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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 10, 2012 21:35:40 GMT 10
Hi Col
It's always a good feeling to have your work and workmanship recognised. As a mere pleb, I look at your rod and can admire the work that's gone into it. But to be recognised by your peers as you have just been, makes it doubly worthwhile.
Congratulations!! ;D ;D ;D
Ray
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 10, 2012 22:01:40 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee, Thanks for posting the pics from the book/mag launch. Some beautiful craftsmanship on display there. Hard to believe that some of them were put together almost 50 years ago - just goes to demonstrate (a) how beautifully they were built, and (b) the work that has been put in to keep them looking that fresh. Having the kind of interests I do, I tend to be attracted to what I think are called the "sleepers" amongst the vehicles you have shown (although I guess none of them are total sleepers). Does our Mini counts as a sleeper or not. What's the definition? Might have to re-categorise myself... ;D ;D ;D Hi Richard, I have to confess I don't know anything about Les Gough's operations , the few Hawthorn's I've seen have all been different to each other. I suspect he was more of a retailer than a builder on vans , but that's just an impression....could easily be wrong!.....maybe you can do some sleuthing on the subject ;D I think you're probably right about Les Gough. I'm pretty certain that the leadlight Don-esque vans he was selling in the 40's and early 50's were his design and build, but he seems to have moved into "retailing" fairly early on - putting his 'Hawthorn' serial number plates on an amazing array of caravan makes and styles. I noticed at Cowra that Vantoura's Carapark Superb - previously owned by Austin125 - had been sold as a Hawthorn Superb, and I think that van dates from the late 40's. That suggests that Gough may have been one of the first badge engineers in the Australian caravan industry. Off the top of my head as I write, I can't think of anyone who was doing it earlier. I'd love to catch up with one of Gough's descendants at some point. I think there's an interesting story to tell there. Don Ricardo
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Post by kaybee on Sept 11, 2012 21:22:37 GMT 10
Hiya Don R, speaking of Les Gough..... ....got the new badges yesterday that we had made to replicate the faded originals.....these are in Stainless steel with baked enamel inserts, so they'll outlast the caravan ( and all of us ;D)..... ....also fitted up the sail-track so we could "roadtest" the new awning we had done last week...... ....don't block out the light,eh!...... ;D ......and the repair to the drawbar , it bridges the gap that was there before and is lapped over for strength and then welded in place.....had a bit of an attempt to tidy up some of the old welds and also welded on a pair of new chains in a more useful size than the monsters that were on before ......and restored the replacement coupling and painted that in Satin Black ready for fitting , and I've been busy cleaning the drawbar in preparation for some fresh paint, which doesn't sound like a big deal but is.....at some point the d/bar and some of the van frame has been painted in a bitumen based paint , really hard to get off and stinks if you try to hurry it along with a heat gun......no match for the oxy set though ;D ...that's it for now,cheers......
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Post by Jennison on Sept 11, 2012 21:32:46 GMT 10
For gods sake don't let slot head Bob see a close up of your trim What a beeyootiful job you have both done. Can't wait to see it in the flesh at Tathra! regards
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 11, 2012 22:06:55 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee,
The serial number plates look fantastic. Are going to stamp/engrave them with the original serial number? But will you be able to reproduce the same idiosyncratic layout?? Whatever else Mr Gough could do, he had trouble stamping numbers in a straight line! ;D ;D ;D
Seriously though the plates look great. A very nice touch.
Don Ricardo
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Post by cobber on Sept 12, 2012 7:51:14 GMT 10
I did notice those "screws" Jenno You'd think a bloke like Col would pay attention to detail...... wouldn't you S.H.B.
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Post by kaybee on Sept 12, 2012 8:10:46 GMT 10
I did notice those "screws" Jenno You'd think a bloke like Col would pay attention to detail...... wouldn't you S.H.B. ....only did it to make sure you were still awake...... ;D ;D......you'll be pleased to know they are "assembly" screws , and will be replaced as stainless slot heads become available......
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Post by kaybee on Sept 12, 2012 8:26:57 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee, The serial number plates look fantastic. Are going to stamp/engrave them with the original serial number? But will you be able to reproduce the same idiosyncratic layout?? Whatever else Mr Gough could do, he had trouble stamping numbers in a straight line! ;D ;D ;D Seriously though the plates look great. A very nice touch. Don Ricardo Hi DonR, he wasn't so good at drilling the holes in the same spot from plate to plate either....we gave one plate to Boyd ( the guy who did them) to copy and he punched the holes on both,one fitted well and the other didn't quite make it.....small adjustment necessary to the spacing!.....and am I going to stamp them? , nope....not that brave , don't want to mess them up with wobbly stamp lines...... ....here's another example of his handiwork on a car we did a few years ago...... ....did stamp the numbers that time, but it's HARD stuff to make an impression on.... ....this is what that is on.....a 1939 Supercharger on a Flathead Ford V8... .....and this is the car.... ...back to it!...ciao....
