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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 8, 2013 23:40:20 GMT 10
G'day frodgers, Can you please tell me what the welded chassis number is that's on the drawbar just near the jockey wheel somewhere? It will most likely be the letter "B" followed by some numbers, but could be anything (or there mightn't be anything ) Do you know if the van has a timber frame or an aluminium frame? What can you see around the aluminium cladding - screws, or rivets ? cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 8, 2013 23:33:45 GMT 10
G'day hilldweller, Some people may be reading this thread, and thinking, "Who the heck is Mabel, and what does she look like?", so I'll put the link to Mabel's story here: It's become an addiction!!! Mabel the vintage vanI personally think you have to do a bit of homework before deciding which way you go with the restoration. If you discover the van is fairly rare in the wider NZ vintage caravans sphere, I think you owe it to history to try and preserve its originality as best you can. If you find that Mabel is a "dime a dozen", then as long as someone else has preserved one like her, you could do what you liked (which you could do anyway, as they say... ) You already have a van that's useable, so there's no pressure on you to have Mabel finished by any particular date. If it's a rare van, why not set yourself a challenge to return it to its original state? Anybody can modify/modernise stuff, but it takes somebody with a lot of gumption to create an antique (like somebody who might have done a fantastic job on a restoration recently, on a ...um, oh I don't know, say a CARAVELLE?) Even hens teeth can be made, by casting with molten brass. The hardest part is getting the hen to stay still while you put the dental mould in its mouth. Once you've accomplished that, the rest of the van would be "pretty easy". cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 8, 2013 23:06:12 GMT 10
You can search for his real name, which is "Matt". When he first joined the forum, he used the ID of "vintagecaravans", and later rejoined as "astronauty". This is the link to the 'for sale' advert posted in 2010, which has the two links in it to get you to the story threads about the Astronaut ... CaraparkAstronaut 15/5 for sale/now sold cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 8, 2013 16:02:10 GMT 10
Say what?!! You haven't told yourself that you're going yet, f/f?? Put me down for going, as well. 1263.1kms from Wollongong to Broken Hill, so should be there before lunch. April temps in Broken Hill: max ave 24 o; min ave 11 oMay temps in Broken Hill: max ave 19 o; min ave 7 oRainfall: April 15mm; May 20mm. 14 months to finish a 1960 Newcastle van... Do we nominate this early whether we require powered sites?? cheers, Al. on the list f/f
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 4, 2013 22:25:59 GMT 10
G'day Frank,
The first one is a Hilandale (as in "Over hill, over dale, we will hit the dusty trail"). It'll be from somewhere in the second half of the 1960s.
The second one? Hmmm...not sure. Might be similar to cruisindoug's van from 1961. Cladding might be a later addition over bondwood? Front window style looks early 1960s.
cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 4, 2013 13:36:20 GMT 10
G'day again booma, I presume you have guessed by now that the "Front/Top indicators do not work" are actually clearance/marker lights, and not indicators. Those lights and the tail lights will all be connected back to that one wire in the tow plug. Sounds to me like you've got a fault in that wire either at the tow plug, or somewhere between the tow plug and where the wires branch off to the clearance lights. If you've got a spare 12v battery (or even a new 6v torch battery), you can rig up some test wires from the battery to the tow plug to check. If everything ends up testing ok on the van side, you have to check whether power is getting to the plug socket on the towbar. You can really get your grey matter tested sometimes... I got caught up one day for a few hours trying to work out why my box trailer lights wouldn't work. I eventually discovered there's actually a Trailer fuse in my modern towcar fuse box. Turned out that one of the anchoring bolts I put in a new stop/tail light was just nicking the side of the positive terminal. As soon as the car lights switch was turned on, the fuse would pop instantly. Had me scratching my head for a good while until I found out there was a fuse, and I was then able to check what was causing the fuse to blow. If you don't already have one, shout yourself a circuit tester for the towbar socket testing. Handy to have in your travelling toolkit. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 4, 2013 13:04:55 GMT 10
G'day Frank, I'd be guessing a bit earlier than hughdeani, and put it around 1971. It seems to be pretty much the same as the van in the Sept 1971 newspaper article that is down near the bottom of the Crusader thread in the Down History Lane section. If you're still thinking of buying it after knowing its age, have a read of those other links showing for the Classic forum. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 3, 2013 23:59:30 GMT 10
G'day Matt, The best auto electrician you'll find is yourself. ;D Caravan 12V wiring is fairly simple to understand, and when you do learn how it all goes together, you'll be able to sort out any problems no matter where you are on the road. There is one wire in the tow plug that feeds power to the rear tail lights and the marker lights. Look at the wiring diagrams in this link to see which plug you have, and which wire is the tail/clearance lights wire: Trailer wiring diagramsIf none of the tail lights or clearance lights are working at the moment, I'd be checking that the connection at the terminal in the caravan plug is ok (wire may be broken?). Alternatively, if you've got a multimeter (a real handy "toy"), you can check for continuity in the wires between the plug and any other light on the van. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Jan 1, 2013 12:42:58 GMT 10
G'day castlemaine, and welcome to the forum! ;D
A chassis number of A1321 will be from around 1965 if it's got the wide band of paint along the sides where the windows are. Go to the "Down History Lane" section, and look for the threads relating to Viscount and Ambassador vans.
