MK1 with twin sliding cab doors- how rare?

[conrod]

Hi all,
I am looking at buying a MK1 bullnose SWB with twin sliding cab doors. I have always thought they looked so retro-cool! Problem is, this one is a bit of a basket case, and in need of some serious restoration. How rare is one of these old things with the twin sliding doors?

thanks Conrad

[madmark]

years ago it was a normal thing to have sliders,most people hated them ,i loved them!

[conrod]

thanks MM.
I have never seen one in NZ (I don't think Ford NZ ever imported them) and the one I am looking at is in Australia. The guy is not asking much for it, but it will cost a few dollars to get it here and plenty more to restore.In saying that, it is nowhere near as rotten as some of the Transits i have seen you Brits restore, so not an impossible mission. I have seen Geoffs Duratorque green/white Mk1 bullnose with drivers sliding door in an old Classic Ford magazine and loved it, (also featured in "The Bank Job" movie)

It has no side loading doors, just the sliding drivers& passenger doors, and twin rear "barn doors".
Really just interested to know how rare a Mk1 with twin sliders is these days?

Conrad

[transitgeoff]

i love the sliding door, better than aircon, as long as you dont hit traffic

[Ollie]

I love the sliders too, just like aircon - even if theyre "shut" !

On the motorway with them open the lorry wheels look awefull close......

As for your choice to restore, I would, as they are quite rare, normally they would be on delivery vans mainly which would be treated like crap, and when in private hands most people changed them for normal ones as theyre cosier and more secure (if any ford lock is Secure!) so not many left around even in UK let alone where they never went!

Ollie

[conrod]

:D i love the sliding door, better than aircon, as long as you dont hit traffic

Hi Geoff, why is that? do they slam shut if you stop in a hurry? Love your van! Only saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago in an old classicford mag, then was watching "The Bank Job" on DVD, and thought "that looks familiar!" and grabbed the mag that was sitting on the coffee table, and hey same rego!

I love the sliders too, just like aircon - even if theyre "shut" !

On the motorway with them open the lorry wheels look awefull close......

As for your choice to restore, I would, as they are quite rare, normally they would be on delivery vans mainly which would be treated like crap, and when in private hands most people changed them for normal ones as theyre cosier and more secure (if any ford lock is Secure!) so not many left around even in UK let alone where they never went!

Ollie

cheers Ollie, yours must be very rare being a LWB? So no side loading doors?

Conrad

[Ollie]

A side loader woukld be very usefull but it would be a shame to loose the sliders for it, perhaps i could make it rarer still and fit a normal door for passengers who don't like to see daylight round the edges!! then I coukld fit my side door from the old mk2

But that sounds like more work, so I won't

Ollie

[conrod]

Do the sliding doors have any sort of rubber seals on the leading/trailing edges? Or is that why they are like having aircon?
What do the sliders look like, are they a bit like the sliding side loading door where they have a channel with a "bogie" with small roller bearings on them? I am guessing parts for these will be rare if I ned to source them.

cheers Conrad

[transitandy]

I think the sliders are so

[transitgeoff]

only the mk2 has the luxury of bearings on the runners, mk1 is much more basic ! my door combo is drivers slider and normal passenger door with side loader

[madmark]

only the mk2 has the luxury of bearings on the runners, mk1 is much more basic ! my door combo is drivers slider and normal passenger door with side loader

wow what a combo!