ROWVAN by Trodler.

[trodler]

Hi V V ers.

I picked up the van from Ballarat , from Gary, whos Grandfather
originally owned the van. John Richards purchased the van in
1953 to use while droving, but for some reason it was only used once and from then on it has sat in a shed for the past 50 years.
But when it did get towed on that one and only trip the tow car was a yellow Chev ute.

Well Ive had the Rowvan for a few weeks now and I have started some of the restoration on the front of the Van.



Rowvan on the trailer at Ballarat ready for the trip home.



The van at home showing the weather damage to the front
of the van









A couple of shots of the inside, every thing was covered in about 1/2" of dust.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[Roehm3108]

Nice pickup Trodler. How long is the van? Looks like you have your work cut out for you again - What? Married life getting ho-hum already ;D ;D ;D
Ray

[cobber]

Hey Trodler,

Have you had a look at the Rowvan Ditzy picked up after Morgan ?
See it at
vintagecaravans.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=photo&action=display&thread=1146656094

From memory I don't think it had a tow coupling as spectacular as yours, but it does have an interesting rear window treatment.

Can you pick differences between the two, does your's have an I.D plate on it ?

Cobber.

[trodler]

Hi Cobber.
I know the Rowvan is a bit of an ugly duckling, but, and I hope I dont upset Ditzy here, but
that van just has a shocking shape. And the rear bay window, what can I say.

I pulled the sheet of masonite off the front of the van today. Underneath the the stone
guards the paint was like new, so I Did a bit of research with my 1950's paint catalogues
and I found the exact match in Dulux .Then this afternoon I had 4 litres mixed up to make a start on the restoration.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Trodler,

Nice to see the inside of the Rowvan! Must say I prefer the non-bay window version, but it's interesting to see the direction people's creativity takes them. One person's great improvement is another person's desecration. Take the new entrance installed on the Murrumba Star in the photo posted by Surferboy the other day .

You described Rowvans as ugly ducklings, whereas I thought they had a rather pleasing if idiosyncratic shape - particularly if they are in the original colour schemes with the slash down the side. Another case of one person's being another's perhaps!!

Looking forward to seeing the progress reports. What colour was the original paint?

Regards,

Don Ricardo

[trodler]

Hi Cobber.
I havnt come across an ID plate yet but I have done a bit of research on the Rowvan
and most of the vans that I found in old ads were about $100 cheaper than simillar size vans,
and if you look at the interior it is pritty basic with no draws and only one 240v light.
So Iam beginning to think that they may have been targeted to a less affluent market.
I have also found another Rowvan on the site.

vintagecaravans.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=photo&action=display&thread=1104669891

It was listed in early 2005 and no one really knew what brand it was.

Don.
The original color is a cream called Ivory Tusk and the stripe is a colour called Pine.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[raym]

Hi Trodler Rowvans were built in Adelaide William Street ,Yorke .Now Beverly. They all had porthoes. Mr Row is still alive and lives in Adelaide.Raym

[trodler]

Hi Raym
Thanks for that little bit of info.
You wouldnt know where he lives would you ?
I would be very interested in talking to him

Thanks.
Trodler.

[trodler]

Hi V V ers.
I have had a bit of spare time over the last couple of weeks, if it hasnt been raining its
been windy enough to blow the dog off the chain. So I have done a little bit of work on the Rowvan, I started by giving the inside a good clean and a thorough wash. The van must have
been left in an open shed with the roof hatch open so all finds of crap blew in.





I also started on the front of the van. I was a bit worried about the amount of water
damage suffered to the frame at the front, but as you can see all is well. All I have
to do now is re sheet the front then Ill start on restoring the roof. I also made
a couple of new windows for the front.
Cobber would be proud of me as I even used the original wriggle nails to fix
the frames together.





Cheers.
Trodler.

[cobber]

Trodler,

That is coming up good, lucky there is no damage to the frame work (what there is of it) or the inside ply at the front of the van.

I am pleased you used the original nails in your restoration, good enough for the bloke who built it... good enough for us, I reckon.

Cobber.

P.S. What the hell are "wriggle nails" ?