Can you see any remnants of a sticker on the front and rear above the windows? Usually the 'A' prefix chassis numbers were the Viscount Duralvans, but it's possible Viscount built an Ambassador model on an A-series chassis number on occasions.
cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 29, 2012 12:13:22 GMT 10
G'day tvc, Back in October, we spent a week in a Tamworth caravan park, and then did daytrips within 200kms of Tamworth. If you click on this link, you'll see the caravans we spotted within 50kms of Tamworth: Caravan road test - Trip reportNone of the vans we spotted were necessarily up for sale...until you knock on their door and say you're interested. Good luck with your search. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 28, 2012 22:32:25 GMT 10
This #$% ^&@ #(&!! popup has been giving me a lot of grief this evening. And no, I didn't even have the V.V forum open. I was trying to post on the Classic forum, and adding photos from P'bucket as I typed the post, toggling between the two screens (as you do). That popup just kept springing into life, two pages at a time, whenever I went from one page to the other and back again. Didn't matter what the banner advert was at the top of the page. Just switching between the forum and P/b was enough to trigger it. I must have killed it about 20 times before I spat the dummy good and proper. (which wasn't a pretty sight ) And so, one thing has led to another, and I've got my fingers crossed that I might be onto something... If you've had this popup show up on your computer, try these steps to see if you find the same as I did: Step 1: Work out how to set your computer up so that the Windows Operating System will show "hidden files and folders". For Windows 7 (which I have), go to this link for an explanation of how to do it: windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows7/Show-hidden-filesFor other Windows versions, do a Google search for your version, eg show hidden files for Windows XPStep 2: Once you've set up Step 1, open your Windows Explorer to show all the files on your computer. Step 3: Go down towards the bottom of the list, and find the folder Computer, and click on the + symbol to expand the C: drive. Then work your way down the list of folders and look for the folder UsersStep 4: Click on the + symbol in front of the word Users, and then work your way down the folders as per the following picture... Step 5: Open up every folder that sits under the word Macromedia. Check to see what's in each folder. Step 6: If you find the same as I found, there'll be some folders with the goodgamestudios name on them. Delete all the parent folders that the goodgames folders are under. I deleted the 2AMSUK4B folder, and the sys folder, as shown... Step 7: Once you've deleted the folders, go to the Recycle Bin folder (the very last folder in your main Windows Explorer list) and delete them permanently out of that folder as well. After completing the above steps, I've been able to create this whole post without one blasted popup occurring. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 27, 2012 12:33:39 GMT 10
Even though I thought I was "cured" a few days ago, I actually continued to get this popup for a couple of days afterwards. I've been avoiding this forum ever since, because I can never predict when the popup will happen, or not. I can't say I noticed the banner advert at the top when the popup occurred, but humpyboy's observations may well be source of the problem. Over the last couple of days I've been doing some searching myself on the internet, to see whether other people have been experiencing this type of popup. I've posted on the Proboards Support forum in a thread that was started by other people with the same popup: support.proboards.com/thread/436766/pop-adsI'm hoping Proboards can shed a bit more light on why it occurs, and whether they can stamp it out. ps. I didn't get a popup during the creation of this post. The banner advert at the top is for Oxfam. And now....back to hiding, until Proboards comes back with some info. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 20, 2012 11:21:41 GMT 10
