My life with Vanguards started in the mid-60s, my first car was a blue 1950 Series 1a Vanguard, which lasted a few years until it got wiped out in a car accident in Sydney.
This started my life with motorbikes, but that’s another story.
This is Bruce's first Vanguard - surfboard at the ready!
My current Vanguard was a barn find in 2011, a black fully imported 1949 Series 1. No rust at all but very poor paint cracking and rubber and brake component deterioration. The initial restoration process took about one year and it was road registered, now on club plates.
Then began the full restoration over the next 5 to 6 years. The full process can be seen on my website http://www.1949vanguard.com The restoration involved a two-pack repaint, a total engine rebuild with a replacement block due to a block crack, all new wheel cylinders and master cylinder, and a new clutch plate and ring gear. I had the rear springs re-tensioned and replaced the kingpins and all ball joints. The gearbox was perfect, I bought an overdrive box but have never used it.
I have done various other things over the years but can't remember them all.
All set for the long journeys - Radio, Sat Nav, Phone holder and Amateur radio are now fitted.
It is a great lifestyle for us, getting away on weekends with our club, The Standard and Triumph Car Club of NSW, or travelling up to Queensland to see the kids.
Over the years we have had many long trips in Bessie, one long trip took us from Sydney to Victoria, around the Great Ocean Road through South Australia and back home along the Murray River and the Snowy Mountains, about 5,000Kms, she never missed a beat.
The only issue I have had has been with the head, even with new valves and guides, too much oil would get down into the motor. I found a company that brought the head into the 21st century, they replaced the valve springs, shortened the guides and put cap seals on the guides. This worked extremely well, and as I had a spare head, I got them to modify it as well as a spare.
'Bessie' - sitting next to a beach in New South Wales, Australia.
Because of COVID, we did not get much use of it for the last two years, but that has changed now, and we are getting away for trips and enjoying her again.
What a great little car the Vanguard is, always turning heads, when we pull up in a small country town someone always comes up to us and tells us that their dad had one or they had one on the farm. It was a very popular car in Australia.
SEND US YOUR CARS STORY
Don’t be shy – why not tell us the story behind YOUR Standard and include some Photos? Please fill in this form HERE.
The feature will be preserved here forever.
Phil Homer
Historian
Standard Motor Club
LINE OF COPY
