Morris J-Type van with side windows ca 1951 Battlesbridge

The Morris Commercial J-type is a 10 cwt (0.5 ton) van launched by Morris Commercial in 1949 and produced until 1961. After the formation of the British Motor Corporation in 1952, by the merger of Morris' parent company, the

Nuffield Organization Nuffield Organization was the unincorporated umbrella-name or promotional name used for the charitable and commercial interests of owner and donor, William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield. The name was assumed following Nuffield's gift made to form ...

, and Austin, the Commercial name was dropped and the van was marketed as the Morris J-type. The van followed the emerging trend of having

forward control Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the truck sitting ab ...

s and sliding doors on each side. It was made in both left and right hand drive versions. As well as complete vehicles, the J-type was also supplied in chassis form to external body makers and it appeared, amongst other uses, as a pick-up, tipper truck,

ice cream van An ice cream van (British) or ice cream truck (North American) is a commercial vehicle that serves as a mobile retail outlet for ice cream, usually during the spring and summer. Ice cream vans are often seen parked at public events, or near ...

and

milk float A milk float is a vehicle specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk. Today, milk floats are usually battery electric vehicles (BEV), but they were formerly horse-drawn floats. They were once common in many European countries, ...

. Many were bought by the British Post Office and these differed from standard in having rubber front and rear

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

s. The J type is fitted with a 1476 cc four-cylinder

side-valve A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

engine based on the one used in the contemporary

Morris Oxford MO Morris Oxford Series MO is an automobile produced by Morris Motors of the United Kingdom from 1948 to 1954. It was one of several models to carry the Morris Oxford name between 1913 and 1971. __TOC__ Saloon After the Second World War the 13.5 ...

car. Drive to the rear wheels is through a three-speed gearbox and initially a

spiral bevel gear A spiral bevel gear is a bevel gear with helical teeth. The main application of this is in a vehicle differential, where the direction of drive from the drive shaft must be turned 90 degrees to drive the wheels. The helical design produces less ...

type rear axle, later replaced by a hypoid type. The van was updated to the JB in 1957 when an overhead valve 1489 cc, BMC B-Series engine was fitted along with a four-speed gearbox. An Austin version of the van appeared in 1957 known as the Austin 101 and differed from the Morris only in badging and radiator grille styling. Production ceased early in 1961 after over 48,600 had been made. It was replaced by the

Morris J4 The Morris Commercial J4 was a 10 cwt (0.5 ton) forward-control van (driver's controls in front of front wheels) launched by Morris Commercial in 1960 and produced with two facelifts until 1974. The van was marketed first as both the Morris J4 ...

, while a similar but slightly larger van, the J2, had also been on offer since 1956.

Notable J-types

A famous Morris Commercial in terms of media exposure is the Reactine van advertising the allergy medication on television and at promotional events. On 3 February 2013, a J-type became the newest face of Cadbury

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

in Australia and New Zealand. The "Joymobile" promotion van (or vans) featured in Australia is known to be the vehicle previously partially restoredTim's Morris J Type Restoration
blog as at 4 February 2013, accessed 26 February 2013 in

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, then sold to a 'mystery buyer' and converted and decorated in Cadbury's distinctive purple colour in Sydney. The Television advertisement was filmed in New Zealand. There was at least one circa 1960 Australian J-type with a custom-made brass body designed to operate in a salty environment for an owner with an oyster lease on the George's River in Sydney.

References

The Morris J type van Register
* *{{cite book , last=Pitcher , first=Harvey , title=The J-Type Van , publisher=Past Masters , year=2002 , isbn=0-9543982-0-3 , url-access=registration , url=https://archive.org/details/jtypevanclassicl0000pitc

External links

*http://morrisjbvan.blogspot.com/ - Restoration of Truman's - A 1958 J Type Van *http://tinworm.blogspot.com/ - And a close cousin of the J, an Austin 101 J-type Vans Vehicles introduced in 1949 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles