Will It Run And Drive After 30 Years? 1972 Austin Van, BLG Christmas Special. 

You’ve dropped on your feet with that, very well done indeed, hope to see you do more on this lovely van👍

Very enjoyable episode - thank you

Wonderfully original. Please preserve

Sir what you have is an absolute Gem of a van , it will out last any thing on the road at this time, well done mate a great find !!!

I have found that a stuck friction disc can sometimes by freed off by engaging a gear, applying the handbrake/chocking the wheels and then trying to start. the vehicle. Doesn't always work but can do sometimes. For many small businesses that provide a service locally, a mogy/Austin van/pick-up is still a very capable workhorse. Great find.

I just love him ! If it wasn't for chaps like this such great classics as these would have long disappeared forever some time ago !

Brilliant video you really helped me out there looking forward too seeing more of your videos

Just found your channel and really like it....there is something really engaging about the fumbling genius that really appears to be useless... Men do love to tinker on a Sunday... naturally this is not usually allowed as someone else in the house is struggling with ironing our overalls 😂

Sounds like a sweet little motor.😊

That looks such a genuine van, also that must be one of the sweetest sounding A series I've heard.👍

Dad had an ex GPO one of those in the mid '60s. He made a wooden back seat for us kids.

Awesome Job - Motoring as it Should be - Why over complicate things- I love Patina and Thanks for helping me Choose my next motor and I look forward to the next episode 🙌🏻👍🏻✨

I worked for Royal Mail from 1970 to 2018,during my time there i think we practically had every van on the market,today all electric vans,but for me the Austin or Morris Minors will always have a soft spot,in 1971 i learnt to drive with R M,in a 1967 minor,green in colour,they were finishing the telegram boys,two of the boys did not want to learn to drive,so that was the reason i was learning ,then in 1972,(i had passed my test) the telegrams went from bike to vans,we had 3 brand new vans delivered to our garage,they were all K reg and in sequence,my van was number 39,nobody else could drive them only us,i thought i was the bees knees,we even took the keys home,but sadly we only had them for one year, then they were replaced with L reg mini vans,i was gutted,ime 6ft 2ins and found the mini vans a bit cramped, i finished on a Vauxhall combo ,No 89,,which i had from new,good underrated vans ,enjoyed driving mine,my mate is the Transport Manager there, he let me know that my van was one of the last to go,because i had looked after it.😊.

If this was parked at the side of a Ferrari in a car park I would be all over this , Character, character, character. 😊

Marvellous stuff. Enjoyed watching that.

Someone pee'd in a bottle 35 years ago and you just sniffed it 🤣. I thoroughly enjoyed that video, you've made a cracking purchase there, I can't believe just how all round sound it is for sitting for that long and being that age. Merry Christmas and all the luck in 2024.

I’m entranced in scene one, not just by a Morris that’s actually an Austin but also by the crippling optimism of the neighbour who installed a 6 panel solar array in England.

Mine was TAP 319G ...first van I bought for 45quid of a builder. Brilliant little fella of a van. Pulled it to bits every weekend...At 69 I still can remember every nut and bolt. I really wanted a Landrover so it had to have Town and countries on every corner.. Great vid ...loved it.

Wow! Thats a great find and seems in very good condition to start out with. Not often that happens! Great vid. Enjoyed it very much. Keep it up!

Great to see you back online. Merry Christmas

I don’t usually watch car/van channels but your thumbnail appeared and I let it roll. A delightful video with a sympathetic approach and infectious enthusiasm. Excellent purchase, good luck with your endeavour 👍👌👏

I would love one of those👍👍

What a great find. This is a really nice old van that fully deserves saving. Tell you what; I'd much rather have this than, one of those awful Cybertruck things. The old Austin has real style. And it's incredibly rare. Won't be many of them left now, that's for sure.

