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Post by earlee on Apr 11, 2006 15:08:17 GMT 10
Hi Guys and Gals, I can’t make it Morgan but thought I would share some more pics of my old van to give you something different to talk about. It needs a fair bit of work - Should I just use it as firewood? This is looking at the crockery cupboard and probably what was a shaving mirror/cabinet : suitable for shultzy and me as there is 6'5" headroom in the lantern part of the van. This is the rounded pantry cupboard and the BIG ice chest: This is to show the sliding flyscreen door which slides internally. This is the entry door still covered in the original painted canvas and with a broken leadlight: Timber chassis and Sonic, the dog. Cheers to all at Morgan - bad luck to those who missed out on the jailbarjuice - Don't tell anyone, but Reddo has a secret supply of juice stashed under his bed earlee.
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Post by cobber on Apr 11, 2006 16:05:09 GMT 10
Earlee,
Use it for fire wood and you might get expelled from the club..whoops sorry...forum. If you think that one's too big for you why don't you swap me for the little 1936 one that I haven't bought.......yet. At least your's would be useful, you could go places in it. The 1936 job is too small and primitive, it should be in a museum. Cobber.
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Post by earlee on Feb 14, 2007 19:50:00 GMT 10
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 14, 2007 20:23:28 GMT 10
Hi Earlee Good to see you finally got back home for a change!!! Hope Sue enjoyed the vanning experience. Was the damage under the coverings as bad as/worse than expected? You certainly have your work cut out there! Is the chassis/floor still OK? Good luck Ray
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Feb 14, 2007 20:25:17 GMT 10
Hi Earlee, Good to see a start on the van, better watch out I think Geoff would like to get hold of the old girl. (I do mean the van).
Me , I love your taste in beer ;D ;D ;D ;D, and your Franklin
Jude & Geoff
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Post by cobber on Feb 14, 2007 20:55:54 GMT 10
Good on you earlee, about time you started to fix that dear old girl up. Do you intend covering it in canvas/ calico again ? it was the done thing with many of those vans back then.... particularly in England, and it did seem to preserve them pretty well eh?. That van of yours has lots of unique features, looks like it's going to be a big job fixing it up but I'm in there rooting for ya, stick with it, we need another lantern roof on the forum.
Cobber.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Feb 14, 2007 21:24:50 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2007 6:13:49 GMT 10
Hi earlee I have a sneaking suspicion that you have taken Cobbers advice and the old van is gunna end up as firewood . There is no way that you can be building another dual cab bash car and have a commited interest in restoring the old van. way too much work when there is so many other distractions. Its just not gunna happen. Blunt but honest ;D Its up to you to prove me wrong Reddo
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Post by earlee on Feb 15, 2007 19:47:26 GMT 10
Well we got a bit carried away today – my builder mate Ken says its my fault – just because he went to get some more timber and I decided to fix the lantern part of the lantern van while he was away …. the only power source for the van was from these old battery clamps – no 240 v anywhere !! the van has a timber chassis and this is where the springs are bolted through the floor .. Then I pulled off some more panelling and, kick my brown dog, found a newspaper. I was a 1931 Sydney Morning Herald! It was interesting reading - I have attached some pics of the ads. One of them gives seven reasons why you should build a house with James Hardie asbestos cement panels ! So after all that I guess I should date my van as a 1931 Lantern Van ? What do you reckon Cobber? - good thing I didn't use it for firewood! Was Sydney invented THAT early !!
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Feb 15, 2007 21:24:08 GMT 10
hi earlee you did get a bit carried away, but finding the old sydney morning herald is worth the destruction and mess you have caused. ;D ;D ;D good to get some sort of official date to the old girl to help authenticate her. i noticed the date was saturday april 18th, 1931. just so happens that my birthday is april 18th, (no, not 1931, i was just a twinkle in my daddy's eye then) so i thought that when the resto is finished, so the date on the paper has some relevance, you could give it to me for my birthday, (not the paper). what do you say, why not hey. plus, i have (put away in storage), a 1932 fargo 1/2 tonne table top truck waiting to be finished that i could tow her with. sounds good, hey. just a thought, geoff ('n jude)
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 15, 2007 21:49:48 GMT 10
Earlee,
The more I see of your van the more I am amazed! What a treasure, and what a treasure trove. Just wonderful that you found the newspaper to give you a date for the van. Could the paper have only got there during construction, or is it possible that it got there while the van was being used. If the latter, then the van may be even older than 1931? In any case when you've got the jigsaw back together I reckon you should apply for heritage listing! Maybe you could get a cultural grant to keep the van in the manner it deserves - airconditioned garage on spotless concrete floor with uniformed guards to keep malcontents away. No wait - that's the National Museum and they already have the 1956 Propert. But which van has the most character?
