Surf Tragic's Don 120

[Deleted]

Has anybody seen or heard from forum member "Surf Tragic"

He asked me to find him a caravan, which I have , and now I can't find him

Mark

[Deleted]

thanks Geoff

Yay .......Ron has been found ......thanks Don R

Hopefully Surf Tragic will disclose details of "his find" ;D in the not too distant future,

Mark

[Surf Tragic]

(Re:
Yay .......Ron has been found .....etc)

WOW ;D ;D ;D Look what happens when you're off the air for a coupla days

It's hard to contain the excitement, does anyone know what I mean ?

Thanks Mark T for the contact, also the call from Don Ricardo, sure appreciate that young men

The nice lady who answered my phone call was helpful with details, and Mark T sent heaps of photos of what appears to be a pretty solid looking Don 140 Bondwood ;D van complete with serial number 784.

The kitchen area has been gutted & a bed installed there, also icechest gone, so a bit of interesting work to be done.

I am waiting on confirmation of the final price from the seller today, so when that is all tied up I will ask Mark to post the photos, and then the adventure will begin ;D ;D ;D

Thanks People, you've made my year

ST

[Deleted]

;D ;D ;D

Thats great news Ron.

We here at "The Royal Society For The Preservation of Bondwood Caravans in Australia" would like to be the first to congratulate you on your pending purchase of a BONDWOOD caravan.

By purchasing this van you are automatically elevated to the status or "SUPERIOR VAN OWNER".....

Wood is good ;D

However we must remind you not to get too carried away with all this euphoria. It may be a Don........ but i read on Dossies T shirt while we where away on Tour

DON
------
RATED.

Havent quite worked that one out yet... but i am sure other Don owners will be quick to respond here.

Looking forward to photos of your new aquistion.

Reddo.. Pres R.S.P.B.C.A
Also founder of the "Homemade Caravan Appreciation Group"

[Surf Tragic]

Thanks Reddo ;D ;D

It just got a whole lot better, Nicky confirmed the sale price, so its a done deal ;D ;D ;D

Special thanks to Mark T & Don Ricardo & I must say at this point, how helpful it was to have your estimate of value on the Don Bondwood (sorry, cant help myself) van. It gave Nicky confidence, & it gave me an idea of a fair price.
gets back to the values Mark asked us about a while ago & it is possible to see past the 'passion price', & come up with a 'fair' price, all depending on condition of the van of course.

Ultimately, the seller has to be happy with the price & the buyer has to see the value for themselves. This van needs a fair bit of rebuilding inside, but I really look foreward to that. ;D ;D

Mart T,Please post the photos so we can all see whats happening

ST. ;D ;D ;D ;D (arent there any bigger grins than these?)

[Deleted]

Hi Ron..

Good to hear your keen on doing your own restoration work.
Half the fun is the journey to completion.
It keeps us off the street , and the task ahead will keep you "amused" for ages. and ages..... and ages
Dont be afraid to ask questions about where to get this or that.. There is no such thing as a dumb question.

Now come on Mark... wheres the bloody pictures.
DON....'t keep us waiting

Reddo

[Surf Tragic]

Too right Reddo, It takes a lot to keep me off the streets ;D ;D

Can see the need of direction on finding those hinges & pushbutton catches for the kitchen that's missing completely , most everything else is supposed to be there .

Mark T has a van the same, sowill be pestering him for photos & sizes in due course ;D ;D

Soonest pickup for me will be 6th Dec, it's about 2 hour drive by car, so quite a bit more on the return trip I would imagine trailering the van

ST

[Don Ricardo]

Posted on behalf of Surf Tragic - pics of the soon-to-be-his Don caravan:

[bobt]

Ron

Congratulations on your acquisition. Looks a nice one.

Should keep you happily occupied for hours.

Bob

[Surf Tragic]

Thanks bobt.

You've hit the nail on the head with 'happily occupied', thats exactly what it is with me , wonder what it is with these old vans

Maybe it's the fact you can work on them more easily than modern vans, do all the maintenance yourself,.......sort of similar to old cars that you can work on, versus modern computerised stuff that when it breaks down, you just call a tow truck

Love working with wood ;D ;D ;D

ST

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Ron,

There's no doubt about it you've got a great little van there, and the inside is in good nick (apart from the missing galley). The caneite ceiling looks to be in very good condition too, which is a bonus.

