A VAN FOR HALF-TON LOADS.
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The New Overland Box-van on a Chassis Designed for Low First Cost and Reasonable Maintenance Outlay.
TO meet the increasing demand for a light van, capable of Maintaining high average speeds in traffic and yet able to stand up to prolonged hard use, Willys Overland Crossley, Ltd., are marketing a 10-cwt. model which, complete with four-wheel brakes and electric lighting and starting set, sells for £180.
The engine is a four-cylindered monobloc with the top half of the crankcase formed in one with the cylinders. With a cylinder bore of 79 mm. and a piston stroke of 111 mm. it is claimed that it develops more than 30 b.h.p., which is sufficient to give a maximum speed with a fully laden van of over 35
m.p.h., combined with good hillclimbing capabilities on top gear. Side-by-side valves are employed in conjunction with a cylinder bead, the combustion space of which conforms with the latest ideas. The crankshaft and camshaft are carried in three main bearings, all of which are fed with oil from a high-pressure pump. Pump-and-fan cooling is used, the pump being housed in the forward end of the cylinder block and driven off the fan shaft, which, in turn, derives itS drive by belt from a pulley at the end of the crankshaft. Mixture is supplied to the cylinders by a Tillotson carburetter fed from a five
gallon petrol tank located beneath the driver's seat.
In order to facilitate maintenance the engine mounting is ingeniously arranged on brackets attached to the inside of the chassis frame, the construction being such that whilst a minimum amount of trouble is required in order to uncouple the attachments they actually form a spring mounting as well.
Semi-elliptic springs form the suspension at both front and rear, the front springs being fitted with Gabriel snubbers, whilst the rear springs, underslung beneath the axle, are strengthened considerably above the standard touring type, as they are loaded more heavily. Four-wheel brakes are operated by pedal, a lever applying the rear only.
The body is built throughout at the Will ys Overland Crossley works at Stockport, the framing being in ash and the side panels built of Plymax, which is anti-vibratory and fireproof. The roof is constricted with tongued and grooved slats running longitudinally and is covered with black rubberized waterproof material. The driver's seat is comfortably upholstered with a full width and depth of squab. The dimensions of the body provide a loading space 5 ft. 1i ins, long, 4 ft. 3 ins, wide and 4 ft high, whilst the capacity is 86 cubic ft. The rear doors, which open to the full width of the body, are fitted with glass windows and a double-acting bolt-bar locking device.