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Post by gypsy1 on Oct 23, 2010 12:25:27 GMT 10
We have a 15foot Don caravan forsale, it is in a bad state after being delivered on a tilt tray, any one interested please contact Carl at GL caravans 02 96321687.or 0415928886 It has some leadlight windows, but the front section of the roof is badly damaged would need a rebuil in the front. Looking only for the costs to cover the tilt tray $270.00.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 23, 2010 21:23:42 GMT 10
Hi Gypsy1,
Welcome to the forum and thanks for telling us about the Don you have for sale. It would be great to hear a bit more about it.
Even though it's in a bad state, this website has seen the stories of some pretty amazing restorations involving caravans which are in a very sad condition indeed.
Can you tell us the serial number? If so, that will tell us roughly (or possibly fairly exactly, depending on the number) how old the van is. The serial number is stamped on to two brass plates - one externally adjacent to the bottom left hand corner of the door, and the second one internally above the stove alcove.
It would be great to see some pics as well so that people can assess how much work might be involved in restoring the van. There are instructions on how to post photos in the Helpful Hints section of the forum. Alternatively, if you would like to email some photos to me I will happily post them for you. You can email me by pressing the middle icon underneath the Don badge in the panel to the left of this post.
As you can tell I have a special interest in Don caravans.
Don Ricardo
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Post by cobber on Oct 24, 2010 7:18:33 GMT 10
Have no fear Don R.... I spoke to gypsy1 yesterday and have arranged to have a look at the Don tomorrow (Monday). I will take some photos and look for the serial #...... might take some money with me too I think we should be able to save her . Cobber.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 24, 2010 20:36:54 GMT 10
Hi Cobber,
I look forward to hearing more...
Now you know know you can't do a "cut and shut" with a bondwood caravan don't you?
Don Ricardo
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Post by Surf Tragic on Oct 25, 2010 8:17:25 GMT 10
G'day Cobber Good luck with the van. It surely is the one I was trying to get hold of a couple of years ago, it was advetised as a freebee in the Trading Post way back then. I remember being sad at missing out, it was before I had any Dons at all. I rang & talked to Carl at the time & he said he was going to restore it as he had just restored a Don for a client. Sure glad it has resurfaced & hope you can get the van, couldn't end up in a better place Will be waiting to hear more. ST
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Post by cobber on Oct 25, 2010 20:12:26 GMT 10
OK........... Carl did say it was in a bad state . Don serial # 553 Front view Side view Inside view Two of the lead light windows are intact To my mind it looks like fire wood... but there are some bits and pieces that would be useful in restoring a Don to original... knobs , handles, chassis, wheels etc. No lights water tank or wash basin. But Ron “Surf Tragic” who is also a Don Tragic has indicated he will make good use of it..... might even rebuild it We will be picking it up very soon. Cobber.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 25, 2010 22:04:14 GMT 10
...it is in a bad state after being delivered on a tilt tray... ...the front section of the roof is badly damaged would need a rebuil in the front... Hi Cobber, Well Carl wasn't joking was he? No one can ever say he was gilding the lily... Was some of the damage done during delivery, or was it like that before the tilt tray took it on board? Looks like there might be some useable bits and pieces in there though. Surf Tragic is no doubt the right man for the job, although rebuilding it would be a major task! Thanks for the info. And thanks to Carl for recognising that the van may have some value to somebody and letting the forum know about it. Don Ricardo PS Cobber - I just realised that the serial number of this van is only 6 before the serial number of your caravan. They were quite possibly being built in the factory at the same time.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Oct 26, 2010 16:17:53 GMT 10
... Was some of the damage done during delivery, or was it like that before the tilt tray took it on board? although rebuilding it would be a major task! Don Ricardo Don Ricardo In answer to 2 things. I spoke to the original owner maybe 2 years ago & he said the roof was caved in at that time when it was sitting in his front yard waiting for the tilt tray. & you are right about it being a rebuild Don Ricardo, a restoration it is not ;D ;D. At least I have the perfect pattern for the shape sitting there at home. I wonder at what the condition will be of the cupboards with not even a basic cover over the poor old girl. The hardware & steel, sink, chassis & axle, stabilizer legs, wheels, may be the only salvagable things, & these alone make it a very worthwhile salvage. I guess Cobber will give us the finer details Surf Tragic
