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Post by Roehm3108 on Jun 15, 2011 20:09:05 GMT 10
Hi all! Thought I would start a new thread for my newly acquired Rowvan from Walker Flat. The pics as posted by the seller:    As always, it great to see some original pics of how people used these vans. Here are some pics kindly sent to me by the seller       This has got to be my favourite, for the sheer contrast  Hope you enjoy them as much as I appreciate having received them. Ray |
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neilncheryl
Full Member
Make God laugh, tell Him your plans.
Posts: 324
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Post by neilncheryl on Jun 15, 2011 20:36:12 GMT 10
Love the photos Ray
Looks like your Rowvan has the 15" wheels and the stripe appears green in some of the earlier photos (good colour for a stripe on a Rowvan is green).
Previous owner of mine changed to 13" wheels which has made it too low when negotiating driveways.
Neil
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Post by retro64 on Jun 16, 2011 8:47:22 GMT 10
Hi Ray,
Congratulations on the purchase of your new van.
The Rowvans certainly have a beautifull shape and style about them. We really admire neilncheryls, so cant wait to see what you do with yours.
The photos are certainly a bonus, how nice to see it in its prime.
The photo of the once majestic timber tree towering above the timber van, with its stark contrast, is a visual treat.
Definately a great pic.
all the best with it ,
retro64
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Post by cruisindoug on Jun 16, 2011 12:36:57 GMT 10
Congrats on the new purchase Ray, love the van, love the photos.  Cheers, Doug and Tracy |
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Post by mgandwartz on Jun 16, 2011 16:05:44 GMT 10
Nice van - great pics, especially like the one behind the FE? ute
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Trish_M
Full Member
1950's Home Made Bondwood "Bettie Moonya"
Posts: 275
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Post by Trish_M on Aug 16, 2011 10:03:20 GMT 10
Wow, this looks so much like my Hawthorn Van!
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Post by monty18 on Aug 16, 2011 10:20:00 GMT 10
wow love the van wish i had more space at home for something like that
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 1, 2011 19:16:13 GMT 10
Been waiting since June to actually SEE the Rowvan that I bought. Monday this week, I finally packed the car and headed off to a friend's place at Lameroo in SA. He was able to give me storage space in one of his sheds until I could find/create my own storage for this van. Created storage space in said shed on Tuesday, and Wednesday (yes, my birthday) hooked up the car trailer and headed for Walker Flat (no the Phantom doesn't live there) near Mannum. I was the designated driver and my friend the navigator. When we got near the place, I gave him a map sent to me by the seller. He took one look at it and said "This looks like it's Uncle Sid's place". Sure enough, when we arrived, it was his late Step-uncle Sid's place and Uncle Sid's van, which my friend didn't even know about, as uncle Sid wouldn't let riff-raff like him see everything he owned. And there under the carport, was Uncle Sid's last car, a Toyota Crown!!! Going by the Rego papers, this van hasn't been used and was stored in the garage since 1980. Here are pics!! Rowvan finally sees the light of day again:   Finally loaded and who's a happy chappy!! Some birthday pressie!!   Her new temporary home:  The interior!      The only damage - looks like something dropped off the rafter onto the roof at some stage:  Drawbar and that neat ball hitch:   Overall, you couldn't find a more pristine example of a 1954 caravan, it really only needs a wash, electrics and wheel bearings check roof calico renewal and away we go!! Anybody got any thoughts on the best way to repair that cracked ceiling? So I guess this is the ultimate birthday pressie any vintage vanner could ask for! Cheers Ray |
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Post by bobandjacqui on Sept 2, 2011 5:34:15 GMT 10
Very nice Rowvan that you have picked up there Ray. It's amazing just how many old vans are still out there tucked away in old sheds. Good luck with the roof repairs and we look forward to seeing it in the flesh. Cheers Bob and Jacqui  ;D ;D |
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Post by Swellwillys on Sept 2, 2011 6:58:00 GMT 10
Great buy Ray, she'll come up a treat .
A by the way a belated Happy Birthday mate!
Gavan
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Post by cobber on Sept 2, 2011 8:25:36 GMT 10
G'day Ray, That little ol' Rowvan will come up a treat in your capable hands, not sure what would be the best way to handle the canite roof...... maybe squirt some glue into the cracks from underneath and push it back into shape then renew the cloth on the outside  ...... somebody will have a better idea..... maybe  Did YOU write that above the cooker Ray   Cobber. |
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Post by cruisindoug on Sept 2, 2011 8:33:05 GMT 10
That looks to be an absolute ripper, Ray Just wondering if it would be viable to patch the roof by cutting out the section about halfway over the battens? The battens could provide the means of securing the patch and it would not be visible from the inside once done. If you are going to replace the calico on the roof anyway, this would cover the patch from the outside. This method would work best if there is a bit of thickness in the roof ply (?) as it could then also be stepped over on top to provide extra strength and hepl hide the join. Cheers Doug. |
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Post by JBJ on Sept 2, 2011 11:13:28 GMT 10
Hi Ray,
I go along with Cobber's thought of pushing the canite back into place. If you shaped a few bits of (say) 75x75 pine to fit the profile of the adjacent undamaged roof panel, form them into a grid (or waffle) shape, then jacked the shape up into the damaged panel after placing glue in the cracks, it should go back close to original I think. Dont forget to put some non stick surface over the shaped jacking piece. A couple of floor jacks & lengths of timber should lift it into place & hold it there for a while while drying.