The last Morris 1000 I had was also badged Austin, a 1971 pickup but yours is the first I’ve ever seen with a steering lock. That pickup was the last of a series we had over the years on the farm, but like all the others it joined the “we might need bits off it” row in about 1977. It was replaced with a Marina pickup which was a classic example of progress backwards, so typical of BL. I look forward to you getting this old van cleaned up and back on the road. You’ll need to deal with underside rust (or worse) immediately or you’ll hear the tin worms devouring it on a quiet night.

I’ve just discovered your channel. This van is incredible. 👍🇬🇧

Great video BLG, I'd love a old commercial vehicle.

What a decent example, most of these rot away around the roof gutters, would be very pleased to have purchased this one!

I have a 1968 Austin van that I have restored. Brought in bits and pieces. No wiring, lights, floor, engine brakes and much more. It now is a great van and part of my collection 😊of old classics. Everyone thinks it is a morris. The amount of people that wave and comment is great. Always makes me laugh when people ask if they can stick their heads and have a sniff ( leather and old car smell). I drive it most days and go to shows raising money for charity with my memorabilia collection from 1968. Once the project you are doing is finished it is a great cheap car to drive ( 40 - 50 mpg, no road tax, very cheap insurance, no MOT, ULEZ exempt and repairs very cheap).

Great vid. So exciting to watch the very first checks to see what works or not. A friend of mine has a lovely fully restored example of an Austin Van. Makes me want to go out and buy one. I’ll look forward to the next episode when you’ve got a new radiator and fuel tank. Cheers. 👍🏼

Never knew they badged them up as Austin’s as well. Great video.

Brilliant video, cheers!

Brilliant video guys

Wat a lovely old Austin van I've only seen Morris ones and it doesn't need welding buy the looks of it but i no your working out side your house (like alot of us) and don't have a workshop with ramp and all the fancy tools but i could trust jacking it up on gavel i would have to use a drive or if not a big thick sheet of wood or steel to do the job and saver my grandads sister in the 90s had a morris miner traveller in dark red lovely wood as my gradad was a furniture maker and kept it looking great i loved the sound they have when you changed gear out of the exhaust never heard any other car sound like many great times haveing a ride in it when i was a child cant wait to see when you have finshed 👍🇬🇧

good stuff as always!

Great video & a great buy. I really enjoyed watching that & look forward to the next installment. Merry Christmas.

That's a great project, loads of potential! Looks mostly solid, engine needs little more than a service. I nearly bought an Austin 6CWT van back in the 80's. It was ex-GPO telephones. Guy wanted £50 for it. I still severely regret not going for it!

I drove the Morris Minor back in the mid sixties for Telerentals radio and TV company in North London, always liked the sound of the exhaust very sporty sound.

It' good to see someone working on their motor on the driveway, like many of us have to. It makes a change from all those "DIY" channels equipped with garages the size of warehouses, hydraulic lifts, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how this resto develops. And you also come across as a personable bloke. Subscribed.

I can’t watch these vids all day. Looking forward to the next episode

Before putting new tires on it, you should have had the wheels sandblasted and powder coated. Love the sound of the engine though. Reminds me of my 79 MGB. You will want to take the radiator out and have it recored. Love your hat and jacket, very traditional UK! Also, couldn’t help but notice the squawking seagulls. So, you must be near the ocean somewhere. Cornwall? Btw, I am currently working on a 65‘ Shadow (rhd). Love the old English cars. The smell of the interiour can not be beat. Thank you for the upload, and happy New Year 2024!❤️😊

Just found your channel through recommendations with the Morris minor van video. Great video and I have subscribed and will be checking out your older videos hope 2024 sees you grow as you can't have enough classic car youtube channels keep up the good work

I am a newbie to your channel Great video looking forward to seeing the van being brought back to life

In the past to remove the master cylinder I would get someone to lever the torsion bar out of the way and then undo the bolts. Obviously replace them the other way round. Or as you said you could resort to the angle grinder!!!! That is a cracking van well worth spending a few quid on!!!!!!!

