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Post by jimmyj on Apr 17, 2017 10:18:58 GMT 10
Hi everyone..i have just purchased my first vintage caravan and as the seller had very little information on it im in need of some assistance to establish a possible maker, year or any information on it. The van has been in a shed wrapped in tarps for upwards of 35 years and is in faded but solid condition, it rides on 16 inch plymouth wheels, has an ice box, and all original fittings intact. I have been unable to locate any registration details, the last time it was known to have been used was in the early 70s however the owners have long since departed this world and it had been passed down to a neice who used it as storage for the past 30 or so years. Thankfully it has been kept dry and so far i have been unable to locate any rot or borer in the van. It has all timber construction, an angle iron drawbar and chassis. There is a degree of external cosmetic work to be done but all in all a good solid van . It has had lighting added to the rear of the van and has a plate bracket however no licence plate , no chassis number has been found. It measures in at 15ft long. I wonder if it is a home made or possibly a kit van. however the finish inside ,cabinetwork etc is of a high standard. Externally it has porthole window in door and one on the opposite side over the bed, front and rear windows open out. Going on the interior i am guessing it is mid fifties or maybe early fifties. I am in the process of rebuilding/ rodding my 47 buick as the tow vehicle, i have fitted the 47 with a chev truck 292 inline 6 with a small supercharger, overdrive auto, jaguar ifs/irs . I think that should pull it along ok. the plan is to restore the van as it was when built but upgrade it with brakes etc to meet vicroads requirement..speaking of which, how does one register a van with no VIN number/previous registration details? What other problems can i expect to deal with regards registration? Any advice appreciated ! Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedAttachment Deleted |
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Post by Jennison on Apr 17, 2017 16:24:11 GMT 10
G'day Jim, if you present it for rego with no vin the rms/rta will charge you $$$ to issue you one. If you let loose on your chassis/draw bar with a punch and put on your own made up ones...that is the vin number! In reality of course there were no vins in olden days so nobody knows the difference including the rta!
If you have some better pics of the van you'll be amazed at what info our resident gurus will most likely find re your vans heritage. Kit and home built vans were indeed very common in those days too.
Regards
Jenno
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Post by shesgotthelook on Apr 17, 2017 16:30:08 GMT 10
Oh wow! What a beauty & so lucky it has been kept out of the weather. For VicRoads rego, ring them up & ask for a new VIN number which you then stamp on the drawbar. If you can't establish what it is, just say it's a homemade 1950's plywood caravan. When it comes time for rego, you need a receipt, a weighbridge ticket, the lights & indicators must be working & chains & couplings in order. It is fairly painless in Victoria.
I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help you with identification but in the meantime, welcome & we look forward to meeting you somewhere along the way.
SGTL
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 10:35:51 GMT 10
Hi guys/gals, finally retrieved my 50s ? ( still unsure )bondwood van from its resting place..quite a mission with partial dismantle of a shed , tree removal, and moving decades of stuff from within and around under and on top of the van..finally got to pull the roof tarps off, out came a number of bats much to our surprise.
