The Lord Squid
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- Dec 28, 2016
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- Auto-Sleepers panel van
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- since 2017
Auction: 1965 Ford Thames Dormobile
- Thread starter The Lord Squid
- Start date
I used to drive a Thames van during various Student vacation jobs. It was grim….heavy steering, bad brakes, dodgy gear change, noisy and smelly and a performance that had trouble pulling a rice pudding skin off.
But hey ho it was a job that paid about ten bob an hour, happy days and with no trackers etc. the boss had no idea where I was which did give opportunities for some creative alternative activities.
But hey ho it was a job that paid about ten bob an hour, happy days and with no trackers etc. the boss had no idea where I was which did give opportunities for some creative alternative activities.
15cwt about 750kg that’s all up payload, not built for heavy haulage.
Ooh yes I had one of those, dropped a Zephyr six engine and box in it, swapped the diff out of a Farnham estate and fitted thirteen inch wheels. It went like s**t off a shovel, but I couldn’t stop it. We did fit a servo on it but drum brakes not good.
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pappajohn
LIFE MEMBER
But i doubt in 1965 anyone gave a monkey's.
Sounds like my Motorhome.
Thank ya.
pappajohn
LIFE MEMBER
Motor caravan conversions
The Thames van was also instrumental in helping the motorised caravan or campervan to establish itself in a period when people were extending their horizons with regard to holidays and camping. The Ford Thames 15 cwt van formed an ideal base for a motor caravan because it could double as an ordinary vehicle during the week and be used for picnics or breaks away from home at weekends. Its roughly square shape lent itself well to conversion to a caravan, as many people had noticed when they saw the estate car and 12 seater bus versions.Another virtue of the vehicle was its engine size. for at 1,703 cc (103.9 cu in) it was considerably larger than its contemporaries and was well suited to the considerable weight of some of the caravan conversions. For convenience a higher roof line was needed, although some conversions used the elevating or folding extensions to minimise travelling height and cost.
The Martin Walters conversions, known as the Dormobile were once synonymous with the word campervan. In fact before the modern popularity of the VW campervan most people used the brand name Dormobile to describe a campervan. Nowadays, it has become popular to hire a classic campervan but out of the numerous campervan hire companies out there, only one is offering the British made Ford Thames 400e Dormobile.
M. Calthorpe (Coachbuilders) Ltd.; Airborne Service Equipment Ltd.; Kenex Coachworks Ltd.; Moortown Motors Ltd.; M.T.S. & Co. Ltd.; Peter Pitt; and Martin Walter Ltd., all appeared in Ford's "Holiday Adventurers" brochure dealing exclusively with motor caravans.
Tom Dickie, the Motorcycle racer, also had one fitted with a six cylinder Zodiac engine, I had the job of greasing all the joints underneath when I was a 16 year old apprentice mechanic
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Lovely looking van but sadly better to look at than to drive/own/live in. I remember my dad driving a van version for work, had a very funky (for the time) speedo where an orange ribbon went round the outside rather than having a needle. There was no passenger seat for me just a tray for his delivery notes into which we stuffed a cushion, so I was perched there with no seat belt staring at a metal dashboard (should I collide with it I know which would have come off best) bearing a company notice saying absolutely no passengers allowed to ride in this vehicle. Great days and it was when I formed my geeky interest in vans.
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