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Post by GoosePilot on Dec 20, 2016 21:14:15 GMT 10
Firstly I'd like to say hi to everyone on the forum. Normally I'm very active on the Motorcycle adventure forums - so please be patient if I'm used to a specific forum & rules...hopefully I'll learn soon! We live part time in Orpington, Kent and part time in the Western Cape in South Africa. The property we bought about 100 miles from Cape Town towards the most Southern tip of Africa - Agulhas - borders an old property that have some horses roaming around....and their feed/tack store happens to be an old caravan. So after some negotiations - I finally managed to purchase the old lady and hope to renovate her during my spare time. Endless research has pointed me towards the Viking Fibreline models - however my wife discovered that the Vikings were actually modeled after a South African designed and manufactured Van in the 60's - called "Afri-Caravan" - but this has not been confirmed because any searches have come to dead-ends..  Although the little lady is fairly intact - we found that her interior seems to be original and even more complete. I will take more pics of the interior once we move her and clean all the horse stuff out....but I wondered whether anyone could assist with identifying her and perhaps offer advice...?     |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Dec 20, 2016 22:00:54 GMT 10
A warm welcome to the forum goosepilot (do you fly those cumbersome seaplanes?). What a great find and rescue you have achieved. Can't help with any ID, but must say that it looks like a smaller version of the ever-popular Sunliners here. I'm sure donricardo will be thrilled with this find and flapping his goose feathers in excitement! Good luck with the restoration and keep us posted on your progress.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 21, 2016 12:03:45 GMT 10
Did I hear someone calling my name... Hi Goosepilot, Great to have you on board, and to hear about the proposed rescue of your caravan which has been moonlighting as horse food/tack storage. Great to hear also that the interior is original and complete. Very often caravans used for storage have had all the interior furniture and fittings taken out of them, so the fact that yours is complete is a real bonus. Although this forum is focused on Australian caravans, I would like to emphasise that we are always happy to hear from people in other parts of the world - even more so when they have an interesting story to tell about their vans, as you do, and are willing to share the story of their restoration work. Over the years we have had a few overseas contributors, mostly from the UK, but also a couple from Africa and the USA. As it happens one of the African contributors ( Malawicamper aka Edgar1967, who was based in Malawi at the time) found a caravan the same as, or similar to yours, and one of the US contributors ( Mezmo) was instrumental in identifying the van initially as a Viking Fibreline, and then as an Africaravan Gypsi. You can read the whole story here. Unfortunately Edgar1967's photos of his van have all disappeared for reasons explained in the thread, but earlier this year he posted that he was now back in his home country of Germany, had taken his van with him, and has been restoring it. On the same thread there are some posts from another African contributor, OldschoolSA, who had a 1967 Africaravan Gypsi which he discovered was built in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Both Edgar1967 and OldschoolSA are still members of the forum, although neither have posted for a while. However, you may be able to contact them by email if you wish to. Let me know if you have trouble finding their email addresses from the forum. Well done to your wife, too, for finding the connection between the Viking Fibreline and the Africaravans Gypsi. She may have already discovered the thread I referred to above? In that thread I quoted from Andrew Jenkinson's Caravans: The Story of British Trailer Caravans & Their Manufacturers - From 1960: "Located in an old disused woollen mill in the village of Heads Nook, near Carlisle, one of the best known clubman tourers were built. In 1965, Viking Fibreline Caravans emerged. The Viking was based on the Africavan design, originating from South Africa, called the Gypsy...
"...At one time Vikings were possibly the most exported of all clubmans...
