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Post by boomer54 on Feb 23, 2016 8:42:21 GMT 10
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Post by jp63 on Feb 23, 2016 9:29:53 GMT 10
Congrats on your van, she looks to be in great order for her age.
We replaced the water tank on our van for something larger, as the original one was much too small for a family of 4. I can't really comment on the hitch or axle as That's way above my head but I'm sure someone will come along soon with plenty of information for you.
As for the aluminium, lots of scrubbing and polishing! it's a huge job, but well worth the effort. we used a combination of soapy steel wool and Scrubbing brushes, followed by a high pressure clean on the textured sides of our van, and for the roof which was a smooth finish we also used purple polish to get it to shine again.
Good luck,
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thomas
Junior Member
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Post by thomas on Feb 24, 2016 17:06:38 GMT 10
Gday boomer54,
looks like a sweet pickup on the millard!!
Correct - lots of elbow grease required for that silver stuff, & purple polish is a fantastic product!
As far as windows go, i replaced the glass with a Lexan type product - a fraction of the weight and 200 times stronger!
With the limited turn capability....only way really is to replace the drawbar with a new & improved item (longer with bigger steel). You may find this is necessary anyway due to the dreaded rust bug!!
With a new axle....great idea! Companies like Huntmans products have an extensive range to chose from....from full mechanical up to electric packages, starting at 9 inch hub sizes. Advice - go ford stud pattern, that way your wheel choices are basically endless!
Hope this has been of some help!
Regards,
T.
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Post by akeepsake on Feb 24, 2016 18:05:29 GMT 10
Great old Millard Boomer54 My first VV was a 63 Millard Florida and I have a bit of a soft spot for them . Was wondering do you know for sure its a 63 model as it has all the features of a 65-67 Eg the double front windows ,the cladding profile ,the livery ,the wood grain laminex veneer etc etc . I dated mine From the original electrical compliance certificate . If you got that date of the rego lots of time on re registration the age was estimated . Anyway I could be wrong so check out the Down History Lane section here and look at the index under Millard It'll be interesting what you find.
Welcome to the forum!
Cheers Andrew
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 24, 2016 18:49:56 GMT 10
G'day Boomer54, Following along from Akeepsake's post, if you can find the serial number on the draw bar (it will start with 'M') you can compare it with the others recorded on the Millard thread in the Down History Lane section and work out where it fits in in terms of dates. There's quite a lot of serial number info on that thread, so that should give you a fair idea.  Don Ricardo |
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Post by boomer54 on Feb 24, 2016 19:33:14 GMT 10
Thanks all. We did have a read of the thread about Millards and had thought it was a 1966 model after reading the history article. The pic of the original Millard brochure seemed to confirm this. The rego papers say '63, but yes, this could have been an estimate. We'll do a bit more research.
We unpacked the annexe bag and were very pleased to find a great original annexe with canvas roof and yellow, grey and white curved trim with Aqua coloured walls. No tears or mould. Winner!
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Post by boomer54 on Feb 24, 2016 20:21:33 GMT 10
Hi Thomas where did you get parts for your windows. We need the locks, rubbers and some screens. Looked at replacements as well with new windows.
David
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thomas
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by thomas on Feb 24, 2016 20:59:31 GMT 10
Hi boomer54,
Sourced locally in Tassie. I have a couple of very helpful local stores that are more than happy to help!!
One online store I've used is Caravansplus. Recently sourced fenderwelt from them, really good service & they have an extensive range. If you are wanting to remove the Windows - frame and all, suggest grabbing strip caulking to re-seal.
Our windows were treated to many painful hours of scrubbing & polishing before returning them to their rightful place.!
As for the glass replacement - any decent window manufacturing shop should be able to help!!
Shout out if I can help any further. !!
Regards,
T.
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Post by boomer54 on Feb 25, 2016 17:38:40 GMT 10
Thanks Thomas. Can I ask what is fenderwelt?
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thomas
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by thomas on Feb 25, 2016 20:34:48 GMT 10
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Post by boomer54 on Feb 28, 2016 14:31:38 GMT 10
Thanks everyone. We've found the chassis number and we can read M587_. The last number can't be read as it is covered by a welded on plate holding the jockey wheel. We will see if it is readable when we replace this. Regarding the age of the van, we've had another read of the thread on 'Memory Lane' where it was stated that 'the new model Capri came to the market by May 1966' and also that 'by 1967 Millard had started to clad it's vans in aluminium with a white , baked finish' we are assuming that our natural aluminium van is probably a 1966 model. There was mention of a couple of other Millard Capri's with the chassis numbers 6490 and 8079, and putting all of the above together we'd assume our van with number 587_ is from around the same time.
