Trish_M's new 1950's Home Made Bondwood.

Wow nine years! That's commitment. Congratulations Does she need any work or all good to go?

Thanks Gordon and Hilldweller,
"Betty" has not been towed in 40 years and was last registered in 1997, has 1939 Chevrolet wheels. I will be replacing these and greasing bearings and installing a braking system. I do think I will have to replace the part that attaches to the towball as well. She doesn't leak and is perfect, no cracked windows, fridge works (where icebox used to be) pump tap installed as well to replace old handle pump type. Improvements were done in the 1970's but she was only used a couple of times after this. Her metho stove was also replaced with a gas one but the old owner gave the methane one in case I want to put it back in again.

Thank you! I am like a proud Mumma.

Trish
You have found a treasure ~ well done ;D

Van history:
This was made in the mid 1950's by a gentleman from Coleraine , Victoria, he took about two years to build it. He used it once and it was discovered that he had a "dodgy ticker". He was told not do do anything strenuous and hitching up and unhitching the van and what not was too strenuous. He went to his local car dealership in Coleraine and traded it and his car in. The owners of the dealership, Tunny and Margaret, decided to keep the van for themselves and their young family and used the van till the end of the 1970's.



Just before the last few trips they replaced the icebox with a fridge, the old water hand pump tap to a more modern one and the metho stove to a gas one. The van is capable of running on 12 volt as well.
They retired the van to the carport and various grandkids used it to stay in, Tunny kept the van registered till 25.09.1997 when he decided after it had been sitting so long it might not be going anywhere too soon.
Tunny told me that Margaret "lost interest" in caravanning and preferred motels but he was still keen to do it but now too old. He said people had suggested he sold it to an enthusiast but he just never got around to it. And to have found someone like me who had been admiring it for 9 years was just where he would want it to go.
The term "they don't make them like they used to" apply's to this van as well as Margaret and Tunny, they are truly lovely people and I am sure I have made great friends. They want me to pop over with "Moonya" on her maiden voyage. As a pet name I have named her Betty after all the famous Bettie's of the 1950's so from now on her full name is Betty Moonya xo

Tunny and Margaret's honeymoon set up:





Me, Margaret and Tunny:



We only just made it through, under the carport:



HOME!:



Chassis:

Wow that interior is amazing. Beautiful craftmanship. Love all the curves and the curtain fabric.

Thank you Ray and hilldweller every spare moment now is spent out with her planning and cleaning and still at the "pinch me I'm dreaming" phase!

Thanks retro 64,
I watched on for 9 years for a few reasons, I was too nervous to approach the owners unannounced, didn't think I would have the money for a gorgeous van like this, I also thought that since it was undercover that it must be a pride and joy and something they did not want to get rid of. A few times I also thought how I would kick myself if one day it was not there!
My grandpa passed away recently and it reminded me that you must live a full life and chase after what you want, so I finally mustered up the courage to ask, he had such a full life and I can only hope to exit this world having achieved as much as he had.
I sold my old van first and made sure I had a decent amount to offer, I am very glad I did this because the van meant a lot to them and I really was quite surprised when I saw how good it was!
I am going to visit them again and ask them more about the builder of Moonya, as he was or is? very talented. Tunny and Margaret took a photo of myself and my family (hubby and our 10 year old daughter and 14 year old daughter) in front of it and I really will have some wonderful times with them in it and keep Moonya's legacy alive!

Trish

Wow Trish,

that certainly has to be the VV find of the year!

It is interesting you say that the "improvements" were made in the 1970's. To my mind what they did were changes but certainly not improvements.

At least it looks like they were done thoughtfully and they should not be hard to reverse.

Do they still have the 1939 Vauxhall Wyvern and the Sportsman teardrop??

I would be interested in those 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers, Leigh.

Hi there,
I thought I had better give an update on Bettie's progress. Since my last posts she has been sanded back and repainted on 3 sides. The rot under the window frame has been removed and repaired and she has a new front window frame as the old one was beyond repair. Soon the front will also be repainted. We have found a product called Dulux Metalshield Industrial Aluminium for the Roof which is heat resistant and will give the same silver look that it previously had.
After this is done the plan is to attack all her running gear, the tyres and wheels and the towing hitch. Her clearance lights and tail lights have been replaced with as close to vintage as I could find.

Sanded back to this:


And repainted to this:

My next dilemma is to fix the tyres and get new ones, she currently has 1939 Chevrolet wheels (I believe) and I am not sure if I can just bring them into a tyre place and have them replaced or I have to hunt down new tyres? Any advice is greatly appreciated

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