dan

Hi mate, check out the underuns on my Bedford MJ pictures. They look like they are an original feature of the truck & are bolted on so they can be removed without any trouble. Your truck looks lovely, where did you get her?

thanks for that, bit late now as i had it off last week which was a nightmare if only i knew. had it skimmed, valves reground and new valve guides and stem seals so hope it worth the trouble.

thanks paul

Your welcome - sorry i didn't see ya post earlier. Checked ya profile & still no pictures, would love to see the old girl. I bet she purrs like a kitten now! Where did you get her from & do ya know anything about her service history?

Hi Mark, Lovely vehicles - I would like to buy the lot but unfortunately its all i can do to keep my old girl going.

Regards

Daniel

Hi mate, if she is running OK I would leave well alone, she will keep on running for years! If you are determined, well here you go:

Valve clearences (hot) inlet: 0.3mm (0.012in.)

Exhaust: same as.

Torque settings Rocker shaft bolts 58Nm (43 lbf ft)

Cylinder head bolts 260 Nm (192 lbf ft) with lightly oiled threads.

Have you got a picture of her - I will have a look now.

Have fun

Regards

Daniel

Hi Guys,

 

Well after a busy day i finally got my MW home and squeezed it into the garage with my Jeep and Jeep project.

 

Nice original RAF MW, i'm sure some of you will be familar with it. Lots of good bits and some not so good, but i wanted something that needed a bit of tidying up, so its perfect for me.

 

Only a couple of photos as i ran out of time, but will add some more detailed photos next week.

 

A couple of questions.

 

1. Is anyone doing replacement wiring looms?

 

2. Are the door stop straps supposed to be leather or webbing (a photo would be really helpful).

 

3. Handbrake gator -does this fix to the floor with a plate like a Jeep, or just screwed through the canvas (again, a photo would really help.

 

Thanks

 

Richard

[/she is beutiful -love it!]

After having a word with my local tyre centre I have all my tyres at 80psi. Two years now & no problem with wear etc, 5000 miles & they still look as good as the spare. I think the higher pressure lowers fuel consumption. If I was to do some serious off roading I would probably half this. she weighs in just under 6000kg and has just breezed through the MOT.

Have fun

Regards Daniel

It,s gonna happen lads, any way they can they can get another couple of bob out of us. I think every vehicle that uses the road should be MOT'd & though it cost me more money I thought it only right that I was made to place side and rear underuns on the truck. This is an important safety feature. It is the money they charge for the test that has me reeling. I just had my Bedford MJ/Camper MOT'd today in Ireland and was outraged at the price they charged me. It cost me 145 Euro's at the test centre who gave me a cert which I then had to take to the tax office, they took that cert & gave me another & had the front to charge me another 13 Euro's for the privilege. What kind of crap is this we must have MUG stamped on our foreheads? I'm waiting for them to slap a load more on the road tax now & me & my love (MJ) will have to part company. I just could no longer justify spending the money for the amount of use we get out of her in these increasingly hard times.

Hi, I own a Bedford MJ & want to get some spares put away so as to be able to keep her running long term. I have been keeping an eye on the Witham’s website & there are a lot of good spares sold in batches that makes the individual Items very cheap, but nine times out of ten it's not worth me bidding as to buy the quantity would work out as much or more than buying the Item from the Bedford boys. (There is also a lot of spares we would have trouble laying our hands on and if we did need them and managed to source them we would end up paying through the nose for). I was thinking it would be great if we could get together and put money in the pot once a month to purchase spares. This way we are not bidding against each other & we can guarantee our vehicles future at a fraction of the cost.

The proof is in the pudding! I have had an MJP For over 2 years now done 10,000k not a bother. She looks beutiful, lots of shows & lots of fun for all the family. Only outlay is fuel, oil & antifreeze. She is not fast, but if I wanted speed I would have gone for a classic sports car.

