Vintage Caravans - Fisher's Resto

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Jun 20, 2013, 7:52pm

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #25 on Apr 17, 2012, 8:17am »

4.

The Floor

My loverly wifie decided that it would be better to get rid of the floor tiles. A job that I was dreading, and was considering covering them with Masonite. Armed with just a chisel and a hammer my wife and my friend's husband started chipping away at the tiles while we were doing the sides of the van outside.
[image]

Sheer determination
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Continuing.
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and continuing
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still going...
[image]

And about 3 hours later the last tile was lifted to much relief
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The final product
[image]

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #26 on Apr 17, 2012, 8:22am »

5.
Wiring

The other thing that we did over the weekend was the wiring. While the walls were off it was easy to run the new wires. I have tossed up for a long time now about whether to keep the old wires or to replace them. My view about wiring is that the old fittings are not necessarily safe enough for 240v due to age and deterioration in the plastics. As this is a van that I intend to use often I feel that I need to make the wiring for the 240v circuit safer and conformative to current standards. I decided to replace the old rubber two core and separate external bare earth wire with a modern TPS and will be replacing the power points.

Currently one roof light was 240v and the other was 12v. The other two lights in the wall near the table and above the cooker are also 12v. I decided to convert the current 240v light to 12v so all lighting will be 12v. This was a simple matter of joining the wire in the cupboard to connect to the near by 12v.
[image]

Running the new 240v in the wall
[image]

Because of my modern life, and the need to charge things I will be doing a small mod and adding a couple of 12v points. These are flush mount and take a standard cigarette lighter plug. This will allow for charging phones, running laptops, tv etc off the 12v electric built into the van. But don't worry this is one of very few mods that I am making to 'Bessie'.
[image]

Down the back I had just run some wires in the wall to put a 12v point near the rear side window above the bench with the set of drawers (To allow sitting a 12V TV on the bench). Later I found two existing 12v wires in the wall in the next compartment, all I had to do was to pull them back a bit and poke them through the wall... Doh! Wish I found them before I ran the other wires... Obviously the intent was to originally put a 12v point here but later they changed their mind as the bunk bed does not allow for any protrusions (As it moves up and down against the wall) in this area where the wires were found.
[image]

partially run 240v
[image]

On the outside I had to make the entry hole a little bigger to take the new clipsal power inlet. The old one was fairly corroded and there was no weather protection for the plugged in lead. I have temporarily sat it in place for now to check clearances in the wall.
[image]

In the cupboard is the power house to the 12v electrics. I have just sat a battery in there for now. But you can see the worn paint where the original battery had moved around a lot. Originally the 12v battery was connected to an isolation switch near the door which then connected to a wire to the trailer plug. Obviously you would isolate the battery when camped so that the car battery would not drain flat, then reconnect it (by flicking the switch) once going again to charge it while driving.
[image]

After the query about the light fittings I could not find the brass fitting for the second light. I looked everywhere and pulled apart the shed to find if. It wasn't till I was working on the van at the weekend that I found it... IDIOT!
[image]

« Last Edit: Apr 17, 2012, 8:48am by kfisher »

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cobber
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #27 on Apr 17, 2012, 10:08am »

G'day kfisher,

Not only are you doing a great job saving this old van but you are doing a great job providing a photographic record of how you are going about it.
It's all good but I like what you are doing with the calico..... a good old fashion system that seemed to work 8-)

Cobber.

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #28 on Apr 17, 2012, 12:21pm »

I hope that this photo record can help others that follow in our footsteps. Also it's interesting to reflect on the journey.

From what I found out the calico provides an excellent waterproofing and really protects the roof ply far better than any other sealant. So hopefully it will be fine enough next weekend to finish it off, as we have only done around the potential leaky points at the moment.

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Roehm3108
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #29 on Apr 17, 2012, 1:00pm »

I really like how you are approaching this resto so systematically - a lesson for all potential restorers.

