ex-Victory Museum Morris-Commercial PU8/4
 

Moderator´s note: thread split from Carrier Based Half Track Film Props

I can't help with the enquiry posted. But since you mentioned the museum in Belgium that closed. There was a certain truck in that museum that I inteded to look at. This truck has also gone to the US ( The American heritage village) Auburn Indiana. I have made repeated request to different curators there and even the director for some pictures, but nothing doing. If any forum member is near there or going there, perhaps you could let me know and take some pictures for me. The truck in question is a Morris Commercial PU8/4. I have the only other surviving example.

Ron

hi ron
i may have some pics.
i will look and see if i have any on file from my last visit.

what are you looking for?

where are you located at?

i think we need to get a morris forum started.
thanks
dave

Thanks for that immediate response Dave. I'm in Poole, south coast UK. Any pictures of that PU would be great. I feel so lonely with the only one. I spoke to the director in Auburn last year. He told me he'd get some pictures for me, if I bought a brick for the new extension for the museum building>>>>> $200! Doesn't he realise, I've got a carrier and Morris to support plus others. Ron

Morris Commercial
 

Nice Morris Ron :cheers: and hi Dave.

Thanks Keith, I like it!
I happen to know, that the Morris in Auburn has got a damaged front axle. It was damaged by a previous owner, trying to bolt on a wheel from a Humber Box. It cracked the axle case and was subsequentially welded. I have got, probably the only spare axle in the world. I offered them a swap, to give them an undamaged axle and me some internals, but they declined. Mind you it's a heavy lump, so shipping would be a bit prohibitive! Ron

the museum has no intent on fixing any of the vehicles they have. to 99% of the public the vehicles look great, but for us many of them are in sooooory shape but have a nice coat of paint. keep in mind there is only 1 tank in the collection. the rest are soft skin vehicles with lots of bondo, and fiberglass. here is a example, the windsor carrier looks great, right out of warstock. the bren carrier MKI on the other hand in german colors looks dreadfull and has had many welded on "extras". many of the german vehicles are just shells with no motor or trany in them at all. its a good collection but i think it should have stayed in belgum myself.

Hi Ron,

Through Rory, I´ve known for years you have the other PU8/4, but we´ve never met in person nor did I see your Morris-Commercial in the metal. Back when the Victory Museum closed her doors, I was in contact with the guy handling the sales of the vehicles re. the PU8/4 in their collection. But all of a sudden, the remaining stock was scooped up by the Auburn museum and the PU8/4 was included in the sale. Pity!

As for pictures, I have seen many of them on the internet during the past years. I have googled some for you, take a look at these links:
http://protein.informatics.indiana.e...orrisPU84.html
http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sa...15936/cat/1886

HTH,
Hanno

Did you already read about those "Morris 4WD PU parts" in Australia on this forum?
- Hanno

Bloody marvelous Hanno. Just what I'm looking for. Just to be able to look at another one and spot the differences. The one in Auburn is looking a bit unloved though. I've saved the two links and I'll study them later. Dave and Rory Ballard are great friends of mine. I'll be looking for the thread you mentioned about OZ. Sorry for prattling on in the wrong section.

Regards Ron

Ah! Hanno, forgive me I'm new at this! I just realized I only have to click on your link to Tony Smith's post. Doh!

Anyway the wheel shown is definitely not from a PU. I have four spare manky ones with WW2 tyres if anyone wants them.

I was hoping to calculate how close the Auburn Morris is to mine? But sadly, not from that serial number, it's fictitious.

Ron

Hi Ron,

Glad to be of help. Yes, the other PU8/4 in the USA looks unloved. Does is still have the dirt on it from it´s last show in the UK before it was abducted to Belgium?

Most vehicles at the Victory Museum were displayed in as-bought condition, except for the wrecks of the "rare" German vehicles. Those were cosmetically restored and put on display in a poorly lit environment. Probably so one would not notice the dash was nothing more than a blown-up photocopy from a picture out of a manual. . .

Here´s hoping the PU8/4 in the USA will one day find a loving home like the one in the UK has!

Cheers,
Hanno

Attached are two pictures of the Morris, when still in Arlon.

Ron, I have to say your truck really looks the business! Excellent.


