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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2009 18:38:57 GMT 10
Hi All Been a while since i meddled with the wood butcherin' tools ... So, i figured i would dust them off and set about building another van in the similar style i did the replica Teardrop back in 2006. I have sat an observed all the comings and goings at our gatherings.... Took notes....especially the $50.00 kind.  Ran the tape measure over all sorts of curves... ....  ....and been slapped on the face by the girl and punched by her husband. Made a mental note of individual touches....... but forgot to get her phone number after she had touched me....  Mental notes are good...... if ya have an attention span of more than 60 seconds..... of which i dont... So .................. Armed with all this knowledge i developed a plan of attack. The recipe was simple...Build something to my own design... thats how most famous.. and infamous caravan builders rose to fame.... Thinkin outside the square. I finally settled on something along the lines of the old Fugly van that me n the bro dragged home from the land of 2 heads about 2 years ago......   who knows ... with a bit of practice i might even get the back doors to fit just like this old girl...  Yup... strive for total authenticity....!!!  So.................. to begin with . I thought i would post a picture of the "Donor Van".. You will recognise it as the van rescued from up the Hunter Valley a few weeks back   Now before ya go gettin all upset about wrecking an original van to build a replica i thought i better smooth things over. This van has EXTENSIVE ROT...in the front and roof. To restore it would mean demolishing it to well below the "waistline" I see a comment on here elsewhere along the lines of.. "It's far easier and quicker to build a replica than to restore a van" I would have to agree with that comment. You could spend a million hours on a resto and maybe still have hidden areas of framework of "dubious integrity" True..... a true original van is a thing to behold.. but the minute we lay a hammer, brush or screwdriver on an old van it in someway is no longer a 100% original van...... I could make templates and rebuild it identical to its original design as did Retro1 did with his Castle all those years ago. But my cabinetmaker skills arent in the same league as his... and i could not do the old van justice. Anyway... enough of the politics... So.. we have "The blank canvas" The ribcage ( chassis, axle, drawbar , brakes and wheels) is basically what we are after .. along with every possible nick, nack, nut and bolt that can be salvaged. The rolling stock to buy new would cost close on $1000.. so using the old gear makes sense. I have compiled a "Beginner wreckers toolbox".. Here ya go....  Nuthin too fancy... oh yeah .. ya gunna need some special tools for the "finer work"... so those irreplacable van bits dont get knocked about.. Here ya go...  A Stihl 024 and a good block splitter for those stubborn 6g x 1 1/4" chrome over brass screws   ;D So, without further ado i set about carefully unscrewing the virtually unpreccurable "J Mould"......  However..... my patience is about as thin as my hair. The sun hung low in the western sky and the humidity was making its presence felt.   .. so i figure i would open the front windows.. just to let a slight breeze in....  Unfortunately the latch was a bit frozen and i had to use a bit of force.. along with a touch of death from the blocksplitter.  I kinda like the "open fronted " design... might incorporate it into the Fugly design as well... That'll do for today.. Hey look mum.. no chunks missing and no blood loss. "Settle down Glenn.. Its only day one.... i am sure if ya try harder you will slice something off yourself..." Reddo |
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Post by atouchofglass on Oct 28, 2009 19:19:00 GMT 10
Hey Reddo Lookin forward to the build photos Especially if she comes up as nice as Splinter Hilton Only 19years 364 days left ..... So let the fun begin ;D ;D ;D ;D Cheers Atog |
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Post by humpyboy on Oct 28, 2009 20:39:33 GMT 10
Yeah I can't wait either, lets go reddo
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Post by Roehm3108 on Oct 28, 2009 21:08:13 GMT 10
Well, talk about a misleading thread title  Here I was thinkin' ol' Reddo had gone into collaboration with sutcac, to go into mass-production of sutcac's Fugly!! But no, he's gone and pinched sutcac's registered trademark van name itself . Reddo, there can be only ONE Fugly, unless you're gonna make a true Fugly copy. Sutcac, why aren't you up in arms about this one  Think of the dough you can make sueing this Novacastration, just like Mc D#@*^d's do with anybody who uses just a whiff of their name And while I'm on my soapbox, Reddo. This business of making it a 20 year plan!!!!!!!! You should remember from your TD experience of using a donor van, that donated orgins err innards go off if left to the elements for that long You should remember that when using donor vans, you only got a matter of months to reuse the donor bits? So ya better revise that timeline a bit old buddy - that's if you survive the wrath of Sutcac in the first place Ray |
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bobt
Full Member
"Ugly as Sin"
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Post by bobt on Oct 28, 2009 21:40:34 GMT 10
now reddo before ya go looking for another trade mark.....
