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Post by Geoff & Jude on Sept 5, 2014 11:31:34 GMT 10
hi all i received this email from suzie wilkin about her caravan, can anybody help her out. Hi, My name is Suzie Wilkin, I wish to become a member of vintage caravans, and in so doing to create a profile I have attached some pics of the caravan I have bought. I have a rather big problem... I have no idea what brand or age the caravan is....she is plywood and aluminium. Has an icebox, no fridge, has powerpoints where the earth is round, she has a strange tow set up in that there is just a square thing the towball sits in??? She still bares her original SA numberplate, 33.412, but there are no manufacturer's marks that are obvious at present. I think she is pretty original and I know she is beautiful...I will love her and fix her and call her Nancy Dee. Interior there isn't much to do, the outside is the work bit, but I love restoring things, and I remember my childhood clearly, it is a newfound passion for me....it's good to have a hobby, once I know how old my girl is I will dream of the appropriate car to tow her majestically along the highways of this magnificent country. I am a semi retired nurse, widowed, and my only child has also passed......I rather enjoy my independent life with my old dog Meg, a rescued Kelpie who has been an essential family member now for 13 years, I think she was maybe 1 when I found her, and she rescued me right back. Well, looking forward to my new adventure, and I am living in the Nancy Dee in Port Willunga Adelaide. The owner of the park here has allowed me to fence off a section so that Meg doesn't need to be tied up, and so that I can do my restorations. I am very interested in getting an awning/annex to allow for more living space if you have any idea of where I can get this done, the van has those twist toggles on it for the annex attachment. I can also make one if there are any instructions and pictures so that I may keep Nancy as close to her true character as possible.thanks, geoff 'n jude
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 5, 2014 22:31:16 GMT 10
G'day Suzie, Welcome to the world of vintage caravanning, and congratulations on your very nice acquisition. It will be great to have you as a member of the forum. Hopefully Geoff 'n Jude has explained how to register and become involved? I saw your van when it was on Ebay and have been trying to work out what brand it is ever since! I can't say I've solved the puzzle yet though. Maybe somebody else will be able to help you on that score? A couple of unusual features which might help us work out its origins are the inverted 'V' rain channel over the door, and the shape of the side flashes (assuming that both are original). Regarding your van's age, I would think late 50's/early 60's based on (1) its shape, (2) the combination of aluminium roof, front and back with bondwood sides, (3) the three piece front windows, including the wrap around windows made out of perspex at each corner. It's a bit hard to tell from the photos, but it sounds/looks like the coupling may be a Trig stye hitch, which were not unusual on South Australian built vans back then, and are still in use today, particularly on off road caravans. Does it have a square block of rubber as part of the hitch like this one (which is from a Furness caravan)? If not maybe you can post a photo for us to look at? Regarding annexes, pre-loved ones do come up for sale on the forum from time to time. However, normally annexes are made to measure to fit your van, so you will need to check any existing annexes out very carefully to make sure it is suitable for your van. For example the shape of an annexe made to fit your van which has a roof that slopes down from front to back will be different to the shape of an annexe which is more or less the same height along the roof, or has a different curve to the roof. You can also get a new annexe made, but just be a bit careful about who you get to do it. Modern annexe makers do not necessarily understand how to make an annexe to fit a vintage van, or one with the little turnbuckle clips you've got. Modern annexes are generally dead straight along the roof line and use sail track. However, if you look in the 'Technical section' of the forum you will find the contact details of some 'vintage van orientated' annexe makers. One final comment: Although your van has an aluminium roof, front and back, the sides are bondwood, and if you intend to store the van outside without any protection you need to be aware that bondwood is susceptible to prolonged exposure to the elements. You also need to watch out for any leaks under the aluminium sheeting. Problems arise when water gets into the walls or roof and begin to rot the wooden frame or the bondwood cladding. Anyway, enough of that! I hope that Nancy Dee will give you and Meg a lot of pleasure - she will certainly give you the opportunity to enjoy your independence, and maybe see a bit of the country along the way. Don Ricardo
