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Post by seeshell on Feb 10, 2011 23:37:26 GMT 10
Hi All I'm a new member who recently bought a 1969 Olympic Riviera #1738 with help from Boblor. Though she's a bit of a mess, I love her already. Baby needs to go to rehab...go..go..go!  Our old girl was purchased unseen and was trucked from Queensland - losing her roof part the way along. Thankfully the truckie did a 40km round trip to pick it up rather than leaving it on the side of the road. He was a crusty old gent, but had a soft spot for old vans - friends in unexpected places, hey? When we got her to our place we had a bit of a poke through the cupboards and found what I now know is drug paraphernalia - a colorful past! Clearly mine is not nearly as interesting as hers. She has been a bit neglected - all the seals on the windows are like concrete and need redoing, and there are cracked windows. The floor has been wet and there is rot at the front door as there are in many of the Olympics I'm told. No doubt the loose door and hinges may have partially been a culprit. Over time, the wetness has resulted in slumping of the floor on one side of the van, giving her a decided bulge on one side. To correct it, it means a full empty out and a new floor inside before we even get started. A lot of home electrical work has also been done *shudder!* My father in law (ex leccy) and engineer father will assist with the job of completely rewiring it - after all if you're going to have it all apart best make a good job of it. But on to the good bits - all the original bits are there, and even though many are not salvageable they can be patterned to bring her back just as she was (with minor concessions to modernity). All the metal work can be cleaned and polished, and I've already fashioned new hatch mechanisms so we don't loose our top any more.  I learned a lesson or two pouring exhaustively over ATOG's van reno - and took some advice about starting with the unglamourous stuff. The van is currently away getting a new axle, bearings, electric brakes, new rims and tyres (and a spare), new springs and wiring...basically anything under the van is getting replaced with new. It's not as fun putting big money on it (not nearly as fun as curtain material!), but I'm glad to know it makes her safe for another 40 odd years. I will be exorcising the old fridge and am going to pull out the old gas stove - so keep an eye out for those when they become available if someone needs them. I'll post a few pictures as soon as I master Photobucket - and keep sharing photos of the build as it occurs...I really love looking at the progress others make on their vans, and I hope you will enjoy watching us renovate Seeshell. Best to all Seeshell |
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Post by seeshell on Feb 11, 2011 0:22:31 GMT 10
Here she is, the #1738 1969 Olympic Riviera – affectionately and unofficially called The Seeshell. These are the pictures that were online that we used to buy our van. It met certain criteria: 1. Cool “fabuglass” body
2. All the “important” (read: hard to replace) bits were in still there
3. A great project van in need of a rescueHere she is side on – looking relatively straight:  And with the annex:  Here’s an inside shot – standard front banquette layout but with a double wardrobe with three drawers in between. Has a rare vanity mirror/makeup table and storage above the drawers. All the wood is dark mission brown – unusual I am told for these vans that often had lighter interiors.   Here are the fridge and the gas stove – the fridge has the scariest ever coloured plastic inside – no word of a lie it’s dayglow yellow/mustard. The stove is in reasonable nick – I’m loathe to part with it, but we won’t be using it (should I be holding it aside for new owners in the future?).   Here’s the orange and white banquette seats a bit the worse for wear – the back of the van has a matching gaucho sofa that folds down to a double bed (obscured here by the awful foam matress).   And here are a few of the broken bits – with many others not shown! Standard issue door rot:  Some of the broken windows:  So that’s it for now – look forward to posting progress soon. Cheers Seeshell |
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Post by bobandjacqui on Feb 11, 2011 5:43:45 GMT 10
G'day Seeshell, Welcome to the forum  Glad to see another Olympic being rescued . The dark wood grain panneling is the same as our Riveria. You were lucky to get your roof hatch back. We look forward to the restoration piccies. Cheers Bob and Jacqui |
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Post by retro64 on Feb 11, 2011 7:32:09 GMT 10
Hi Seeshel,
Welcome to the forum, congratulations on aquiring your new van, it looks like a great van and sounds like youve got stuck into it right quick!!! good for you.