I call mine "[glow=red,2,300]UGLY AS SIN[/glow]" ;D ;D
So DON"T STEAL THAT
looking forward to watching the "restoration"
bobt
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2009 6:02:11 GMT 10
;D ;D ;D ;D Its all good Ray. pm sent. Reddo |
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Post by sutcac on Oct 29, 2009 7:09:53 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Oct 29, 2009 7:26:29 GMT 10
OH NO....... NOT ANOTHER ONE ! If I may suggest....as an alternative.. you could have your door at the front like this nice little English model, it must have certain advantages but I can't think what they are but then your replica could be ugly AND stupid..... and look.... a lantern roof too .  |
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Post by 1954homemade on Oct 29, 2009 7:52:55 GMT 10
Hi Reddo, Glad to see that you are getting into the restoration/cut and shut groove again.  No doubt we will all have a very entertaining read over the coming months, when you keep us informed of your escapades Please try not to injure yourself too much, but I think that might go slightly with the territory. ;D ;D Perhaps you should call this van A BUGLY as in A Bit Ugly. Looking forward to your progress updates. Luv Di |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Oct 29, 2009 9:00:47 GMT 10
Hey Cobber, that's one cute little van. Would they use a stile step for that??? Or did they build the body first and put the chassis on backwards ;D ;D Sutcac - I gave you an opening for a great money-spinner, and now you spoil it all with being honest!! I never knew Fugly stood for "fairly Ugly" I thought it was "Formerly Ugly ;D ;D ;D Otherwise I wouldn't have encouraged you to keep it! Ray |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2009 18:32:20 GMT 10
Yo Ray... Just imagine if the first person to christen someone "Ray" took a patent out on the name ... or any other name for that matter... we would be hard pressed to find a name for our kids nowadays aye.. Thank god sanity prevailed and there is at least 3 "Rays" and a whole stacka "Fugly people" runnin' around nowadays.... Cobber... yup.. i am hearing ya... The Reddotel "fugly" recipe book has a few "gems" that will go into the mix when whipping up the Fugly replica. . Double back doors . Ice chest with sink over left side behind axle. . Pantry with stove over behind axle on right side. Overhead cupboards above both sides of the kitchen. . Enough room between left and right side benchtops to wheel in a Norton Motorbike. . Watertank battery and spare wheel mounted in front of axle to counter rear kitchen set up weight.. will play with towball weight as i did with the splinter Hilton during the build . . Both rear doors will have vertical oval windows ( ruby leadlight might be nice or maybe bottle green) as will the fixed panels either side of the doors... al la 1920s / 30's hearse . Sunken club lounge with "Horseshoe" shaped seating and drop down table in front of the axle. Table will drop down to form base for double bed as normal. . Bay front window which will support front of lantern roof. two hinged timber shutters to protect bay window when travelling... No other windows apart from a porthole either side as per the original fugly... i do have a couple of old triangle shaped chrome framed hinge open windows out of an old Anglia or something that might find thier way onto the sides somewhere. . Overhead front cupboard for a few shorts, undies and t shirts... Hey.. i travel light. Was actually thinking of insulating all cupboards so that they could be pressed into action as ice chests when friends call in for a drink... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D . Slide out from under the rear of van rear deck with short support legs ... sorta like a rear porch.. dunno about this yet. will definietly need some sorta thing to wheel the bike up and get it inside the van ... its gotta be simple so i can get the bike out easily when camping overnight. Dont wanna sleep sitting up on a motorbike now do i.. ? . . Annexe fixes across rear of van . Will probably use the auto tent that came with the old Hunter valley bondy. . Because of the dropped roof line at the rear i will probably have to go something similar to what the constructor of Humptys unusual TD has done... that is either a sunken floor rear of axle .. or a removable floor to give at least 5'10" headroom in the kitchen area.... whats that ya say... sounds a bit .. "out there"..... Good .. i am glad i have found a recipe that reflects my character.... Lotta woodshavings to go under the bridge before this hits the streets.. Its all fun. Reddo |
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Post by humpyboy on Oct 29, 2009 22:42:49 GMT 10