By the way, does anyone know where the vehicles outside the Arlon museum went? I believe they had a Churchill, Sherman Firefly VC, carrier and M10 TD(?)......I know the C47 went to the Wings of Liberation museum in Best, the Netherlands....but at that time, the armour was gone already.
Maybe not al vehicles in Arlon were as complete or genuine as they should be....in my opinion the collection was breathtaking and it's a pity it was sold and moved across the globe.

Alex

Alex,
I've visited the Victory Museum and found the interior to be somewhat dark. In any case, the collection is impressive!
Regards,
Jim

museum
 

at one time I recall there was also a little war museum at Zeebruge...what ever happened to that!best regards malcolm :teach:

jim
if you didnt get to go to the back room then you dont know what they still have in boxes. only about 60% of the items are on display. they are working on it and it is getting better but they have some way to go till its back up to the museum in arlon.

Dave,
I went through the entire military vehicle museum (which is to your left as you go into the building) and went clear to the left end of it. There appeared to be an area about 50' deep for restoration projects, kinda small.
I also went through the vehicle museum on the right side of the building, nothing really remarkable about it..

Regards,
Jim

jim
in storage there are 2-4 manaquins for each vehicle (or there was) in storage along with webb gear, weapons, MGs, and much more gear still in boxes and stored away. really some great stuff but all put away in storage.

See http://www.flickr.com/photos/tlucal/...206028/?page=6 for a comprehensive set of photos of the vehicles at the Auburn museum.

H.

Another PU 4X4
 

A MCC PU 4X4 was advertised in W&T some years ago..it was apparently a wreck that was just a chassis and mechanicals .. it was in the UK somewhere and only good for spares.

Mike

BTW the only WW2 era MCC 4X4's we have here are the batch of C8 2 pndr portees , about 6-10 of them have been located .

Hi Mike

Yes I bought it. Hence my spare axles etc. It was found by a bloke in Surrey, with a tree growing through it. It was just a chassis with running gear and no body or cab. He recovered it with the intension of restoring it. He came and took 100 pictures of mine. He eventually lost interest and sold it to another bloke in Kent, who also intended to restore it. He left it in his Fathers woods for another ten years, from whence I recovered it. By now the chassis was so week it fell apart as we winched it onto a trailer. It was virtually scrap. I cut up the chassis and saved as much as possible. The Gearbox and axles still had oil and still turn. The engine is siezed solid. It only cost me £200 and I manged to restore the starting handle bracket that was missing from mine.

Ron

Hi Hanno. Regarding the links that you posted for the PU8/4 images in the Victory Museum. The photo's on the Panzer site seem to have vanished. Any ideas? You are far more the computer man than me! Ron

Hi Ron,

Just had a look myself. Yes, the pictures are gone. But if you click on "Museum Photo Gallery" you will see the explanation:
HTH,
Hanno

Ron
Ihave had this first photo for years and think its a preserved morris not yours is it and a wartime photo for you
cheers
Les

Hi Les.
I'm sure your first image is in fact the one in the Victory Museum in Indiana. It has the 900x16 tyres fitted as has mine.
The original tyres are slightly smaller with a finer tread pattern as in your second image. And strangely they are 925x16.

Ron

PS Thanks Hanno, I'll just have to keep my eye on it.

Ron

Here is the one in the Victory Museum Indiana, USA.
Ron

about the outside exibits at Arlon, the Firefly and Carrier went back to the Belgian Army in Kapellen , the Churchill back to it`s owners , and Sherman back to US army in Germany.

Thanks Maurice.

Our friends on HMVF have posted a link to some great home movies from 1970 of early MV collecting in the UK - scroll down to the bottom here:

http://www.steamcar.net/past-cars.html

The third movie at about 16:48 is particularly relevant for this string (it's all entertaining though).

Blimey well done on that Alan. That is first time I have ever seen another PU8/4 moving apart from my own. That is the one that now resides in the Victory museum in Auburn Indiana. It still looks exactly the same and even appears to have the same mud on it? No such yards like that left in England now, and did those blokes also actually get paid to work there? Such fun. I think the H&S officer would soon piss on their firework nowadays! Great that someone bothered to film it. I presume it was on Exmoor? Ron