Post by tasfrankie on Apr 22, 2015 10:16:02 GMT 10
Hi all,
Bit of a background to my recent purchase of a 1969 (i think) Franklin Safari. Drawbar # is 1633-9. I have been bitten by the exploring bug and although was born and raised in Tasmania haven't really looked around as much as I should. I also enjoy hitting the 4wd trails and getting into the outdoors and want to show our 2yo son the world and how great Tassie is. My wife however, although she does like camping wasn't keen to camp with a little tacker so we decided to buy this little van to use as a base for 1-2 day trips around the place. Bit of a impulse buy really but will be a great project that can be used along the way.
Its in fairly good condition however does need some TLC to bring up to great condition but its certainly useable in current state. Someone has made some additions/mods over the years which has left some screw holes around the place but nothing that bad.
Our intention is to build it to our specs over 3 stages, probably over the winter periods when it wont get used as much. Stage 1 is getting it registered and usable. Stage 2 is restoring the interior and a few dry rot & trim repairs. Stage 3 will be the exterior body & lick of paint (bring back the original blue stripe and get rid of current terrible colour stripe).
So far I have replaced the wheel bearings, rewired tail lights & fixed 12v interior lights (had 3 different tail light wiring hacks over the years), made a new drawbar due to rust, installed a 12v deep cycle battery with isolator etc so we can run lights at night, and made a charging cable from battery to vehicle via a anderson plug so it can be charged on the road. This will connect to the 4wd's dual battery isolator wiring. The original fridge was also dead so instead of spending $$ on fixing it (I also didn't want a 40+yo gas system on when my family is on board, nor will use 240v where we plan to head) removed the internals and essentially turned it into a vertical ice box. Ice blocks will keep our milk and meat cold enough for our needs.
Anyway some pics for your viewing pleasure...
Bit of a background to my recent purchase of a 1969 (i think) Franklin Safari. Drawbar # is 1633-9. I have been bitten by the exploring bug and although was born and raised in Tasmania haven't really looked around as much as I should. I also enjoy hitting the 4wd trails and getting into the outdoors and want to show our 2yo son the world and how great Tassie is. My wife however, although she does like camping wasn't keen to camp with a little tacker so we decided to buy this little van to use as a base for 1-2 day trips around the place. Bit of a impulse buy really but will be a great project that can be used along the way.
Its in fairly good condition however does need some TLC to bring up to great condition but its certainly useable in current state. Someone has made some additions/mods over the years which has left some screw holes around the place but nothing that bad.
Our intention is to build it to our specs over 3 stages, probably over the winter periods when it wont get used as much. Stage 1 is getting it registered and usable. Stage 2 is restoring the interior and a few dry rot & trim repairs. Stage 3 will be the exterior body & lick of paint (bring back the original blue stripe and get rid of current terrible colour stripe).
So far I have replaced the wheel bearings, rewired tail lights & fixed 12v interior lights (had 3 different tail light wiring hacks over the years), made a new drawbar due to rust, installed a 12v deep cycle battery with isolator etc so we can run lights at night, and made a charging cable from battery to vehicle via a anderson plug so it can be charged on the road. This will connect to the 4wd's dual battery isolator wiring. The original fridge was also dead so instead of spending $$ on fixing it (I also didn't want a 40+yo gas system on when my family is on board, nor will use 240v where we plan to head) removed the internals and essentially turned it into a vertical ice box. Ice blocks will keep our milk and meat cold enough for our needs.
Anyway some pics for your viewing pleasure...