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Post by cobber on Oct 29, 2010 14:17:05 GMT 10
OK..... Recovered the you beaut Don 553 this morning. With the help of Carl and his fork lift she was loaded on rear end first. All tarped up and ready to roll. Home. Tied the “A” frame to a tree and pulled the trailer out from under her. There she is Ron... until you're ready to pick her up. Cobber.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Oct 29, 2010 16:51:06 GMT 10
G'day Cobber. Wow man, you have done stellar job on picking the van up & successfully getting the remains to your property. Was Geoff (from Geoff&Jude) able to help ? A big thank you also for tarping it down as well, that is quite some effort & very much appreciated. Are you allowed to burn stuff on your property ;D ;D It will be good to get your thoughts on how it may travel on a 600 k's trip home. I can imagine a chainsaw might be in the gear I bring up, the walls have no value & would have to be rebuilt anyway, they might be a big hindrance, I think if it was levelled to kitchen cupboard height & seat height, as all that is (should be) strong. All will reveal itself when I get there. As I said on the phone, we are still at Tura Beach, but have bought an old house in central Wodonga with a unit at the back which suits all our needs. (except for a shed, that will be seen to soon but not at this address) The place was tenanted so had to give them the mandatory 60 days to vacate & then we can shift back. I've offered them incentives to shift out quicker, like for instance, I'll mow the lawn which is waist high , as well as some other ;D things ;D I have in mind. In the meantime, the remains of #553 will be ;D gracing ;D your beautiful property. One thing I am glad of is that you have the passion for this, I certainly have, also, I have a vision ...............!! Now while I'm at it, I must tell everyone about something else that Cobber & Geoff did a while back, they agreed to let me have their Don 140 to restore, now this gesture was beyond my wildest dreams & the generosity beggars belief. Shortly after that, I found our family Don 140 & that was all I needed. Thanks once again, your generosity has taught me a few things, people helping each other . Surf Tragic.
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Post by cobber on Oct 30, 2010 6:34:05 GMT 10
G'day Ron, You are too generous with your praise mate....... what goes around comes around and I know you put a bit of effort into that 120 of Marks so he could tow it from Mildura across the Nulabour to Perth without a problem Don't bring a chain saw with you........ I've got one here . I'll pull the tarp off today and chuck the pits of wood that are piled up on the floor.... and have a good look at what's left. Of course not, have to get a permit......... can't even go fishing for fish in this plurry country without a permit Good old Geoff was willing to help me with the recovery process but I got a call from Carl on Thursday that the van was ready for pick-up... and our Son was off work Friday so I got him to volunteer to help me...... actually I helped him Good luck with the move to Wodonga but don't hurry.... the 140 can sit where it is for as long as need be. Cobber.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Oct 30, 2010 7:31:15 GMT 10
Good old Geoff was ............. hey cobber, enough of the ' old' - or should that be enough of the ' good'.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Oct 30, 2010 9:35:56 GMT 10
Good luck with the move to Wodonga but don't hurry.... the 140 can sit where it is for as long as need be. Cobber. That's great Cobber, there's uncertainty on how many weeks before we're home, so I will relax now & go with the flow Thanks again Cobber & Son & young Geoff ;D
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 30, 2010 21:25:09 GMT 10
Cobber,
Congratulations to you, your son, Geoff and Carl on a well executed rescue. Hopefully there will be some bits and pieces that will be useful in there. I'll send you a list of things I need... ;D ;D ;D
I see that you towed the trailer with the caravan on it with your Magna wagon. I presume the van and the trailer would have added up to a bit of weight, even if half of the van is missing. I noted also that you towed the Newcastle to Coledale with the Magna. Conventional wisdom says that towing a caravan and front wheel drive don't go together. How do you find the Magna tows?
