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Post by cobber on Oct 14, 2019 19:16:32 GMT 10
You are right Ray the van is one of reddo's early restorations, but you don't have to be a fossil to know that, you only have to read the post at the top of this page by Don R where he makes that clear in reference to the same jigsaw posted by Mel at the bottom of page 7. Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Oct 12, 2019 13:22:02 GMT 10
I apologise to those of you who hoped you had seen the last of this thread but ....... a familiar image of Driftwood is available right now on ZAZZLESad to say many of the previous links have become redundant but here is your opportunity to get an image of Driftwood on a whole host of items. This image can be transferred to over 1000 products including wall clock, key rings, ceramic tiles, coasters, reusable grocery bags, back packs, T shirts, note books, mouse pads, iPad covers, etc by ZAZZLE, just click on the hyperlink above to see what you can buy. Cobber
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Post by cobber on Oct 10, 2019 13:35:08 GMT 10
G'day fiesta65,
Many of the early Don caravans have a distinctive aroma about them that is not objectionable, Don owners actually find it attractive and we tend to think it emanates from the glues used during construction.
I can remember being the victim of some young associates who thought it funny to place prawn heads inside the hub caps of a new car I bought.... it didn't take the service people very long to find the source of the stink I complained about, have you checked inside your vans hubcaps ? 😉😆
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Sept 28, 2019 14:56:15 GMT 10
G'day Tony, Pleased you enjoyed the 13 year journey I've had with this old van, thanks for you comment. Over the 15 years this forum has been running there have been many inspiring rescues it is hard to pick the best ones but one that gave many of us goosebumps was this one of surf tragics see what you think of it 😉 Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Sept 18, 2019 17:56:54 GMT 10
G'day Chris, Mate to know more than you need to know about Masonite click on this link archive.org/stream/WhatYouOughtToKnowAboutMasonitePresdwoods/CCA87486_djvu.txtand go down to answer 110 to 118 that deals with bending Masonite, that is when the wetting process comes into play, with the radiuses you'll be dealing with I don't reckon you'll need wetting so for my money I'd probably glue it with 'no more nails' Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Sept 18, 2019 12:48:59 GMT 10
G'day Chris, Mate to know more than you need to know about Masonite click on this link archive.org/stream/WhatYouOughtToKnowAboutMasonitePresdwoods/CCA87486_djvu.txtand go down to answer 110 to 118 that deals with bending Masonite, that is when the wetting process comes into play, with the radiuses you'll be dealing with I don't reckon you'll need wetting so for my money I'd probably glue it with 'no more nails' Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Sept 15, 2019 14:43:34 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Sept 15, 2019 14:15:26 GMT 10
G'day Chris,
Well done mate you're off to a good start. It certainly looks like a Jennison Cruiser to me and it's hard to imagine anybody would build a Cruiser look-a-like unless their name was Jennison, and it's hard to imagine John Jennison would build something so rough unless it was an absolute prototype to test if the idea was feasible. I am really pleased the van has finished up with a true Jennison van enthusiast, good luck with it 👍
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 27, 2019 14:25:03 GMT 10
G'day Graeme and Al,
You want a movie Graeme ? I would have been satisfied with a diary written at the time they were doing these pioneering journeys. I imagine they would have run up dead ends, got bogged occasionally and Ern would have had that rifle to provide fresh rabbit for dinner down at the Coxs River.
You'r right Al, over the past ten years the old van would have brought back a host of memories. And DCI Don Ricardo did do well on this case but he now has to devote himself to the investigation of the cold case of Driftwoods origins 😉
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 27, 2019 13:51:56 GMT 10
Nothing wrong with your tenacity old mate, or your imagination.
The van almost looks like you built it from plans and you new exactly what the next step would be, and you had all the bits and pieces sitting in the warehouse waiting to be fitted to their allotted position ....... in fact, is that how it was ? 😆😆😆
Cobber 😉
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Post by cobber on Aug 26, 2019 14:08:46 GMT 10
Thanks fellas 😉,
It is hard to tell who is the most excited Derk, me or the family. You realise they had never seen the actual caravan before but when they did, and sat inside it they recognised every thing, the stained timber, the slide down table, the wardrobe and most importantly the slide out cooker cabinet. They had listened to their mother Jean reminiscing about it and the places she had been in it over and over for years they had almost stopped listening, they now wish they had asked more questions. I wish I had been able to show it to her a few years ago before she passed away in 2017.