As requested, here are a few photos of the galley of a Don 120 with the same 3-berth, front dinette layout as yours.









These pics are from the van now owned by Mark T. I am sure he will be happy to provide you with detailed measurements, etc, when you need them.

I've got the original water tank from our van which will be the same size as the one from your van. You're welcome to use that as a template for getting a new tank made.

Good luck with getting the van back home. Hope it all goes smoothly.

Don Ricardo

[mark p]

This caravan is soooo cool. I've got an identical one in my shed! Are there many around? Are they in demand with folks & what are they worth?

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Mark P,

Interesting to hear that you have a Don stored away in your shed. There are a reasonable number of leadlight window Don's around, relatively speaking, partly because there were quite a lot built (over 1,000 between 1934 and 1956), and partly because they were well built and have lasted well. There are always a few vintage vanners around that are interested in purchasing a Don. The value depends on a few things - age (as shown by the serial number), model (length and layout), and condition. But apart from that a van is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it (which is not all that much help, I know).

I (and others) would be very interested to hear a bit more about your van and see some pictures of it if you can post them on the forum. Do you know any of its history? And do you know how old it is? If not, if you let us know the serial number we can give you a reasonably accurate estimate.

Don Ricardo

[Surf Tragic]

Don Ricardo,

Those photos really have me stoked, the layout looks very much like the 140 that I still am searching for.

Would the kitchen of the 120 shown here be identical in size to the 140? It looks identical from what I remember.

Mark P, are you sure the one you have isn't a 14 footer? because if it is, I would be very interested in contacting you.

ST

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Ron,

The layout of the galley in the 120 model is the same as in the 140 model, and in the 3-berth 120 like yours includes the little fold-down table on the right hand side of the sink. There may be some slight differences in measurements, but I wouldn't be surprised if Don used the same unit in both 12 ft and 14 ft vans - it would make a lot of sense in simplifying production, etc.

The one difference between the 12 ft and 14 ft galleys is the cover for the stove. The 12 ft has a hinged cover which folds up to the left and bolts to the overhead cupboard to separate the galley area from the front end of the van and direct steam (and smoke ) towards the window at the back of the stove. The 14 ft van has a chimney and the cover over the stove folds back against the wall to act as a splash back.

Just in case there are some minor variations in dimensions, I would get my measurements of a 120 model rather than a 140 model if you can.

Not long to go.

Don Ricardo

[Surf Tragic]

Thanks
Don Ricardo
for the help with lots of things, like measurements, track widths, 'A' frame size, it saved me hours on site, I was able to prepare for the recovery of the Don 120, the whole process went without a hitch ;D ;D, no pun intended

Well, it did get hitched, & Here's how.



This is a trailer we used for carrying glass & windows in my old business, so added some tie-down points for the axle, lumps of timber bolted each side of where the van wheels would sit, and clamps for the dolley wheels.



Welded an old Reece tongue to a winch post so we could just bolt the van in place.



A Pulley was added in case we used the winch.



This Dolley was the best thing, thats why I needed those measurements from you Don Ricardo!



Thats where the wheels came from!



Paul, the van owner, used his nissan to haul it out of this tight spot. The site was very steep & I had to use low range to get the trailer in place.




Luckily Paul had rung through just hours before we left home to say the roof needed raising, so had some timber to prop the roof. I had enough gear on the ute to build a house I think , but it was worth it ;D ;D

ST

[Surf Tragic]

The van is easy to move around, Paul is on the top side holding it with his Nissan & straps.




John & Paul discuss the next move.


Easing it down the slope



John, a work colleague, helped salvage a vintage boat out of the hume dam a few years ago, wanted in on this. What a happy bloke








Alan helps line it up, we didnt expect as much help as we got


Adjusting the dolley, saved the jockey wheel assembly from any damage.






Front wheels on the trailer


John works the rope winch, we had to use a bit of muscle




She's on & bolt through the hitch, very secure.

