i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Its the meanest vehicle i've eva bought!! Woop woop!!
I got it cheap & have been doing it up!
The house on truck is amazing, kauri & rimu wood inside, double room, kitchen, shower with basin + extra bunk room at back & the old long rounded nose truck with old clip sides to motor, it is fu*ken MEAN!!! LOL Hot! lol
I love it with a passion, it got dropped off to the auto electrician today to a lovely little old man Ron  about 70 yrs old who said "Gee this brings back memories & it would be a pleasure to work on it". lol (i think he was in theses trucks as a teenager)
Was bloody cool as he quoted half the price than every1 else, mean!!!
Obviously im excited as she will be finished soon, my new/old travel truck round NZ one day soon i hope! Yippie!!! LOVE IT!!!

Cheers,
c.lover

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Wowsa, Cossie, sounds v. cool!!

Do you have a link to a picture of your truck, or a lil' truckie that is something like it, so we can ooh! and ahh! in an informed way?

Happy motoring!

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Sounds great!

Here's a 66 Bedford 'housetruck' (a NZ special?).
Maybe similar????

http://www.housetruck.co.nz/T6.html

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Check out some of these beauties!

hehe!

Dont seem to see these 'housetrucks' on Australian roads.

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Shiny toaster, Yeah i do, but where can i put pictures up here??
only on my profile picture here??
we should ask webby to add photos on here, that would be cool, lol.
Greendog i didn't see the picture if you did one???

Umm if you are really keen to see photos, you could message me on here  with an e.mail address, i could send you some pictures, it mad fu*ken cool!!!
Its a hill climber for NZ, but i wonder if it would do the distance in the heat of Aussie???

Cheers,
c.lover

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

cossie,

I've just looked at some of the piccies that Greendog linked to, and I'd have to say, that if you can get rego for trucks like that in NZ, I'd better get myself a visa tomorrow!

They are amazing!! I'd love to spend some time doing up a truck like that and mooching 'round NZ!  Do they attract police attention?

They would here  

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

ok hey cool picture there, out of all the house trucks in those picture you sent, the closest picture to the truck shape would be the 3rd picture top right hand side of the whole group, but mines blue & grey older style & similar house on back but painted a light colour.
I love it that i have the choice to create it but all the hardest work is done.
Thanks for pictures, it saved me sending mine, lol, as a new laptop & im still learning

thanks,
c.lover

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Ha Ha shiny, believe it or not!! No the police don't pull them up!!
house trucks cause they drive slow, the cops aren't interested!!! f**ken cool aye.
A mate i grew up with had a steel bus bedford, called the steel tent, lol, never had a rego or warrant on his truck for 10 yrs & drove all over NZ!! lol.
But i want mine legal, it hasn't been rego/ warrant since 1995, so im getting a lot done. Its been parked up a mountain property for about 7 yrs & only lived in, then moved close to town on a farm parked & lived about another 8 yrs, he moved it around farm once in while as working there, but i've cracked it up, did the tapper & sump gaskets which got rid of old oil leaks, carby fixed so runs better, then it blew a  front tyre, went f**ken BOOM going down a hill, LOL, the size tyre haven't been made in 20 yrs, so had to wait a week thru vintage club, got 2 bran new ones, so now have a spare!! Cool!!
Ive driven it halfway up the north island to get to my area, to my cashy  mechanics, lol, & cops don't even blink at you, people love them, wave & yell out, help you if you break down, its a very cool experience for me atm!!
only need normal licence, no seat belts as 1947 but people get out of your way, lol.
After carby fixed, it got up to about 80 kms i think, as speedo in miles is broken which is getting fixed now!!
so its a slow groovy cruze!! lol

cheers,
c.lover

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

of the pictures of.....these beauties
i ment the dark maroon truck, 3rd on top line, right hand corner picture, really old shape style, love it!!!

cheers

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Wow Cosmic! Freakin' awesome!! I have never seen anything like these before. What a great adventure you have ahead of you. Make sure you take lots of pics! Should start a web-blog about your adventure. I'm sure there would be plenty of interest.  

Posted: 9-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

How fantastic to log on and find this thread!

Although I remember the many hippy buses from caravanning days in the 70's, these add a whole new dimension of awesomeness ... each one a testimony to its creator's individuality!!!

Your new home sounds amazing cosmiclover, esp the kauri and rimu interior I am so envious (in a nice way), and what an amazing country to explore.

Wishing you a cosmic adventure. And yes, if you are able to set up a blog for your journey that would be great. I, for one, would follow it with interest

Life on the road is the best!
Cheers
Maggie

Posted: 10-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

How totally brilliant for you Cos - I have never seen a house truck before but now I want one too! Please start a blog thing so we can keep in touch while you are travelling around

Sure you will have a wonderful time

Cheers Jas

Posted: 10-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Hi girls,
s**t i didn't realilise there would be such a big interest!!
im very excited about it from doing it up to traveling in it!!
And every trip so far from blowing the tyre to only having about 30% brakes when i first picked it up was bloody funny, i drove from Tauranga to the Coromandel NZ like that to get it to my mechanic near my home, my ex g/f was here from Scotland was following me as i had no tail lights, was a mad trip, lol.
Tight windy roads one way & me & a logging truck with trailer of logs meet on one way road, here is me trying to tell a double logging truck to back up,LOL, as i hard hardly no breaks, my ex g/f  was in my 4WD behind me had to back up as about 4+ cars behind her, lol, i backed at the end to a little grove on cliffs drops to ocean at Coromandel to let truck pass, i was s**tting my pants as rear vision mirrors aren't that great, lol, anyway they got past, but every trip in it so far is memorable.
The oldies love it, they wave to you as its from their childhood.
The truck its self was in 1947 a first tow truck at the top of the south island, it still has the tow gear underneath, hardcase.

