Skip to main content

Bedford Truck E series specifications - 1968-1982

  • Topic Author
12 years 5 months ago - 12 years 5 months ago #62688 by
G'day all! I thought I'd scan and post up some useful info for the late model TK Bedford owners and those interested in these models.
I recently acquired a parts catalogue for the E series Bedford. It has a number of pages in the front that contain useful reference info, regarding specifications, reading the Bedford ID plate codes, S/N info, and other useful information.

From the 1968 model year (starting late 1967), manufacturing of TK model Bedfords in Australia was uprated to include substantial Australian content .. and these changes also involved changes to chassis numbers, to represent Australian manufacture with substantial Australian content.

The models in this period are broken down into 4 basic groups .. 1968 to 1970 models .. 1970 to 1975 models .. 1975 to 1979 models .. and 1979 to 1982 models.
The 250 and 292 "Mexican" sixes were installed from 1970. The GM diesel was installed from 1970, and the Holden V8's were installed from 1979 to 1982 (Red V8 engines first, '79-'80, then Blue V8 engines, '80-'82).

This catalogue I have is dated October 1979, and only lists the "new" Holden V8 Red truck engines. The Blue Holden V8 truck engines are not covered in this book.

The scanned pages in the link below, give information on practically the full range of TK Bedfords produced in the era from 1968 to 1982, when the TK series was officially known as the E series, according to the VIN plate.

The "TK" nomenclature actually only referred to the cab style .. the actual truck model was referred to as the E series, and varied from the smallest 3 tonner fitted with the venerable 214 cu in 6 cyl. .. right through to the 6V-53 GM powered prime mover, fitted with the 10 speed Roadranger.

In essence, the only thing these trucks shared was the cab. You could have a range of no less than 6 different petrol engines (214 cu. in. L6, 250 c.i. L6, 253 c.i. V8, 292 c.i. L6, 300 c.i. L6 and 308 c.i. V8) .. 5 different diesels (318 GM diesel, 330 c.i., 381 c.i., 466 c.i., 500 c.i.) .. a wide range of chassis sizes and wheelbases .. 4, 5 and 10 speed transmissions .. and no less than 10 different final drive (rear axle) ratios.

All this confusion is added to, by the insertion of Australian-produced chassis S/No's into the British production chassis S/No's, to give equivalents in the British production chassis numbers.
This is for reference when looking for part numbers, when the part is the same between the British and Australian trucks.

The E series "Australian content" parts catalogue, has to be used in conjunction with the British production parts catalogue, as the E series catalogue only covers the Australian content.

The first 3 pages below give some useful information as to the structure and use of GM catalogues, and how to read them.
All GM/GMH/Vauxhall-Bedford part catalogues follow the same structure in layout, part codes, and the 17-section, "Dewey Grouping" breakdown, in component grouping.

Bedford parts catalogue - explanation of layout - Page 1 .. img535.imageshack.us/img535/6577/bedfordparts01.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - explanation of layout - Page 2 .. img707.imageshack.us/img707/3851/bedfordparts02.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - explanation of layout - Page 3 .. img62.imageshack.us/img62/4645/bedfordparts03.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - Model year ID and Chassis No code - Page 4 .. img853.imageshack.us/img853/686/bedfordparts04.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - Engine S/N codes - Chev & Holden - Page 5 .. img847.imageshack.us/img847/2359/bedfordparts05.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - ID plate locations and codes - Page 6 .. img84.imageshack.us/img84/8249/bedfordparts06.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - Body (cab) ID plate codes - Page 7 .. img29.imageshack.us/img29/5973/bedfordparts07.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - Conversion of U.K. Chassis No's, to Australian equivalents - Page 8 .. img841.imageshack.us/img841/8523/bedfordparts08.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - 1968 Model year specifications - Page 9 .. img718.imageshack.us/img718/4670/bedfordparts09.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - 1970-1974 Model year specifications - Page 10 .. img405.imageshack.us/img405/3144/bedfordparts10.jpg

Bedford parts catalogue - 1975-1979 Model year specifications - Page 11 .. img714.imageshack.us/img714/8720/bedfordparts11.jpg

These pages have been scanned full size to be able to read the fine print .. and if the picture shrinks after you open it, you can get it to enlarge to full size again, just by left-clicking on it.

These part catalogue scans are reproduced for the general information of all forum viewers, and are reproduced under the "fair use" section of the Copyright Act.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Topic Author
12 years 5 months ago #62689 by
g'day onetrack were the ''e'' series tk bedford cabs produced by GMH in SA and if so you may be able to help de-mystify an abbreviation on the body plate. the abbreviation ACC followed by a number, from one to twelve stamped in, is a date code for the month of manufacture...it's just what does ACC stand for? this has eluded holden restorers and generally anything that GMH produced and i don't think it's been cracked.

hope you or someone can help.....cheers

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
12 years 3 months ago #62690 by bedfordportugal
Hi,

great forum.

Can you send me documents to know more about Bedford J?

Hope to hear from you.
bedfordportugal.blogspot.com/

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Topic Author
12 years 3 months ago #62691 by
Hello bedfordportugal - That's an intriguing site you have on Portuguese Bedfords. I toured some of Portugal last year, and I was quite impressed with your country, particularly the amount of car factories, and your high speed trains.
Unfortunately, Gooogle translations are poor at the best of times, and my Portuguese language skills are poorer!

