question Car. Heavy Utility, 4x2

[Yeo.NT]

Gentlemen

 

I have a conundrum that I am looking to build a vehicle build on the Ford 11/12 cab F8, I already have the base vehicle to begin. The issue is the bodies were build in the Uk by two coach companies Mulliner and Stewart & Ardern. Is there anyway to find out if either of these companies kept the blueprints/plan even if these companies have been absorbed or gone out of business?

 

 

 

[David B.]

Neil,

 

You should perhaps contact the Heritage Motor Trust Archive,Gaydon,Warwickshire and enquire about their archive holdings.

I believe that the Mulliners records survive as part of the Standard Triumph records,held at the University of Warwick Library.

 

Be careful though,there were several similarly named coach builders,originating from the same family. The most likely maker of the WW2 Utility body,I would think was probably Mulliners(Birmingham) Ltd who had premises in Bordesley Green,Birmingham. They produced coach built car bodies in the 30s and during the war made aircraft parts and Utility Bus bodies,continuing bus bodies and body building after the war. (They would seem more likely than the London based H.J. Mulliner company).

 

The Birmingham Mulliners were acquired by Standard-Triumph in 1958 which was in turn absorbed by Leyland,the factory closing,I believe in the early sixties.

 

In recent years I did business over a period with a Bangladeshi bed and mattress makers based in part of the old Mulliners works in Bordesley Green Road. I enquired during a number of visits if anything remained of the old coach building business but sad to say was never once shown a dusty cupboard containing old drawings or blueprints.

 

As far as I know and I'm sure you are aware Stewart and Arden were car retailers but of course during the war their workshops went over to military vehicle maintenance and overhaul.

 

Good luck with the project,

David

[Yeo.NT]

My F8 came with the 13 inch rims that have been hacked and welded into 16 inch rims, not leaving me much to work with to run the 9.00x13 tires. After some research and planning I have decided to marry the remains of the 13 inch rim to a new 15 inch trailer rim.

 

13 inch rim welded into 16 inch rim

 

Torches come in handy to get everything apart

 

Both halves removed, as you can seen the out half of the rim is missing the outer lip

 

15 inch trailer rim

 

Template

 

tracing

 

Out line allows me to cut out the center and holes for a to bolt the 2 halves together

 

Center cut out

 

Bolted together

 

 

 

New civilian tires mounted the rims

 

Sitting on all new rubber