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Post by DC3Td on Sept 12, 2012 18:33:00 GMT 10
Firstly Congrats on the book launch Kaybee & secondly,congrats on a superb Hawthorn resto. gordon
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Post by kaybee on Oct 27, 2012 15:43:33 GMT 10
....a belated thank you Gordon.....cheers.... .....and after that lengthy break in which we were galloping towards the finish line with the date of Tatha and Reddo's tour fast approaching.....it's pleasing to announce that we did get it all done in time and made the trip there and back without major incident.......but now I'll try and get back to where we left off and post a few "in progress" pics..... ....pretty sure we were about there with the drawbar.... ....rebuilt the replacement coupling and fitted it up, added a new Master Cylinder and ran new hydraulic lines, prepped and painted the drawbar in satin black chassis laquer..... ...added a new frame crossmember and mounts for the spare wheel.....also in the pic you can see the new towel rail.....and underneath all the brake lines were replaced as well as the hose to the axle ,along with the wheel cylinders which turned out to be Valiant ( after a lot of searching)..... ....coat hooks and pull handles were timely finds at that days Garage Sales , as was the coil of rope which got used to tie down the awning..... ....underneath we fitted this ugly looking modern water tank , but you can't really see it unless you're getting run over by the van.....so we figured that'd be OK..... ;D .....and this unsightly object is the pull out side step......which decided to be a "drop off while you're stepping on it" side step......which tends to send you into orbit when you're coming out of the van at high speed , as I was at the time ;D ...a little hard to see due to the odd colour of the pic, but the 2 small shiny spots are the extent of the welds that formerly held the steps onto the van chassis ......so it was thought best to cut through the rest of the daggy welds and fix it all up on the bench and clean it properly as well. Fortunately there were no other bodgy welds in the frame , so possibly the steps were a later addition by someone who just thought he could weld ...... ....other hidden underneath type stuff was dealt with around this time, mudflaps and mounts added, all the springs and shackles cleaned and lubed , wheel bearings replaced and the upside down overload springs were removed ( anyone who's been with us since the start of the thread will remember the pic of the van cornering at low speed on the way home with major tilt to one side)..... .....we put that down to the unique way the overloads were fitted to the top of the springs,pushing downwards.......making the springs effectively softer......so as I said,we whizzed them off..... .....but the springs were still really soft and because of that I fitted up a stabilizer bar pirated from a Ford Customline , idea being to help the van stay upright at speed and not get the sways...... then a quick dusting of chassis paint to tidy things up and it was ready for the big road test..... .....which we were pleased say went really well......we fully expected to have to fool around with the springs some more,maybe even add shock absorbers to make it stable.....but the test revealed it travelled well at 60 mph on the freeway on a really windy day and even a B-double blasting past didn't upset it too much...... ....an "action" shot ..... .....anyhow.....you may have noticed it's grown some curtains..... ....while I've been doing the heavy duty stuff underneath , Kris has been busily working away making up the curtains and hanging them with new tracks , material is neat 50's era fabric she sourced from the USA a while back......and since there was no power in the front of the van , we added the brown bakelite power point above the table and ran the wires in a routed cavity in back of the moulding above the windows , then along one side of the van and down to the RCD's ( think I've got that right under the seats...... .....the black wiring circuit and lower fuse panel is for the van, 12 volt for lights,indicators,etc.....other white wiring is the 240 volt stuff....area has since been sealed and painted properly for the first time in it's life and nice non slip rubber flooring added as well..... ...so what's this? you ask..... ....it's how you ship a sheet of Boomerang pattern laminex from the US...... .....made a new top for the table , covered it in the Laminex, put new edge moulds on it...... ....the top.... and weighing down the laminex while the adhesive dries...... ....also made up a little shelf to sit above the sink area...... .....this is my U-beaut patented method of clamping up the new splashbacks while the adhesive cures....... ....and it worked too! ;D....rebuilt the old water pump and re-plumbed it and the sink...... .....at about this point we stopped takin' pics.....time was running short and it was head down , A....e up.....but there was a fair heap of stuff still to complete.....made up a new bed base for the rear,the old one was a wobbly affair with a few broken timbers in the framework,so a new one in the old style was the go, and we managed to squeeze the new custom made inner spring mattress back in there as well.....not easy!...... , then there was the rest of the 12volt wiring to complete , flooring to recondition and polish , cupboards and shelves to fit and finish , fire extinguisher and blanket to mount , cupboards to seal up and paint out.....nearly poisoned ourselves cleaning up the inside of the ice chest .....what a stinky job working with old Gal iron...... .....anyway, main thing is we got there with a few days to spare......so I'll post this bit and then do the trip report.....ciao.....