"...The first Vikings, for 1966, were basically the same as the South African design..." (excerpts from pp 47-49). Given that you found your van in South Africa, my guess is that your van is much more likely to be an Africaravan Gypsi than an exported Viking, but hopefully once you start working on it you'll find some indication of where it was built, as OldschoolSA did. Mezmo provided quite a lot of links in his posts, some of which now don't work, but quite a few do, so they may get you further in your search for information. Good luck with the restoration, and please do provide us with lots of updates and photos as you go.  Don Ricardo |
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Post by GoosePilot on Jan 2, 2017 21:53:42 GMT 10
Thanks for all that amazing info Don Ricardo We're still currently taking a break...but managed to make the effort to fetch the little Van..... amazingly she's been standing for many years - but the previous owner had the foresight to jack her up on her legs - so when we connected the pump to the tires...well blow me down - they not only took the air - but held it as well. This allowed us to tow the van to her new home. Further discoveries made inside & outside... - Original Chassis plate dated 1961 and confirms her age (now 55) as well as the original manufacturers details - AfriCaravan from Pinetown in Natal RSA
- Original Gas 2-plate cooker intact
- Original sink - albeit a gorgeous (not) pink...
- Under the bunks we found the original canvass tents - intact and appears to be in very good condition. Clips are missing on the outside of the van - so once these are replaced we'll do a test erection.
- Original Gas-lamp inside - missing the bulk of the lamp - but I'm sure I'll find a replacement glass which we can convert to a retro LED bulb system....
- All tent/awning poles present and still in good condition...
- All fittings and hinges original and could be reused ...but thorough cleaning needed
We've done a bit of cleaning on the outside to remove most of the moss and wildlife.... but I'll have to find a way to seal and strengthen the roof before attempting to clean it. The fibreglass seems very poreous - so will have to be re-coated to seal and strengthen. The only real conundrum I've seen so far...is really the old Logo............ I can find Viking Fibreline logo's.......but AFRICARAVAN Gypsy - well that's just seeming impossible to find through all the normal search engines....     |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 5, 2017 15:04:14 GMT 10
Hi GoosePilot, Really interesting to read the further information you've discovered about your AfriCaravan Gypsey. And the van is looking much better already after having received a little attention. It's wonderful to have a build date there for you in red and silver (well, it's not black and white!). I wonder if the serial number also incorporates the build date somehow? '1/1/366' might perhaps mean '1961/January/366th van' or something similar - although it seems unlikely that AfriCaravan might have produced 366 caravans in the month of January! In Australia, January is the month for the traditional long summer holiday when manufacturing output really slows down as a result. Is it the same in South Africa? I was also intrigued to see that the van is named a 'Gypsey'. In the book I quoted in my earlier post, Jenkins referred to the caravans as 'Gypsy' and I have seen a few adverts listing the them as 'Gypsi', but apparently the correct name is 'Gypsey'. Regarding the logo, I did a quick search but didn't find anything that might help you. However, I did find a Facebook page called 'Vintage Caravans South Africa'. There's not a lot on the page yet (it appears to have only been operating for a few months), but if you post an enquiry about AfriCaravan you may get a response sooner or later. Here's hoping! Good luck with the clean up, and keep telling us about your progress. Don Ricardo |
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Post by GoosePilot on Jan 23, 2017 2:24:42 GMT 10
Well the strip-down has started. Lots & lots of pics being taken to record the event - but also so I can try to remember where everything goes! First spent an afternoon with the local Police to see whether thye would give us clearance on the van - found the local Warrant Officer to be exceptionally helpful - even offering to drive the 34km to our home to inspect the van - rather than having to take it to the station fro the inspection The general condition inside is really good. No rot found on the floor and it's quite surprising to see the construction of the van. The caravan seems to be constructed in 3 sections......the base which is fibreglass was moulded seperately - then placed on the chassis. The middle section made from aluminium skin with hardboard inside was then added and an aluminium bead or cover strip then affixed on the outside. The screws then went right through the skin into part of the wooden frame. The roof - also