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Post by boomer54 on Feb 29, 2016 9:22:43 GMT 10
We thought people may be interested to see the original annexe which we were lucky enough to have included in the van.    You've got to love people who look after their caravan and camping gear. We would like to be able to use the roof (with striped trim detail) as a roof awning without the walls, and would also like to improve on the lace up corner detail. Check out the tiny window - ventilation mustn't have been a priority in the 60s! We know a good canvas man who has done work for us before, so will see what can be done without losing the vintage appeal of the annexe. |
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Post by mel on Mar 4, 2016 13:48:16 GMT 10
I am very jealous of that awning. It is the exact colours that I have used for my van. It looks to be in immaculate condition.
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Post by Mustang on Mar 5, 2016 5:34:26 GMT 10
Re Purple Polish,
They now have a prep product that de- oxidisers , you just apply the PP over the top.
We also replaced all our windows with plexi, weight difference is staggering, the winding boxes work so much easier.
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Post by boomer54 on Mar 19, 2016 19:17:17 GMT 10
Love your van Mel. Yes, we were very pleased with the annexe! It's in great order, that's for sure. We are in the process of working out stripe colour and will probably go with what you have chosen. How did you clean up your exterior aluminium?
I've done one wall with the de-oxidiser and purple, but I'm disappointed with the results. Very patchy looking. As the woman of the house, maybe I lack a bit of muscle power for the final 'buff'?? There are lots of opinions re cleaning exterior aluminium. Our tin is a dimpled finish and feels quite 'scaly' in places. Someone recommended using a green kitchen scourer and I tried this and it seems to be working well. I'm also trialling 'Autosol' and must say I find it much easier to work with than Purple. Who needs to go to the gym for toned arms?
I should add that the man of the house has taken out the rear bunks and is well into making a queen bed for the rear. We had the lino checked and it contains only 2% asbestos, so we can carefully remove it (as it's bit damaged in places). We'll update it with something suitably vintage.
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Post by mel on Mar 20, 2016 19:02:54 GMT 10
I found purple polish to be far better than autosol. I didn't have any luck with the de-oxidiser. I used a wire brush on the end of the drill and lightly went over the whole van. That removed the oxidisation. I then polished by hand with purple polish on a application pad from Autobarn. The purple polish turned the whole van black!!! I then tried to buff it off with a soft cloth. The first coat of purple polish is so hard to buff but each coat gets easier. I then washed it off with carwash and put on another coat of purple polish. I just did the fourth coat the other week with a rotary polisher but think I will stick to applying it by hand. This fourth coat buffed off quite nicely.
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Post by Mustang on Mar 20, 2016 20:10:47 GMT 10
Autosol is possibly better with an aged surface, rather than Purple Polish. I found with my aluminium windows that the wire brush pitted the surface, while it looked cleaner they didn't shine, SO: I changed to using 3 x grades of steel wool saturated with inox, course, medium, fine, degrease then use Autosol. The results are the best I could get.  |
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Post by boomer54 on Mar 21, 2016 12:18:26 GMT 10
Yes, no quick fix! I had another go at my 'patchy' wall on the weekend (with Autosol applied with the scratchy pad) and it has evened up the results quite a lot. I was originally thinking it would be a 'once' process - haha, we live and learn...... I have new faith that it may come up OK with a couple (or three) goes.
Your windows look GREAT Mustang.Husband is weighing up the plexi option for windows.We need to organise window screens too, as the original windows don't have built in screens. Either Millard or the prior owners added an internal 'flip-up' rectanglular screen over the whole window opening, which looks a bit average and isn't particularly 'bug proof'.
Mel, I've read that somewhere that you need to buff the polish off before it dries. Maybe why it was so difficult! Your process seems to have worked though, as it is looking neat. Also, did you paint your stripe detail yourself or get it done professionally?
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Post by Mustang on Mar 21, 2016 18:21:50 GMT 10
I feel its easier to remove a wet polish rather than let it dry.
Aluminium is a hard metal when its old, I tried evry speed shop "polish in a bottle" but it comes back to elbow grease, possibly by doing the whole van at one time, its too big a project, try polishing like a car...a little at a time.
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Post by greedy53 on Mar 21, 2016 20:14:05 GMT 10
i used braso 3 parts to 1 pare kero on my fuel tanks turned them into chrome the second try
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Post by Mustang on Mar 22, 2016 18:04:14 GMT 10
i used braso 3 parts to 1 pare kero on my fuel tanks turned them into chrome the second try Wow, now theirs a recipe!! |
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Post by grinny on Aug 30, 2018 22:13:58 GMT 10
Hi guys
have just been scrolling through the net trying to get an idea of how much mum & dad's old Capri caravan would be worth. Mum has had a lot of people turning up and asking if she would sell but she has no idea what it would be worth.
Its all original and been kept in a shed for the past 40 odd years. Can you give me an idea of what you paid fir yours.
any help would be appreciated, just don't want her to get taken
cheers
grinny
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