ATTENTION TO DETAIL
I mpatience is a virtue – certainly for Ray and Ken Walsh. Little more than three months after delivering Brian Owen’s 1948 Thornycroft Sturdy featured in the September issue of Heritage Commercials, they followed up with Brian’s 1955 Seddon Mk5L. It would have been weeks sooner if a problem hadn’t been identified during a final precautionary engine run.
With third man Chris Kershaw at the wheel of their slide-and-tilt bodied – and Cummins re-engined – 1967 Morris FJ ‘restomod’, at the end of the second week in August the Seddon was offloaded next to the Owen’s next project, a 1955 Atkinson eight-legger.
The year 1955 is no coincidence. It’s when the Owen family haulage business was founded by Brian’s late father, Ivor.
The Seddon is a 1955 – although the make and type don’t figure in the history of the Ivor Owen & Sons business. Ivor Owen began as an owner-driver. His first truck was a parrot-nosed Dodge tipper. The Owens would like one – but have yet to find a Dodge that suits. The Seddon is therefore a stand-in, acquired chiefly because it’s powered by the same Perkins P6 diesel as the Dodge 100 Series. The engine is a particular favourite of Brian’s, and the family has lacked a historic powered by a Perkins P6.
They decided that most of the vehicles in their heritage fleet should be in