You're doing a great job there and thanks for the pics as you progress. A special "YAY" to your dad - he deserves it. Who said parents don't know how to do things ::)

Keep up the good work

Ray

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gregw
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #30 on Apr 17, 2012, 6:51pm »

You are doing a great job kfischer and friends, keep the photos coming, it is fantastic to show your ideas and to encourage others to have a go
gregw

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takeiteasy
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #31 on Apr 17, 2012, 7:29pm »

Great job... great pics. My Dad was very handy, being a retired car and wagon builder. He died a few years back but, still, when I get stumped on the van I have a "ring Dad" message go up in my mind. Anyhow, keep the pics coming!

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humpty2
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #32 on Apr 17, 2012, 7:48pm »

Don't forget to wash that calico before you put it on.......twice at least.
You will find there's a lot of dirt in it.
Keep up the good work.
Humpty.

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #33 on Apr 20, 2012, 11:13am »

My dad has been a fantastic help. And I really appreciate what he has done so far. It is great to be able to call on his vast experience he has gained over the years with renovating houses and also he has built his own holiday house.
[image]

Way to go dad

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #34 on Apr 20, 2012, 11:46am »

The weekend is quickly approaching so it is time to have a good think about what jobs need doing over the next two days. Unfortunately the weather report is varying, every time I look it changes, so I don't want to risk doing the canvas till the forecast looks more bright. So the plan is some inside and some outside jobs to maximize the work between possible showers. I am planning to get the lower outside side ply back on, the front roof screwed down, table wall mount fitted, finish sanding inside and the back bunks re-attached. If we get a good break in the weather might get some undercoat on the sides. Tonight will be doing a run to the big shed near by to get some more supplies like screws, filler and a few bits of timber.

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #35 on May 5, 2012, 9:54am »

Well two weekends have passed now, on the first the weather had a little break so I decided to start putting the material on the roof. My advice to anyone considering redoing theirs is to pick a day that's not too hot so that you have time to manipulate the material before the paint sets and to just dive in head first and get stuck into it. The process was not as daunting as it sounds and it only took just under three hours. I found that if you slopped a generous coating of undercoat on first then stretched the material out while smoothing and rubbing it into the undercoat, while it is still wet. Because of the larger amount of undercoat it did take longer to dry than expected. Once the calico was held in place and while still wet, a good coating of undercoat over the top.

Ok enough bla bla bla – onto the pickies.

We laid the calico out over the whole roof first, some people roll it and work from the back to the front. We decided to be different and worked from the hatch out. This caused a problem when we got to the third side as I had not expected the calico to stretch so much. Next time back to front...
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Slop undercoat on
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Stretch out material and Pat down
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Paint over the top
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Then repeat. I found if you do a patch about 1m square at a time worked well. Expect to get paint all over yourself though

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Stretching the material as you go a bit helps it to flatten easier so you can rub it into the paint.

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Keep repeating paint, cover, stretch, smooth and paint over...

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Till you get to the end, then we tacked the excess in place with a few holding nails.
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The last few brush strokes and it's done 2h 47min, WOO HOO!
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Finished

Just like the roofing tin advert, standing in a daze admiring the roof...
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Expect to get covered in paint
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The following weekend I trimmed off the excess material off the sides to allow about a 1cm overhang
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Then when I put a second layer of undercoat on the roof I painted the overhanging pieces into the top of the walls to create a seal.
[image]

More to come soon.

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #36 on May 5, 2012, 11:36am »

On the second weekend the weather was a bit better and we got the chance to put a layer of undercoat on the sides of the van. But we first had to punch in all the nail holes and cover them with a filler.

Punch in nails
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Filled holes
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Sanding

Painting started
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And continued...
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The chain gang

Are we there yet???
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Nearly done
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First coat of undercoat on the outside done, 2 coats on the roof done
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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #37 on May 5, 2012, 12:14pm »

I know I'm backtracking a little a little. The wood below were we cut was replaced with new wood.