Its great that your father and father-in-law are happy to help you, im sure their combined knowledge will be invaluable.
Speaking only for the female half of retro64, theres nothing wrong with a bit of fabulous curtain material tucked away in the cupboard for later,got to admit im always putting bits of something in the cupboard for the vans......come to think of it might need another cupboard!!!
Cheers retro64
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Post by jenniewren on Feb 11, 2011 9:29:25 GMT 10
I like it Seeshells......it doesn't look that bad actually! Sympathize with the fridge col..mine old 3 way was hot pink...what the?...turfed it out as I could not get it to work! Was hoping "the boy's" bar fridge wouldn't fit as I had my eye on this cool retro look "new" fridge on that site we can't mention! But it did fit perfectly only after I took the door jamb off, the door off the fridge, the legs off the fridge and pushed hard, scraping all my new paint work!!!! Definitely keep the little stove for a forum member if you ditch it. I eyed my stove with disgust & thought to replace it but surprisingly it all came up a treat after 4 days of scrubbing. Sure you don't want to have a go at keeping it? I kinda think they are cute. Good luck with the resto. You are sooooo lucky to have have 2 Dad's that can help you out! I have done the resto completely on my own but my vv was in pretty good nick I have to say! Keep in touch with the photo's love looking at them! And thanks for all you info on registering that you provided me with.....crossing my fingers no drama's when I turn up. A thought, never towed a van before...could be interesting going down Mt Dandenong! J
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Post by jenniewren on Feb 11, 2011 10:13:21 GMT 10
PS - That skull is scary!
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Post by Franklin1 on Feb 11, 2011 15:38:19 GMT 10
Jenny, that's the end result of 'fabuglassitosis'. Not a pretty sight ay?! |
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Post by atouchofglass on Feb 11, 2011 16:25:45 GMT 10
Hey Seashell
That's a nice clean looking exterior.
With a bit of a clean up and a new window ...... a few bitso ply in the floor.... you'll be using 'er in no time.
;D ;D ;D ;D
Cheers
Atog
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Post by seeshell on Feb 11, 2011 17:48:22 GMT 10
Hi Jenni Yes the skull was extra special, as was the tubing with a suspicious yellowish discoloration inside it, and a machine we couldn't place - later discovered to be a specialized heater for getting your bong/mary jane at just the right temp. I'm a pharmacist and I had no idea what the equipment was - clearly my time dealing drugs was different that the past owner's. We thought it was something to do with heating the van - perhaps half of a soldering kit, missing the nib, a weird microphone - but then I've never seen a microphone with a temperature setting before....we sure had a good laugh over it. She is pretty good on the outside (need to rehang the caravan door), but generally only small issues like a bit of stress crazing, which is easily fixed while we have her in pieces. What's good about a rough interior is not feeling too bad about ripping it out to replace it. Got all my materials ordered and in the shed - as soon as she hits the driveway again it's ON. Countdown to Easter vacation... Cheers Seeshell. |
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Post by jenniewren on Feb 11, 2011 18:43:18 GMT 10
Easter hey? That was my deadline...ummm...I think twelve months ago! Always raining here lately & can't get out to do final scrubbing/painting of chassis & check tail lights etc.....NOW I have been asked to zoom up to Brisbane for easter.......hummmm.....vin vanning or swanning around cafe's...it's a dilemma. All I have found is an old lace edged handkerchief, a bottle of green food colouring & patty paper pack.......sure was hoping for a bag full of green notes stashed away! Glad you got the skull though.....urgh....! We do softscapes (lawns & garden renovation etc) & the things we find in gardens also gives us plenty of chuckles.....working in St Kilda is always a novelty! Your van doesn't look that bad inside...are you taking everything out & replacing or simply changing decor col's etc? Shame on you being a pharmacist & not knowing what a bong heater was! J
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Post by jenniewren on Feb 11, 2011 18:56:08 GMT 10
Al.....you make me laugh! I agree.....you just don't get "odd" things like that in "our type" of vans!
