Picture courtesy of Lawrence Kiely / TRUCK magazine 1991. Robert
Hi Folks, haven’t been on here for a long time, an update with my LHD 4450 Foden, well she’s all ready to go to my mate who’s a truck restoration specialist to have the sideskirt and rear bumper brackets fabricated, plus chassis blasted and painted and the cab finished in its original sky blue metallic… I’m going over to Belgium in the next few weeks to collect the rear bumper and remaining sideskirt that were originally fitted to the truck almost 20 years ago…she’s going around the end of May so with any luck I should make some steady progress with her this year…
Many thanks for sharing those with us, Jimbotruck! I’m looking forward to seeing her out and about. Here’s your pic the right way up. Cheers. Robert 
I know that this picture isn’t of a 4000-series, and is much older, but it shows a LHD Foden with a sleeper cab. It was operated by Tony Jones of Sandbach. The picture was sent to me by ‘Truckerash’. ‘ERF-continental’ did once send me scans of a brochure for this model, which offers the Foden 12-speed gearbox. Interesting & unusual nonetheless. Robert
I always thought the the sleeper suited that cab Robert, even though not all were fitted with uprated suspension units so looked low on the back end!
Pete.
windrush:
I always thought the the sleeper suited that cab Robert, even though not all were fitted with uprated suspension units so looked low on the back end!Pete.
Yes, it was the Motor Panels mark 5 cab: perhaps what an ERF might have looked like if the B-series hadn’t been invented! That LHD Foden was offered with a ■■■■■■■ NTC 335, the same engine as Tony Jones’s ERF NGCs had. Robert
[zb]
anorak:
They look the part, with the wedge roof and all of the lower panels attached (unlike the GB versions, most of which lacked the airdam, wheelarches and steps). Does anyone know what the thing above the right-hand headlamp was?
Air intake above the headlight maybe.
1976 LHD-version with even a type offering the ■■■■■■■ NTC355E…
Fascinating stuff- those Fodens use the same engine as the Mk1 Transcon- NTC355E- so that engine was not a Ford “special” after all. The 308hp DIN rating would be the derated version in the Hxx31 Transcon. I guess the 340hp “full fat” version of the engine would also be available in the Foden chassis.
Most likely…
ERF-Continental:
Most likely…however info on the 2-axles LHD does not state that NTC355E ■■■■■■■■■■ I should dive deeper
Thinking again, my fading memory tells me that NTC355E was the 310 net hp version, the 340hp one was simply NTC355. I think the information is in the Transcon and/or ■■■■■■■ threads on this forum. I may be wrong. 
The idea that the 355/355E was a Ford “special” version came from an article I read in Truck magazine. Given that, in 1975, there was already an NTC335 and an NTC350, it would be an easy mistake to make:
Either way, the engines were quite different to the earlier 14 litre engines, and they were used by makers other than Ford.
@Robert- those 4x2 spec sheets show an earlier version of the vehicle, judging by the badge on the grille. Fodens got the “square” badge at about the same time as that Truck magazine article, so I would guess that they started fitting the 355/355E engine then.
The Fleetmaster full screen,Haulmaster split screen i think 
the Foden that came to Waugh road services as a demo had the 350 BHP ■■■■■■■
in it not sure if it was a late S-reg or new T- reg but did the two drivers on trunk love that power OH YES at the time it was up
against the Sed/Atk(long term demo) with the 290 ■■■■■■■ and even they couldnt touch it on the M62 hills .
The one problem with it all the time it was on demo was the cab locking mech would click open when you gave it the Gardner boot, red warning light
on the dash and you had to pump the cab back down to re seat click it back in to get the light out.
The Foden looked huge but a bit like the S80 not that much space room for the size of cab which was sad 
as it was the only Foden demo motor that
made it through the gates still no match for the Merc V8 
V NG trunk motor even at just 280 build quality and finish was way way in front if not power. 
-
8LXBV8BRIAN:
The Fleetmaster full screen,Haulmaster split screen i think
Ah! That’s useful! Robert
robert1952:
8LXBV8BRIAN:
The Fleetmaster full screen,Haulmaster split screen i think :?:Ah! That’s useful! Robert
Quite right, we had Haulmaster eight’s and a Fleetmaster unit with a bitumen tank trailer. Regarding the cab locking claws opening in transit, we drilled them and put a pin through the bracket to stop the claw opening. 
Pete.
I found the most frustrating thing about the cab locking claws was when they closed before the cab was down and the shock absorber sat on top of them. It seemed some vehicles just would just do the same thing all over again if you pumped the cab up again a little bit. Then it was a matter of trying to lever them open with the weight of the cab sat on top of them. You would get one in, the cab would drop and then there was even more weight on the other one.
cav551:
I found the most frustrating thing about the cab locking claws was when they closed before the cab was down and the shock absorber sat on top of them. It seemed some vehicles just would just do the same thing all over again if you pumped the cab up again a little bit. Then it was a matter of trying to lever them open with the weight of the cab sat on top of them. You would get one in, the cab would drop and then there was even more weight on the other one.
That was yet another reason why we put pins in them, to keep them open!
Pete.