I have read through all your ideas Reddo and I think you may be on to something here, it sounds like it will be a very interesting project, I am looking forward to the build even more now, I will be watching with intrest.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 12:50:02 GMT 10
In 1896 ... somewhere in the dark forests of switzerland .. a son of a poor woodchopper was born. His name was Andreas... He grew strong and worked with his dad from daylight till dark chopping down trees.. All the time young Andre would be thinking to himself... "This wood chopping caper is for nerds... it just plain suxs" But alas .. Young Andre was to toil with his dad for many years to come...Then one day.. in 1929.. while sewing his leg back on after a mishap with the double sided axe ( Andre had a shed of invention too??)... a brilliant idea came into his noggin. I will invent a "Tree Felling Machine".. and ... sure enough he did. woodchoppererers the world over hailed him as a bloody genius.. and so Andre Stihl became a legend in his own forest... Likewise us Aussies have adapted his invention to operate effectively on kitchen removal and renovation...  Just mark out tyhe bits ya wanna save and up it with the "tree fellin device" ;D ;D ;D ;D Once i had disemboweled the van of its kitchen i moved onto that other great invention that "Blockhead McDougall" had invented back about the same time as young Andy up in the alps...  With all the precision of a swiss movement i set about cateloguing and photographing each mould and mitre joint to enure a faithfull restoration in the future...  ... ummmm... but after about the second swing ... i became impatient....  The old van put up a good fight .. for at least three minutes we wrestled up and down the yard......Until finally i delivered the death blow that sent it scattering off to the right....  Isnt it amazing... i repeated 4th class maths three times while Geometry teacher tried to explain to me just what an "exploded view" looked like.. if he had just lemme loose on an old van i would have been edumicated a whole lot earlier in life.... Dead set easy to comprehend when ya see it in real life... ;D ;D ;D ;D Wazzat ya say... .. shock.. horror... Now, now, there , there.. its all good . Out of the ruins i salvaged all this...   4 venetian blinds a water tank, 2 light fittings, a stack of windows and flyscreens, a really neat laminexe table. a full kitchen, about 5 sponge seats, a set of overhead cupboards. a stack of brass screws, hinges and assorted what nots,, a roof hatch i can use as a template, a stack of plate sheet aluminium clading off the roof.... Also have the Autotent with extended front flap as well as now having....  The blank canvas... The old van measured 2900 at its longest point. The chassis floor area only measures 2200mm. .......so 350 mm at each end was gained by "rounding " the van out before curving up and over. The Fugly is going to be flat at the back so..... i am gunna havta round the front out the 300mm to get a bit of extra room in the fugly...... Either that or put 10" wheels in the Norton so she'll fit...... Its all fun.. Reddo |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 20:29:25 GMT 10
Hi Surf Tragic. Dont ever say "restoration" on this thread.... I have never ever stated that anything i do with a vintage caravan carcass is a sympathetic restoration... far from it. Ok .. granted i have owned my fair share of nice original vintage caravans. Glad to say some have moved on to a few forum members and they are enjoying our hobby now too... But i enjoy "messin' with the square" and occassionally i step outside it. There was a lot of concensus and opinions put forward when i built the REPLICA TD back in 2006. The founder of this forum stepped in and ... although he is an avid restorer he acknowledged that there is a place in this world for replicas. ( sorry if my memory gets in the way of dementia Mark T). There will always be "The great divide" between those of us here on the forum over the need to save/ restore every old van that is unearthed and rescued .. ...Versus........ the use of what can be salvaged and used in a replica or....... versus .. what can be salvaged and used in what one man has bottled up as a vintage van layout in the back of his head . What i keep telling myself is that without the "extraverts" in this world back in the 30s. 40s, 50's and 60's we would not have all the different types of vans that we all enjoy on this forum today... Somewhere .. ...............at sometime... someone must have said.... "Stuff all this canvas, poles, ropes and pegs.... i am gunna build something that can be towed and slept in" If he had been an "intravert " and said... "I quite enjoy the smell of horse farts while driving the cart and will continue to load the buckboard with our canvas tent and family each christmas to venture on our holidays".............well...... nunnovus would be enjoying the vintage van hobby we enjoy today.. No matter what ya beliefs are.. ya gotta admit.. Its all good , cheap, fun ;D ;D ;D Reddo |