The roof sheets have suffered a bit due to the weight of stuff on them..im wondering what is the best marine ply / bond wood to use to replace these sheets.. appears to be around 4 mm thick. I have noticed some of the gal steel j shaped edge moulds are missing, i need to source these also , i suspect i will need to use an aluminium version? The roof/side junction has what appears to be a fabric tape under that j mould. What is that and where can i source these items? I have found out that the last time the van was used was in 1972 or 3 and it went down to Anglesea , i work there and live half an hour or so from there..im going to push to have repairs done and possibly take it there late this year. Any advice and assistance on sourcing items would be really great. I will put some photos up asap. I decided it is a home made van and will rego it as such. I am also working through compliance of the gas cooktop/oven to make it safe and legal. I have also decided to put a modern axle and brakes under it, the home made dropped axle/ unbraked set up is very agricultural and concerns me. i will try and keep the original plymouth rims if i can. I know i'm stepping away a little from how it was made however i plan on using this van a bit and need it safe to tow, and eliminate any problems. Thanks in advance for any assistence. Jim
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Post by Don Ricardo on May 31, 2017 12:10:34 GMT 10
G'day Jimmyj, Great to hear that you've extracted your van from its hiding place. It may well be homebuilt, but perhaps not looking at it. But it's a bit hard to tell just from the limited glimpse you've been able to show us thus far. If you can post some more photos of it, showing us the full sides, as well as the front and rear and some more internal shots, we may be able to tell you a bit more (if there is more to tell, of course). Based on the shape and front window construction, my initial guess on a build date would be early 50's, or maybe late 40's, but some additional photos may tell us more. As an aside, when my parents first bought their van in 1949 (the van I now have), they towed it with my father's 1947 Buick. I think the car was heavy enough that it didn't know the van was on behind most of the time! I doubt if your car will have any difficulty.  Don Ricardo |
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 13:32:47 GMT 10
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 13:33:19 GMT 10
Some more..
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 14:05:27 GMT 10
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 14:09:51 GMT 10
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 14:12:43 GMT 10
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Post by humpynvan on May 31, 2017 16:36:03 GMT 10
Thats a Nice Van
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Post by Mustang on May 31, 2017 17:53:38 GMT 10
Interesting, no side windows? The van looks huge now its out of the shed.
Looks an "easier" resto from the interior condition, well done on finding such a beauty.
Don't forget to show the tow vehicle.
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Post by jimmyj on May 31, 2017 18:45:30 GMT 10
Its 15 foot long, has a single porthole in door and one at the other side at the rear , where the bed is. The van is hefty..certainly sat the rear of my chrysler down a few inches. The initial photos i put up indeed were a little deceptive, the tarps etc hid the size. I was surprised how big it was once I dragged it out. Plenty of work to do but a reasonable start i think.
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Post by kingswood308 on Jun 1, 2017 11:52:11 GMT 10
Damn, that's one good find Jimmy and it looks in pretty good nick.
I'm sorry, but I cant help with its ID.
Looking forward to photos of its resto.
Dave
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jun 1, 2017 14:27:42 GMT 10
Hi Jimmyj,
Good to see the extra photos of your van. You're right, the van is much bigger than it looked from the initial photos!
Having now seen a bit more of it, I think you are very probably right in thinking that it was home built. That's my thoughts based on the shape of the van looking from the sides, and the fact that it has no windows other than the portholes in the side. That latter feature is extremely unusual - I certainly don't recall seeing a factory built van like that.
The inside looks as if it's in great nick. As others have said, it's a great pick up. We'll look forward to seeing it behind the Buick.
Don Ricardo
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Post by jimmyj on Jun 1, 2017 17:31:13 GMT 10
Thanks for the comments re the caravan..I have spent a few hours on it, all interior lighting works, a bit of clean up and minor paintwork to do inside and it will look tidy. I am safe to suggest my $800 purchase has been a good one so far! i have a week off work due soon and will launch into the external work / brakes etc. I will put up some progress pics. I have 3 tradesman sons with an interest in the van to assist so hopefully things move along at a good pace.
Any advice re j moulds and best ply to use on the roof would be welcomed. Cheers , Jim
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Post by kingswood308 on Jun 1, 2017 19:43:32 GMT 10
Struth $800, you pinched it  Dave |
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Post by jimmyj on Jun 1, 2017 21:29:24 GMT 10
I actually talked her up quite a bit as her initial idea was rediculously low, she refused to accept any more than what i paid. I end up doing a deal with her that allowed me to fix ,free of cost , a bunch of stuff around her house, leaky taps, damaged fences, blown lights, blocked gutters , wonky door handles, etc as my way of attempting to offset the low purchase price. She was happy with that and the fact her late uncles van was going to be used again..I spent a bit of time doing that for her and she was absolutley wrapped that i helped her out. I still feel i got the good end of the deal but at least she got some value from the sale that makes a difference to her everyday life. I hope that would have been acceptable to her late uncle. Im glad to have the opportunity to fix that van up. Its been well built and clearly meant a lot to her uncle..i have found numerous personal items of his in it that i have returned to her. The resto of the van is in a way bringing a piece of her past back to life and i think that is important for her, and for me. She is well into her 70s and a pensioner so i will keep her informed of progress of the refurbishment. She is contacting the remaining family members in an attempt to garner any photos or info relevant to the van that we have nicknamed " tommos van ". I think the van was meant to get restored and not rot to dust as many have. And i have found a new friend as a bonus !