We had to replace the lower 30cm of ply so all the old ply at the bottom was cut off.
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The new ply was cut out with a jig saw to the required shape
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Sickaflex and nailed into place in the same way that the old ply was re-nailed before.
[image]

The nails then had to be punched in with a punch so that the filler can fill the holes smooth. As you can see we were all well over punching nails by the time it was finished.
[image]

Ok I can hear some people starting to yell soon, sorry but my philosophy is 90% restoration (as original) and 10% renovation (slight design changes for practicality). There are three issues here that has made me decide to place a horizontal quad strip along the join.

1. The new ply is slightly thinner than the original ply so there is a noticeable height difference which is hidden by the quad trim.
2. My ability to fill the gap is pretty poor, and I was also worried about the filler causing a horizontal crack in the paint.
3. It will be far easier to replace the lower wood again when it rots out next time.

The quad was nailed on with sickaflex underneath
[image]

Then a bead of sickaflex was run along the top and bottom of the quad and smoothed in to seal the join from any water.
[image]

The finished unpainted result:
[image]

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #38 on May 5, 2012, 1:13pm »

Last weekend I got stuck into fixing up the hatch. Most of the wood of the old hatch was pretty good except the side trims and the paint had suffered with the weather.
[image]

The first trick was to rip off the old side wood strips using a chisel
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Then I removed the old nails with a claw hammer and gave the edges a slight plane to smoothen them up.
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Sand both sides
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Finished sanding
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Replaced side trim wood all round and nailed into place
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In order to better protect and waterproof the hatch I decided to cover it in calico, in the same fashion as the roof.

Using the same process as with the roof:
1.Slop on the undercoat
[image]

2.Stretch over material
[image]

2b.Pat down
[image]

3.Paint over
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4.Repeat till finished

[image]

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #39 on May 5, 2012, 1:32pm »

Had a few minutes left at the end of the day so while I was packing up I saw this piece of scrap ply and decided to look at a backing board for the number plate and lights.

The original lights that came on the van had round lenses, and looked like a fairly generic light which possibly had been replaced at some stage.
[image]

Because of this I have decided to use a similar style of light, except instead of having a round lens it uses a square lens which is easily available, and can be replaced easily.
However I felt that they needed to sit on a backing board instead of being flush mounted to the van.

I got this scrap piece of ply and shaped and slightly rounded the edges.

Final product
[image]

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #40 on May 22, 2012, 8:27am »

Now that the hatch was covered with material there was the dilemma of how to finish off the material underneath so I decided to fold the corners and seal them under a metal edge cap.

Corners folded over and trimmed off
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Edge caps cut out of corner metal and holes were drilled for nails
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Sickaflex was applied under the corner fold to help give a better seal
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The material I folded over the edge and stapled into place much like an upholstered chair
[image]

Then trimmed off the excess
[image]

Applying some more Sickaflex behind the corner pieces they were then nailed into place
[image]

Then the whole thing was undercaoted
(blue because it's sitting under blue plastic...)
[image]

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #41 on May 22, 2012, 8:45am »

Around the roof box was much the same deal to finish it off. Staple then trim the materail.

Staple
[image]

Cut off excess material
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Paint over the whole lot
[image]

It's not perfect but I believe it's good enough

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humpyboy
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #42 on May 22, 2012, 12:53pm »

Top job guys, it is going to come up a treat when you are done.

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #43 on May 23, 2012, 7:26am »

Now Bessie has her underwear on (material on the roof and undercoat) it's time to dress her on the outside with some colour.

[image]

The plan is to use two colours: cream and green. The colours were chosen by my good friend who used to be a spray painter and has a much better sense of colour than me

. Her idea was to use cream on the roof and green on the sides with cream skirts. But being fairly defiant I painted the roof green as I felt it should have been the same colour as the side. Nearly broke the friendship. However it did make it easier to do the sides as the over painting did not show on the roof as it was the same color.
[image]

The rest of the van was painted as planned
[image]

So a test patch was done to try to change my mind
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It worked and we changed the roof to cream
[image]

Started to undercoat the front window and a second coat on the seats for inside.
[image]

Undercoated the letters for the front of the van
[image]

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #44 on May 23, 2012, 7:57am »

Mounted the power inlet socket, and screwed it down. Some fittings I am using modern parts for safety and ease of replacement as I intend to use Bessie a lot over the years to come.
[image]

Mounted the clearance lights on the side of the van in the original position.
[image]

Applied 12v to the tail light wires and nothing happened...