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Post by JBJ on Oct 31, 2009 20:51:58 GMT 10
Hey Reddo, Your sorta starting to sound like us hot rodders., As against purists. Now lets see I joined the Forum about 5 years back, met you & Humpty, then started to explain my thoughts on building things, ?? Maybe you should have murdered a newer van. Then it would really be a FUGLY. It would have been easier as they have no style. Hang on, I've just been told I dont make controversial posts & offend members, so you must not be allowed to either. Theres always a club for those that like asian 4 wds & new white caravans I think. Cant imagine why anyone with independent thoughts would want to go that way, could you??? JBJ |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 21:09:17 GMT 10
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Hi Dennis... I noticed a signature from a regular up FNQ that states.... " Restore the restorable Love the adorable Recyle the deplorable" Pretty much sums it up i thought.... Reddo |
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Post by Cruz on Nov 1, 2009 11:52:18 GMT 10
;D Reedo, ;D
Go for it. .Looking forward to watching it grow.
When will she be for sale?
Cruz
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2010 19:34:33 GMT 10
Hidey Ho there vintage tragics.. Just when ya thought the axe murderer had laid down his weapons and given up on his "destroy all before him" approach to old vans.... or the build of their replicas.... The nightmare returns ;D ;D I waved hooray to the 16ft Greythorne today.. yup.. after more starts than Farlap ...the old van finally sold on the eplace to a young couple. He is a tattooist.. or is that a tattoer.... She is a Model Makeuppera... ummm.. a girly that does poeple up ta look like movie stars.. and... betty Boop look alikes ;D I am getting off track here a bit aye..... Ok .. just watch out for the bright Pink Greythorne at Greasefest and wintersun ;D Now.. back to the Fugly replica.... With the big grey jobby out the way .... and a few beers under my belt i went in search down the backyard for the long lost "Fugly Blank Canvas" Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. ........here shes is.. complete with a bit of peppercorn tree compost....  I felt like a kid that had found his old skateboard, Speedwell, meccano set ( with'a few bits missin).... Ya know the feelin.. its just sceamin .. come play with me... pick me up... yoo hoo.. over here.... To coin a phrase from Burt Munro.. Worlds Fastest Indian....... "Even dirty old caravans need luvin too" Ummmm...... That might have been .. Dirty Old men Anywho... Time ta drag the old Aberdeen van screamin and kickin out into the sunlight. Dust off the tools of trade.. axe.. block splitter... 4 inch nails...wrecking bar.. aaahhhhh .. .. i can feel the ying and yang startin to balance up already..... Bitta rot in the floor , bitta metal cancer where the water has found its way to the chassis extensions... Nuthin that a few days hard work wont fix...But today just aint wunna those days.... ;D ;D ;D I sorta start these projects with a minimalists mind set... so here is my first impressions... Basics stuff.. furniture and a cold drink....  But i appreciate that we dont wont the sun fading the coverings ... or sendin the beer hot... not necessarily in that order.... So.. theres gunna havta be .. walls.. ends.. sides.. Ooooooooooo Bugger.. gunna havta knock the lid orf another goldie and revisit the plans.... Oil paintings on fresh canvas take time ya know. Piccaso painted 200 hundred paintings in his last two years before he died at around 90 years old.....mind you.. 99% of em looked like sh!t ;D So... I might just hold off fa another 34 years................. and get stuck right into it aye... ;D ;D In the mean time....... fffffsssttttt... aaaaaahhhh this XXXX gold stuff sorta sets ya in the right frame of mind fa van rebuilding... Hand me tha..... tha.. th.. yyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnn. ::)ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Stay tuned folks... Autumn is in the air and its rebuild season... Reddo .. from the far side of the shed of infestatio... ummm... INVENTION
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Post by firefighter on Apr 11, 2010 20:23:00 GMT 10
So.............we need to put the local Ambos and Firies on stand by again ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by kaybee on Apr 11, 2010 20:33:21 GMT 10