Anyway, keep snapping and posting the photos. We are all fascinated to see how you are going to tackle the restoration (reconstruction?). I've looked around the website but can't find anything on how and where you found the van. When you need a break from the reno work, maybe you'd like to tell us the story of its discovery?
Regards and lots of success with the project,
Don Ricardo
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2007 23:41:48 GMT 10
very topical Earlee ......James Hardie & Coy Ltd are still in the shit over their "Fibrolite" .....they were on the news again tonight, even after having paid out billions of $$ to asbestosos victims ......their add in the 1931 paper is a "classic". Like Cobbers 36 van, your van needs to be restored with as much detail to original as possible .......keep up the great work Mark
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2007 6:45:12 GMT 10
Onya earlee Those pictures you posted "Earlier" sure looked like it was heading for a full on demolition. And to think you offered it to the forum members for $500 during a fit of depression. Seeing as though you found it. It is only fitting that you restore it. newspaper clipping "fibrolite" is interesting and topical hear at work at the moment. Had a carpenter start cutting a hole for an air conditioner. cut about 2' before realising it was asbestos. Now have him and 2 other people that where present at the time on health monitoring for the next 30 years. Cost us around $10,000 to have the place professionally vacumned out. Threw away a $600 jigsaw . Even though the testing Co said it appeared 1005 safe after cleaning we wherent taking the risk. The chippy had been trained in asbestos awareness and we have safe work procedures.. all of which where ignored..... momentary lapse of reason/ concentration!! Keep them pix of your progress on the old lantern coming ol' mate. Geoff.. we wanna see the pix of the '32 fargo . Reddo
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Post by cobber on Feb 16, 2007 7:42:41 GMT 10
OK earlee...I take that as fairly conclusive proof that your lantern roof is a little bit older than ol' 36 Now..... what you have to do is keep it that way, don't strip every piece of ply off it and build a "replica" 1931 caravan.....anybody can do that...... replicas aren't vintage. Your not allowed to modernize it with refrigerators, 240 volt power, microwave ovens, or any of that stuff. What you and I have got hold of is what this forum was initiated to do "To Preserve Australia's Touring Heritage" Young 36 doesn't have any 240 volt wiring either, just has space under the front seat for a six volt battery, a twelve volt won't fit in the recess. '36 has metal side rails and a metal cross member at the front...all other cross members are timber. The springs mount to the steel rails. We will have to try and find some evidence that maybe the same bloke built both our vans, eh?. He might have started off building 'em big, and then realized his mistake I'll go down to the library today...or keep a watch on eBay... to see if I can pick up a 1929 "Sydney Morning Herald", the contest ain't finished yet mate Cobber. P.S. Don, page 1 on this thread is the start of "earlee's" find but some of the photos have been deleted from "photobucket" .........put em back earlee.
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Post by earlee on Feb 16, 2007 21:08:34 GMT 10
Thanks for the comments people - it will be a bit of a job but it will be fun. Unfortunately the van had previously been stored under a broken plastic tarp in the open over an unknown period, so the wood rot had taken a good hold in some areas. It all adds the original smell of old bondy vans, which is rotting plywood !! ;D ;D here are some of the latest pics when I was having to do a backyard shuffle. Any suggestions on what to do with this coupling? It is seized with rust.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Feb 16, 2007 21:34:31 GMT 10
hi earlee
re the coupling:
if you can knock the heads off the bolts that secure the coupling to the drawbar with a cold chisel i'd do that, if not maybe blow them off with a gas axe. (i had to do this to the roadmaster when i fitted the electric brake coupling, it's no big deal).
if you intend to re-use the coupling, when the coupling is off, soak it (submerged) in a drum of kero for a (long) while, then hold it in a good vyce and give it a few good belts with a block hammer to release the rust bond on the shaft.
you might then be able to undo the bolts on the spring shaft and get it out. if the bolts are rusted, knock their heads of with a cold chisel or gas axe.
ps. be aware that when you remove the rear shaft bolt, that the spring will release and move forward.
from looking at it, i reckon you could restore it without any real problem.
geoff ('n jude)
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Post by cobber on Feb 17, 2007 7:09:59 GMT 10
Earlee,
The coupling's a bit different eh? I suppose some kind of swivel bit goes in that hole at the front of it...do you have the bit?