Don Ricardo
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Post by cobber on Oct 31, 2010 7:48:25 GMT 10
G'day Don R, Fair to say front wheel drive presents potential problems you don't get with a rear wheel drive but........ knowing that, and with the help of "load levelers" she tows good. I towed driftwood onto and off the beach with the Magna for that swimwear photoshoot... no worries and there was a steep sandhill to negotiate at the exit. You just stay away from wet grass on a slight incline Cobber.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Oct 31, 2010 13:22:38 GMT 10
Congratulations to you, your son, Geoff and Carl on a well executed rescue. hi don and s/t the fact of the matter is i had nothing to do with the rescue, apart from taking up cobber's offer to help if needed. cobber and his son did the deed alone without my help - cobber let me know after it was back at his ranch. geoff
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Post by cobber on Apr 7, 2011 8:22:17 GMT 10
WATCH THIS SPACE !
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Apr 7, 2011 17:54:47 GMT 10
i'm watchingwith baited breath
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Post by cobber on Apr 7, 2011 19:18:32 GMT 10
I am very reluctant to show the story of this Don's "rescue" ..... more appropriate I think that surftragic try to explain his behavior. But I will show a photo of the "Don" as it leaves my tender care. Cobber.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Apr 7, 2011 20:22:00 GMT 10
First look tells me this is indeed a Don & looks good from this distance. Second look tells me this is indeed a Don. For the next 1/2 hour a close inspection shows rot on the ends of most cross pieces on the roof & walls, there is no framework worth saving, all the outer bearers with major rot,.. in a rebuild every member would have to be fully replaced, but the kitchen cupboards & wardrobe are all solid, even the gun cupboard at the front is in good condition. I have never, ever, seen a chassis so badly corroded, a lot of the metal is completely eaten away, even the winder gear on some of the stabilizer legs has corroded so badly from say normally12mm round to 3mm, it snaps in half in your fingers. It appears to have been immersed in salt water for a couple of years, or acid for a while, I would love to know why as I find the extent of the rust unusual. After careful consideration of 2 minutes, the chainsaw came out, (it was already blunt) & we carefully separated the cupboards from the walls, laid all the good sections on the floor, loaded the remains on the trailer & tarped it down. Luckily a truckie mate lent me a heavy "general" tarp, it made life easier on the road. We used plenty of heavy drop sheets & underfelt to pad over the sharp bits, it paid off, no holes in the tarp ! Some just stand there, some do the work, photos don't lie. Cobber & Mrs Cobber were both kept busy helping. Mrs Cobber not only helped in all facits of the dismantling, but also with food & drinks, more dinners & drinks, bandages & first aid for blood loss, she is without doubt a VV tragic (just in case anyone had any doubts). There is no need to confirm that Cobber is also. Mrs ST took photos & collected all precious pieces of hardware, hinges, slot head screws, serial number plates. The plate on the wall, outside beside the door got missed & we found it later amongst the bits on the rubbish pile, the plate on the step is still there but a bit worse for wear. the bath is in very good order, the under seat water tank looks perfect from outside. This kitchen is priceless with the sink intact, I can't put a price on these bits. the tops of the wall cupboards are all rotten, the chimney just lifted from the rot, but I carefully separated this structure and kept it. As said in a previous post, this could be all rebuilt as I have a perfect pattern of the true shape of the 140, but a whole new chassis would have to be fabricated too. The look of resignation & disbelief ;D The back literally fell off. More intricate dismantling work It was HIS fault This coupling was only just holding together, I did expect it to break on the way home, 550 k's, but the trailer is very forgiving on the bumps. Large pieces of rusty steel were disentigrating & falling on the tray, but we made it !! What a great long weekend, first for a couple days in the Southern Highlands area, then a short stay in great company at The Cobber's Retreat, what a beaut place with an amazing atmosphere, thanks for the best break I've had for a while, it sure did me/us good. Surf Tragic
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Post by cobber on Apr 7, 2011 20:36:05 GMT 10
Good to hear you enjoyed yourself ST, me....... I was traumatized something awful but I did manage to save some valuable parts Cobber.
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