I have had both and would go for a daf gs anyday,

cummins v bedford daf1

5speed v box 4 speed daf2

tilt cab v fixed cam daf3

permenant 4wd v rear selactable 4wd daf4

pas v non pas daf5

Price value??? daf6

looks bedford1

daf faults front tow hitch on a daf is very far back makes it hard to push things with a stright bar as you damage bumpers. as far as bedfords bomb proof em,,, my friend has a mk, first problem was a front oil seal turns out the crank had been damaged took lots of work to sort, it also had water pump, alt ,starter ,transferbox .front prop .fuel pump. it a mint truck not many better but was made on a friday. I gave the daf death worked it hard, old bedfords are not in the same league, The test is drive either 100 mile see how you are??? i bet the daf drive will be quieter faster same easier to drive with pas. As far as what is better its the daf. A bedford is a classic army truck but old.[/Your friend is an unlucky sod, I have an MJ '86, for over 2 years have done 10,000K not a bother! Only thing the weld cracked around the filler pipe to the fuel tank. If Speed was my thing I would buy a farari!!QUOTE]

Everybody makes such a big thing about the side bars on these vehicles, truth be told there is plenty o ground clearence as they are higher than the axels and around the same hieght as other gear fitted spare tyre, fuel tanks, generator & boxes for stowing gear - gas bottles, tools etc. You can fit removable side bars either by pin or bolts are no problem as you could remove them in double quick time as you have a connection for an air hose! If this is no good I suppose you could always extend the wheelbase and fit some monster truck wheels.

You could reach the parts no bedford truck has gon before - I would rather take it easy sit back and watch that one and let the beers reach the parts. CHEERS!!

Hi guys, in Ireland the rear under run & side bars is Jan '85. I was thinking that if you took off the flatbed and made your own fixings for a fiber glass box you could easily come under 7.5ton and the vehicle would perform better at the lower weight either off road and on sand or on the road and up hills!

IT'S BETTER TO BURN OUT THAN FADE AWAY!

iF ITS BAD NEWS i DON'T WONNA HEAR IT!!

"IT'S BETTER TO BURN OUT THAN FADE AWAY!"

Loggydriver,

He let it go as an educational vehicle - shows etc. I have a com box on the back and I am fitting it out as a camper. This will not need one and will save me a pretty penny on road tax as well as being great for the family (trips/shows etc).

Thanks Loggydriver - that clears that up for me! when ya man said Tacho I asumed it was a tacho - grath, I call a rev counter a rev counter so the manual was confusing the hell out of me! When the vehicle was tested as HGV it needed a tacho but managed to find an exemption that the tester excepted. Did anyone else have this hurdle or have some of the trucks got them fitted?

Hi, I have checked the manual and it shows a rev counter like instument under the dash?

I have only driven two vehicles before with a tacho meter and both were combined with the speedo which had a key that enabled you to drop down the speedometer and insert a card behind that your speed would be recorded. You would be required to renew this card on a daily basis. I do not recognise the rev counter fitted in my bedford MJ as one and niether did the DOE tester!

Can anyone enlighten me?

That Canadian truck picture is unbelievable! My MJ has removeble sidebars but truth be told there is no way I'm going to be driving anywhere I need to unbolt them. They are higher than the axles and other equipment anyway. They look great though, like they have always been there and they are an important safetey feature for road use!

Hi Paul, Make sure Withams put the unladen weight of the vehicle on the paperwork aswell as the make, model, engine type & capacity etc. Caused me a few Headaches! Keep a copy of the original paper just in case the DVLC make any mistakes on the new log book! Vehicles owned by the military are excempt from side and rear crash bars - you will need them fitted for the MOT.

Hi, Robin & good luck, I was wandering if you got it from withams - they usually give it a once over for you but they wouldn't let me drive out the place though.

I would like to thank Stone for the manuals, there great! I see on your profile your an engineer & was wandering If you could offer me any advise. I was thinking of running my MJ on vege oil but apparently the Lucas CAV fuel pumps can't hack it, though I did read on another thread that a bloke selling an MJ was running it on a 50/50 mix without any modification?? I was thinking of an electric assist pump and a 20% diesel mix or maybe just get hold of a Bosch pump (supposed to be the dogs b.... ) of another vehicle & modify the casing and fittings. As you can tell I'm not a purist - some power steering would improve her performance on & off road!

We can rebuild her - hopefully a bit short of 6 million dollars.

