Another "Pearl" dredged from Lake Macquarie

[Deleted]

Hi All

One of the advantages of working with 1000 other people on local government is that means there is 2000 eyes out around the lake every day.
Buidinginspectors, rangers, parks and gardens blokes, road gangs etc, etc.So Me being the entrprenu... ontip....ontrapranu..... me being the enterprising lad that i am have offered these guys a "spotters fee" for any information that leads to the locating / purchasing/ rescuing of our beloved old boxes on wheels.

During my usual mundane morning activitys at work i decide to do what "The John Butler Trio" tells us to do....
"Gunna take a look outside and se whats shaking in the real world"
So i grabbed a cuppa and headed into " The real world" where i bumped into a mate who is a health and buillding inspector.
He is on my spotters list.
He told me about a van he had spotted while out around tghe traps on wednesday. Was meaning to phone me but had forgotten to.
Details where given and stashed into my wallet. Just a rough location , no names or address.
Got home friday arvo and then took off into the wilds in the ute to see if i could find the van and its owner.
Only 20 minutes from home and a few wrong turns and then i spotted it.
Here ya go

lurking behind an old shed

ooooooooooooooo yeeeeeeees its made of "gods own gift".. plywood
has a very flat roof line and there is a thick timber mould with fancy moulding at the ends running along the wheel arch over what looks like ford pilot, anglia or prefect wheels.



Twin timber windows . i managed to sneak the corner open on one. has brass flyscreens behind.

Paint is flakey but the timber appears to be in good condition all round. Couldnt get a peek inside but by the look of that vent in the side she has had an upgrade to an electric fridge.
Draw bar appears to be galvanized , functioning coupling, not sure about the brakes. The way the van is propped up i would say the tyres might be useable.

I banged on the door of the house. no answer.
so i went over the road to the neighbours place . no one home. next i wrote a note for the owner and one for the neighbour asking them to contact me.
Was about to drive off then i spotted movement from the house on the top side of the property. managed to get a contact number off him
Rang the lady last night. lovely person .
Apparently the property belonged to her mother who has not long past away. The van was given to the mother by her aunty back in the 50s.
We chatted for a while and she said she will check with her brother and see if it is ok for me to have it.
I didnt push the issue because i know how messy and emotional things can get when relatives are sorting out deceased estates.
A bit of respect doesnt hurt at these times.

I thanked her for her time and left her my contact number. Hope to get a "Yay or "Nay" in a week or so.

I waited till everyone at home last night was sitting at the dinner table to break the good news about the van and the likelihood it would be coming home...... They all lost thier appetite and got up from the table ...." wo. wo....what did i say wrong"

Meanwhile its Fingers crossed for a favourable outcome.

Reddo....sleeping with the dog tonight

[firefighter]

Hey Reddo

What a clue to get .......even the old boat looks ok to drag home
the boat wood look good on your old wooden trailer

F/F ;D ;D ;D

[Geoff & Jude]

good find reddo.

looks like it would be a fairly easy resto for you if you keep it.

(wonder why the power was left connected while it's been sitting there for so long?)

good luck on getting it.

geoff 'n jude

[cobber]

Good on ya Arold,

It looks like a good one, I hope you get it.
That enamel paint always finishes up cracking and peeling but it will be easy to get off, that's one good thing about it

Cobber.

[vintagecaravans]

Sensational work Mr President! Good to see you are out practising what you preach and saving another poor lost soul!
Mate the rate you convert these things we should be calling you Father Reddo the Saviour!
Look forward to hearing more.............
Matt

[kingy]

Sorry to hear you've gotta shack up with the dog tonight Reddo, i was near head'in for the doghouse myself when i recently mentioned i had my eye on a fugly . This latest van has a much more conventional look ;D has some unusual features too, like you say with its flat roof and the moulded edging.
Would be curious to see the setup inside at the front, the way it slopes inwards towards the bottom so much makes you wonder why, as it means less room inside
Looks like she'd clean up well, and being that size i'd imagine would'nt weigh much. Good luck, she's a good'in - kingy

[Deleted]

Its All Good Brudders.

I rang the lady last friday night and she mentioned that she was heading down to the lake on sunday to have a look around the place and check the contents of the old van with her brother.
Was watching telly last night when i got a call from her.
Yep they are prepared to sell it to me , but they want me to check out inside it before we settle on a price.
When i asked her about the condition of things in there she stated that a couple of wasps have nested in there in the past and things will need a good clean up. fridge door is rusty.

I have agreed to meet her there this saturday around 9,00 and we can sort things out then.

I left for work early today and swung past there. van measures 1800mm wide and is just a tad over 3m long with a wheel track of 1700mm. so it will fit on the "free to goodmates" car trailer.
well not actually free i usually slip him a bottle of "good red" as payment
I had a look underneath the van and the floor is made with floorboards running across the van rather than ply. Hopefully the floor on the inside would look good with a sand and coat of clear. Might even consider staining and clearing the outside as i will have to burn/scrape/ sand the entire outside paint back to bare timber anyway.

Frame/chassis is 40mm angle and 50mm box section so it appears that it will be very light hence easy to tow.
Not too worried about the fridge . i scored a nice little late model fridge at Blacktown swap for $35.......no question asked good job fridges dont have VIN numbers eh.
works like a charm .

Anywho thats it for now. I will make sure i take plenty of pictures of the rescue mission..... I'm excited...... The thrill of the chase and the bagging of another rare beast.
Just gotta save up the half million i reckon the 1 acre absolute waterfront property and old house will bring when the lady puts it up for auction.

Just gunna have to settle for a small slice of the estate for now... I am happy with that idea.

Reddo

[Deleted]

Well its home.
tyres pumped up after 36 years of sitting deflated but raised off the ground.
Took and hour to load it.
Its full of wasps nests.
fridge is gas /240v.
front bunk cushions missing.
Glass broken in 2 back windows.
The wooden covers on the wooden windows are held in place by 1 screw so easily removed when you set up camp.
wheels look like anglia . prefect or ford pilot. same hubcaps that matilda had when i brought her home.
Tyres are 16" X 5.50.
The clock is a wind up jobby.
Note the gas light fitting with heat gaurd.
has stainless sink and fynspray galley pump.
I am guessing early to mid fifties. I think everyone was running fe/fc holden wheels by 1958.
Paint is a mess. water tank is missing from underneath.
Lino is excellent.
floor is made from floorboards not ply.
Has a bulge in the wall behind the sink. water damage i suspect.













It has "carapark" stamped in the mechanical overide 2"coupling.
There is no cables to the backing plates.

Its rescued, its home , its dusty, its dirty, its loved.

Thats all i know about that...
Bye for now Forest Gump.

[Deleted]

another great find .......a real lil sweetie saved

and in good hands too, we can depend on Reddo to do the right thing with a treasure like this, and maybe in time pass it onto to someone else who'll appreciate & treasure it ........

'Plums' like this are getting harder to find ........

Too often original wheels like this caravan has are discarded for 13" Holden wheels .........
Personally, I think the old Ford 16" wheels really look the part on these old vans, and its a shame to change 'em

Mark

[kingy]

Certainly a unique one Reddo, have'nt seen a similar one that i can think of. Have you found anything to suggest it's a production job or homemade ? - would come up a treat with a makeover
Kingy

[cobber]

Looks like it’s worth spending time and money on ‘arold

Got chrome towel rails...I’ll keep my eye open for some chrome towels for you.
Stable door, I’ll keep my eye open for a donkey for you.
Don’t chuck the window stays, they look very similar to the ones I finished up making for Ol’ 36, yours look curved , mine were straight.
The gas light looks like a very nice touch.
Did you put all that old junk in it for the photo shoot, or did that stuff come with it .

Cobber.

[trodler]

Hey Reddo.
Nice find.
My yellow van has the same gas light , and my van was built around 57 58.
If you go to use it just be careful the on-off valve doesnt leak gas, one fire is enough for you
this year.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[Deleted]

"Ello Albert me Farver".

