we all look back with great affection to the supertrucks of the 60"s and 70"s the 110 111 140,141…88"s and 89"s.I personally remember driving a 111 where the O/S stair case was so rotten that you had to enter and exit the passenger side,the screen ■■■■■■ water in the rain.the roof seems and gutters had rotted and leaked.the wings rotting and gradually dropping down to the road and most of the cab rear wall was filler and a luke warm heater.My 77 F88 was so smokey on tickover that it would choke you and make your eyes stream if left running when changing trailers.the doors were rotten and could pop open on a certain camber and the floors used to rot away.As everone else here I still hold these trucks with fondness.anyone else got these mixed memories
Can’t see what you’re whinging at europleb! I had a 4 year old F89, went like stink at over 10bhp/ton and a gear for every occasion (16 remember), the heater was brill, the suspension was acceptable, steered as on rails, jeez it was hot inside in the summer, especially in southern Europe, no leaks, no rust!
F88 290 had a 3 stage starting and idling switching arrangement (EPR, Exhaust Pressure Regulator) on the centre console which IF working did cut cold engine smoke considerably. 290’s went like the wind because they revved so freely and high. I remember being in a BFC 290 on the Eastleigh bypass (uphill) off the tacho clock 75mph+, albeit tractor only.
Mind you, I did have a 111 with the cab so rotten (thanks Compo) that if you lifted the bunk you could see the road. We plugged that with some astro turf and christmas pudding!
When you compared them to the wagons we were driving five years before, they were the dogs. I’ve owned an F88 and F89, and driven most of those you mentioned, never had any of those problems. I guess even if l had, l wouldn’t have moaned too much, the alterative was not worth thinking about going back to. 
l don’t drive lorries anymore, but go out with a French friend in his Scania 480, its nice, but if I had to go back on the road, and had a choice it’d be a 6x2 Transcontinental, 350 ■■■■■■■■ Fuller box and aircon on the roof, impossible today l know, but I’d be happy… 
Fergie47:
When you compared them to the wagons we were driving five years before, they were the dogs. I’ve owned an F88 and F89, and driven most of those you mentioned, never had any of those problems. I guess even if l had, l wouldn’t have moaned too much, the alterative was not worth thinking about going back to.
PS or a GUY Invincible with ■■■■■■■ NH 180 engine.Anon 1.
Bewick:
Fergie47:
When you compared them to the wagons we were driving five years before, they were the dogs. I’ve owned an F88 and F89, and driven most of those you mentioned, never had any of those problems. I guess even if l had, l wouldn’t have moaned too much, the alterative was not worth thinking about going back to.PS or a GUY Invincible with ■■■■■■■ NH 180 engine.Anon 1.
To say nothing about the Guy with the 240 Percy Anon 1.
Guess who?
All vehicles went rusty quickly back then for a variety of reasons, including allowing paint to be sprayed onto already ‘blooming’ steel, and also a lack of understanding about how clamping, say, two parts of a door together and welding it can set up an electrolytic reaction which will eventually dissolve both pieces ( I don’t claim to have realised that at the time, I watched a TV programme about it a few years ago.)
I have a 56 reg Kia with 50,000 miles on it. There is no rust anywhere and it uses no oil. The only reason to change it is ‘plate vanity’. I presume Lorries are built to the same or higher standards now, certainly you don’t see the rust buckets you used to.
As others have said, even if they went rusty quicker than they would nowadays, we did like our Scandinavian Super Trucks!
John.
My F88/290 was three years old when I got it. The only rust I found was on the air intake. Well, not exactly rusty, disintegrated would be more accurate. At three years old, too!
Luckily there was a cheap solution- I discovered that the metal gauze from a discarded Volvo air filter was an exact fit over what was left of the inlet stack. A light smearing of filler, rub it down & paint it and my Swedish flying machine was like new.
Supertrucks■■? try a Thornycoft 8 wheeler with the original engine in it. I was only a lad but I’ve never forgotten it. A grand machine. 
i don’t look back and remember the Albion i drove for NCL with any longing,nor the ERF 180’s with DB box we had at Carryfast either…but the Daf 2500 and 2800’s are a different matter! i would love to have one of those back 
grumpy old man:
Supertrucks■■? try a Thornycoft 8 wheeler with the original engine in it. I was only a lad but I’ve never forgotten it. A grand machine.
Never got to try one but always wanted to. A bit late now, I reckon. Thorneycroft were brilliant engineers, way ahead of their time. The opposition were so scared that they would get an injection of cash that they bit the bullet and took them over themselves with an offer they couldn’t refuse.
carryfast-yeti:
nor the ERF 180’s with DB box we had at Carryfast either…but the Daf 2500 and 2800’s are a different matter! i would love to have one of those back
I didn’t like the 2500’s,almost as much as those Gardner powered heaps that were luckily well on their way out when I started.But what I would have given for an unlimited 2800 that I drove in the early days over the Merc 2534 that I finished up with.
grumpy old man:
Supertrucks■■? try a Thornycoft 8 wheeler with the original engine in it. I was only a lad but I’ve never forgotten it. A grand machine.
Well I drove an old Thorny, It was an Ex BRS Motor BEG 506, From Peterboro , It had a 7.7 AEC, When Baxters Road Services Ltd in Newcastle bought it, They replaced it with the Thorny 9.6. Engine, It was a great motor to drive plus it had 8 wheel Westinhouse brakes, It was a bit heavey on the steering though so I used to load it heavey to the rear, Problem solved, They also had BEG 571 From the same stable, That was replaced with a Albion Caledonion 8 wheeler, Oddly this was sold after a year in service to Christies of Aberdeen & replaced with a 8 wheeler Atki, SBR 655, Oh dear all these old mems do get me going, Regards Larry.