Well, it seems this forum is not the only one experiencing this particular popup. Three days ago, someone on another forum posted that they were getting the same sort of thing. If Admin want more info to send to Proboards, the thread for the other forum is: H**p://www.ptcsociety.com/forum/56-bugs-issues/7899-popup-ad (and convert the ** at the start to 'tt') And "Glory Be", I got through creating this post without one popup happening. "I'm cured!!" (Although I'm blowed if I know how I got cured ) cheers, Al
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 19, 2012 21:18:24 GMT 10
G'day DonR, I just spent the better part of five hours researching the popup world, and downloading various software to check my computer and fix any problems. I even sprayed the keyboard with flyspray in case there were any nasty bugs loitering under the keys which would get into the computer (yeah, that's a joke originating from insanity). I thought I had the problem licked when I logged on a short while ago and answered a PM to another member. However, clicking on this thread just now to reply to you, and that webpage has opened up on 7 13 occasions, with the page mostly opening up two at once. Looks like a trip to the computer doctor for an antivirus needle, methinks. George, yep I've got all the popup blocker settings in place, and have always had that. Whatever it is, it's bypassing all those protections. [page has now opened about 30 times while typing this ] cheers, Al
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 19, 2012 15:59:51 GMT 10
Thanks for the feedback. I recently traded in my old mobile phone (which was two jam tins with string between them ~ great in a straight line but useless around corners), and now have a smartphone, which is what I'm sending this post from. I'll see how I go with cleaning any nasties off my laptop. Cheers, Al
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 19, 2012 14:09:09 GMT 10
G'day All, over the last couple of days I've been having a heck of a time with a website being triggered by something connected to this forum. Whenever I click on any link within this forum, the following webpage opens up in another window... In the time it took me to create this thread, that webpage opened up 53 times (yep, that's fifty three times ) It doesn't happen when I look at all the other usual websites on my computer, such as the Classic forum; the Sydney newspaper website; ebay; etc etc. It's only when I attempt to read a thread on this forum that the webpage is triggered. Once it happens, it then multiplies at a rapid rate as soon as any other link on this forum is clicked. Has anyone else experienced this problem with this forum?? The popup website address is: h**p://lp.empire.goodgamestudios.com/?country=au&pid=435&camp=1&gid=12&cid=778757&tid=18362637** [asterisks have been added to render it 'benign'] cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 17, 2012 9:13:29 GMT 10
G'day Little Edie, I found the handles (Who said ya can't find anything in my shed?!! ). It's a bit hard to see your handles clearly in your photo above, so I'm not sure that what I've got is the same. I have 7 handles, 5 of which are branded 'Prestige Australia' with a code number 894L on the back. The other 2 are unbranded. All have a bevelled edge around the handle (it looks like yours don't??). All are grotty from having spent 50 years in a kitchen, and heavy pitting is evident on them all. The outside diameter is 2" and the height is 1"... --------------------------------------------- Bunnings list a satin chrome handle (Code #1000713) on their website but not the bright chrome version (which has the manufacturing code of 1000703). Do a Google search for 1000713 (satin chrome) and 1000703 (chrome) and you'll see that itwproline had them listed in a 2009 catalogue on Page 14 (look for "Dish Knobs"), but that doesn't mean they are still available three years later. If your handles don't have the bevelled edge around them, have a look at (USA) Okatiedid's store on ebay and see if she's got some that match yours... round chrome handlesLet me know if you're desperate for whatever you can find, and want the (crappy) ones I have. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 17, 2012 7:25:44 GMT 10
G'day henley,
Nope, not exactly, but here's some numbers you can crunch along with your breakfast Coco Pops...
In the 12 months to June 1969, there were 17,459 caravans built by Australian companies.
8,651 of those were built in NSW (and 5,502 were built in Vic, the next biggest manufacturer)
The two main manufacturers in NSW at the end of the 1960s were Viscount and Millard.