Hi, would anyone know if there is a inline fuel pump to fit the MJ 330? I was looking into running it on waste vegstable oil but have been informed by one company that does the conversion kits that the only pumps to fail and cause misery in the past 8 years are the Lucas CAV!

Hello mate.

 

I also own a Bedford MJ. I have to say that my truck is also slow up the hills. On a flat it will do 50 MAX, 40 is the comfortable cruising speed. Mine is fitted with an Electronic Radar Repair Workshop with all the kit still fitted. The all up weight must be around 8.5tonnes. The BHP of a Bedford MJ 330 is 108bhp. My truck has only done 2,500 miles so the engine isn't even run in yet. I've changed the fuel filter, the air filter is new (the truck had a two yearly service and inspection at ABRO two months before release - this included the fitment of a new transfer box, front wheel bearings/hub seals/brake shoes/new fuel tank etc, etc

 

With my truck, it will slow down to 2nd gear (speedo not working properly so can't say what actual speed is) on a steep hill. When in 2nd gear it manages OK and eccelerates very well, but seems to be too low geared as the revs increase pretty quick, but to change into 3rd gear will kill it, so you have to stay in 2nd until the climb is finished. I used to drive them in the Army and can't really remember what they were like, but the ones I drove were GS versions without a very heavy box body on the back. I have been behind other Bedfords and these also were slow up the hills.

 

I don't tow a trailer and it's one of the things that has put on hold my requirment for a living van.

 

Has this just happened with the truck or has it always been like that? The turbo on mine doesn't make any noise whatsoever, even under heavy load, and I find this somewhat strange. I know the turbos fitted to the MJ were either low pressure or meduim pressure units. I'm betting mine is fitted with the low pressure version. As I'm a truck driver for a living I have driven enough trucks to realise that the turbo can make a BIG difference to the trucks ability to hold speed uphill. Personally I think the problem I have with mine (and it looks like you also have the same problem) is to do with the turbo pressure being too low. When you look at the size of the intake turbine, it's huge. This would be like blowing into a dustbin, just no increase in pressure at all under load. The exhaust side is roughly the same size. I'm actually going to look into the possibility of fitting a different turbo, but the problem you then have with a higher pressure turbo is the stress on the engine that it wasn't designed for.

 

If it was a poorly fitting fuel filter seal you would have air getting in, or diesel getting out all of the time and not just when you go uphill. This would lead to problems starting as there would be air in the system (I had this trouble with a 106 diesel. The fuel line was pinched under the seat rail and had a pinhole in that was letting in air. It ran like a dog and the fuel pump was constantly bleeding the air out - all because of a pinhole)

 

I don't think it's the fuel pump either.

 

There are enough members on here with Bedford MJ's, so come on guys, what is your truck like up the hills? I don't think there is a problem with yours as both of ours seem to suffer the same problem, unless of course both of ours seem to be suffering from the same problem??? (If that makes sense:sweat:)[/Yeah mines an '86 and the same performance. I just think it's not got enough horsepower, I think most new cars these days have got more! I couldn't see it catching the germans.QUOTE]

Thanks, My truck went through the DOE today with flying colors though I have got to fit the side under runs. I expected this and atleast after speaking to the tester I kow what he wants of me and have twenty one days to retest at no charge. I took the truck up to 50mph and she did smooth out, but I have got to find out what is causing that judering, because it just isn't very pleasnt. But it seems to be a common problem with these and someone must know how to solve it.

52mph would be great! anything over 40mph and the wheel starts to jerk about so violently I sh*t me pants. I have the new type off road tyres, could it be this or do the wheels need balancing! Help!

they do want motorhomes to be DOE tested but the the motorcaravan club is contesting this and are putting together a legal case.

the headroom has to be 6ft all round, I was speaking to someone in a landrover club a few weeks back who mentioned someone he met having the same trouble. I don't have a problem in this regard, but I was thinking you could put overhead cudboards along the sides - surely they some nasty B is not going to messure to the underside of the cudboarb?

I was thinking that when it is converted to a camper insurance might be a problem as any company I have looked at specify that you must have access to the rear from the cab!