LOOK girl once its road worthy & set up, & might start a little biz having trips round NZ in style, so if ya eva get over to NZ  for a holiday & want to try a small journey let me know ok.
It wont be expensive, just to cover costs, see what i can do, ok.
I have photos, just got a new mac lap top, how do i get the photos on here?
Can some one inform me, cheers girls & thanks for the interest.
Nice one Dayne, maggie & Jas & anyone else i missed cheers.

Have a fab day,
c.lover

p.s. im missing my truck while its at the auto electricians, lol,
She is my baby, lol, bye ha ha

Posted: 11-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

I just realized in the pictures of ...check out ...theses beauties, in the big group of picture of 3 pictures across x 28 down, its similar to the 3rd picture across truck top right hand corner, on 1st top row.
The next picture close would be at the very top picture under HOUSE TRUCKS heading there are pictures of 5 trucks in a row.
Mine is very close to the 4th one in that row but blue & grey, bloody neat old girl cheers.
I like the rounded shape with a nose, the square ones not my taste.

More info, you can buy them here which are very popular, some modern ones with sky tv decked out like a motel sell for about $500, 000!!!
But the ones in the big group of pictures can range from $20,000 to $80,000+
They are getting popular now as people cant afford mortgages & can have a mobile home & travel & live where they want.
There are gypsy fairs in NZ where a big group of them (like trucks in pictures) travel from place to place all over NZ & sell things from natural products to stain glass pictures, a lot hand made stuff etc, a lot are muso's so they put bands on at night for entertainment etc.
Its some peoples life style, i have a mate in that fair but i don't know if that is my journey with a group, im a bit of a loner i think, i like the idea i have one in drive way & go where i want to go. The hardest thing is overtime i get in it, i want to keep driving cruising along, i have a kunu kunu pig, 3 dogs & 6 puppies born yesterday!!! Imagine taking them everywhere, F*ck me, LOL, bloody funny!!!
So i don't know whats ahead for this truck!

I will tell you a secret!!! lol
You can get some cheap ones once in a while!!
They can be in paddocks people selling from side of the road to on trade me.
I got mine thru a friends daughter boyfriend father!!!
He had no money & needed to get it moved off the farm where he was as worked with their horses & built him a flat there!!!
Guess what i got it for???..........only $5000!!!
They are worth on the road fully rego & warrant about $25, 000
If i do it up f*cken groovy funky all over inside & out, they are a vintage & worth about $75,000+ !!! MAD aye.
Im worried as has been out of rego 15 yrs so the RTA road transport department might be hard on it, go over it with a fine hair brush.
So i have a budget of $10,000+ (including the $5000 i paid for it) to get on road.
Then about another $5000 + to have water tank, hot water, power, tv, dvd, lights, stained glass all round, gas kitchen, beds, cushions, the comforts for the road etc.
So thats the plan & start of the journey.

Thanks for reading,
cheers,
c.lover xo

Posted: 11-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Sounds like such a great project, and can relate to every trip being an adventure.

Does it have a 'crash' gearbox, so that you have to do the double clutch shuffle for every gear change, or is it modern enough to have that newfangled synchromesh stuff between 2nd and 4th?

Good luck keeping to budget... in my experience that doesn't happen with car (or house) restoration, but some people seem to kind of manage it, lol.

Posted: 11-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Yes it has the old crash gear box, took a few changes of gears to get use to it &  sort it, the double clutch works good of just feeling the change gently.
Yeah watching the budget good, some sharks out there as we all know, i look around, till i get the right ones, right price, all good

cheers,
c.lover

Posted: 11-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Cheers for the update c.lover!

The stained glass windows sound gorgeous, specially with all that timber.

I think I mentioned on another thread that some of the roadies I've met have actually had a washing machine and dryer (you can buy them combined, but exy) incorporated into their rig. Line-ups in motor park laundries can be frustrating!!

I can't believe your luck in getting your new home for $5000 Just goes to show how the universe can make things happen once you put your dreams out there. Being in the right place at the right time ....

How fantastic for you!! Look forward to hearing more.

Posted: 14-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Hey cool thanks maggie,
yeah cant wait for my baby back!!!
then off to the bedford specialist, to do breaks etc b4 the RTA.
Anyway all good,
cheers,
c.lover

Posted: 14-Jun-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Hey Cosmiclover, how's your truck coming along?

Posted: 24-Jul-2010

Re: i love my 1947 Bedford House Truck!!

Yeah its coming along brilliant!!
Got all the electric's done, lights fab blinkers etc, now its at the bedford specialist getting breaks & steering done, then to  NZ transport department to be inspected, found out if i get it weight it could pass as normal rego/warrant instead of as a truck which is more stricter so hope it passes as that will be bloody fab- mean!!! lol
She runs beautiful every time i drive, i was driving down the Coromandel coast the other day to drop it off & the sun was setting over the water it was a beautiful trip, feels amazing to drive just cruising along
Cant wait till its finished!!
Hey a guy has offered me a cash spray job & the colours in those days were light blue. or dark army green or red & he said they usually had black hubs over mudguard so it could be all one colour or blue & black, green & black, or red & black, i will have to google it to see what looks best i suppose, its faded blue & grey now which looks old & nice but a new spray will look after it better for future so that will be the next trip for her, oh by the way her name on her is called....Silver Planet, lol
I would love to get her silver but metallic paints didn't come out till the 1960's & my truck is 1947 so best to keep it original to its years colours

Thanks,
cheers,
c.lover

Posted: 24-Jul-2010