In some other information I have somewhere, I seem to remember that Viscount were making up around 5000 units per year around that time. Then you need to divvy that 5000 up into the Duralvan, Ambassador, and Valiant models. I guess it's not inconceivable that there were 2000 Ambassador units made over a 12 month period.
cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 16, 2012 20:55:40 GMT 10
G'day Little Edie, I have some that look something like the ones you're looking for. Mine were salvaged from a kitchen in a 1960 house that my son bought and renovated. Give me a couple of days to find them in the shed , and I'll take photos and measurements to see if they are the type/size you could use. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 13, 2012 15:28:03 GMT 10
G'day Don, I haven't replied because I've run out of ideas about what brand your van might be. You might have to resort to making up a brand name yourself...maybe call it a "Ranklin", which is sort of like a Franklin but has a chassis number starting with 'R'. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 28, 2012 13:04:23 GMT 10
G'day donald80, I've been mulling over your van a bit more, and obviously the "R" prefix in the chassis number means something. I had a look through the Index in the Down History Lane section, and out of all the 'R' names, the only one that comes close might be the ReLax brand. If you click on this link and scroll down to the bottom to the last van, and compare the look of this van with yours. There are some similarities with the shape of the front, but not enough overall to convince me your van is a ReLax brand. If your van is not a ReLax van, then it'll be another name starting with "R", I reckon. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 28, 2012 12:16:51 GMT 10
G'day Jamesandbel, It was almost 14 months ago that you started this thread. I was one of those people who thought, "Pffft...if this guy ever finishes this project, I'll eat my ..." Well, 14 months later and I'm STILL working my way through the Akubra (darn things are tough on the teeth! ) Considering six of the 14 months were the winter period, where most sane southerners go into hibernation, you've probably done the majority of the project in the other 8 months. All of which leads me to bow deeply from the waist, in honour of what you've achieved. I doff the remains of my Akubra to you, and congratulate you and your good lady on the outstanding effort you've achieved. I can well understand your good lady's directive that there will be "no more restorations". It's also possible you wouldn't find another project as challenging as this one, so you'd probably get bored with it anyway. Congratulations once again. You've certainly demonstrated there's nothing that can't be resuscitated if you blow air into it for long enough. Well done! cheers, Al. ps. Just as a side note... I wonder what NSW are planning to use for the number series on trailer plates once the Z-series is used up? You got a Y-series plate, and a van I rego'ed in 2008 got a U-series plate, so that's about one letter each year. In another year or so, the Z-series should be all used up. What's after that??
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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 28, 2012 10:39:27 GMT 10
G'day rbn123, and welcome to the forum! ;D I think you are pretty close in your estimation of the year of the Valiant. Those sloping windows were introduced into the Valiant range at the end of 1963, so you could be late '63 or during '64. Your van looks to be around 15ft by the look of your photo, and the '63 models were 14' 6" but the '64 models were increased slightly to 14' 9". I suspect you measure the cabin length from the flat face of the front windows, to a perpendicular line at the rounded bum of your van. That's how it works out with other brands of vans at times. If you haven't alreay discovered the Valiant thread in our Down History Lane section, you'll see some other Valiants there. You need to take some of the dates allocated to photos in that thread with a grain of salt these days, because we've learnt a lot more about the history since those posts were put up in 2009. As far as bits and pieces go for your van, it usually involves a lot of searching/asking/pleading for whatever it is you're looking for. When you get to the stage of wanting a part, come on here and put a post in the Wanted section and then keep your fingers crossed. Sometimes you get lucky, other times you have to find an alternative. ps. The Millard van you mention is actually from the 1972-73 time period, with that chassis number you've quoted. cheers, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 27, 2012 15:01:58 GMT 10
G'day Cassie, It seems like you could get these early Viscounts with any interior colour... as long as it was pink. Your van would have to be the fourth or fifth van I've got photos of from that era, and all show pink cupboard doors. Would you do me a favour please, and look for the chassis number welded on the front drawbar, just beside the jockey wheel somewhere? Here is a photo of Viscount #33 so you know where to look for it... thanks, Al.
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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 26, 2012 21:47:29 GMT 10
G'day Rod, It doesn't strike me as being a Franklin at first glance, but anything's possible at this stage. Can you tell me exactly whereabouts on the drawbar you found the number? I only ask because Coronet vans that have appeared on the forum have the number welded on the inside of the drawbar channel arm on the doorside, about where the arm starts to disappear under the front of the van. Coronets had a numerical system (no letters), whereas Franklins maybe had only the one year with numbers only (1960??), and got letters included in '61-'64. Is there any sign of a signature Franklin shelf just above the sink? It'll have a single triangular bracket located under the centre, holding it up. A wittier person than me would say this van's worth working on, even if it does look a bit ragged around the edges. cheers, Al.
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