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Post by cobber on Jan 23, 2023 7:55:13 GMT 10
Hi Vernon (Des and Kel), Good to hear from you again, but a bit sad to hear that you're selling 'Valmay'. Hopefully she will be passed on to someone who is able to carry her restoration forward after she's been in your safekeeping for so many years. I thought it might help if prospective buyers could see the photos of the van without having to cycle through the links so I've used my admin powers to add the photos in so that they show directly in your post. Hope that's ok? There's also a post on Valmay in the 'Down History Lane' thread on caravans built from aircraft components here but no internal photos, so again if it's ok, I'll copy the internal photos to add to that post. Don Ricardo G’day Don R. It was your post to Des and Kel regarding the selling of their van ‘Valmay’ and you providing a link to the aircraft components caravans thread in DHL that prompted me to look at that thread again. I then realised the thread was missing at least one well known van made from aircraft pieces 😫 Looking through old posts on various threads in this forum can be very entertaining, I amused myself recently researching old posts in the ‘Vintage caravan runs and events’ thread at the time when this forum was just getting into gear, good memories. 😉 Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Jan 20, 2023 8:43:45 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Dec 23, 2022 10:56:03 GMT 10
Good on you Derk, it’s nice to have a few projects patiently waiting for completion and it’s good to hear you are looking forward to doing just that. Look forward to your retirement, it’s a worthy ambition 😉
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Dec 23, 2022 8:06:10 GMT 10
Thank you Geoff & Jude, it’s always nice to hear Kylie has been an awfully good girl.. We would also like to wish everybody a merry Christmas and a merry vintage caravanning 2023.
Cobber & Yvonne.
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Post by cobber on Sept 27, 2022 9:22:06 GMT 10
G’day bennysimm, The track (and clips) are available in two sizes so your track will be either 17mm or 22mm wide. If it is the larger size I can provide you with the larger clips albeit without the backing bit that is easy enough to make up. We have a thread about Marconi track & clips url= vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/9506/annex-awning-fasteners]HERE[/url] might give you a few clues 😉 I’m really pleased you intend keeping your beautiful van original 😀 Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Sept 26, 2022 19:13:04 GMT 10
G’day bennysimm, I don’t know if my old eyes are seeing that photo you posted properly but, it doesn’t look like the Marconi track I’m familia with. This is the Marconi track as I know it. And these are the slides that fit that track. Is your track the same as the one above ? Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Sept 2, 2022 10:42:08 GMT 10
We have sometimes been heard to say that our forum has the advantage over that other thing (Facebook) of being a long term reference point. …..And so it is 😜 Attachments:
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Post by cobber on Aug 11, 2022 16:39:25 GMT 10
I may be biased or prejudiced or even overly optimistic, but I like to think I am the custodian of a caravan that was built very early in Australia’s caravanning history. It was built by Ernest Walter Barlow, a skilled furniture maker during the Great Depression in 1933/34. It was built down the side of his house in Lidcombe NSW for use by his family. I dare say money was in short supply and petrol rationing was in force so the van was initially used for short journeys on weekends. He was also a very modest man and apparently had no intention of going into mass production so no evidence has been found of him promoting his achievement in magazines or news papers. The only evidence I have regarding the vans history is having made contact with his granddaughter who has some photos and the reminisces of her mother who died in 2017 at the age of 94 and had continually talked about her experiences in the van from the age of 10 (she was born in 1923) I bought the van in 2006 and at that time was told it was made about 1936. It was not until 2019 that I made contact with Karen, the granddaughter, who told me it was actually made during 1933/34. The entire thread about this van on this forum can be seen if you click this link vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/1300/cobbers-1936-built-plywood-caravanAt the bottom of page 5 of that thread is the news of the contact with Karen. Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 10, 2022 16:30:13 GMT 10
G’day Ray,
The purpose of a lantern roof is (1) to look good (2)to provide extra head room down the centre of the van (3) to let extra light into the van (4) to provide ventilation at night so you don’t suffer with condensation. By having fixed panes you won’t have the ventilation benefit, that’s OK, the way it’s been done on Ol ‘33 we don’t have the benefit of extra light but we really appreciate the extra ventilation, Ol ‘33 never suffers with condensation.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 9, 2022 10:50:28 GMT 10
Thank you DCI Don Ricardo you have done very well, but actually I was hoping for a real live dust covered barn find example. Surely such an innovative van would not be left to rot away in somebodies paddock, although judging by the patent application above, (that I have replaced with one that works ) I reckon she’d leak like a sieve.
constable cobber.
