Can anyone identify - new project

[ruby6689]

It's been a few months since we finished 'Mildred' so it was time for a new project.

Not at all sure what we have got but the previous owner seems to think it is a Crusader Swan. It has been in his family since it was purchased new in '53. Looks like bondwood but is fibreglass.

A very cute rear end

Ugly front end!

With a tare weight of just 230kg even our split screen kombi should cope with this one.

The more the owner talked about how original she was the more I saw that has been changed. Hopefully she is not beyond restoring to her former glory.

Can anyone please confirm what she is or share any information you may know about 'Babe'.

[ruby6689]

Just a couple of interior shots. As you can see she has had quite a few 'improvements' over her time.



The original tap was replaced with a 'garden' tap and a hose is connected so you simply hook it up to the tap at caravan parks....seemed like a good idea at the time!



We pulled some of the 'beautiful' carpet and laminex away from the walls to see what was behind. Another improvement....insulation! We may leave this on the roof section and paint over the horrible grey laminex.

The van must have been owned by honeymooners at some stage as the two single rear beds have been converted into a fold down double. The centre chest of drawers was relocated next to the long cupboard above the new fridge. The rounded bed end between these give this away. The table is 'somewhere in the garage' I'm not holding my breath for it to be found.



Any suggestions as to what the hole is for? I thought TV cable ?

We will be taking our time with this resto. The seller told me it is the only one left in Australia...sales pitch I'm sure so if anyone has photos or knowledge please share. If I cannot find any info we will restore it as sympathetically as possible to her era.

[penny61]

I saw that little cutie on line somewhere.... Gumtre maybe?

230kgs makes i even lighter than my Penny....!!

Vnessa.

[ruby6689]

Yes it was on Ebay and only two hours away from us so we could inspect. We offered a price on the spot and he accepted. The listing was then ended early.

The reserve he had on it was very high, luckily he accepted a much lower price, probably still too expensive but how do you know what they are worth? To me the price is always what you are willing to pay.

[hilldweller]

That's very cute I think the front end might be worrying 'does my butt look big in this?'

[penny61]

As you said, It's what the seller is prepared to accept and what the buyer is prepared to pay... If everyone's happy it doesn't really matter.

She's definitely a little cutie. Very nice!

Vanessa

[ruby6689]

Well the time has come to get stuck into the restoration of 'Babe', it has ben sitting patiently waiting while the Kombis and BMW have all needed work.

We started last weekend and bot what a massive job just to strip all the carpet, old flooring, remove the double bed and get the chest of drawers free from the new position. Whoever did the 'upgrade' must have had shares in a contact adhesive company. Luckily we managed to do very little damage to the plywood and the floor is in excellent condition.

One thing that has us puzzled is the new fridge and how it was put in. Even with it's door off there is no way it would fit through the door or windows. I think it must have been lowered through the roof hatch!!!!! It is staying and I will try and 'age' it somehow to fit in.

We started stripping off the laminex type product that covers the walls and celing. There was a bit of water damage either side of the back window and some of it had been painted over in places so it looks like we will need to reline the whole van a whole new experience for us.

I will get some photos posted soon and update on progress.

[ruby6689]

Slowly, slowly (mainly because we are learning along the way) she is starting to take shape. We decided not to reline the whole interior as it would be just too big a job for amateurs like us.

The carpet has been stripped off the walls revealing the same laminex as the rest of the interior covered in a thick layer of contact. With a hell of a lot of elbow grease and an amazing product we have been able to salvage enough to replace the water damaged areas either side of the rear window and a few other pieces that were badly marked. We have relined the bottom half so I'm hoping that will look too bad when painted.

[akeepsake]

Hi Ruby6689 what a fantastic little van you have ! You have a very desirable size there and it will be worth the slog to get it back to original I would reconsider redoing the lining inside as it can be done in sections with bead to cover joins ( you could even go straight over the original ply as weight won't be an issue) . Once this is done and painted it will look like it's always been there . It also will give a feeling of space
A porthole above the sink wouldn't look out of place as well ! You can buy an opening repro from Woody Caravans for $350 sounds exe' but originals are trading higher than gold if you van find them!
Looking forward to more pics on your progress!
Cheers from Tassie Andrew