There is no doubt Ray that the van was built and in use before 1936. There is a little bit of ambiguity about when Ern started and finished the build. It is thought that it took him a year or maybe two to complete the job but Jean always said she was travelling in it when she was 10 years of age.
It is great Don R that Ol '36 now has some provenance eh? We thank you for making it possible.😘 When we took her to Coledale she was amassed at the number of other caravans that were there, previously she said, she was the only caravan to be seen when she went places. Don't know that I'll re-christen her until somebody else gets an older van on the road and skites about it 😜 You are right, she was born in Lidcombe and I was born in Auburn, the very next suburb in 1938.
In fact I now recall my mother standing on our front verandah nursing me in her arms when she suddenly said " oh look Cobber darling there goes a loverly caravan being towed by an A model Ford" ... I thought to myself " when I get bigger I would like to buy a caravan like that" ..... in 2006 I saw that very same caravan in a shed at Rossmore, the very next door suburb to where I live, Leppington. It was for sale so I bought it..... a boyhood dream come true 😘🙄😁😁😉
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 25, 2019 10:25:46 GMT 10
BREAKING NEWS !!At long last, after 13 years in my possession the pioneering craftsman who built Ol '36 has been identified 😀😀 Due entirely to the dedication and skill of Detective chief inspector Don Ricardo of the ' Anything to do with vintage caravans squad' who noticed a post on the "Australia Remember When" Facebook site and recognised the photos likeness to Ol'36. He contacted the author and much has been learned. Thank you Don Ricardo 😘👍👌😎 This is the post DCI Ricardo noticed on the 'Australia remember when' Facebook site Karen xxxxxxxx This is one my grandfather built in 1930 down the side of the house in Lidcombe NSW, they went everywhere in it most weekends and holidays and towed with the trusty Model A Ford and then upgraded to the Standard Ford. My mum grew up with enjoying this with her younger brother and talked about it constantly, all good memories and holidays are spent in caravans [/URL
KarenAfter contacting Karen, who was very excited to hear her grandfathers caravan was still alive, here is some of what we have learned. The van was built by Ernest (Ern) Walter Barlow (b.4/08/1899 d.31/01/1971 ) at Lidcombe NSW during the early 1930s and Karen's mother Jean definitely remembered first holidaying in the van when she was 10 or 11 years of age i.e. 1933/34 ( she was born in 1923 and died at the age of 94 in 2017 )An enlargement of that photo, it is not know when the original photo was taken 😟 The holidays they enjoyed in those early days were not extensive, remember these were the Great Depression years, they traveled mostly on weekends to places like Fitzroy Falls, COLEDALE BEACH ! Richmond and Penrith where they free camped beside the river. Ern, who was a skilled professional furniture maker had also made a canoe that was carried on top of the A model Ford. They also spent many school holidays on the Coxs River between Katoomba and Oberon and travelled and free camped along the Bells Line of road. Ern served in the AIF during the later years of WW I after he turned 18, at the time he was doing his Joiners apprenticeship. During and after WWII the caravan did not get a lot of use due to petrol price and rationing. This is Ern and Karen's uncle Bruce on the Coxs River. Here we have Ern, Karen's mother Jean and the younger brother Bruce, not real sure where or when the photo was taken. The van was sold to the Lidcombe Bowling Club about 1968 ( the latest rego label on the van is 1961 ) where it went after that is not known, I tend to think it was not re-registered before I bought it in 2006. We recently enjoyed a visit from Karen her husband Ross and brother Geoff who were thrilled to see the caravan they had heard so much about over the years, inside it was exactly as it had been described to them, including the slide out cooker cabinet 😎 They brought with them the only other photo showing the caravan they can find at the moment, note the awning and the A model ford. A very happy Cobber 👌 [/a]
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Post by cobber on Jul 16, 2019 9:33:31 GMT 10
G'day Don R.