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Post by seeshell on Feb 11, 2011 19:40:26 GMT 10
Hi All
Yes we need to gut her in order to get to the floor and do the fix I know she needs to have to get rid of the nearly 300mm bulge opposite the door, so I'm afraid it all has to come out to be done properly.
Some of the cabinets are fine, and others are a real mess where water has got to them, but holding their shape enough to be used as templates - the pictures don't really show that part too well. So we are going to completely redo all the cabinetry in lightaply with sapele wood veneer on it - we can't find anything that's a close enough match to leave the rest alone. A solid coat (or three) of satin urethane or varnish over the new cabinetry and she should be good for another 40 years. Upper and cupboard doors are all going to be painted.
On the plus side, pulling everything out will make it super easy to lay down the new 3mm green commercial lino that I got at a total steal! Looks just like the stuff Nana used to have in her house...
Will post more pics after doing battle with Photobucket.
Cheers
Seeshell
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Post by jenniewren on Feb 11, 2011 20:44:46 GMT 10
Great...can't wait to see finished product!
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Post by seeshell on Feb 20, 2011 21:22:19 GMT 10
Well I know I’d said before that I wanted to be ready to go to Bright for Easter holidays – but the Hubby and I have discussed and we want to do the best job we can on our van – being young(ish) we hope we can use it for the next 42 years of its life. And so we’ve had our first negotiated project delay. I think September is a lovely time of year for a first trip.... She’s back from the trailer shop and between the sag she had in the old springs and the extra height she has now before settling into her refurbished springs, it’s a good 50cm! I’m told will drop about 20cm as it settles. Originally they were talking about replacing with new, but as is often the case, there was an old bloke who according to the owner of the trailer shop “unloaded the first caravan off the Ark” and he recommended an extra leaf in the spring set we had (just in line with Boblor’s good advice). Also a fully new set would have taken 10 weeks. In the process of having a really good gander under there at the new work (like proud parents), it’s clear there’s more rust on the trailer than first thought. It may mean sandblasting, definitely grinding and perhaps patching to make good. The best and easiest time would be when we gut the van and take up the floor (per past post). Scary as it sounds – we’re heading for a full body off restoration. We can pull it down from the trailer and put it on a rolling support to get it into the garage – where we can work through the winter nice and dry. With the bod on, especially with the extra height now, there’s no way to get the body into the garage. I want one of those eNormo-Sheds that seem to be all the go around here!  On the plus side, got the upholstery back from the motor trimmer. He’s done a lovely job with my $7 p/m Spotlight find fabric. The Original orange vinyl piped in white with white buttons can be seen a bit in this photo. The new burgundy/black fleck chenille piped in fawn vinyl with matching buttons.   And one for the Ladies (and those of you enlightened gentlemen who appreciate colour swatches), I’ve enjoyed picking out the materials for the restoration before getting to the hard graft. Being a bit more partial to the 40’s I’ve leaned away from the mission brown and orange colours, but think it’s not completely out of keeping for a vintage van.  And finally – we were missing a few handles and a few were damaged. So we needed a new set – found a lovely set of New Old Stock which are on their way from the USA. (will make sure to offer what we have from our old van around before going to the Place Which May Not Be Named).  A good evening to you all! Seeshell |
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Post by retro64 on Feb 20, 2011 21:51:08 GMT 10
Hi Seeshell,
Love the seat and curtain fabrics and i am a big fan of those groovy handles, a nice match.
Great to see it all come together so quickly.Looking forward to pictures of the end result.In the mean time happy decorating.
Cheers retro64
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Post by Swellwillys on Feb 22, 2011 10:01:56 GMT 10
Great progress log guys!
Keep up the great work.
