with the local fire brigade a damn good hosing down of his stolly afterwards to rid all the salt water......living on the south coast and attending Lepe many years ago i also remeber a similar attempt to cross to the island being made by a seep - that was abandoned when it became stuck on a sandbank and only just missed being taken out by a large ferry boat......Good Luck.....safe crossing !

Thats great - thanks for your support - if you drop me an e-mail ,i will send you all the nessasary by return - Thanks Again - Andy andy.kyte@bt.com

Many Thanks to all of you who have contacted me - Please keep spreading the word - the more networking the better the register will work !

Having recently aquired my own 1942 QLR - I am keen to contact other members with a view to excahaging tips,spares,knowladge and facts etc......I have already contacted a few - and am keen to make something a little more useful...... I plan to create a "QL REGISTER" where i hope owners will register their details with me ,and we can from our own network of fellow Bedford Owners and restorers... Have you ever wondered how many QLR's are surviving? - Where your nearest sullpier of canvas for your truck is located? - what tips are there for sorting out that annoying problem ? - i know there are forums that can answer many of these questions - but they never compile a detailed list of how many/what type and where in the country they are ! Unfortunetly i am only going to register QL's of various models,appolagies to any other Bedford Variant owners ! I have previously set-up and run the West Sussex Area of the MVT and am fully aware of the rules and guidelines regarding data protection. Please contact me if you are interested in Joining the register - its all free of course and may just be worth it one day ! I can be contacted bye-mail - andy.kyte@bt.com and will send you a brief vehicle registration form....finding fellow owners of such a rare and interesting British Vehicle has been very rewarding,and something im sure we could all benafit from. Thanks in Anticipation Andy Kyte

Specialist Security Consultant.....Cant elaborate !

There are many Battery opperated "shed" alarms that work using the magnetic contact principle - ie - the unit is placed by the side ofthe door and the magnetic contact sits on the door along side it - when the door is opened the contact between the two is broken and the alwarm sounds ! This maybe favourable to a car-alarm which is 12v powered - and many mvs are only running on 6v - also no battery drain from the vehicle! They are relativly cheap - and could be adapted to prevent boxes from being opened/moved or with some injunitiey could even be fitted to the canvas flap / tailboard ? Its a tough one - and one thats made me think......Ive known of thefts from vehicles over the years -a sad reflection of the world we are intoday - anything that prevents is a good idea !

Its a long way off i know....... - but the planning is underway for what should be an amazing tour - at this stage its just a fact finding exercise to see numbers - but there is talk of subsadised fuel and ferry crossings for vehicle owners...... September 14th-22nd 2014 Please see the link for more details http://xxxcorps.wix.com/operation70#

The instant garages look great....unfortunetly they are only 8ft tall.......so not suitable for most over-sized mvs..... I had no problems with canvas sweating,there was planty of air movement and of course you need to cover when the canvas is dry,enlcosing a damp canvas will only cause problems ! - its all down to how you wrap it i guess.

I used an inveted piece of guttering laid length ways from front to rear on top of the middle of the bows....make sure its not a really cheap section or else it will collapse......-this was enough to form a ridge and thus ensure the water doesnt collect in large pockets between the bow sections -over the top of this i covered the whole truck - cab included with the biggest plastic tarp screwfix had at the time....and them lashed it with lots or rope i managed to find a green tarp that came down to the bottom of the cargo bed,and at the same time covered the cab /bonnet .... You could always substitute the guttering section for an inverted "T" shape made from planks - but this may be too heavy to keep lifting up and down - the guttering has virtually no weight or cost and worked a treat for me !

Im really suprised to see that British Vehicles are leading the poll - with all those jeeps out there....although how many jeep owners have voted american when maybe they should have voted French ?? Any chance you could expand your poll to vehcile types....jeeps/landrover/gmc/dodge/bedford etc?????? - would be fascinating to know what the number one vehicle of choice is ?!?!

Can anyone tell me if the ring on top of a QL is an escape hatch or a gun hatch ? - ive never seen any pictures of a gun being used from above one.....also im after the inner pads for mine - does anyone know if RLs have the same sized / style of pads or can suggest any others that may fit ? - mine has nothing and i understand that there should be 3 x seperate cushion / pads that bolt inside the ring / hatch......

I reckon you should meet up withyour old "girl" again Geoff....Lets make it happen ! Andy

Sounds like a plan !