rippo

I have four different drivers handbooks for the mw, and i think there are others. I think it's also the same with the manuals. My manual has my contract number on the cover, so i guess the other manuals will have the contract numbers on them to. I guess everytime there was a change to the build, the manual was changed to. But you need to know the contact number of your truck. I don't think, other than the rlc museum or finding it on the truck, there is any way of working it out from the chassis number. If you have the wd number then you can get the contract number. It seem either records were poorly kept of have been lost and there is very little information about the bedfords. and the way they used what they had at the time dosen't make it any easier!!

Hello hanno, Do you have British Light Military Trucks 1939-1945 By Mke Conniford? it has alot of intresting pictures. As for contract numbers, and wd numbers barts kaidascope is about the best referance i've found, but richard has a groucho publication which covers them better.

I was talking to another early mw owner who had traced his history through the rlc. Part of the history was the price new, £268.18.6. Bargain. The more luxurious closed cabbed mw's might have been dearer!! It got me think how much other vehicles would have cost new, anyone know the cost of others?

Here's a picture from another post on here. i was looking closely at it as it's from the same batch as mine. I noticed the dif isn't painted white.

hey thanks for that the mw in your picture above is out of the same batch as mine. There looks to be three colours on the mw and would you say its sprayed on? Nice to see they haven't painted out the 30 sign!!

Thanks hanno, You made me realise how many vehicles you do see painted mickey mouse, it does suit the Mw but i'd like something different. I don't want the slapped on effect, i always liked malta sand but don't want to paint my truck sand, yet.. When i think about it i can only bring to mind mickey mouse, and the black on green striped pattern. I can remember a picture of one of richard bedalls QL's in snow camoflauge. There must have been others so appreciate your comments. I matched the paint to some i sound on the chassis then thought it was olive drab my mistake. Any pictures or any suggested patterns?

Hello again, I thinking about putting camouflage on the bedford when its done. I was going to put mickey mouse on it, but hanno has wrote :nono: that one off!! I guess you do see alot of mw's done in it :coffee:. So what other types are there? i know very little about the various patterns used so any help or advise would be appericiated. The truck will be finished in olive drab no 4 as it would have left the factory, and i would preffer to keep that as the base. I think the truck would have left the factory june 1940.

Thanks richard.

As it says really, what thread does a J8c plug have? Thanks

I thought crooks sold one at the auction when they moved from the station yard. I think thats when most of the wartme stuff went. Then the article appeared in windscreen shortly after. Might be wrong thoe it is a long time ago.

I wouldn't have thought he'd have set fire to it. I remember lou he was a friend of my dads, we spent many hours there filling the trailer and range rover as he was clearing the place, the amount of stuff he burnt was criminal. They have a big collection it's probably in there. I think the one on the farm came from Eric Crooks at preston when he cleared his yard..

yeah thats what i mean, the tail board mainly, a couple of other things are missing to. I've only ever noticed the rolled type but who to say what was used. The bodies all came from the same manufacturer so should have been the same. when the hinged body was done away with it was the hooks and hinges that changed the rest stayed the same. [

I remember that one, it's the towing eyes on the front that make it stand out. I also remember it from petes yard, under a blue sheet on the far side, that was in a bad way, you have made a nice job of it. I like the front tyres, bet they make lovely sound. The tailgate has funny iron work on it, i'm not saying it isn't original, but i've not seen many like that one, has anyone else? or have any idea why it's different?

On the dash the early ones have the hovis tin civilian type chassis plate with the chassis number and the engine number on, even maurices has this and his is in the first thousand. The smaller type plates you mention, i seem to recall on later mw's, i think my dad had one on his 1944 and sirhc has the remains of one his and thats a 43. It seems to tie in with the shortage of materials to. Production of contract V3733 started in may 1940 so it's not to late on. I suppose compared with the morris's it is but production of the mw's didn't start till late 1939.

sorry my mistake it should be V3733. Altogether that makes just over 6000 vehicles and my chassis number is 10000 so there must be some more contracts before thoes. I there anyway of finding those? I'll have a read through bart vanderveens book tomorrow see what contract numbers he quotes in there. I think the first order was for 50. Just out of intrest why have some contract numbers got a V and some a T at the start? this plate?