[trodler]

Cobber me old mate.
An old bloke like you should know what a wriggle nail is. ;D
It is a small strip of tin that is corrogated and is driven into a
joint between 2 pieces of timber.
They really have a bad name as the were originally used to hold joints in packing cases and things like picture frames but people
used them in areas where they werent designed to be used.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[Don Ricardo]

Nice going Trodler. Looks like you've got a pretty good base to work with, but I'm sure it will be fantastic once you've finished your work on it.

I'm really relieved that Cobber asked what a wriggle nail is. I was too embarassed to ask - after all who wouldn't know what a wriggle nail is? But if Cobber of all people didn't know then I don't feel so bad after all ;D ;D

Don Ricardo

[Deleted]

Hi Don
Dont beat yourself up mate.
Truth is Cobber probably did know.. 20 years ago ...but since then demetia has snuck in and messed things up with the memory bank.

I got wiggle nails mixed up with twist nails. Used hundreds of copper twist nails when i restored..... yeeeesssss Restored a 14 ft Clinker hullled launch a few years ago. Complete with blaxland twin.
Must have known i was gunna end up degenerating into the world of plywood caravans in the not too distant future

Reddo

[cobber]

OK...... thanks for making me feel a bit better Don, much appreciated

Yeah...and thanks to you to Reddo

20 years ago I knew them as “corrugated nails” and I had forgotten (on the spur of the moment ) that some of the young blokes called ‘em “wriggle nails”, and Reddo...what the hell’s a “twist nail”, is that the same as a “screw shank nail”? About 25 years ago a bloke gave me a box of 2 1/2” “screw shank nails”, not copper unfortunately, and once you hammer them in you should forget about ever pulling them out, still got heaps of 'em.

I'm still proud of you Trodler...but I hope you used something else besides "corrugated nails"... like a bit of glue, maybe a screw or two

Cobber.

[Deleted]

Hi ya trodler.
Sorry about getting off track a bit here mate. Before i go on i would like to say that you are doing a great job there mate.
Good to see a bit of restoration happening on the site. Vans like yours and JBJs coming up from the shed in the not too distant future.. something to look forward to when we see them in the flesh.

Now to reply to Cobber.

The nails i used where square section copper nails with a slight twist . only about 2 or maybe three turns over an inch .
The screws you are describing are round and almost a metal thread pitch but not quite that many TPI.
Often find them in packing crates etc. your right they are a real pain in the bum to pull out.
Thank god they wheren't popular with van builders.

We will now return you to our normal program.. " V.V Mayhem and madness".. a cast of over 600.

Reddo

[Geoff & Jude]

hi reddo and cobber

i think this is the corrugated nail that troddler used?



in my experience (which is limited) i found them to be a pain in the bum because more often than not they split the timber.

maybe i was using them incorrectly.

geoff 'n jude

[kingy]

Great base to start with there Trodler, thats the way to get em', with little or no major repairs, just mainly cosmetic stuff. Good score, she'll be smick
Kingy

[trodler]

Hi Geoff.
Yep, thats the nails I have been talking about.
You can only really use the in soft wood as they will split any thing else.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[neilncheryl]

Hi trodler,
How is your resto coming along & do you know how to repair the roof (some sort of canvas I assume).
I have just become a member & pick up my van tomorrow.
It is a Rowvan but has no external roof. Interior seems tidy - will post pics in next few weeks.
The table is at the opposite end to yours
Thanks
NeilnCheryl

[trodler]

Hi Neilnchryl.
The resto is coming along very slowly, work just interfers with everything !
It is a pritty easy job to replace the roof. Make sure the canite base is sound, then using a light canvas type of material ( I use unbleached calico ) you will need to get the wife to sew about 3 strips together then its just a matter fo painting it into the canite using enamel paint.
It wont work with acrylic.
If you PM me your phone number ill give you a ring.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[neilncheryl]

Thanks Trodler
NPhone number has been sent
Neil

[neilncheryl]

Hi Trodler
If you are still after the 12 volt light bulbs for the interior then try Springers.
Don't know if they have an outlet where you are but they do stock them (we bought two).
Their website is www.springers.com.au
Cheers
Neil