Everything ya see in the picha was in the van.
It is just over 9ft long and is 6 foot wide by just over 7ft high.
...........
translation for the post1975 metric kiddies is 3.3 m X 1.8m X 2.1m high
Me being the hot rodding , non conforming type has ear marked this van for a resto back to as near as possible original for those occassions when i feel like displaying things the way they where....
Sorta like a museum piece.
I am callin it a Carapark based on the stamping in the coupling. It clearly says"CARAPARK".Hope someone can shed some light on carapark history
. Up until no3w i thought caraparks where famous for "chrome toasters" like the juniors, etc.
Matilda is a better van and is 100% original apart from the wheels
so it will pass on most occasssions as a vintage van.
The Homebuilt fake/ replica/imposter/ hate you blow the whisle ref/ TD will fool most of the people when i go long distance vanning (e.g: Mt Gambier)

Accessories in the picture

They where all in the van when i picked it up.
The old Asto radio still works. T
There is one picture in my last post of the shelf above the stove. Amongst the salt sakers and empty jars There is a fixed candle holder with a snuffer sitting beside it. I believe that this was the norm for vans without 12v . saves lighting the gas if ya get up for a Pee in the night,
I havent had time to read the "Holiday Harzards" paper, I got all exited by the yellow paper when i found it . I thought it was old.... but it turned out to be 1971.. and we all know that when ya born half way through the last century 1971 aint THAT OLD.
There was a phamplet for a "Mitchell 489"... spinning fishing reel . Anyone that is into fishing will tell you these things are built as tough as an old pommy motorbike gear box. brass cogs and built to stand the test of time and salt water/ sand abuse. Not like those el cheapo Diawa rubbish.

There was a few 1971 TV guides from the NSW central coast TV stations dated 23rd Dec to 30th Dec 1971. So i am guessing what the lady said about being off the road since the early '70s is true. Xmas holidays 1971 was the last time the old girl saw any action.

I note what Mark M has said about the old 16 wheels giving character and agree . but the bloody thing sits up that high with the 16s on it . It almost looks like a top hat . ready to tip over in the wind.
truely does add character but will contribute to massive fuel consumption when towed

The shed of invention is pretty much booked out until Xmas with old holden renovations and panelvan tidy ups so the "pearl " and the "fugly" are currently on Hold.
The TD is back in the shed .. and i have just spotted another "Jewel" while out on a Norton Club Bike run today ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D.
STAY TUNED FOLKS ;D


Will this madness ever end??
Will the wife still love me??
Will I buy a bigger block of land??
Doctor doctor give me the news... is there a cure

Curse you Mark Taylor...... Its all your fault.

1 bex, 1 panadol, 1 aspro.
Yeild not. to te temptations of evil.


Reddo
7 old motorbikes
4 vint vans
3 box trailers.. 1 buckboard vintage
2 cars.. ek ute and sandman van replica ...
2 sons ... one is 21 today... hiccup, burp.. happy birthday Luke
1 very understanding wife.
THANK YOU MY LOVING MISSUS TRISH

[chippydave01]

Original bunk bed set up Reddo.See them bits off timber running down each side wall at the front of your van with the slots in them, they take a metal pole with hesian slipped over them for a small child to sleep on.Just a bit hard to open the flyscreens though.The gypsy has them front and rear,Cheers Dave

[Don Ricardo]

Great to see some more photos of the "pearl", Reddo. It certainly is worth saving because it has some really unique features.

Interesting about the 'CARAPARK' on the coupling. It doesn't really seem to fit the Carapark mold does it? At least in terms of the pics we've seen posted on the forum.

I wonder if someone bought a Carapark chassis and then built a home-made on it? There are a couple of things which seem to suggest that to me - the distinctive shape, the molding along the side at floor level, the flat roof, etc. No doubt you will get a clearer steer once you've done some work on it.

Don Ricardo

[sportsman 1]

Hi Reddo, we are coming your way, dont do anything drastic till we get there, we might be interested in lightening your load and making some inroads towards your marrital bliss if you know what I mean, cheers,

Leigh & Karon.