However, it's interesting to see the number of old Bedfords in Portugal, and the number being restored or saved.
I don't recall seeing any Bedfords in my trip through Portugal, which involved entering from the North by coach on the A-3 at Valenca do Minho, then catching the high speed train from Porto, and ending up in Lisbon in the South (an attractive and interesting city, in which I spent several days).

The Bedford information I have posted, is applicable only to Australian-built Bedford trucks, which were built in the General-Motors-Holdens factories here in Australia, with a very large amount of Australian build content (possibly as high as 85% or 90%), and with separate "Australian-production" serial numbers.

Accordingly, I would be reluctant to use the information as being applicable to Portuguese Bedfords, which would not only differ in having LHD, but which would have been produced from U.K. factories, with many different parts changes in the build, and often, different specifications.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Topic Author
12 years 3 months ago - 12 years 3 months ago #62692 by
Detective - I'm sorry, I don't know where the E series Bedfords cabs were produced, I'd have to do more research. Neither do I know, what the "ACC" code stands for, in the GMH ID plates.
Where (in what vehicles or era) is the "ACC" code most often found?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
12 years 3 months ago #62693 by kenny-mopar
the funny thing is the smallest capacity diesel available with the bedford was also the most powerful

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
12 years 3 months ago #62694 by HARDSHAR
Hi Detective, A Little bit of info on TK cabs. In 1963-4 i was working as a painter at the Pressed Metal plant at Enfield in Sydney where they assembled the cabs and where we painted them. The line they came down was beside the rectifacation line that did minor paint repairs on Morris J vans and MGB roadsters also Fiat sedans. In another building they assembled Ford Trader Trucks. The Bedford cabs were shipped elsewhere to be fitted to their chassis. I would guess that there were other plants in other states also doing cabs. I left Pressed Metal at the end of 1964 got married and went truck driving. So i have no idea when they stopped doing Bedford cabs. I hope this info is of some use.
Cheers Sharpie.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Topic Author
12 years 3 months ago #62695 by
thanks hardshar that's very interesting. i just assumed that a corporate (GMH) vehicle and its cab must have been built ''in house'' but it just goes to show what was farmed out to vendor suppliers.

woodville in adelaide and pagewood in sydney must have been flat out making holden bodies for the multitudes.

thanks and cheers

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Topic Author
12 years 3 months ago - 12 years 3 months ago #62696 by
This little contribution of hardshar's is very interesting, indeed. I never even knew about the Pressed Metal Corporation .. and after doing some research, I'm amazed at how little is written up about PMC .. despite the large part they played in Australian vehicle manufacturing.

What I find even more interesting is that Vauxhall & GMH farmed out the assembly of the Bedford cabs, when I would have thought that GMH would have done it in one of their factories.
I would hazard a guess, that the assembly of Bedford cabs by PMC, was a stop-gap measure, organised by Vauxhall & GMH, until they could expand the GMH factory facilities enough to cope with additional truck assembly.
As with all schemes and plans, the logistics of the schemes are the sticking point. The GMH factories would already have been at full production in the early 1960's, and adding truck building was something they had probably not planned for in the original factory plans.

GMH commenced production of Australian-built Bedfords with "Australian content" (i.e. - Australian-supplier sourced components) in 1968.
I would expect that this year is when the assembly of Bedford cabs was transferred to GMH factories, from PMC.

The history of PMC is one I would like to know more about. Apparently, they were a subsidiary of Larke, Hoskins Ltd. .. who were motor distributors from 1923, when they acquired the Austin franchise.
Larke, Hoskins Ltd., went from strength to strength on the sales of Austins, even after the BMC merger of 1953, and the formation of BMC of Australia in 1954.

I have not found when Pressed Metal Corporation commenced business. However, I have gleaned that Larke, Hoskins Ltd. expanded the PMC operations in 1956, when they issued a swag of additional shares to fund a major expansion of the PMC business.

Pressed Metal Corporation were already a reasonably substantial contract assembler of motor vehicles in 1956, it appears. They assembled motor vehicles for anyone who wanted to give them a contract to do so. Their assembly operations were quite substantial by the late 1950's, and they assembled no less than 33 different makes and models of cars, trucks, buses, and even Defence Dept vehicles.

Brands assembled by PMC in the late 1950's were mostly British makes. In 1966, Lloyd Hartnett engineered a deal whereby Nissan agreed to give a contract to PMC to assemble Datsun cars .. and no less than 20,000 Datsuns were assembled by PMC from imported components.

PMC apparently continued to assemble vehicles, even after the Leyland takeover of BMC. I have not found when PMC ceased vehicle assembly, but it appears that it was around the mid-1970's.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
12 years 3 months ago #62697 by hayseed
I'm fairly certain that PMC made Bus bodies in their own right!!!!

I have fairly distinct memories of the underpowered/ overheating bedford bus, that took me to school every day.
Having a PMC body :-/

BISTBC

"Be who you are and say what you feel...
Because those that matter...
don't mind...
And those that mind....
don't matter." -

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.505 seconds