After owning a 1951 Standard Vanguard back in the mid-60s, my first car, I have always had a soft spot for the vehicle. Over the past few years, since 2009, I have been looking for a replacement Vanguard, something to restore. There have been plenty around but mostly junk requiring years of work and a big wallet.
There were quite a few located in Western Australia, however they were geographically impossible. One was located down the Illawarra; however this one had been modified and fitted with mag wheels so was unacceptable.
I finally found a single web page with images and a story of a 1949 Black Vanguard. The images displayed a pristine almost as new looking Vanguard. There were also images of the original registration papers and purchase invoice; these images are shown in the header and also the gallery.
There was an associated story of how this car had never been on a dirt road or been out in the rain. This was worth investigation, so I made contact with the owner in Victoria and arranged to travel down to Victoria and inspect the vehicle.
Upon inspection, the vehicle did not resemble the photos on the web page, however it was in good enough condition to make an offer. We reached a price agreement and shook hands on the transaction.
Some weeks later, with a mate, I travelled back to Victoria with a car trailer in tow and picked up the 1949 Vanguard.
The car was towed to my son's house at Albion Park NSW where he has a large shed in the back yard. We managed to get the Vanguard into the shed and immediately put her up on stands.
And so it begins...
We started the stripping process on 9 April 2011, wheels, brakes, diff, springs, radiator, grill, head, steering box, steering rod assembly, starter motor, generator etc. etc. etc.
The restoration gallery follows the restoration process from pickup in Melbourne to completion on the road.
From the very start it was obvious that the story about the car never travelling on a dirt road, or not being taken out in the rain was not too accurate. The chassis was caked with dirt and dust from front to back. Also the engine was caked with grease, oil and dirt, there were several dints in the chassis where it looks like she hit some big boulders. There was only surface rust on the fuel tank, I was glad to see no other rust areas.
During the restoration process, I will be adding to the links page, useful links to places where Vanguard spares can be sourced and also various Vanguard clubs and other interesting sites related to Vanguards in general.
If you know of any sites that would be handy please pass on this information via the feedback page.
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THE ROAD TEST - 4 September 2011
After 5 months of hard work and expense the restoration process is near completion, time for a road test.
Next the blue slip and registration...
The Restoration Process...
Manufacture Nave Puller for a 1949 Vanguard
Our 1949 Vanguard used in TV Mini-Series "The Petrov Affair" 1987
