​When Vintage Supplies moved across to its new home in Malvern in June 2018, the companies Model Y was still being restored. Since moving, the car has had a refreshed engine, a complete respray, and custom "Vintage Coachbuilding Supplies" sign written onto it. We believe it looks just as good now as it did when it rolled off the production line in 1937. The van Was registered on 31st December, after the company ceased production of the Model Y on 30th November 1937. Meaning the van is likely the last model Y ever made.

The van is powered by a perky little Ford 8hp engine and doesn't take long to get up to speed on main roads - so long as you can withstand the bouncy ride! The handling has been described as "challenging and exciting, however, a lesser man would find it terrifying".

As the van has been rebuilt to factory specification, we have been fortunate enough to supply most of the components needed to restore it. See smallfordspares.co.uk to take a look at some of what we have to offer for pre-war Fords through to late 60's icons like the 105E Anglia.

Having managed to get the Popular back to our base in Malvern, the project to supercharge it can finally commence. With forced induction, the stresses placed on the engine’s internal components can be huge, often with devastating results if not correctly tuned. So, naturally the project will start with a great deal of research. Finding a genuine ‘era appropriate’ supercharger for the Popular is not going to be an easy process, and even then, it would most likely still need to be stripped down and rebuilt. Therefore, the most time effective way to tackle this issue is to source a newer one, hopefully improving both reliability and efficiency. 

It comes without saying that supercharging a vehicle is not something which can be done overnight, and it doesn’t take long for things to spiral out of control as interfering components have a knock-on effect on each other. Fortunately, The Pop’s chunky rear axle and upgraded fuel pump ticks off a few things of our list. This leaves us to address the changes we must make in order to mount the supercharger and pulley system and creating a custom intake system for the supercharger to feed into the block.

Aisin have been making aftermarket supercharger systems for several years. An older model of theirs, the AMR500, looks to be an ideal candidate for the Pop. This is a style of supercharger is known as a “mini roots” supercharger, meaning all the basic plumbing and efficiency of a traditional roots supercharger, but with the compact packaging and smaller displacement a more modern centrifugal supercharger has to offer. For the 1172cc engine, finding an appropriate pulley ratio should not be too difficult as these were designed for 1.0 - 1.2L engines.

Obviously, the rest of the engine will need some form of modification. The exhaust manifold will need adapting to avoid excessive back pressure, the intake manifold will also need to be completely redesigned to fit to the supercharger, and the carburettors may be replaced with a single larger one (preferably 1”3/4) to allow for more fuel.

Make sure to follow the build process and see our latest product updates on our Facebook page!

​After the recent relocation of Vintage Supplies, the company has expanded and pushed itself further in the ever-growing world of vintage automobiles. The company’s small fleet of veteran vehicles has seen a similar expansion, especially with the introduction of its newest member – Mabel, a 1956 Ford Popular boasting a spritely 100E conversion alongside a host of other upgrades. Renowned in the trials racing scene in part to its upgraded E83W rear axle and E83W brakes, nothing can stop Mabel from chugging up nearly any hill in any condition.

Gone but not forgotten, Mabel has been unused for nearly two years despite her impressive setup. Joe, the car’s previous owner, acquired the Pop back in 2001 and has kept the vehicle in splendid condition. With some fresh fuel and a turn of the key, Mabel runs like she was driven yesterday.

While some may say, “Don’t fix what isn’t broken”, Vintage and Classic Spares begs to differ. In our minds, Mabel could benefit from a burst of power. Over the course of the year, she’ll see the addition of a newly developed in-house supercharger kit hopefully gifting an extra fifty percent increase in horsepower.
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We are excited to have this underway very soon. Follow this blog to gain an in-depth look at the project as well as any of Mabel’s future adventures.