Post by orosso on Sept 7, 2009 3:04:21 GMT 10
This Sunliner was bought in the early 60's by my uncle so that he could have accommodation while he attended teachers college. Used for a while afterwards for holidaying in and also accommodation when he found himself single again, then it went to my parents yard when my uncle bought a unit and had no where else to store it.
From the mid 70's to early 80's it was my private pad (oh, I have some memories about these times....) and was rarely used for a number of years after that. My uncle planned to restore it but was discouraged at the neglect of it and gave it to me.
I was at the time studying, so (stupidly I think now) discarded the original, completely functional divan to enable a drafting table to be set up. I used it as an office for a number of years until the local council finally insisted it to be removed from the footpath (where I had it parked for many years).
I ended up selling it to a local who took the fridge out of it and on sold it to a bloke from Lithgow where it sat for a few years on vacant land behind his house. Some charming youngsters managed to set fire to it but luckily it was doused before too much more than a hole in the floor and smoke damage eventuated! He then spent some money 'doing it up' by removing the rest of the interior, except for one front seat base, the sink, the vent, and the original drawer! Pretty much everything else was disposed of. (I am crying inside right now just thinking about it).
The interior was rather roughly put together, very quickly it appeared, with a fair amount of hidden storage space with the sole purpose of being able to successfully smuggle alcohol into a certain ACT car enthusiasts event. It now also had a large new fridge and a new gas stove!
When his marriage broke up, I bought it back, just about the time I'd sold up and bought land. We moved to a smaller house and the caravan housed 2 of my teens until we moved into a larger house which we are currently still in. The caravan sat around again, on our block of land, then back at my parents place, until recently my son Daniel, asked if he could do it up for his Design and Technology project for year 12.
When the project began it became clear that it required a lot of work. Some time before it came to my parents house, a small air conditioner was installed in the front left hand window opening, but it was sold by me with the original window to go back in if desired. Don't know what happened to it!
Also, once the wardrobe and the overhead cupboard was removed the body became quite flimsy. The previous owner told me of a time that a large truck approached while he was cruising along happily and as this truck passed, one of the windows flew off the caravan! I think he'd decided to part with it about this time.
We managed to source another similar Sunliner at the beginning of this year (2009), which was pretty rough, but did have the original overhead cupboards, and a few windows which were usable for the project.
Some of the changes will include 12v LED lighting with a deep cycle gel battery and charger, a marine toilet, electric water pump, 7mm foam insulation, cork floor tiles, and a new paint job.
It is still not finished and has not been done with the level of precision that I would have liked, but it has given it a new lease of life and it certainly is the beginning of another generation of family history with this amazing caravan.
From the mid 70's to early 80's it was my private pad (oh, I have some memories about these times....) and was rarely used for a number of years after that. My uncle planned to restore it but was discouraged at the neglect of it and gave it to me.
I was at the time studying, so (stupidly I think now) discarded the original, completely functional divan to enable a drafting table to be set up. I used it as an office for a number of years until the local council finally insisted it to be removed from the footpath (where I had it parked for many years).
I ended up selling it to a local who took the fridge out of it and on sold it to a bloke from Lithgow where it sat for a few years on vacant land behind his house. Some charming youngsters managed to set fire to it but luckily it was doused before too much more than a hole in the floor and smoke damage eventuated! He then spent some money 'doing it up' by removing the rest of the interior, except for one front seat base, the sink, the vent, and the original drawer! Pretty much everything else was disposed of. (I am crying inside right now just thinking about it).
The interior was rather roughly put together, very quickly it appeared, with a fair amount of hidden storage space with the sole purpose of being able to successfully smuggle alcohol into a certain ACT car enthusiasts event. It now also had a large new fridge and a new gas stove!
When his marriage broke up, I bought it back, just about the time I'd sold up and bought land. We moved to a smaller house and the caravan housed 2 of my teens until we moved into a larger house which we are currently still in. The caravan sat around again, on our block of land, then back at my parents place, until recently my son Daniel, asked if he could do it up for his Design and Technology project for year 12.
When the project began it became clear that it required a lot of work. Some time before it came to my parents house, a small air conditioner was installed in the front left hand window opening, but it was sold by me with the original window to go back in if desired. Don't know what happened to it!
Also, once the wardrobe and the overhead cupboard was removed the body became quite flimsy. The previous owner told me of a time that a large truck approached while he was cruising along happily and as this truck passed, one of the windows flew off the caravan! I think he'd decided to part with it about this time.
We managed to source another similar Sunliner at the beginning of this year (2009), which was pretty rough, but did have the original overhead cupboards, and a few windows which were usable for the project.
Some of the changes will include 12v LED lighting with a deep cycle gel battery and charger, a marine toilet, electric water pump, 7mm foam insulation, cork floor tiles, and a new paint job.
It is still not finished and has not been done with the level of precision that I would have liked, but it has given it a new lease of life and it certainly is the beginning of another generation of family history with this amazing caravan.
