T
HE LOCAL custom scene was
blessed with a number of cool big
vans back in the day, but there aren’t
many that can hold a candle to this
iconic Bedford known as The Judge.
The Judge’s history spans 40 years
and was the brainchild of Victorian vanner
Rick Hall. Rick picked up this ex-postie, 1971
sliding-door model in the mid 70s to use as
his weekly work hack and weekend party
bus. It wasn’t long before Rick got sucked
into the van scene and the Beddy was taken
off the road for a full build.
Custom bodywork was the order of the day
and the Bedford was treated to a healthy set
of steel flared guards to house whopping
chrome 12-slot rims – they never used to
be labelled as ‘Ford only’, any car was fair
game – along with one of the most attractive
front- and rear-end makeovers ever applied
to the Bedford model, created using parts
from new-model cars of the time.
XC Fairmont headlamps in specially made
surrounds complement a custom grille,
bonnet scoops and steel front spoiler,
while out back traditional-style tailgates and
split-lens CL Valiant sedan tail-lights flank
a red Perspex centre panel. The latter was
illuminated and embossed with ‘Chevrolet’
as back-up for the grille-mounted Bowtie
badge. And these tags weren’t just for show.
The tradition of Aussie car manufacturers
jamming big six-cylinder donks into four-
cylinder Pommy-based jobs like the
Torana, Cortina and Centura spread to
the commercial range as well, with both
Bedford and Transit vans scoring six-pot
love. But Rick hadn’t been that lucky; his
van copped the reliable yet wheezy Vauxhall-based slant-four on the assembly line. This
was deemed unacceptable, so Rick skipped
the six altogether and fixed his power woes
by dropping in a 327-cube small-block Chev
out of a ’68 Impala, which was then treated
to a Crane cam and Holley four-barrel for
more go.
A Turbo 400 transmission was rebuilt and
shift-kitted, and an XR Falcon BorgWarnerdiff was widened – yes, you read that right- to suit.
Jack-of-all-trades Rick laid down the original
Ford Satin Brown paint and decked out the
interior in a mix of timber and diamond-tufted
red crushed velvet along with highlights in
red, brown and gold velour. An electrician, he
even wired in self-retracting curtains!
Rick then hit the show scene, which was
when the van’s ‘The Judge’ moniker came
about quite by accident. Asked by one of
his mates how he’d fare against other well-
known Bedford vans like Dream Warrior and
Mandingo, Rick’s response was: “I don’t
know, you be the judge.” The name stuck.
The Judge was sold in 1979 to Danny
Woodham, who set about taking the van
to the next level. The most notable change- and unquestionably The Judge’s calling
card – was the combination gullwing/suicide
conversion to the front doors, which was ably
handled by master craftsman and engineer
Nick Venardis of Ariel Customs and Strip
Tripper HD Holden fame (SM, Sep ’17).
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A late-80s revamp of The Judge
saw the front portion of the roof
given a pseudo-chop by sectioning
the firewall, with the existing
gullwing door tops shortened to
suit. Fresh murals were added,
along with a black vinyl roof and
black paint to the upper surfaces to
create a graphics effect