....ya know,if you bolt down the chair, then put up a small tent over the lot.......you've got a finished camper van...... ;D ;D |
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Post by DC3Td on Apr 11, 2010 21:12:43 GMT 10
Nah,just give Reddo a brolly - then he`ll have an original 'pop up' `van! cheers gordon
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2010 22:00:47 GMT 10
Ha, ha, You guys crack me up.. Here i am doing my best to be serious ..... and look at the stupid replies i get ;D ;D Childish... just plain ...childish i say. A bloke is doin his darnedest '( typin', spelloon and punctua.... ::)punctur.. pund...punk... ... puttin the dots and commas in the right places ) to help the new chums along with the "How to's"and the fine art of wood butcherin and you pair áre tryin ta lower the seriuosness of the whole experience..... How in the hell are these guys ever gunna be done learnin about van construction ...while you guys are messin with my progress and account of the days activities... Sure.. i could have a go at typin all this tomorrow when you guys arent around ;D... but by tomorrow i will have forgotten what i done today..... and all would be lost aye?? Hmmmmph... i will make sure in the future that my wealth of caravan buildering knowledge and experience gained from years of bloodletting and amputations is reserved for those that appreciate the pain and sufferin i have submitted myself to and endured ... in the "shed of Invention"...all in the name of replica caravanning ;D ;D ;D I mean like... is nothing sacred Reddo |
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Post by kaybee on Apr 11, 2010 22:49:01 GMT 10
I mean like... is nothing sacred Reddo ....lemme think about that for 2 seconds......nope....apparently not..... ;D.....although we do like the pain and suffering,the bodily injuries and such...... ;D ;D.....stuff that we've come to expect and appreciate from the home of Reddotel inc. ....... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by scootman on Apr 12, 2010 12:28:49 GMT 10
You'll be right Reddo. If Scoot the guy who had never even built a shoe box at school can do it you can
Cheers
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2010 12:20:51 GMT 10
Hidey Ho Thar fellow woodmanglers.. After a layoff of a few months ...( no i havent been in hospital getting stitched up....... again) I opened up the "north wing" of the Shed of invention today and noticed 5 sheets of "gods gift to man" ... aka... plywood . ;D ;D. That i had squirreled away before the onset of winter.... This got me thinkin ( something i have never been good at )..... Its about time i got back onto the Fugly/Bike-o-matic Replic van project. ''.. Man .. i am gunna hafta come up with a shorter name for this thing.... So out come all the amputation impilments from the bowels ( yuk) of the shed of invention. The plan today was to get all 5 - 2400 X 1200 sheets sanded on the rough side ( this will be the inside of the Fugly replica ) with 60 grit paper and get a coat of primer sealer undercoat on to them. Seems like a harmless enough task aye..... .... For what seemed like hours... and it was.. i toiled ...sanding .. slopping paint around... Happy with progress ( for those are new to the forum and arent aware of the pain and suffering i go through everytime i pick up a sharp or motorised impliment ...any undertaking by me that doesnt incurr the loss of a limb has to be classed as progress at Reddotel ). I quit while i was a head.... or is that while i still have a head.  Lotsa planning goin' on at the moment. nunna this just pick up a hammer and saw and see what happens stuff here folks...well not so far anyway... I commissioned a highly respected draftsman from up the North Coast ;D to draught.....cause thats what draughts men do aye. The brief was that the bike-o-matic Fugly replica had to have walls ( preferably 4) , a floor ( 1 will do) and a fancy flip open roof..( sounds like a kitchen dustbin so far aye!!!) oh yeah .. and a set of double doors at the back so i can load a motorbike in through em... just like the old original fuglyvan from Cessnock.. After being invoiced for $8,754.26 i receive the draft plans for my perooz.. perusisus.... um....concideeeer .. conscidera.. fa me ta look at.. How good is this folks...  Wow is this drafty bloke good at wot é duz or what !!!!! Bloody bewdy aye Anyway ... that'll do fa today.... Dont wanna push my luck....I hate pushin anything... besides that i might get a hernia... Hoo roo from the ...  at .. The shed of invention. Reddo |
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....and been slapped on the face by the girl and punched by her husband.
;D
.. so i figure i would open the front windows.. just to let a slight breeze in....