fibreglass was then placed on top and with shelving held in place where the join was - the aluminium cover strip was again fixed from outside into the shelves to bond and strengthen the structure. GENIUS!! What I'm doing so far has been removing all the cabinets and bulkheads - now the floor panels are removed to allow me access to the chassis bolts and also affords the opportunity to inspect the actual chassis condition. The chassis seems rigid enough - however there are areas where you could just push your finger right through the steel plate - so I'm probably going to use the old frame as a template and totally re-build the chassis - re-using the axle, wheels, tow hitch, jockey wheel and handbrake assembly. I will also take the opportunity to add a small modification to the chassis at the back - a removable bicycle rack will probably be designed to allow me to carry 2 bikes with us when we eventually get to tour with the van. I'm also going to add a strip or sheet of aluminium to the inside of the wheel arches to protect the fibreglass hull against stones - since we mainly travel on dirt roads.... and probably upgrade the thin Cross-ply tyres on the 15" wheels to 155 or 165 wide treads. The original gas cooker was also stripped and serviced - however I'm struggling to get replacement seals for the valves, which are perished. The gas cooker also has no fail-safe or igniter system...so I may well do some modification to make the cooker comply with safety regs. I will also add a Carbon monoxide detector inside the caravan. I've got tons of pics to sort and will post some soon... With regard to the Logo - I've now finally resolved to give my wife the job (she's a graphic designer with a very impressive resume) of creating a Logo for the caravan - worthy of her standing and history - will show off the initial designs soon for comment. |
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Post by boeta123 on Oct 3, 2017 9:00:23 GMT 10
Hi GoosePilot I also found an Gypsey but it is in a not so good condition and the previous owner changed the inside looks, but I would like too repair it as close too original as possible would you be able too assist with some information and photos. Mine is a 62 model. I noticed it looks alot like the Viking Fibreline. Any help will be welcome.
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Post by GoosePilot on Oct 28, 2017 15:27:45 GMT 10
Hi GoosePilot I also found an Gypsey but it is in a not so good condition and the previous owner changed the inside looks, but I would like too repair it as close too original as possible would you be able too assist with some information and photos. Mine is a 62 model. I noticed it looks alot like the Viking Fibreline. Any help will be welcome. Hi there Boeta - listen I will assist where possible. I've also struggled like crazy to get any information with regard to this little Caravan.......... seems there's just nothing available and showing the pics to local caravan manufacturers...well I just get the blank look and have to figure stuff out for myself. I can suggest that the Lights as well as the old Reflectors on my caravan seems to have been WW2 surplus that was obtained from Wingfield Surplus store during the early 60's. I know there was one huge amount of stuff that was still being sold off in the 70's and 80's......... but sadly I missed out on that  I'll post some more pics of my progress at the moment - been a bit slow - but send me an email to peter(at)compvest(co)(za) with what you're looking for and I'll try to assist. I must mention that I've just come back from the UK and managed to find additional and replacement lights and fittings as well as replacement window rubbers .......really chuffed as the rubber profiles are definitely scarce and difficult to find. |
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Post by GoosePilot on Oct 28, 2017 16:22:14 GMT 10
Unfortunately I've been in the UK for extended time sorting out our late mum's house and shipping stuff back to SA........... but with the container arriving next week... its been a hive of activity to get the caravan to a state to have her repainted and out of the garage where's she's been hiding for the past months. We were really fortunate to find the original tent & all the poles intact for the Van...  I managed to remove the caravan from it's chassis and built a totally new frame that was galvanised - reusing the original hitch assembly after refurbishing. I also contacted the local Police Clearance centre and an officer came to pay me a visit to check on what's being done to the Van - obviously she will need a new Chassis number and SAPS just want to verify that all is above board...so with their full approval - the work continues!    The original axle was also stripped and serviced and is actually in remarkably good condition. Brakes fully functional - so the wheel rims were sandblasted and powder coated after which a brand new set of tyres were fitted. Chassis was reunited with the Van and a new floor was installed and sealed and I also added a weather flap at the back of the chassis to prevent the mud/water from splashing up the back of the bodywork.  