A site showing a variety of scale models for
Morris/Austin J-type vans .
If you have other models please send a photo and I will gladly add to the site.
Thank you.
Click tabs above to go to the scale of models.
The following is taken from an article by Harvey Pitcher, owner of 'The J-type Register.
In March 1945, Morris Commercial was given permission by the government, to build 10cwt, 20 cwt and 25/30cwt vans.
Very few new commercial vehicles were available to U K operators, unless they could get a licence from the Ministry of
War Transport - everything had to go to export.
Morris-Commercial post-war management meeting minutes indicate that the J-type was being designed
to take a new flat-4 engine under development alongside the smaller flat-4 that was in the process of
evaluation for the Morris Minor. Neither engine got the go-ahead due to cost considerations.
Morris-Commercial J-type 1948 -1957
The J-type van was introduced at the 1948 Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court.
The pre-production van which the company exhibited on their stand at the show differed in many
details from the production vehicle that was to follow in the autumn of 1949. The easiclean wheels
gave way to pressed steel disc items, whilst the front grille, headlamp/sidelight units and many
other items were redesigned before full production commenced
In production the J-type 10 cwt van was provided with a 1476cc, 36 bhp, side valve engine (based on the
Morris Oxford car unit) and 3-speed gearbox. It was also fitted with a spiral-bevel rear axle, although after 10,472 vans had been produced this was changed for a hypoid-bevel axle.
Chassis numbers, which started at 001, were prefixed by J/R or J/L indicating right- or left-hand drive. Initially vans had cable linkage for the accelerator, but this was soon changed for a rod mechanism. Another difference on early vehicles was the fitting of rectangular sidelights (as fitted to the Austin Atlantic) under the headlamps, rather than the later round Morris Minor ones. In June 1954 the engine cowling was revised, the angular hinged item giving way to a more rounded, lift-off one.
Morris J/B 1957·1961
The J-type was updated in 1957, with the fitting of the O.H.V 1489 cc, 42 bhp, 'B' series engine, mated to a 4-speed box. Chassis numbers, starting at 36,266, carried on from the earlier J-type but were now prefixed with JB/MR (B series Morris). To distinguish it from its predecessor, the van became known as the Morris 'J/B'. Not until the advent of this and the Austin version of the van did the 'Morris-Commercial' front grille badge give way to the larger 'Morris' one.
Austin 101 1957-1961
Badge-engineering by the British Motor Corporation saw an Austin version of the J/B introduced, known as the Austin '101', which differed from the J/B only in the design of the front grille panel and the badging. These carried chassis numbers in sequence with the J/B but prefixed by JB/AR (B series/Austin) so it is impossible to work out how many of the Austin version were produced.
Post Office use
The major fleet user of the J-type and the J/B was the General Post Office, who used them as Postal, Utility, Planners, and Radio Investigation vans. 6,147 J-types and J/Bs were bought by the GPO - approximately one in every eight of the vehicles built! The most obvious difference in the specification of these GPO versions was the fitting of rubber front and rear wings, which required the fitting of the headlamps and sidelights to the cabside, rather than being mounted on castings on the wings as on standard vans.
Production ends
Production of the J/B and the 101 ceased early in 1961, although vehicles were still being registered as late as December of the same year. The very last van produced carried chassis number JB/MR 48,621, which allows us to state that approximately 12,355 J/Bs and 101s were made, but the separation of these figures into Austin and Morris quantities can never be known.
In March 1945, Morris Commercial was given permission by the government, to build 10cwt, 20 cwt and 25/30cwt vans.
Very few new commercial vehicles were available to U K operators, unless they could get a licence from the Ministry of
War Transport - everything had to go to export.
Morris-Commercial post-war management meeting minutes indicate that the J-type was being designed
to take a new flat-4 engine under development alongside the smaller flat-4 that was in the process of
evaluation for the Morris Minor. Neither engine got the go-ahead due to cost considerations.
Morris-Commercial J-type 1948 -1957
The J-type van was introduced at the 1948 Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court.
The pre-production van which the company exhibited on their stand at the show differed in many
details from the production vehicle that was to follow in the autumn of 1949. The easiclean wheels
gave way to pressed steel disc items, whilst the front grille, headlamp/sidelight units and many
other items were redesigned before full production commenced
In production the J-type 10 cwt van was provided with a 1476cc, 36 bhp, side valve engine (based on the
Morris Oxford car unit) and 3-speed gearbox. It was also fitted with a spiral-bevel rear axle, although after 10,472 vans had been produced this was changed for a hypoid-bevel axle.
Chassis numbers, which started at 001, were prefixed by J/R or J/L indicating right- or left-hand drive. Initially vans had cable linkage for the accelerator, but this was soon changed for a rod mechanism. Another difference on early vehicles was the fitting of rectangular sidelights (as fitted to the Austin Atlantic) under the headlamps, rather than the later round Morris Minor ones. In June 1954 the engine cowling was revised, the angular hinged item giving way to a more rounded, lift-off one.
Morris J/B 1957·1961
The J-type was updated in 1957, with the fitting of the O.H.V 1489 cc, 42 bhp, 'B' series engine, mated to a 4-speed box. Chassis numbers, starting at 36,266, carried on from the earlier J-type but were now prefixed with JB/MR (B series Morris). To distinguish it from its predecessor, the van became known as the Morris 'J/B'. Not until the advent of this and the Austin version of the van did the 'Morris-Commercial' front grille badge give way to the larger 'Morris' one.
Austin 101 1957-1961
Badge-engineering by the British Motor Corporation saw an Austin version of the J/B introduced, known as the Austin '101', which differed from the J/B only in the design of the front grille panel and the badging. These carried chassis numbers in sequence with the J/B but prefixed by JB/AR (B series/Austin) so it is impossible to work out how many of the Austin version were produced.
Post Office use
The major fleet user of the J-type and the J/B was the General Post Office, who used them as Postal, Utility, Planners, and Radio Investigation vans. 6,147 J-types and J/Bs were bought by the GPO - approximately one in every eight of the vehicles built! The most obvious difference in the specification of these GPO versions was the fitting of rubber front and rear wings, which required the fitting of the headlamps and sidelights to the cabside, rather than being mounted on castings on the wings as on standard vans.
Production ends
Production of the J/B and the 101 ceased early in 1961, although vehicles were still being registered as late as December of the same year. The very last van produced carried chassis number JB/MR 48,621, which allows us to state that approximately 12,355 J/Bs and 101s were made, but the separation of these figures into Austin and Morris quantities can never be known.
