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Post by didituff on Feb 9, 2012 19:29:05 GMT 10
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Post by Franklin1 on Feb 9, 2012 20:54:37 GMT 10
G'day didituff, and welcome to the forum! ;D
A bit of a mixed bag, your van is. It's got bits from various caravan eras thrown together. The cabin shape is not unlike the vans from the late 1940s or early '50s. Then someone has gone and put wind-out windows from the mid-'70s in the rear end. Plus the aluminium cladding profile is from the '70s.
You'll probably find that this thread will be shifted to another section on the forum, so you might have to search for your heading to find it again.
cheers,
Al.
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Post by barkpaint on Feb 9, 2012 20:56:28 GMT 10
love the penguin window... cheers
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Post by didituff on Feb 9, 2012 21:10:50 GMT 10
Unfortunately the penguins are just stickers :-(
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Post by didituff on Feb 11, 2012 22:42:07 GMT 10
Has any one else got ANY idea??? It is really puzzling me. I guess it doesn't help that the previous owner was a builder!!  |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 12, 2012 12:50:49 GMT 10
Hi Didtuff, The reason you haven't got much response to your question thus far is that we are all still scratching our heads! The more I look at your van the more it looks to me as if it has been fairly heavily modified/modernised, as you have already suggested and as Franklin1 commented. That means that some of the tell tale signs that might have helped us to work out what it is have either been removed or covered over. For what it's worth, these are my thoughts: - I agree with your conclusion that the aluminium cladding looks 'after market', so there may actually be a bondwood van under there, with a name on it to boot! (It's happened before.)
- The distinct angle join between the roof and the front and back walls (as opposed to a smooth curve from one to the other), and the porthole suggests a South Australian built van. The fact that you are in South Oz and probably bought the van from someone in SA adds some weight to the idea that it's an SA van.
- The closest I've come to - after thinking that about it on and off for a while - is that it has some similarities to a late 50's Rowvan. Have a look at Ditzygypsy's blue and white Rowvan in the first post on this thread (it's a fair way down), although there are some reasonably significant differences between your van and hers as well.
I've got nothing beyond that at this point, so maybe it would be worth your while (if you haven't already) to have a look at the index for the Down History Lane section and check out the threads for each of the South Australian caravan manufacturers which are listed there. See if there's anything similar to your van that I've missed. Given that you are considering selling the van, I am going to move this thread to the 'For Sale/Wanted' section of the forum. You are more likely to find somebody interested in buying the van there than in the DHL section. In the meantime if I come up with any other ideas about it's identity I'll let you know, and I am sure that others will also. Good luck with your quest! Don Ricardo |
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Post by didituff on Feb 12, 2012 22:51:16 GMT 10
Hi Don, Thanks for that. I have seen the Rowvan and it's not quite the same. The cupboard near the porthole is definitely an addition...has a microwave in it. The bar fridge too...took most of the wardrobe space. Also looks like the spirit burners taken out to put in a toaster oven. When I look at other vans they all seem to have the double bed / table at the front. This one is at the back and the table is timber.. Keep thinking....maybe it's a Playtime...has the same wheel arches??
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 13, 2012 7:14:43 GMT 10
Hi didituff
This is certainly a difficult van to identify. Maybe the end result is that it's a home-made van?
The roofline is quite confusing. Don R mentioned Ditzy's Rowvan. It has the similar roofline, but no portholes, It's also the only Rowvan of that style that doesn't have the double cambered roofline. As well, the overhead cupboard doors of the Rowvan are hinged at the top, while yours are on the side.
When I first saw the pics, I was reminded of the Globetrotter. If you look there in DHL you will find one with similar roofline and a porthole, around the middle of the first page. But even there, the lines of the lower section differ to your van's.
Maybe the only clue to its identiy lies under the cladding? Sometimes with reclad vans, the old skin is still there, and perhaps even some ID signwriting.