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Post by kaybee on Oct 27, 2012 16:47:35 GMT 10
.....so with the van complete and loaded,we were off and running on our way to Tathra, first stop for the night was Nowa Nowa, just up from Lakes Entrance.... ....got nice hubcaps by now too..... ....this van park is really neat...if you like old stuff like we do...... ....these are their on-site vans..... also has a secondhand store at the front of the park.....first thing we spotted was an annexe and poles,turns out it was off the fawn van in the park and since it was about the same size as our van , we bought it!..... ....the on-site junk shop ....and the magic old rail bridge out the back of the park....too big to capture on our little camera, you'll just have to use your imagination......it's BIG.... ;D ....the dog has a preferred spot by the first night...... .....here's a pic of the finished inside....( missed adding it into the earlier post )......curtain in the original stove cavity hides the microwave from home......and a hidden shelf behind the drop down door houses pots n'pans,etc......another set of cupboards were built and added up above the bed , and a pair of suspended clear Acrylic shelves hangs under them for nite time storage of books,hankies,etc...... We didn't take any pics from Tathra as it's been well covered in other threads.....but here's something that turned up a few nights before we left... .....this was amongst the old papers left in the van when we got it, it was also the last dated receipt among those that were there and it may well be that it's last trip out was to the same place it's latest trip was going to...and within a few days of the same date, just a few years apart....... ....so here we are at Moruya , as the first stop on Reddo's east coast tour.... ....can't beat touring around the countryside with friends in old vans , Reddo's tours are tops!....... ....below is the arty shot thru the window ;D , dawn at Coledale....before the storm.... ....well,after one storm but before the next one ;D...dunno what it is about that place...... ...the other interesting thing that happened at Coledale was this..... ....the gas part of the 3 way fridge decided to catch fire......luckily it was outside the van ,but right beside the gas bottle .... ....so anyway ,after the nice sunrise, we figured we'd pack up the awning as it'd been well and truly blown dry after the nights storms......and that nearly worked before the sky turned black and the next one dropped in to say HI........ .....so we packed up mega quick and departed at speed, back down past Woolongong to Albion Park in the worst weather conditions we've ever seen, let alone try to drive in......going up Maquarie pass was like climbing a water slide , and it rained horizontal and hailed,thundered and all the rest almost all the way back to the Hume......where it settled down a bit ...into this.... .....reckon I'll get these printed and next time someone bags Victoria's weather......I'll whip these out..... ;D .....this continued pretty much down to the Canberra turnoff , then by Gundagai it was sunny and dry.......so we stopped there for the night. Next day was an uneventful run back down the Hume, van seems happy at any speed ,even up around 70 mph.....got home around midday, unpacked all the junk and gave the van a big wash..... ....and now that this van is all finished off, we went and recovered the '43 van from it's storage spot and brought it back home...... .....but it might be a while before we get to it......we're having a little rest right now! ;D ....that pretty much rounds this build thread off , so life can return to normal once more ....cheers, Colin and Kris......and thanks to all who've read it and made comments along the way.....
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Post by Franklin1 on Oct 27, 2012 20:54:16 GMT 10
G'day Col, I stand in awe of the quality of work you do on your projects. You never seem to "cut corners", nor strive for anything less than "perfection". This Hawthorn is a real credit to you and Kris, and I congratulate you both for a really beautiful result. On a side note, can you tell me more about your comment, "nearly poisoned ourselves cleaning up the inside of the ice chest .....what a stinky job working with old Gal iron......"? What actually happened, and do I need to be wary of anything if I try to work on the one in my project van?? cheers, Al.
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Post by hilldweller on Oct 28, 2012 7:08:14 GMT 10
Wow what a transformation Will look forward to seeing what you do with the '43 van.....
