The J4 was a 10 cwt (half-ton) forward-control van launched by Morris Commercial in 1960. It was sold first as the Morris J4 and Austin J4 and, after the creation of British Leyland in 1968, as the BMC J4. It stayed in production, with two facelifts, until 1974.
BMC J4 at a glance
| Maker | Morris Commercial, then British Motor Corporation and British Leyland |
|---|---|
| Production | 1960–1974 |
| Type | 10 cwt (0.5 ton) forward-control van |
| Names | Morris J4, Austin J4, BMC J4 |
| Engine | 1,622 cc B-series petrol; 1,500 cc diesel at extra cost |
| Brakes | drums all round, no servo |
| Front suspension | independent, coil springs, lever-arm shock absorbers |
| Rear suspension | semi-elliptic leaf springs |
| Gearbox | synchromesh on the top three gears |
| Spanish version | SAVA J4 and Pegaso J4, 1965–1989 |
Based on the English Wikipedia article on the Morris Commercial J4; one source.
History of the BMC J4
The J4 was launched in 1960 as a 10 cwt forward-control van, with the driver’s controls ahead of the front wheels. In the 1960s light vans were often named by their load capacity, and the J4 was commonly called the Morris 10/12 cwt. It was sold first as the Morris J4 and the Austin J4, and after BMC was absorbed into British Leyland in 1968 the van was branded as the BMC J4.
The van used the B-series petrol engine in 1,622 cc form, or a 1,500 cc diesel at extra cost. Brakes were drums all round without servo assistance, the front suspension was independent with coil springs and hydraulic lever-arm shock absorbers, and the rear used semi-elliptic leaf springs, much like the Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford of the period.
The engine sat in the driver’s cabin between the two seats, which made the van unusually noisy even by the standards of the 1960s, and the gearbox had synchromesh on the top three gears only. Autocar tested a J4-based petrol motor caravan in 1967: it reached 63 mph (101 km/h), took 20.2 seconds to reach 50 mph (80 km/h), weighed 2,910 pounds (1,320 kg) and returned 22.7 mpg.
The J4 became a familiar sight in Royal Mail livery collecting and delivering post. It was quite a successful light commercial, but it sold mainly on keen pricing to large fleets, and after 1965 it lived in the shadow of the front-engined Ford Transit, as did other British light commercials such as the Standard Atlas, Commer FC and Bedford CA. For its last model year, 1973–74, the sliding front doors were replaced by conventional front-hinged doors.
In 1974 the J4 was replaced by the front-engined Sherpa, which used the rear panel work of the J4 almost unchanged. The Sherpa went on to be built in various forms until 2006 as the Freight Rover, LDV 200 and LDV Pilot, and was also made in Turkey as the basis of the BMC Levend. A diesel version was built in Valladolid, Spain, by SAVA between 1965 and 1989 as the SAVA J4 and later the Pegaso J4.
Design and features
- Forward control: a compact half-ton van with the driver ahead of the front wheels.
- Simple engineering: B-series petrol or 1,500 cc diesel, drum brakes and leaf-spring rear suspension.
- Fleet favourite: widely used by Royal Mail and large operators who bought on price.
- Long afterlife: the Sherpa and LDV lines carried its rear bodywork, and SAVA built it in Spain until 1989.
BMC J4 versions
- Morris J4 and Austin J4: the original 1960 names.
- BMC J4: the badge used after 1968.
- Petrol and diesel: 1,622 cc petrol or 1,500 cc diesel.
- Chassis-cab, pickup and motor caravan: body options offered through its life.
- SAVA J4 / Pegaso J4: Spanish-built diesel versions, 1965–1989.
The J4 was the smaller stablemate of the BMC J2, and its Sherpa successor led to the Turkish BMC Levend. More BMC vehicles are in the BMC collection.
Video: j4 van
Video by the uploader on YouTube.
Sources
- Morris Commercial J4, English Wikipedia: production, engines, road test, SAVA history