I would find it very satisfying to still have, and be using the caravan I grew up with, you must both have a multitude of pleasant memories.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON 461 💥🌟⚡️🎂
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 23, 2019 13:06:45 GMT 10
G'day Carley,
Where the plurry blazes have you been ?
And now it's time to sell The Blue Flyer,I hope a worthy person is quick enough to get it, even reading the thread about its restoration could be an inspiration for some people to get stuck into their projects.
I hope the sale goes well.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Apr 20, 2019 13:01:48 GMT 10
G'day BlowMeDown,
Thanks for your contributions to this thread & I'm pleased it has been of some use to you. What type of project are you working on ? ....dateing and finding appropriate parts and fittings can be half the fun so far as some of we vintage caravan nuts are concerned 😉
Cobber
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Post by cobber on Apr 16, 2019 10:55:41 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Jan 6, 2019 12:00:24 GMT 10
Jennison pop top. Going back to that Jennison pop top lookalike I posted at the end of page one on this thread, I have been asked if there are any interior photos of it, so I took some. This is the wardrobe and bench along the off side wall opposite the door. The bench has room underneath for stuff and has the sink on top (you did notice the faucet didn't you ? ) To the right of the doorway is a cupboard. With a couple of draws. The van is covered with Masonite, this is looking toward the rear of the van And this is towards the front Not good You will notice the seat across the front, the back of which lifts up to become a bunk for a small child ( or two ). The woman who has fond memories of this van when she was a small child has told me her parents and three children spent many wonderful holidays in this van. The parents bed is across the rear of the van. That's it....... I tend to doubt that THE Mr. Jennison would build something this rough even as a prototype, but on the other hand why would anybody else bother to build a Jennison lookalike ? Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Nov 14, 2018 14:20:13 GMT 10
Yes thanks Ray for dragging her out of the shed and showing us where you're up to, she's looking good 😘I can't see any problems with the screws you've used and it is good to know, you know, that slot heads are the only way to go when it comes to fitting out the interior 😜 May I suggest 🙄? The more stained timber you use inside the more she will look like a gypsy van ( blonds love gypsy vans and stained timber )
Cobber
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Post by cobber on Sept 15, 2018 15:54:33 GMT 10
G'day Ray, I knew this thread existed (and so did you ) but I've had trouble finding it. I am wondering if it was in your subconsciousness and has inspired you to take on this project of yours ( with some modifications ! 😉 ) Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 25, 2018 19:19:55 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Aug 24, 2018 14:35:53 GMT 10
Thanks Clarebear,
You have provided two good links so I've removed the old one and inserted your two.
Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 23, 2018 20:11:11 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Aug 18, 2018 15:16:00 GMT 10
G'day Clarebear 769, Welcome to the forum and thank you for making me aware of that goof up, I've fixed it up now Any other broken links you find please let me know, companies keep updating their websites without telling me and I don't get payed enough to check it as often as I should🙄 Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Aug 2, 2018 12:18:10 GMT 10
G'day Ray, I have long been an admirer of the gypsy waggons as evidenced by the first book in my cobbers library collectionYour project won't be everyone's cup of tea 😉but I'll be watching to see you are true to the fine traditions of the "living vans" including the use of slot head screws, I can't wait to see what livery you choose for it considering some of your previous efforts 😝 What I expect. Recommended Don't let a blonde distract you from the job at hand. Cobber.
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Post by cobber on Jul 17, 2018 16:49:56 GMT 10
G'day Ray, That is a BIG question aye ? ...... we will have to wait and see, although the idea is not unique anymore. Some time after I proposed the idea I noticed a bloke three doors up the road was painting a Millard van that he had placed beside his house for the son to sleep in, in camo colours. So you are right hughdeany, it is a small world. Strugglebrook, the bolt heads have only been exposed since earlier this year so it's only a very light coating of rust, easily neutralised I would have thought, much easier than replacing them all with rivets. I was once known as a slot head screw nut, now I'm also a slot head bolt nut 😝😉 Cobber.
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