How long have you had your Beddy??

[kimbosound]

hey Dan......i got my first one at age 18.....the one that is my avitar......it was white with sliding doors......spent 14,000 dollars doing it up in the 80's......pretty much had beddies ever since.....carting music gear, band wagons and such.....have 2 swb trucks now.....can see all my beddies in my gallery...........

[cfjeff]

have had mine 20 years last month, probably still will in another 20. Was 19 when I first bought it, parents hated it when I got it and said I'm going to customise it. After I finished it and started showing it and winning trophys they warmed up to it, now think its great.

[danvanman]

Very nice rides kimbo and cfjeff. I was 14 when I first seen one and said thats what i want. But when i got my liscence I could only afford a HG panel van. It wasn't untill I was 22 and my combi was T-boned and rolled onto my roof I got the Beddy with the Insurance money!
Merlin have you got an aircraft hanger out the back, were do you keep 7 beddy's at one time?
Also merlin spit it out,how many years you been beddying???

[Dave]

I reckon Ive owned this one about 4 years and have driven it Monday to Friday except for about 3weeks broken down, 2 recently and except whilst I was on holidays, I owned one in europe for a year or so also. 
Great vans great memories
Dave

[BlackBedford]

G'day

I tried to buy a new CFS van in 1975 but the Holden Dealer at Parkes wouldn't sell me one. He told me to come back when I was ready to buy a HJ panel van. So I bought a secondhand Hiace and put a XU1 202 into it. Had a couple more Hiaces including one that did 1,000,000 kms before being totally worn out.
I bought my first CF in 1985 from an apprentice mechanic at Brains Ford in Coonabarabran. Over the next 12 months I replaced most of it and used it as a work van for about 8 years.
In 1986 bought a V8 powered CFS that was being used by a painter who had trouble getting his ladders on the roof racks. It had been a paper delivery van in Mudgee and had at least 500,000kms on the clock. I used it for 16 years doing up to 75,000kms per year, so it was a very high mileage vehicle when retired. Parts I put into it included: 2x253 and 2x308 motors, 2xT400s, 2 drivers seats, 4 front-ends and all on a Chevy 12 bolt diff.
It was a bloody good van:




At one time I had 7 registered vans and trucks but eventually they succumbed to staff with poor driving habits. I love the CF but I have always done too many miles and wear them out, bend them up, or just break them.  I currently have too many dead Bedfords and need to get one going.
The new job is low mileage (10kms/day) so I should be able to do it.
I am currently runnuing around in a Suzuki Carry Van, which is a ball of fun, but not in the same league as a CF.

[danvanman]

Blackbedford you seem to be our longest beddy owner so far, 25 years!!
Anybody out there been a Buga for longer???

[beddyowner]

Hi Guys,
I only joined the forum about a month ago, just looking for ideas for my long term beddy van.

The long story,
my beddy was new in 1974, and spent the first 4 years of its life as a pick up/delivery van (about 235,000 klm's) for Kodak in and around Melbourne suburbs
I bought it in 1978 and drove it for nearly a year before the engine broke a timing gear (202), at the time I was renting a factory so while I had the space
I thought I should strip it back to bare metal and paint it as well.
 Well the long story is I still have it and its no nearer to going back on the road!
It has only seen daylight on three days since 1979, on the move from one factory to the next, then to a new garage I built where we were living,
and then the last move to my new big shed where it has been for the last 10 years. Its still in bare metal, all it ever got was a thin coat of etch primer
to keep the rust at bay, but on the entire van the only spot of actual rust is about the size of a mig weld "spot" on the gutter rail.
It has no side windows and the frustrating thing is it also was almost dent free untill the last move here, as I rolled another car off a tandem
 trailer and it took off across the floor and just nudged both rear doors, it should be a reasonably easy repair though.
The only body mod I have done is cut the front doors down so the steps are filled in, was a great idea at the time (1984) but now I'm not sure it was the right thing to do.
I havn't done a search here yet but has anyone else cut their doors down?

There are some great builds on this site but I am still inclined to keep this as stock looking as possible,  just a set of wheels and as low as possible
I don't think I could even fit flared guards it is just too clean to play with.

keep up the great builds on this site,

cheers
Gazza

ps, thats nearly 31 years (as I shake my head for taking so long)

[Merlin]

OK Danvanman Ill fess up i got my first one in 82  it was a 75 model i was only 19 (god help me pun intended) im 47 this year so that makes it 28 years.... SHIT i feel old  btw i just scored another one haha

[pickmeup]

Ok mine's bigger ha ha ha!
I am 49 got my first one (in Craigs Gallery) at 17,so thats 32 years ago.
In total owned 5 good beddies and had hands on appox 30 more with Craig sharing a few of those.
Original High rollers member at the second meeting they ever had which at that time numbered 53 people.
Damn I wish I had some of them back!!!!!!
here ya go-http://www.buga.com.au/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=13495&g2_serialNumber=2

[danvanman]

Ahhh, Merlin I susspected as much.
It seems to be a tie with beddyowner and pickmeup, but we'll have to give it pickmeup as he has had so many and obviously done alot more with them. 
Beddyowner you may possibly have your hands one the best (original) beddy boddy's.
I reckon it's time to biuld??