I was devastated that the two lights didn't light up. So I had a little ponder for a bit and remembered that the clearance lights were wired in single core wire and the wires at the back lights were multi strand wires. So the puzzle was where did they go??? I went to the battery box and guessed that the wires went through the switch near the door. So I hooked up the battery and switched the wires together and presto the clearance lights came on.

The switch near the door that turn on the side clearance lights
[image]

So the question is now do I have to change it so they come on with the tail lights to be legal (Vic)? Or can they be just left wired as original where the switch manually operates the clearance lights??? Seems a little strange.

But now they work - woo hoo.
[image]

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Geoff & Jude
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #45 on May 23, 2012, 9:07am »

hi kfisher

i wasn't unusual for older vans to have a separate switch to supply battery power to turn on the clearance/running lights.

this was for safety reasons to 'light up' the van when parked overnight in a layback or on the side of the road.

it's a bit unusual (i think) to only have the clearance lights wired up to the switch and i reckon if the van has clearance lights, vic roads will require them to be connected in parallel with the tail lights.

the switch will then turn on the tail and clearance lights.

geoff 'n jude

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Don Ricardo
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #46 on May 23, 2012, 1:37pm »

Hi Kfisher,

A bit more on the switch arrangement for your clearance lights...

Back in the day, it was normal for cars to have a separate switch for turning on their tail lights. As far as I know this was normally located at the rear of the car adjacent to one of the tail lights itself - yep, an external switch (just imagine how much fun small children and vandals with mischief on their minds could have with that these days!).

This was the case on vehicles in Victoria up until at least the late 40's, so when dusk began to fall you needed to stop your car, jump out, race to the back of the car, turn on the tail lights and then resume your journey. It was a big deal as a kid when you got old enough to be trusted to get out and turn on the tail light, and I remember doing that. I think I've read somewhere that the separate external switch was a legal requirement for registration, not just because car manufacturers couldn't think of a better way of doing it. The reason may have been the one identified by Geoff'njude.

You may already know the above, but the reason I'm mentioning it is that the idea of a separate switch was also applied to caravans. Caravans built in the 40's (not sure how universally) had a separate switch somewhere inside the van to turn on the tail lights and clearance lights. Our 1949 Don is still set up this way, and I saw a number of older caravans at the V V Nationals in Cowra that have the same set up. So...at dusk, not only did you have to race around to the rear of the car to turn on the car tail lights, but you then had to jump into the van to turn on its tail lights as well. :-/

My guess is that the switch in your vans for the clearance light is a relic of this requirement, and that originally the tail lights may have been connected to the same switch but at some stage was wired more directly.

I'm enjoying seeing the pics of your restoration. Looks like you're doing a great job.

Don Ricardo

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #47 on May 23, 2012, 5:30pm »

Thanks heaps for the replies, that would make sense to be able to keep the clearance lights on in a dark location. So I might try to keep the switch then as it's another part of Bessie's personality, however I could put in a relay in parallel to activate them when the tail lights are on... hmm another decision...

We are so glad that your enjoying the pickies.

« Last Edit: May 23, 2012, 5:43pm by kfisher »

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #48 on Jun 4, 2012, 5:44pm »

This weekend really didn't do too much but I finished off the other two side windows, now the three of them are ready for undercoat and painting, and not to forget the glass...

« Last Edit: Jun 6, 2012, 12:10pm by kfisher »

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kfisher
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Re: Fisher's Resto
« Reply #49 on Jun 6, 2012, 12:13pm »

Back to sanding, sanding and more sanding. Not too much to go and I will be able to undercoat the inside.

[image]

While I'm at it here are the three windows I made up last weekend (no glass yet)

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