Swellwillys
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Post by surfingyogini on Feb 22, 2011 12:19:48 GMT 10
love the green lion seeshell, where did you get that?! ;d ;d ;d
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Post by seeshell on Feb 22, 2011 18:57:07 GMT 10
Hi Surfingyogini I got the lino at a place called McMats (thread vintagecaravans.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=technicalstuffboard&action=display&thread=7689) They're in Melbourne - a crazy shop that deals in cash - my 3mm lino was $15/sqm - nice stuff though. They occasionally advertise on the place which may not be named. The kind of stuff you want to mimic vintage product (either 2 or 3mm vinyl squares or lino sheet) is a commercial product. Armstrong make the tiles and lino still - but they don't sell to the public . If you can't get to McMats or another place like it, try and find a commercial flooring provider - they might take pity on a poor VVer and cut you a break. However it's much more dead - about $50 sqm. Cheers Seeshell |
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Post by seeshell on Feb 22, 2011 18:58:59 GMT 10
That's dear not dead!
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Post by seeshell on Feb 22, 2011 19:41:21 GMT 10
Thanks Banno Let's hope I'm as dab a hand with the sander and spraygun as Joey! But I'm not going to let inexperience get in the way of doing something complex that requires years of skill to master when I have the internet to make me confident out of all proportion, hey? Seeshell |
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Post by seeshell on Feb 23, 2011 21:38:17 GMT 10
Well got some packages in the mail today – doesn’t everyone love getting mail? And there they were – beautiful new beehive lights with chromed eyebrows. A front amber and a rear red set.   We made a decision with the plumbing to only set up for tank fill, and not for mains. So, despite my general ability to fix stuff, I still like pretty things. I tracked down a vintage NOS Bargman water filler which also arrived today. These were used on Shasta campers and others in the USA in the 40’s to the 60’s. I’m going to fess up. It’s not original to the van. There’s no defence, I just like chrome. If I promise to use slotted head screws, aligned the right way, am I forgiven?    Noone tells you it’s more of an addiction than a hobby – expensive, all consuming. Hubby says he’s not too far off calling an interVANtion. Cheers Seeshell |
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Post by kustombruce on Feb 24, 2011 5:54:38 GMT 10
I like the beehive lamps, where did they come from?
Bruce
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Post by Cruz on Feb 24, 2011 5:55:34 GMT 10
Love the lights.
Could you share the supplier?
Thanks
Cruz
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Post by seeshell on Feb 24, 2011 6:14:04 GMT 10
Hi all Thanks for the vote of confidence - I like them too. What we have on our van now was nothing particularly special that I felt I had to maintain. I couldn't find what I wanted from the local CAMEC supplier and most of the lights marketed for caravans aren't very vintage looking. However you will find that your local truck part supplier is very helpful with much more interesting looking lights for big rigs. I knew what I wanted and ordered online, but check the Hella and Navra catalogues online and just head on down to your local distributor. I ordered mine online from a place in the USA - LED is LED after all - and even with the shipping it was a bit cheaper. The group is called CloserToWholesale on the place which may not be named. Just search for beehive in Motors. Happy lighting! Seeshell |
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Post by seeshell on Feb 27, 2011 20:49:38 GMT 10
Ok so we have started! Today we got the roof back on and fixed up (it flew off when the van was being transported to us from QLD) so we could get rid of the tarp covering her. I did some preliminary documentation of the van as we found it (appreciating the advice from others who wish they had done more!) I removed the drug paraphernalia and skulls. Battle of the BulgeI took a few shots down the side of the van trying to capture the bulge, which is really much easier to see standing here than in JPG. The van in the back belongs to the in-laws. Notice in this shot how the rear window is not parallel to the van in the back of the photo.  And in this one you can see a distinct distortion of the body at the belt line.  Compare this to the other side of the van, which you can eyeball from end to end.  Flipping Your LidI noticed looking at our hatch assembly (which we copied faithfully from the busted up one hanging drunkenly from the roof) had no way of being locked at various stages of opening.  It seems other people with Olympics have different assemblies – some I know are new and reengingeered (like ATOG’s). Boblor graciously provided some drawings of an assembly that would do the job admirably. But now it makes me curious – what is or was original to this van? Other Olympic owners – show us your bits! Cheers Seeshell |
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Glad to see another Olympic being rescued . The dark wood grain panneling is the same as our Riveria. You were lucky to get your roof hatch back. We look forward to the restoration piccies.