Remember Canite is most flexible when wet. Sio if it didnt want to go back into shape easily, maybe dampening the Canite might help. Its an untried suggestion, but I think it should do the job, & thats how I would do it.
Best of luck.
Its a great looking van, & a good find.
JBJ
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2011 12:21:05 GMT 10
wow  .....thats a rippa Ray  just goes to show........with your find, and the recent find by Reddo, ........that they're still turning up I luv those Rowvans .....how did I miss that one Mark |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 2, 2011 13:53:41 GMT 10
Glad I was on the right track. Before I actually saw the damage my thought was to replace the whole section of caneite from the front of the hatch to the front of the roofline. But after seeing it, my thoughts are along the lines of cobber and JBJ, perhaps using something like sikaflex11FC, which is a glue AND sealant, pushing the roof down slightly from the outside to open the crack a little more, filling the sikaflex into the crack and then pushing the panel back up from the inside and bracing it as you suggest Dennis. Is Gladwrap still the thing to use as a way not to have the bracing material stick to the panel? If that fails, then what cruisindoug suggests would seem the way to go, but perhaps only if the first fails. It's a real pity that someone was so careless to do that damage. I still saw a hunk of timber slid in the rafter which lined up with the damaged roof part. Looks like someone was careless sticking it up there for storage in the first place. Mark, you're right. When I travel around some of these outlying villages and see umpteen sheds, and some of them unusually tall, to me it says THERE'S A VAN IN THAT SHED!!! They ARE out there. I was talking to a local lady last week, who tells me that a friend of hers has a bondwood van with leadlight glass in the door! Hmmmmmmmmmmmm And cobber, if I had written that sign, at least I would have spelt the word correctly. Because of it I might have to repaint the whole interior .... eventually Ray |
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Post by urkel1965 on Sept 2, 2011 23:36:40 GMT 10
Hi Ray,
I reckon the photo of the van with the FE is outside the bakery in Swan Reach (not far from Walker Flat). Also Lameroo.......not far from Pinnaroo....now, do I need a Rowvan???!!!
Steve
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 3, 2011 8:09:48 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 3, 2011 19:38:37 GMT 10
G'day Ray, Love the Rowvan! What a beauty and fantastic to see it is in such great original condition. You certainly have the knack of finding some really nice vans - Carapark Superb, Propert, Trail-A-Home... This one is easier to put into immediate use than the Trail-a-Home, but.  You've inspired me to do something I've been meaning to do for a while - try and sort out the DHL Rowvan thread which is a bit of a mess because a lot of the pics have been pulled by those who originally posted them. Let's see what I can achieve. In the meantime you enjoy the new van! As Mark T said - it really is a ripper! Don Ricardo |
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mia
New Member
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Post by mia on Mar 5, 2012 21:39:01 GMT 10
I want your caravan! Love the round light, cupboards that fold down. And the exterior paint is perfect! Gorgeous!
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Post by Roehm3108 on Mar 6, 2012 7:01:17 GMT 10
You can't have it mia ;D ;D It actually was advertised last year on the forum here and I was the only one who showed an interest in it. Bought it from the photos and got a pleasant surprise when I finally saw it. Surprisingly, even the locals had no knowledge that this fellow owned a caravan and were kicking themselves that they hadn't bought it. Met another rellie here in Vic, who also had no knowledge of it. I actually reckon that my previous van is more up your alley - it would keep your little bundle of energy occupied for weeks vintagecaravans.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=photo&thread=2327&page=1#41161Ray |
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mia
New Member
Posts: 32
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Post by mia on Mar 6, 2012 22:38:36 GMT 10
Oh it's great, so colourful! I can see the addiction, I keep saying my next caravan.......
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Post by Roehm3108 on Mar 7, 2012 6:09:48 GMT 10
You're right mia, vintage caravans are like chocolates - the first one is never your last - but DonRicardo would tell you there's always the exception to that ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Roehm3108 on Jul 11, 2012 15:17:17 GMT 10
Well folks, the Rowvan is finally home. Considering I first rescued it in August last year, its been a long wait. But I had to build a garage for it first, as well as have a driveway built, before I picked it up from its temporary home in Lameroo SA.  My thanks to Barry and Christine for their patience in waiting for that extra shed space to be returned to them. That's Barry sitting in his wheelie frame. It rained on the last night and day of its travel, and because the calico cloth was so old and dry, I did have some water leaks, which are currently drying out. Apart from that, a new set of tyres, bearing repacking and temporary tail-light wiring was all it needed to tow her some 700kms. The bearings looked like they had never been used! Ray |
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Post by cobber on Jul 11, 2012 16:46:09 GMT 10
Well done Ray, nothing like a new shed to put a leaking van under Shouldn't be long before this one is on the road again...........aye? Cobber. |
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Post by urkel1965 on Jul 11, 2012 18:11:25 GMT 10
Hi Ray
Great you got it home in one piece. Thanks for dropping in on your way home, and giving me the chance to see it in the flesh.
Regards
Steve
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;D ;D
...... somebody will have a better idea..... maybe 
