Trev's Art Work

Link: Trev's Art Work

Odessa

Back in the late 70's Odessa was well known in the British vanning scene.

This scan is from a Custom Car Mag UK I found on flickr.

For more info on this van read this previous post.

For Sale: Mint 1983 CF Panel Van - UK

Just when I thought that another mint panel van wouldn't ever come up for sale this one pops up!

This CF1 facelift is in amazing condition with only 25K miles on it. The only negative to point out is the price... I don't believe that it will sell nowhere near the asking price.

Here is the sellers description:

"One for the collectors out there, this van has been owned by the same family from new, it has been kept in a garage all it's life and only ever had light use,so much so the van is in mint condition,as well as looking like new it also drives like new, must be an investment as where are you going to find another like this, possible opportunity for hire to film companies, or maybe you just want something to transport you back in time to 1983 when life was so much easier! Could be used as a promotion vehicle or just to show at classic meets."

Classified ad price: £8,991.00
Location: Hampshire, United Kingdom
Ebay Item number: 120726861196

XIX Automobilia - Aveiro

Mais informações: http://www.caaa.pt/index.php/pt/automobilia.html

ebay: barn find Bedford Blitz in Germany

I just spotted this on ebay Germany, a barn find custom 1980 Bedford Blitz. It looks like someone started to restore it but never finished. It has your typical custom mods of back in the day: fender flares, front skirt, sun-visor, spoiler, custom grille with double headlights, marker lights on the roof, port holes, truck mirrors, rear bumper removed, modified tail lights, rear doors welded shut and windows removed for a smooth rear end.
Unfortunately no sign of the mags in the photos... and correct wheels for Bedford are very hard to find.
Only one photo of the interior, you can see it has captain chairs up front, a small steering wheel and a custom dashboard.
Under the hood is a Ford V6 with automatic transmission.
Overall it needs plenty of work but the hard work has been done already and at €555,00 this is a great project van. Pick it up in Berlin, item number 160586046193

Caribbean Custom CF

Wow, check out this very tricked out CF! It has a Japanese vip look to it with its white paint job, tinted windows and sitting low on huge chrome wheels.

And guess where it's from? I found these photos on Trini Tuner Trinidad and Tobago! You weren't expecting that were you?

Looking closer at these pics, you see some nice custom details like the truck style chrome mirrors, running boards, modified headlights and front bumper and what does that emblem on the fender say - F.150 XL? Does it have a Ford V8 in it?

Another interesting detail is the badge on the hood, it's a Portuguese flag! I would love to know more about this van.

É lá! Vejam só este CF personalizado! Tem um look muito vip Japonês com a pintura branca, vidros fumados e rebaixado nessas jantes cromadas enormes.
E adivinhem de onde é? Encontrei estas fotos no Trini Tuner de Trinidad e Tobago! Não estavas a espera de isso pois não?
Olhando mais de perto as fotos, pode ver-se alguns detalhes porreiros como os espelhos cromados do estilo camião, estribos, farois e para-choques modificados e o que é que diz aquele emblema no guarda-lamas - F.150 XL? Será que tem um motor Ford V8?
E claro, o outro detalhe interessante é o emblema no capot com a bandeira portuguesa! Será que este CF pertence a algum emigrante português? Gostava de saber mais sobre este van.

Vende-se: CF1 caravana

Aqui temos um Bedford CF1 "auto-caravana" para venda. Por dentro está equipado com tudo o que precisa para caravanismo e embora seja o modelo curto, tem um tecto elevado o que permite andar de pé a vontade no interior.
Por fora está muito bem personalizado com um kit de abas nos guarda-lamas que encaixa bem com as jantes de ferro. Uma entrada de ar no capot, espelhos, roda suplente e escada atrás são outras das modificações e claro a pintura de 2 tons com umas faixas verdes a dividir assenta bem.
Certamente é um van único em Portugal com este aspecto.

Está localizada em Vila Nova de Famalicão e o vendedor está a pedir 4.000€.
Link: http://vilanovadefamalicao.olx.pt/auto-caravana-bedford-iid-189717680

Manometro do combustível - parte 3

Não tem havido avanço no restauro nos últimos meses porque não consegui encontrar uma boia nova. Ainda tentei reparar a boia mas o fio de cobre do potenciómetro estava partido. 
Depois de algum tempo a espera, finalmente chegou uma boia! É usada mas parece que está a funcionar. Obrigado ao Nuno.
Amanhã já vou tratar de montar o depósito e sangrar a linha de combustível ...

For Sale: Bedford CF2 4x4

Bedford made lots of versions of the CF including a 4x4 version, many of which were used by the British Military or as ambulances or fire control vehicles. 

The 4 wheel drive was obtained by the use of the renowned Ferguson Viscous Coupling. This is how it works: "Drive to the rear wheels is permanent and drive is transmitted to the front through the coupling whenever the rear wheels start to slip and lose their grip. The transfer of torque from rear to front is progressive and shock-free."
So it's really simple to drive, the only other control besides the manual or automatic gearbox is a 2 speed transfer box. There was also a "High-Rise" option where the chassis was raised and the arches flared to fit larger 5,50x16" wheels and 7,50x16" tires. 
This 4 wheel drive version was only available after 1984 on the CF2, so production numbers were low. Finding one nowadays is very difficult.

On ebay there is your chance at a 4x4 Bedford! It looks to be in rough shape with plenty of rust but the starting bid is only £270,00. You could restore this van or just remove the drive train and suspension to modify your existing van. Check it out:

Item location: Horncastle, United Kingdom
Item number: 130514082696

The Odessa history

I did some research online about the famous Odessa van that I featured in my previous post and found out that the Odessa had several lives. This custom CF is in the memory of many British vanners and hot rodders from the 70's and 80's in different forms.

Odessa started out as a white CF owned by Alan Fern. It was running a Vauxhall straight 6 engine.

Below a photo of it at the 1979 Nationals:

 

Truckfest - late 1980's

Then in 1988 it was bought by Tony Isaacs and completely restored at Auto Fantasia. From what I gather it was in terrible shape and had a lot of work done to it. Here is what someone who worked on it back then said: "it was so rotten when we stripped it you could hold the rear door frame and swing the roof from side to side!!! also the sills were made of thinners cans riveted together and skimmed with p40. We put a hell of a lot of metal into it but obiously that was a long time ago now."

Part of the restoration included receiving a Rover V8 engine, auto trans and Jaguar IRC that it has now.

Over the next few years it would receive several different paint jobs:

"The van was on its way to autofantasia for some work when it was involed in a crash, which revieled some serious bad workmanship once at auto the welding started that ended in the botom foot almost all being replaced. the van was painted red and kept the odessa theme."

"...away it went only to return having been vanderlised (they threw bricks at it ) with Tony not so happy. if i remember correct Tony thought it needed a change to shake any bad luck so it became black and called for valour with zulo graphics away it went again."

Some time later it was re-painted blue but this time back to the original nautical theme.

Here's some photos of one of it's last appearances in public:

Last summer it was found rusting away in the grass in a farm in Brinsley.

Today the current owner is selling it. The Odessa has come back from the depths of hell to show condition before but is there anybody out there that is willing to give it a new life or is this the end?