What a dear little van

You've made a very wise choice here, sir. I've got a 1968 Traveller, about to undergo restoration, I've had it since 2010. I just went this morning to where it's stored, with a bit of choke, it started first time, as expected. My first vehicle was an ex GPO Morris Minor Van, C reg (1965), I had that for a year in 1972/3, then the gearbox went. I replaced it with a 1960 Traveller, a year later in February 1974, the engine gave up the ghost, I then went from 1974 to 2010 without owning a Minor. These vans (and the even rare pick ups) are now as rare as rocking horse droppings, they usually command prices above Travellers and convertibles, which tend to be the dearest versions of the Minor. Best of luck restoring this, also getting an Austin badge, if not, you could always convert it to a Morris one.

Nice find

Good video, very entertaining. My apprentice training officer, (engineers) always used flushing oil on his cars, he never had engine trouble, seems like this car needs the same. Peace be unto you. PS That was in the 1970s.

Being a retired auto sparky suggest drop the starter motor off and lubricant the pinion worm probably dry and rusty., good luck from Aotearoa New Zealand 🇳🇿

That's a great find. I really enjoyed watching that. You have an easy project there. I look forward to seeing more in the new year. BTW, I used a bit of wood on an axle stand and a G clamp to pull the torsion bar out of the way to change the master cylinder in my Morris Minor saloon.

Never could see how people could work on gravel or grass with all the pavement in the world. Have to go right now but I'll be back to watch the rest of the video. My first car was a Ford Falcon but I had an Austin American that some turkey stole the SU from. That was about 1972.

The 'Morris Minor van & pick up' was built as an Austin was due to the end of production of the A35 van in 1968 & Austin did not have a van for their dealers as there was some sort of agreement that you could not intermix different makes in other dealers even though they were all under the B.M.C banner in other words you could not buy a Morris from an Austin dealer & any other of the B.M.C make dealers, also in 1971 there was a Austin 'Marina' van & pick up & it all changed where you could but any make from any dealer once British Leyland was set up but most dealers stuck with the make they always sold

You've got yourself a fine little van there. Shame about the mashed wing. I've seen petrol tanks successfully fixed with JB Weld type products. Not sure I'd fancy it myself... Well done, and a Happy New Year. 👍

@6.16, no that is the additional weight plate, there is a seperate chassis plate which should be under the bonnet

If you want to convert to negative earth ? Just reconnect battery as a negative earth set up , then get a wire and connect to new pos terminal and flash it a couple of times to large spade terminal on dynamo , so easy to do , then you can fit a modern radio/cd, done it lots of times in the 60s

'a bit moist' 😂😂

As I remember the Austin version came about with the demise of the A60 van. Austin needed to fill a gap and this version was born. The Morris was rated at 6 hundredweight, whereas the Austin was 8 hundredweight in both van and pickup. The rubber buffers on the rear still carried the Morris M. A great find hard to believe the condition of the interior of the van body, still in primer as they all were.

The Jack is correct for the van. Ie then two bars and the wooden round stick. I’d be very interested in buying the van for a good price

You could have tried a squirt of ether to help with starting!

I believe that the popular American RU-vidr with the sniff test would suggest moving the steering wheel from the drinker side to the captain side of the car, to reduce the risk of whiskey bumps on the car.

Another great video & what a fab van. Is this something you would consider selling.

Looks a very solid van, the master cylinder bolts will possibly be the correct way around facing inwards,involves levering the torsion bar down to remove them and put them back, seen them in the wrong way around many times and groves where they rub on the torsion bar, not the correct way,the heads of the bolts are thinner for a reason!

I love the vans, what sort of money do they go for now adays if you don't mind me asking just so i know how much to save up? Love the van and love your channel!

I had this model austin K reg as a works van (tv engineer)for 3years 1973 to 1976. the plate you found should be fixed on passenger door card, between door pull handle and door opening handle, in your video you can see holes where it was fixed think with pop rivets. Also it did not have cross ply tyres it had Michelin zx radials from new may have been an optional extra. Also had the steering lock ignition like yours .

