Seeking advice RE: 1930s and 40s vans! Please help!

UKVV

New Member
Hi everyone,

I am researching a work of fiction set in 1949 and need to call upon your expertise!

In the story, a character (with some mechanical experience) is trapped in the back of a light van/truck without a key and under fire. I have read that many vehicles can be put into neutral by accessing the transmission from below and wondered if this might apply to the sort of vans that may have been used at the time.

My hope is that the character can move the vehicle by cutting through the bed of the van (or removing the gear stick?), accessing the transmission, put it into neutral (by disconnecting a cable and pushing a lever) then take the hand brake off and roll away down a hill.

Forgive my ignorance! Is this all plausible in a vehicle of the time? Are there any additional difficulties that I have overlooked? What sort of vehicle would be appropriate? (It should have capacity for approximately 1 pallet of stacked boxes and be relatively cheap at the time, so perhaps a 1930s commercial vehicle, possibly Bedford/Morris?).

I have done as much research as I can, but am out of my depth here!

Here are my sources:

https://itstillruns.com/put-car-neutral-key-ignition-7583966.html

http://www.autocarrepair.net/Car-Quarterly-Check-UP.html

Thanks very much for your help!
 

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
As far as i know they would all be rear wheel drive with a gear stick directly into the gearbox, so would have to be in one of the front seats to move the lever. But it would probably be left in neutral and all you have to do is cut the cable/rod to the hand brake and it would roll away
 

essexpete

Member
Location
Essex
As far as i know they would all be rear wheel drive with a gear stick directly into the gearbox, so would have to be in one of the front seats to move the lever. But it would probably be left in neutral and all you have to do is cut the cable/rod to the hand brake and it would roll away

Unless it was running I think most vehicles would be parked in gear.
 
I read the post and thought "Don't know about that, i've never had anything that old" , but then realised I have as both the S1 Landie and Morris Minor car were already on sale in 1949 although I think the Morris van version was a year or two later. As has been said, I always park in gear as a result of driving those old models since the handbrakes weren't the greatest, and it is true the gearsticks went straight into the box so would be hard to tamper with.
However the keys on those old vehicles were incredibly crude and prone to wear-I've had old Morrises and Landies that would start with any Lucas key (or even something vaguely key like), so that might be a way around it, and also there were no MOTs- I had a Morris van which was so rusty you could probably have made a hole in the floor to get at the gearstick, especially if you were being shot at ! :)
Those old vehicles usually had direct pedal operated clutches rather then the later hydraulic ones, so it might have been possible to lever the clutch from underneath to get the van to run away.
 

Barleycorn

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Hampshire
He could always unbolt the prop shaft flange at the rear diff and cut through the handbrake cables if he had time. As has been said I would have it parked on a slope and somehow reach the handbrake to let it roll.
 

Pilgrimmick

Member
Location
Argyll
Assuming that he cannot just release the clutch, or escape through a window I presume that he is in the back of a box van or something similar. assuming the van to be in good order the floor would be very strong and very difficult to get through without tools. It would seem more credible if he some how broke through the bulkhead to the cab and released the handbrake/gears via this access ( for dramatic purposes a small hole!) I believe Morris pick ups had very small window in the back of the cab, which would fit the bill.
 

wr.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Breconshire
Whatever you do @UKVV , don't repeat the crap and far fetched ending to the otherwise well written BBC psychological thriller, The Replacement. :(
 

UKVV

New Member
Whatever you do @UKVV , don't repeat the crap and far fetched ending to the otherwise well written BBC psychological thriller, The Replacement. :(
Yes, I have heard it's disappointing and implausible -- I might watch it just as an example of bad endings!
 

UKVV

New Member
Thanks for all your help!

I am reworking the idea a bit and will probably go with something similar to @Pilgrimmick 's suggestion of breaking through into the bulkhead as the character would really need access to the steering to make a plausible getaway. Would have liked to demonstrate his mechanical expertise, but it's got to be believable!

Thanks again.
 

Mursal

Member
Bulkhead with a peep window in the middle?
He breaks it out and knocks the column change gear lever into neutral with a stick (that was lying it the back of the van) and disconnects the handbrake.
The van will run in a straight line as long as the ground has no camber to the left or right.

A lot of old vans at that time had the gear lever on the steering column and a bench seat

An Austin A35 would be my contribution (1950's)
images


But a 1930 Austin 7 van
1928-austin-7-van-C693A0.jpg
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
You could be pinned down by a sniper at the front of the van and use the starting handle to move the van away from the sniper. Certainly at the time as others have said handbrakes where useless and the habit was to leave the vehicle in gear. Maybe move the vehicle far enough away from the sniper so that you could escape down a manhole in the road using the starting handle to raise the manhole.
Theres a classic WW2 desert war film using a starting handle but I cannot remember its name normally rerun every christmas.
 

Nearly

Member
Location
North of York
You could be pinned down by a sniper at the front of the van and use the starting handle to move the van away from the sniper. Certainly at the time as others have said handbrakes where useless and the habit was to leave the vehicle in gear. Maybe move the vehicle far enough away from the sniper so that you could escape down a manhole in the road using the starting handle to raise the manhole.
Theres a classic WW2 desert war film using a starting handle but I cannot remember its name normally rerun every christmas.
Ice cold in alex
 

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