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Post by cobber on Jul 13, 2022 14:37:12 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Jun 25, 2022 10:17:23 GMT 10
Gee Al you can sure feel disappointed in Booktopia but you won’t be disappointed in the books quality or content when you get it, hope that helps 😁
For anyone else thinking of buying the book can I suggest you look at Amazon, $55 free delivery 😩-
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Jun 1, 2022 18:52:53 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on May 13, 2022 13:24:00 GMT 10
G'day 1948, It is a pain when they want you to replace an original perfectly good tow coupling because it doesn't have a few numbers stamped on it with a letters & numbers punch that you can buy at Bunnings 😉😉 The forum does have a tow coupling thread the index of which you can see HEREhave a look at the couple of Carapark links and tell us if your one is similar, if so it already has the makers brand name on it, all it needs is its max capacity, around 40CWT. Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 15, 2022 17:38:22 GMT 10
G’day Don R & woody99, I received my copy of this wonderful quality book a couple of days ago. Naturally I went to the Australian chapter first 🙄, then the English chapter. I can’t begin to imagine how long it took to research and gather the information in this book. The text is interesting, informative and easy to read and there are wonderful large,sharp,black and white photos on almost every page of the book relevant to the text on the preceding page, it is a beautiful book, highly recommended for anybody even slightly interested in the development of this great hobby. Congratulations woody99 😉 Another great resource Andrew has provided is the web site mentioned by Don R. the web site www.rvhistory.comCobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 7, 2022 16:34:05 GMT 10
G’day Warren K,
Are they in good nick, is he holding on to them for when he retires ? 😉
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 7, 2022 12:30:01 GMT 10
Mustang, Don Loffler and Shannons reckon that of the 8000 panel vans made there might only be 200 to 300 left. They were windowless when made but adding windows in the side was a popular modification so finding a fair dinkum original panel van is rare.
Jenno, I should be downsizing too but I can’t, I just can’t do it 😫😢😪 They reckon the cost of living is high but the cost of buying memorability is out of hand too so now’s a good time to sell.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 3, 2022 21:29:39 GMT 10
G’day Ray,
OK you inspired me to have another look at the results of that auction.
I was mistaken, it actually sold for $115000 😵 the motor AND gearbox had been replaced with reconditioned units from an EJ model, it was then stored on sleepers for 42 years before being sold to somebody else. It was purchased by the current vendors in 2017 and given a comprehensive restoration that they finished earlier this year. I think they might have been happy with the sale price, in fact “I do not think I know” the reserve was reached much earlier.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 2, 2022 17:43:29 GMT 10
G’day Mustang,
I sometimes watch those Shannon’s auctions too, it only takes two determined bidders to see prices go through the roof eh ?
I recently watched a restored FJ Holden windowless Pannell van sell for one hundred and eleven THOUSAND dollars ...$111000 !! FJ Holden ?
I think that was crazy, in fact "I do not think I know”, it didn’t even have its original motor in it.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Mar 30, 2022 16:51:00 GMT 10
WOW !! That is exciting news Don R. Covers a period of RV history I am particularly interested in 🤪. It will be interesting to see what previously held views you had have been overturned 😉
I will have to buy it before it sells out.
Cobber
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Post by cobber on Mar 10, 2022 16:27:06 GMT 10
G’day Richard,
The photo was sent to me by Karen, they are in the process of moving house at the moment so when they are settled i’ll get a better copy, the copy I received shows a tiny bit more towards the top and there is evidence of the lantern roof but not all of it. She found it towards the front of an album so suggests it was taken early in the vans life.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Mar 9, 2022 17:47:39 GMT 10
Another photo turned up today. 09/03/2022 . What is interesting is I can’t see evidence of a front window. It is thought this is a very early photo of the van showing colour over the entire side and the complete waistline stripe whereas the photo that started all this excitement shows part of the side in a different colour, Maybe it was built without a window at the front and one was added later ? Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Mar 8, 2022 16:14:38 GMT 10
G’day Graeme, Wish we could join you for the forums 18 Th. anniversary, brings back memories of when a few of us from the eastern states toured to W.A. For the web sites 10Th. Anniversary in 2012 (the web site, now defunct, started two years before the forum) but time marches on. I hope you have a successful weekend. Cobber.
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New guy
Feb 16, 2022 10:24:12 GMT 10
Post by cobber on Feb 16, 2022 10:24:12 GMT 10
G’day Kim, The only list I can find that resembles what you describe is this one. vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/2955/caravan-specifications-1951-52-1962If that’s not the one you want let me know. The length of Caravans is usually measured along the side of the cabin ( excluding the “A” frame ) about one foot above the floor line. Good luck with your project, building your own small caravan, I assume it will be plywood construction ? Do you have diagrams or plans to work from and will it be based on traditional American designs ? Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Feb 1, 2022 14:12:50 GMT 10
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