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Post by kaybee on Oct 28, 2012 7:23:50 GMT 10
G'day Col, I stand in awe of the quality of work you do on your projects. You never seem to "cut corners", nor strive for anything less than "perfection". This Hawthorn is a real credit to you and Kris, and I congratulate you both for a really beautiful result. On a side note, can you tell me more about your comment, "nearly poisoned ourselves cleaning up the inside of the ice chest .....what a stinky job working with old Gal iron......"? What actually happened, and do I need to be wary of anything if I try to work on the one in my project van?? cheers, Al. ....cheers Al and we're glad you like it.....but we're a long way short of being perfectionists .....just doing things as best we can and at a level we're comfortable with.....but thanks anyway! ;D ....the ice chest, well....it was just old and a bit beat up from years of things bouncing around in it , and it had a light film of whitish powdery stuff ( corrosion?) over some of the Gal......and a bit of overspray from the original finish by the builder......so we figured a light rub with some steel wool might bring it back to life , but it didn't......so then we moved up into the high horsepower dept. with the little detail sander, which worked pretty well......but made a bit of dust and since we had to work with face up against the cabinets ......we both got to wear a fair heap of this dust ,even with a respirator it seemed to sneak in around the edges. Didn't seem a problem at first but Kris bailed out after a while and then I took over , so we both ended up with this horrible dusty burning sensation in the back of the throat .....and a decent bout of sneezing as well, so it's probably some awful toxic compound .......but we did get it cleaned up and it looks OK , but if we ever do another ice chest it'll have new lining , no more fixin' up old Gal for either of us........ ;D
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Post by kaybee on Oct 28, 2012 7:25:29 GMT 10
Wow what a transformation Will look forward to seeing what you do with the '43 van..... Thanks ,but don't hold your breath waiting ....we've got a bit of other stuff to do before we get to that one.......cheers.....
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Post by Roehm3108 on Oct 28, 2012 18:50:11 GMT 10
Hi KB and Franklin Good question you posed there Al. Obviously what the KB's did and what happened is not something to take lightly. Have a look here: www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/zincchloridefume/recognition.htmlSome of the symptoms mentioned sound like the KB's. Obviously care needs to be taken when playing around with these things. From what I understand, some early gal processing also included the use of small quantities of lead. Ray
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Post by thenelsons on Oct 28, 2012 18:51:50 GMT 10
Would you be able to tell me where you sourced the boomerang print laminex? My husband and i are doing up our first van and underneath all the hideous coatings the previous owners added we found that exact print in green. The benches and shelves are selvageable but the table top is long gone, would love to be able to match it!
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Post by thenelsons on Oct 28, 2012 20:57:11 GMT 10
By the way, your van looks awesome. Love the curtain material
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Post by kaybee on Oct 29, 2012 7:57:00 GMT 10
Thanks thenelsons, the fabric and the laminex were both sourced via US eBay, the fabric is being reproduced and the boomerang Formica was some old stock that a shop was selling.It helped that we were able to have it shipped in the backseat of a car that a friend had coming in a container, it ended up costing less than a full sheet of ordinary Laminex would here ;D ;D There is a table on eBay at the moment with this pattern, but I don't think it is your colour, I can't get the link to work, it is Item #181004826229, maybe you can do something with this.
Good luck, Kris.
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Post by shesgotthelook on Oct 29, 2012 8:19:05 GMT 10
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Post by thenelsons on Oct 29, 2012 9:12:30 GMT 10
Unfortunetly not our colour and too far away (we're in victoria) to buy it just to see if it would look ok, bummer! Thanks so much for your help though.
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Post by thenelsons on Oct 29, 2012 9:41:00 GMT 10
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Post by Cruz on Oct 29, 2012 10:57:20 GMT 10
Saved that link .Straight to favorites Thanks
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Post by retro64 on Oct 29, 2012 21:01:44 GMT 10
Hi kaybees, I have to say that now we see the final finish on your van it in no way dissapoints, it looks every bit as good as we imagined it would. Infact If we had the exact van we would have probably chosen the exact same stuff, and decorated it in the exact same way. That's how good it looks ;D We hope your as well pleased with your efforts as we are to look at it. regards, Elona and Lionel, retro64
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Post by Surf Tragic on Nov 1, 2012 18:37:04 GMT 10
An absolute pleasure to look & read through all of what you have done & how you did it with the van project. It is very inspiring for me as I get into gear again The lines of all the metal work so straight & true for one thing, you sure have an eye for detail, & of course, the ability to do high class work in many fields is obvious. a real family effort. Love the Flathead V8 too, that is fantastic. ST.
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