Loaded & ready to roll
,
John, Alan, Paul, great helpers, all take a break. John & I left Wodonga at 5am for Eildon & arrived at 8, Its now 3 hours since we arrived, so far so good

By the way, we pumped the tyres that havent seen air for 20 years & theyre still holding air 2 days later


Lunch beside the Eildon Dam on the way back


Must have missed this tyre


Home at last at 4pm ,a 4 hour drive with no hassles, fantastic ;D ;D ;D ;D


1st time the wheels have been in this paddock, the cows were curious

[Surf Tragic]

Dragging the van to the shed

This is the spot it will rest while it gets restored

Have already removed all the add-ons that aren't original, removed the carpet, checked every piece of hardware

2 windows are rotted, but it appears its only in the window frame & not into the wall framing , but there is some bad rot (actually I've never seen any GOOD rot), ;D ;D its in the bearers (or bottom plate) at the front RHS, and couple other places around the bottom edge, so will be some interesting work to be done.

Well I rekon she's a beauty really, thanks all those who helped, I've had a BALL so far ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Don Ricardo]

G'day Ron,

Great to see the pics of Don no 784's rescue from the wilds of Lake Eildon. I'd have to say that your preparations for the recovery and transporting of the van are amongst the most thorough I can remember seeing. The dolley wheels you put together to carry the A-frame are a great idea. Getting the front of the caravan onto a trailer using the normal jockey wheel is sometimes one of the trickiest bits of a recovery from what I've observed.

The van looks better already sitting under your carport.

Well done. Now for the restoration...

Don Ricardo

[cobber]

Congratulations Ron.... you've shown us all how it should be done, and that tongue to hold the “Don” coupling is a work of genius... will the trailer now be available for hire, or do you intend rescuing a few more vintage caravans

And now the real work begins, keep us posted on the restoration, I have a feeling it will be a top job.

Cobber.

[Deleted]

Ron, a fantastic recovery effort, and I imagime the restoration effort will be equally as good
I hope the Don is to your expectations and has not disappointed.
Its always difficult assessing these things from a few pics

And apologies for my lack of assistance with measurements .....my Don 120 is in a dark corner of the Beverley shed wedged in by other caravans, with many cobwebs underneath ......if you saw the size of the 'reds' that breed in the Beverley shed, you'd understand why I didn't climb under there with a tape measure ;D ;D ;D

All the best with the project, and please keep us updated with many pics

Mark

[Surf Tragic]

Thanks Cobber.

The van is a great project to be sure, & now its safely in my yard, I can do a bit, just had to clean all the inside & check it all over to see what I really have . already into small repairs, its a wonderful disease

And Mark, I am very pleased ;D ;D with the van & its condition, its lots of work, but its a 'Don' you know ;D ;D, & its got that little Build Number , & its got the Don smell, now what more could you wish for? ;D

Sorry the Redbacks are so big over there, hope theyre not in the van, as I would like some dimensions of the cupboards in the whole kitchen area when you can manage it.

Reddo, I'm gunna need your help with hinges and push button catches, if you can point me in the right direction



All this part looks good, and it is solid, great to work on.




The whole Kitchen is missing,. The back window is all rotted, see the black bits, its falling out, but no evidence of it in the wall framing or sheeting. Theres a lot of some sort of bog around that wheel arch where the kitchen goes & some floor boards to renew.

Whilst the top body is very solid and in good order, theres a lot of white bog around the bottom plates where it bolts to the chassis, ,so am thinking its fairly major, like body off. That would mean the chassis can be properly restored like others have so nicely done, like Reddo's .

The bottom of door frame is gone, digging out great lumps of bog there too, stabilizer legs falling off because of support timber crumbling, needs 2 new windows, a new entry door



Typical Don joinery here, all in excellent order


All this is as good as it looks!



Hope you can help me here Reddo I need a bunch of these for the new Kitchen ;D ;D



And need twice as many of these plus one thats broken too


Anyone know what that square hole is for up there? , it looks like it is original.

I feel good about this project

ST

[Deleted]

no redbacks in my Don 120 Ron .....will be able to measure up the kitchen cupboards for you .......no problem .....just have to get some light in there ........

You can buy the push button catches new, but typically they're cheap & nasty, not the same quality as the originals


Mark

[dosse]

G'day Ron
Congratulations on your (DON) they are a great little van.We also have a 120 .... number 944, The hinges are available in Brisbane so am sure they will be near you.... but as Mark
said the quality is ordinary. The (Square Hole) is for the rear part of your missing galley light.....
if I can be of any help in your restoration just PM. Regards dosse.

[BluetangJo]

Gotta love Dons, they are so beautifully made

I can't see a lot of the pictures in this thread though. I'm getting the "this image has been removed from photobucket" thing instead.

Is there something up with my browser? Can anyone else see them? Or am I going slightly more mad???

Jo