Flash's 1965 Ford Thames

[Flash]

11 hours ago, cletus said:

I wonder if your bad luck with distributors is something to do with the heat problem 🤔 

That's a good point @cletus I've definitely cooled things down in the sweaty old engine box by running my thermo fan after switch offs, so it will be interesting to see how long my reco'ed dizzy lasts.

[Nominal]

I'd be keen to see your bamboo landscaping project!

[Flash]

Here you go @Nominal

Before:

The feature timbers were starting to look a bit shabby. A good pressure clean would sort them out for a while, but being so close to the pool the cleanup aftewards was an absolute nightmare. So we decided to go for something a bit easier to maintain.

And after :

 

The trick was finding panels long enough for the job. Most panels come in either 1.8 or 2.0 long, but we needed 2.2 and my OCD wouldn't have allowed me to join panels or leave a gap at the bottom. Bamboo Land had 2.4 long panels in stock, so it was worth making the trip.

Here is a photo of another little bamboo panel related project that we did in another part of our garden:

[Mike OReilly]

Greetings Thames Guy,

 

Back in 1972 I purchased an ex AusPost Thames 400E that had been resprayed duck egg blue by a second hand car yard (Fred MotorCity) I believed it to be a 1965, put some trendy wide Aunger Mags on it and drove it for a few months with the old clunker Consul motor, which had to go if ever I was to carry my racing motorcycles in the rear. 
I was told about a one man farm-based car wrecker and GT Ford re-badger who specialised in Ford GT fabrication, at a place called Caloote, near Murray Bridge in SA, a few hours drive from my parent's home in Adelaide. I contacted him and we agreed that a motor change could be done. Driving up the SE Freeway I was pouring old sump oil into the engine as I drove - and putting equal amounts of water into the radiator mouth! As I drove slowly along the dirt track to this farm, the engine was loudly clanking, steam blowing out and exhaust emitting clouds of smoke!

Alan Kowald, a bloke a few years older than my age of 22 years, was the wrecker / car builder - and he stood there with a piece of straw in  his teeth and said: "Well you're not leaving here without a new motor - gidday mate".
His first action was to lift out the old engine using a lifting bar through the door openings. I think the sump was taken off to let that happen. He peered into the engine hold and did some quick measurements. Came back with two options: 1/ a Ford Mustang Cobra Jet V8 would fit in, but he said I'd have to use a 'Red Spanner' to change the spark plugs. Me: What's that... he says - "an oxy torch!". Hmmm a joke on me.
Next option #2 was a Ford Falcon 221 cu inch 6 cylinder ((3.6 litre) he had from a recently crashed commercial traveller's car - which had low miles and was running well. Yep - he says - we can get that in. Just have to remove the wooden flooring to expose the guts of the frame - then oxy cut and widened the A Frame mounts that supported the gearbox - and then cut through the pressed metal forward 'wall' that sat beneath the engine hood cover. He did that. We then brought the motor and gearbox in through the rear door on some kind of pole on front end of a tractor if I recall!

Long story short, just a few heating and bending to make the engine mounts fit the Falcon engine, a new support bracket for the 3 speed standard gearbox (all still connected) and a bigger radiator from the same Falcon actually fitted with a bit of hammering. Next the gear linkages. Alan says - it's a bloody Ford - and they're all the same Maaate - and he welded the original Thames rods to the Falcon rods... and he went through the gears and said it felt like buttery smooth!  It was lovely to use, fast and positive.

Next came the driveshaft - - he sliced down the Falcon section, sliced down the Thames section – making it about 2 feet long with the engine set further back than the Consul running gear. He then slotted the Thames into the Falcon, put it on his lathe to check the alignment – did that by eye and feel – then dab arc welded it a few times, spun it up on the lathe and declared it perfect – then finished the weld around. Driving away it had no vibration and the only thing that required every few years was the rear flexible joint that suffered from the lower angle from Falcon gearbox to the rear axle – but I was able to do that job myself.

Showing how savvy this guy was... to fill in the previously cut out across pressed metal part, Alan found an old and heavy steel Vanguard petrol tank and cut it into a section that perfectly fitted around the space, even using the flange of the old welded tank section to bolt to the wooden floor and strongly bolted to the metal sections as a space frame! Never any flex. 
On the road I was able to power slide on certain weather days on the tarmac or on the dirt – and even did a Street Car Drags Meet at Adelaide in 1973 on my way from Adelaide to Whyalla.
In Whyalla I did a deal with a Panel Shop guy who agreed to do some metal fabrication for a scoop on the front lower area for more air, and a smoother rear lower panel. They then kicked me out of the shop after the grey primer went one – and then did a fully manic paint job with geometric patterns that shocked me – and those who looked in amazement at this wild van. 

The Thames stayed that way for the 8 years and hundred thousand or so Miles/Kms that I did in that time. Drives from Adelaide to Perth along the Nullarbor (when it was part dirt and rocks) and across to the Highlands of Vic/NSW and over to Brisbane for racing events. I never had a speedo that worked – but used a tachometer that I graduated marks to show speed limits! 
Going across the Hay Plains highway we tested the speed by stopwatch timing against the old Mile Posts - and had a genuine reading of 110 MPH – and that was our cruising speed! The wind noise was so bad that me and mate Dave Kelly both wore early 70's padded earphones linked to an 8-Track stereo under the dashboard. 

To put a heater in the van I found a small heater radiator section from a wrecker and piped it to the system and hung it beneath the air-vent – and bingo – a heater. Aircon in those days – nah – slide open the windows – and I put a Cortina air circular direction vent with a scoop into the roof with a hole a few inches across just behind the windscreen and rear-view mirror. We had airflow, not cooling.

It went on bricks for 9 months in 1977 when I was overseas. Years on in July 1979 it even went with me for work in the NT, being put on a flat-top railway car from Adelaide to Alice Springs, with a new Honda 250 off road motorcycle in the back and all my worldly goods stacked around it. 

Did some good speed runs in the NT up the track from Alice and it always ran like a dream at up to the ton. Stable, driving like a Mini – a wheel in each corner and power enough to get out of trouble. I could drive it like a rally car.

Drag racing story: Back in 1973 I called in to Adelaide Intl Raceway while driving the Thames to my workplace at  Whyalla in the north of SA. What the... said the guy at the Entry Desk - a bread van!  I rolled out for my first run - the crowd and commentator were laughing - until I did a reverse burn-out - and proceeded to clock around 14 secs if I recall. I ended up being listed to run again and ended up in a handicap final with 'Fast Eddie' Vukovich - in a modified Falcon GT Shaker ! He whipped me - but what a hoot. I then put my baggage back in the van to drive to Whyalla.

 

So that's my Thames Van story. I sold it to my mate Dave Kelly who was moving to Queensland's Capricorn Coast to set up a bar and cafe. He had it for a few years and reckons he sold it to some drug-runners who were going back forth from tropical Far North Qld!

 

I would love to  have it back!!

Cheers, Mike O'Reilly, 0414 882 505     I hope the pic can be sent: if not email me for the images. oreillym@ozemail.com.au

 

 

 

 

[Sambo]

I felt like I was reading a vehicular Hunter S. Thompson story. A+.

[Flash]

@Mike OReilly thanks heaps for taking the time to share your Thames adventures. Sounds like you have some bloody good memories of your van.