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jun 1, 2017 22:19:03 GMT 10
G'day Jimmyj,
I was really chuffed to read your most recent post. Lovely to read about such a warm and kind approach on your part, and it sounds to me as if you have both benefited greatly.
Thanks for telling us the story.
Don Ricardo
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Post by mel on Jun 2, 2017 10:37:31 GMT 10
Hi Jimmyj,
What a lovely story. I look fwd to following the restoration.
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Post by jimmyj on Jun 8, 2017 20:50:03 GMT 10
Hi folks i have some new info on my slightly mysterious van...After a bit of help from my new friend Margs family, some new information on the origins of" tommos van" as i have been calling it, have come to light. I have actually misinformed everyone a little..i had stated the van was last used in 72 or 3, actually it seems i was ten years too late! I have tracked down the gentleman tommo ( actually tommos wife ) purchased the van from in 1962.. he is now 93 and lives a couple of blocks from my house ! The van was built in nearby Deans marsh in 1947 or 8 ( yes home built )and he purchased it in 1950 or 51 he thinks. The van did a few trips to Anglesea during 1950s and early 60s, the last being 61 or 2 , and it passed ownership to Tommo at that point. Apparently they were going to do some travelling, however it appears that the van has in fact stayed right where it was parked until i pulled it out recently..a meagre 55 year rest waiting for me to decide it needed to see the light of day again ! The 2nd owner, a 93 year old gentleman named Kevin , has been invaluable in helping me piece together the vans very early life. He is very happy i am going to fix the van up and use it..Im to head to his house Sunday for a cuppa and a chinwag about the van. Kevin mentioned the van had new tyres fitted when he sold it, ( 16 x 4.50 ) and given i found the tyres still had the little rubber " dicks " on them ( sorry to be crass but i dont actually know the term for those moulding left overs ) i'm confident that it has travelled around 1 mile since 1962. Wow.
Progress thus far is as follows, have put a modern tow hitch/ master cyl on it, wheels off, hubs off, old hubs have been replaced with modern equivalents with brakes. Bearings took a little sorting out however able to use common wheel bearing on original axle..glad i have a lathe ! i was going to replace the axle however after looking at it, i'm confident it is sound. Going to a smaller diameter wheel to level it out a bit as my buick sits low.. Up onto my hoist soon to do brake lines, and start running some new wiring for lights. I attempted to gently wash the original curtains..yeah they fell to bits ! Some initial paint removal shows the van was a pale green when first painted ( 2 colors !??)and went to the cream early on as Kevin recalls the current paint is what it had when he bought it. Im on the fence as to weather i keep that way ,or go green , or do my own thing. We will see. As you have probably realised i live in a small town. In fact the original builder of the house i live in ( built in 1945) and are sitting in as i type was none other than Kevins best mate Jock. Its indeed a small world at times and i love the fact the van has stayed so local. I will put up some photos soon.
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Post by Mustang on Jun 9, 2017 18:09:18 GMT 10
What a wonderful story & history you are developing, be sure to ask about any old photos.
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Post by jimmyj on Jun 9, 2017 19:10:42 GMT 10
Yes i have asked about photos, Kevin thinks he may have some. He thinks he still has the receipt of the vans purchase inn the early fifties. He had the original annexe until a few years ago however its now landfill somewhere. I'm looking forward to a chat with him sunday.
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