The picture shown is a scan of the plate, it desn't quite fit on my scanner. Pete gain was very carefull removing it!! Mike i thought of your idea, as it dosen't seem much more than a piece of paper stuck on a sheet of steel. It explains why these plates are so hard to find, everyone i've come across on a truck has either been red rusty or painted over. Although the wiring diagram is for an early bedford, you can see the larger side lights. It also shows blackout covers and the convoy light. the manual i have for mine dosn't show a convoy light. Also the early plates were pressed alloy, all the others on my vehicle are. This also tie's up with the material shortages, data plates being changed to steel rather than alloy along with other fitments. So for that reason i not going to try and make another as it would only be the wrong one. I'll have to keep searching, don't tll me you have a stack of them down under mike? Hope your taking care of those lovely air filters!!! :rofl: I still want try and clean it up, i might see is an art restorer might have a go at it.

I've been looking at the wiring diagram in my manual for the bedford and i dosen't show a dif light. I noticed this as i've just come across a wiring digram plate for under the bonnet and this does show it but the headlights are also shown with blackout covers. I think the plate i have is off a slightly later mw, to the manual i have. Were they fitted as part of the blackout regs?

This is the wiring diagram from under the bonnet of a Bedford Mw. It seems to be some type of transfer on a steel plate. It should be a white background, you can see bits of it around the edges. What would be my best bet to remove the grime from it?

I think it may well just come down to what they had on the day. It must have been a bad week when they made mine as the cab floor is wood. Now i've got that picture and i've the holes in the same place on mine for the lights, and i know the lamps are the correct type, i'm going to go with that. Also i question weather a rubbolite would fit when they are mounted. The mounting lug on a rubbolite (in the picture i have of one) looks alot smaller. So i don't think i would have cleared the body, maybe why they were fitted to the tool box instead? Also the rubber one's need less protection than the steel type. If i come across a rubbolite i'll try it and see it would fit. Thanks for all your help.

Why then has that early mw in the picture got them fitted? I'm not convinced they are a "later light" probably an alternative to the rubber ones, as maurice said.

I've found the picture, its in British Light Military trucks 1939-1945 by Mike conniford it's not a great picture but those lights look more like the metal ones to me, and from the Z number its from the same batch as mine. I checked the manual I have which has my contract number on the cover and it dose give rubbolite No 5 or 5a as the rear lamps. just goes to show they fitted what they had. Here's the two holes still in mine.

We had one from lindsays back in the eighties. I'm not sure weather the steering wheels had been smashed or they had rotted away as they are wood coated with bakelite. The story we got told was he was exporting them to india, with him being in ireland there wasn't as strict export laws on them. The one's rowed up in the field were the last lot he was to send but the deal fell though and he was left with them. This last lot had been collected up from dealers at the time. The engine weren't run dry, or the one we had certainly wasn't but it had suffered a cracked block though not beng drained.

Maurice did say it was down to what they had at the time. He does have a picture of them fitted to an early bedford which he is sending me when he finds it i'll stick it up when he does. I haven't got it to hand at the moment but i'm sure my early MW manual lists the rubbolights for the rear, maybe i should put one of each on to be safe!! I've only ever noticed the metal ones on maurices and you know how keen he is. Then i notice two holes in my body in the same place and that got me thinking.There again i haven't got many pictures of the rears of mw's either. So i'm still as confused as i was!! :banghead: But least i know the ones i have are something like. :thanx:

right i've had word back from maurice, he says the rubberlites were phased out about 1939 as you see a lot of morris's with them on. The lights on his ( in the picture) are in the correct place for an early bedford they were moved to the outside later, this ties up with mine as i have two holes in a similar place. Thanks for all your help.