A little modification I made to the chassis will allow a removable mount/rack to be added at the back to allow the Spare wheel to be attached at the back of the Van - or a Bicycle rack added........ It took us a week of intense sanding and work to get the Roof section cleaned off....... what a job to get it back to the fibreglass - I will be adding 3 new coats of white-tinted fibreglass to not only seal the roof but to add a bit more strength as the African sun baking on the roof allowed some sag over the years. Windows have all been stripped out and cleaned and the shell will probably be ready for it's new paint in the next week or so.... STRUGGLING WITH PHOTOBUCKET.... will upload rest of the pics asap |
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Post by shesgotthelook on Oct 28, 2017 16:30:15 GMT 10
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Post by Mustang on Oct 29, 2017 8:12:40 GMT 10
Thats interesting, the "embedded fix" for PB is allowing me to see these images. By the way excellent progress. |
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Post by GoosePilot on Dec 16, 2017 1:17:51 GMT 10
Thanks for the info........... sucks - we have so many pics on Photobucket shared to other bike adventure sites.... bit of a bummer!! Will look at changing over. |
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Post by GoosePilot on Jun 27, 2018 23:44:48 GMT 10
Been a while since adding any interesting pics on the progress of "Gypsey" .......... but finally got the exterior done...new window rubbers...new windows (now Toughened 4mm glass as the old windows were really brittle) new custom made roof vents..... so now she's resting outside while I get her prepped for the internal restoration. Once I've sorted another hosting service - I'll give a better rundown of what's been done so far.
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Post by GoosePilot on Jun 27, 2018 23:47:15 GMT 10
........oh and I totally forgot - we managed to find the original Logo for Gypsey............ stunning and already reproduced and on her name-plate  |
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bobt
Full Member
"Ugly as Sin"
Posts: 455
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Post by bobt on Jun 28, 2018 18:02:50 GMT 10
Gidday GoosePilot
It is great to see the results of your work. You caravan is looking very nice.
It would be nice to see some inside pictures.
bobt
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Post by mushilele on Dec 8, 2018 19:59:24 GMT 10
Great to see these updates GoosePilot - I found your thread when researching our own van here in SA ... she's not like yours though. Anyway, what a before and after! Please look for 'Vintage Caravans - South Africa' on Facebook and post your pics there. So inspiring!
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Post by Mustang on Dec 9, 2018 18:33:20 GMT 10
For a third party host try "Imagur" they don't seem to get bogged down like the more popular hosts.
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Post by edgar1967 on Dec 31, 2018 0:51:36 GMT 10
Hey you guys down south,
I 'm back in the forum and ready to share all the stories and pics of my gypsey.
GoosePilot, congrats to your shiny 1961 model, looks great!
Meanwhile my Malawi found caravan is in Hamburg, Germany and enjoys all the jelous staring eyes of German vintages caravan lovers.
Due to our strict traffic lawa I had to change the tow hitch (?) and take off the run up breaks which reduces the max speed to 80 km/h.
As mentioned earlier all the interior was deteriorated an had to be removed. Now it's simply a king size bed on wheels. Very comfi...
Looking at the new colours of your van, what made you painting the original plain aluminium?
I'll be back soon.
Greetings
Edgar
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Post by edgar1967 on Dec 31, 2018 1:04:04 GMT 10
need some help to get some photos posted
Thx
Edgar
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Post by konkiep on Nov 14, 2020 15:27:17 GMT 10
Hi I also manged to find one of this beauties still in 100% original condition. Restored it during lock down and took it on a Kruger Park visit some three weeks ago.
What an eye catcher it was, complete with a vintage towing vehicle we did indeed camp in true Vintage style!
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 14, 2020 18:52:27 GMT 10
Hi Konkiep, That sounds like a great find, and so good to hear you've started traveling with your van. We'd love to see some photos of your van as well as your camp at Kruger National Park. We always enjoy hearing from vintage vanners from other parts of the world. There are instructions on how to post photos if you click here. Don Ricardo |
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