Does it have any information on it ..patent #...maker's name...where made ?
I found that the application of gas heat to the nuts, and "gentle" tapping with a hammer, loosened the rust on some bits I couldn't move beforehand. Then when you've got it off, as Geoff suggested, soak it, and again apply heat to it.
It must have more wood rot than previous photos indicated eh? Sorry that's the case..but hang in there.
Cobber.
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Post by wildmanaus on Feb 17, 2007 20:55:40 GMT 10
The hitch looks a bit like the one used on some of the old trucks. Wildmanaus
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Post by scootman on Feb 17, 2007 21:25:59 GMT 10
Earlee I am so pleased you have decided to renovate and not get rid of it. see the ebay gods were telling you something. IT will be magnifique when its finished, hang in there and if you need any moral support just ask. Scootman 12 step and gloria marshall success story.
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Post by earlee on Feb 18, 2007 16:41:21 GMT 10
here is the latest pic of the hidden insulation going in - 25mm polystyrene - no smell, lightweight, cheap and easy to use. Ray - yes the floor and chassis are in good nick and have no rot. Cobber - i havent changed the previous photobucket pics so i dont know why they have disappeared? Is it a time thing? As for the restoration - it will be updated a little but retaining all the old character. I would like to retain the old hitch but it depends on how it is once removed for cleanup - thanks for the advice. geoffnjude - of course i will give it to you. ( is that geoff or jude?) What condition is your fargo? you will need another van for it to tow! thanks for the hitch advice. ;D reddo - yeh mate - hope to finish it this century.. ;D ;D earlee.
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Post by earlee on Apr 29, 2007 21:02:13 GMT 10
Well here is the latest update – this is difficult even though I haven’t been partaking in jailbar juise – good old beer instead . Had all the hinges and catches plated in ?? as they were covered in paint and rusty - here is the result. $30 – bargain! Cobber – aren’t you happy that I am using the original bits rather than buying new junk! And it’s cheaper as well anyway !! No more talk about slot head clubs – either you are a member or not! see ya all at wintersun. I have a 1964 Franklin located near sydney that needs to come home to brisbane - anyone willing?? regards to all VC'ers earlee.
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Post by cobber on Apr 30, 2007 7:59:03 GMT 10
earlee ;D You make me so happy, and proud Have you kept all the slot headed screws for re-use How are things going with the body work, external ply re-newed yet ........ tell us more . Cobber.
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Post by earlee on Apr 30, 2007 19:15:06 GMT 10
JBJ - yes - I am thinking about leaving soon to get to wintersun on time - i hate being late !! and it is a 80km drive. Cobber - yes - i am recycling the slot heads (no other comments please) and even dressing the slots in the same direction. This is a clean post and does not require deleting. Progress on the rest of the lantern van has been slow as i have been doing some work on my little bondy van - used over easter and for 4 days fishing last week at somerset dam. we caught 2 fish!! looking forward to wintersun earlee.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 25, 2007 20:40:19 GMT 10
Hi Earlee,
Just wondering how the restoration of the lantern roof van is progressing?
Don Ricardo
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Post by earlee on Jan 11, 2008 23:35:49 GMT 10
I decided it was time to do a refurb and proper paint job on the little bondy. Started by removing the canvas roof which had done a brilliant job for the last 50 plus years, but it was at the end of its life. Removal was very easy. next job was to remove all windows and doors and scrape off the brown paint. I have a feeling that the vent for the fridge was next to useless for airflow as the following picture shows what was hidden underneath. the roof hatch was resealed with a Duratite which is a rubberised flexible goo with a polyester membrane - normally used for waterproofing duck ponds and showers. then stripped all paint, and primed the van with a diluted turps based sealer. Also had a look at where the long gone original ice box was replaced with a gas/electric fridge, deciding to make a new cutlery drawer to replace the pink panel. and to hinge the purple panel. Earlee
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