Are those town and country tyres on the rear? Lovely old van jealous! 😎

Will it run? It's a Minor, so of course it will. As for keys, you usually end up with one key for the ignition, one for the driver's door, a different one for the passenger door and one for the rear doors/boot. It makes life interesting when trying to gain access to the vehicle, I've colour coded my keys for the Traveller I have, to make things a bit easier. At my age though, 70, the problem will be remembering the colour coding system...

Flushing oil might have been a better bet? Run it for a few miles with the flushing oil in the engine, get the oil hot. As it has a higher level of detergent in it than normal 20/50, so it should clean out any gunge more efficiently than using ordinary oil. Just a thought...

The real reason NOT to use coolant is because neighborhood pets may be poisoned if it leaks....

Datsun 12oo and 5 speed popular swap in Australia

I was amazed that you unscrewed that water bottle & then shocked that you sniffed it! At least you did not do a taste test! It was in the late 1930's that car manufacturers started to fit the battery positive earth. It was believed that having the body/chassis charged would reduce rusting, it may have a slight benefit. With the advent of alternators, they moved back to negative earth, dynamos don't care which way around so long as the polarity is correct, otherwise it will not work. What a totally amazing find in such original condition worth preserving it as it is and getting it back on the road where it belongs. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing!

Looks like a badge engineered Morris. A series engine is actually an Austin development.

Sniff test .Vice grip garage 😁👍 Possibly

Imagine a Generator in 1972😀

Does the floor in the back lift out like morris thats great for access to rear chassis. My first car was a morris 1000 van.

Dishwasher powder or tablets in the radiator and that will clean out the block pronto...

Hi I love your Morris Minor Van If you decide to sell I’d be happy to buy it from you

Watched the rest of the video. Where is your garage? Good luck finding your parts.

A steering lock? Unashamed luxury here. There a few Travellers kicking about with steering locks, I think they were fitted sometime in 1971, by then production of the saloons had ceased (in November 1970), convertibles the year before

How can that carburetor be operating properly (mostly) after all this time?

If you don’t get that running in 20mins you should forget about fixing vehicles

I’d love to see it done up and repainted, it’s a great looking van that needs done tlc

First vehicle,GFO361K, Morris pick up.Long gone. Completely rusted.

Put in gear, and try to start it, it may release the clutch plate.

Jesus mate leave the rattle gun out!😮

What an incredible time warp survivor. I would maintain it and LEAVE IT ALONE! It’s only original ONCE. In my view it deserves to stay as it is. A new paint job would ruin it. A very rare find not to have been touched at all, ever! What are your plans for it? Sitting in that must be like going straight back to 1972!👍🇬🇧

it looks suspiciously like a morris. we had a morris . it was called maybe.

@8.59, short reach L87Y, they will not fit the van though

Is that the headlight dipswitch to the left of the clutch ?

You should have cleaned the wheels before fitting the tyres.

I would *gleefully* convert that into a campervan for one. My sub, sir. 👍🏻

Total proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Just glad you are not anywhere near me. You don't even know why the original and very troublesome battery terminals have screw holes in the top.

you are no vgg but liked your vid love the pano

If this had been American, nothing would work, the engine would be stuck and he electrics would be awol!! With a good clean, work on safety related parts like brakes, new hoses, plugs, belts, tyres, I would be delighted to drive that around! I bet even the dynamo charges!

Think the tappets need adjusting 😅

I believe positive earth was thought to help prevent or slow corrosion. 😂

Not quite VGG .. interesting tho .

I ve always none those vechiles where made by austin morris and later it was just known morris van or moggie van

1972 van running austin

The hubcap is from a Ford 100e.

Why the mechanic so poshly dressed you've done a bad turn for grease Monkeys.. yep you should take this one and run with it , see what you can make out of it. Iconic car from the real Motoring years...

You Bought it you did not "Brought" it. And every engine was built to run, so of course it will run again, no surprise at all, any mediocre DIY mechanic could get that simple uncomplicated engine to run. These engines and the small Fords we used to throw together from scrapped parts and yes they ran till they didn't then you throw another together,