Ray
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 13, 2012 9:06:55 GMT 10
G'day Didituff, As Roehm says, the tricky thing about your van is that it doesn't have a double cambered roof, by which we mean it only curves one way from the front up to the central point of the roof and then back down towards the back. A double cambered roof also has a curve across the roof from side to side. If you look at the early Rowvans you will see what we mean. The Playtime caravans you referred to were also made by Rowvan and also have a double cambered roof, so that knocks that out as a possible origin for your van, I think. You mention that you have the table at the back. That was not an uncommon layout but the only van I can think of that has that layout and a similar shape to yours is one of the Hawthorn models, which was also built in SA. However, again it has a double cambered roof, so scratch that one. I have just done a search for Carter Wesco in connection with your chassis. There are no references to them on the forum, but their website tells me that they are currently based in Sydney, so I'm not sure what that does to my theory about your van being SA built...  Perhaps Roehm is right and it is home built? Only one way to tell! Take all the cladding off and tell us what you find underneath!  No, not an option? Oh c'mon, don't be a spoilsport. We're all dying to know now!  ;D ;D ;D Don Ricardo |
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Trish_M
Full Member
1950's Home Made Bondwood "Bettie Moonya"
Posts: 275
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Post by Trish_M on Feb 13, 2012 16:35:03 GMT 10
It looks a bit like my Hawthorn in shape!
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 13, 2012 16:53:04 GMT 10
Hi Lacem,
It was your model Hawthorn I was referring to in my post, but your van has the double cambered roof. I figure that's such a significant style element that it rules out Didituff's van being a Hawthorn. A lot of the van has been modified, but pulling the roof off and installing a completely new shaped roof with all that entails - why would you bother? But who knows? Stranger things have happened.
Don Ricardo
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Trish_M
Full Member
1950's Home Made Bondwood "Bettie Moonya"
Posts: 275
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Post by Trish_M on Feb 13, 2012 17:51:37 GMT 10
What does double cambered mean?
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 13, 2012 18:04:25 GMT 10
Lacem, see DonR's reply #8 above
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Post by didituff on Feb 13, 2012 18:47:31 GMT 10
Hi Guys...another weird thing is the angled cupboard above the sink....it has a fuse switch and a spirit level in it??? Found the Rego papers yesterday and no answers there |
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Post by didituff on Feb 13, 2012 19:09:12 GMT 10
Yeah sure Don ... The cladding is screwed on, not rivetted. so would be possible, but just don't have the time!
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Post by greengoddess on Feb 21, 2012 18:08:39 GMT 10
Hi Didituff,
What sort of price are you looking at..... selling this van for? Very cute!
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Post by didituff on Feb 21, 2012 20:48:29 GMT 10
Hi green Goddess. Looking at offers of anything around $2000 at this stage...but open to any. Where are you situated?
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Post by didituff on Feb 23, 2012 20:33:52 GMT 10
I contacted the person we bought the van from. She said her dad had bought it privately and re-lined it (? she means clad) She could give me no more info on the make of van :-(
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Post by didituff on Mar 2, 2012 12:46:19 GMT 10
Have just put an ad on Gumtree for this van.
Di
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Post by gilbert on Mar 2, 2012 23:17:28 GMT 10
It's a Heinz variety bit's off 50s 60s and 70s caravans heavily modified
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Post by didituff on Mar 30, 2012 20:35:16 GMT 10
Hi everyone. My husband took a panel of the aluminium cladding off tonight. There is only the wooden framework underneath so no clues there :-(
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Post by didituff on Apr 6, 2012 1:06:22 GMT 10
Hi Dave. The rego papers say 'not recorded'. By the way, does anyone know around about what towing weight this van would be. Someone is interested in taking it back to Queensland.
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Post by didituff on Apr 6, 2012 20:54:30 GMT 10
Yes has braking system attached to tow bar.
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Post by didituff on Oct 23, 2012 7:37:06 GMT 10
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Post by JBJ on Oct 23, 2012 8:13:15 GMT 10
Hi,
You have posted the wrong link to gumtree.
It doesnt allow anyone to view.
JBJ
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