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2014 10:46:20 GMT 10
Hi Suzie, I know this van personally,and always thought it was a Rowvan.Sides I think are Masonite,not bondwood(if my memory serves me correctly)! Nice of Neill to let you have a little fenced area. Enjoy doing her up,always good to see an oldie saved! Cheers hughdeani
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 6, 2014 18:31:19 GMT 10
I reckon hughdeani has woven his magic again, That stripe is very "Rowvanesque" by the way that swirl finishes. Nice find there OP
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Post by Franklin1 on Sept 6, 2014 22:24:05 GMT 10
I'll have a guess and say it's a Ramsay caravan , based purely on the shape of the painted side flash. The aluminium border around the flash is not showing in the Ramsay DHL thread though. Paramount, Kings, and Clipper are three SA brands that have used an aluminium border around the painted flash. Kings also used perspex windows with a sharp right-angle, but only on the rear of their vans, so it seems (the front perspex on Kings vans seems to have a bit of a curve in the bend). The flash on the side of the Kings vans is not the same as this unknown van, though. The unknown van might be a later model than the ones showing in the Ramsay DHL thread?? cheers, Al. ps. I meant to add that the van listed in the advertisement at the bottom of the Broadway DHL thread has a painted side flash not too dissimilar in appearance to the unknown van, but the Ramsay seems to match it more closely. pps. and the Road Cruiser caravan has a similar shaped side flash. Somebody has been copying somebody else, by the looks.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 7, 2014 17:25:58 GMT 10
G'day Franklin1 and Hughdeani, That's an interesting suggestion of yours Franklin1 - that Suzie's van may be a Ramsay. I can see where you're coming from with that. I've noted Hughdeani's comment that he believes that the van is a Rowvan. I have compared it to the various photos we have in DHL of Rowvans from the late 50's and into the 60's and can't see many points of similarity, but on the other hand I gather from his comment that Hughdeani has personally seen the van...and I know that Hughdeani almost always (if not always!) knows what he is talking about. My thought was that the van may be a Broadway, based on its shape and the flash, but I've had a PM discussion with Raym, whose father built Broadways, and he feels that Suzie's van isn't from the Broadway stable. I also wondered if it could be a late 50's King van, but the wheel arch is a different shape, and King vans had a relatively individual and consistent shaped wheel arch. On the other hand King's did have the aluminium border around the flash which is not all that common... Part of the problem is that there were so many South Australian caravan manufacturers that we know so little about! Hopefully when Suzie gets to check out her van in a bit more detail she will find a manufacturer's plate hidden away somewhere or some other identifying mark and solve our quandary. Don Ricardo
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2014 18:48:24 GMT 10
Hi Don, Thanks for the vote of confidence! What did it for me was the front overhead cupboards in Suzies van.most Rowvans have distinctive stepped overheads at the front and sides,the Ramsay doesn't have front overheads at all. Also Rowvans (in my eyes anyway) always had a lower than normal window line ,which Suzies van has. Hope this is of some help. Cheers hughdeani
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Post by smiles on Sept 8, 2014 18:01:58 GMT 10
Hi Suzie
Lovely to hear your story! Thanks for sharing it with us all. I accidentally came across an interview the other day with Tara Moss talking about her own little vintage van & how she loves to get away in it & how it reminds her of her childhood too.
Re the van: we own the Ramsay van that's in DHL. It doesn't have the red stripe at the moment but will have it again one day! A previous owner met the son of Donald Ramsay, the builder. Apparently all 200 Ramsay vans were built to order & there was no standard van apart from the over rider brakes which were always manufactured by Tregonning. So I think your van could be a Ramsay judging by the shape, the flash, & wheel arches. Our wheel arches are similar to yours under the spats. Our Ramsay has a .75" plywood floor with a steel angle iron chassis. So check out your running gear & see if its made by Tregonning. When I first saw the interior pictures I was struck by the similar vibe. Apparently Mrs Ramsay sewed the curtains & I think she had a good colour sense. Lots of nice little touches! Those curtains are gorgeous! They match the cushions & van Purrfectly!
Even if its not a Ramsay, have fun, she's a lovely van!
smiles
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