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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 11, 2021 20:49:14 GMT 10
Hi David1, Welcome to the forum. This forum is focused on caravans built before 1970, so your 1999 Pedigree is way outside our area of expertise. Somebody here may still be able to provide you with some advice, but you may be better asking the question on one of the Facebook caravanner pages, or even talking to somebody at a caravan repair place. Good luck with your search for information, and have lots of great times with your van. In the end that’s what we’re all about. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 11, 2021 20:43:30 GMT 10
Hi again Bonzaway, I’m not sure if this photo will help but it may: You can see how the extra piece of material in the awning that forms the curved edge which attaches to the roof accommodates the extra height of that section while leaving the bottom edge straight. And the side edges are straight as well. Hopefully if you show these photos to your canvas person they will get the picture. Oh, by the way... canvas is made 2 metres wide, so if you want your awning to be wider than that (say 7 or 8 ft) you will need to have a join in the awning from the roof of the van to the outer edge. However, that isn’t a problem. We’ve never had a leak through the joins in any of awnings or annexes. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 10, 2021 21:40:38 GMT 10
Hi Bonzaway, It is a bit tricky getting an awning made to fit a curved caravan, and a lot of awning makers aren’t sure about the pattern to use these days because they are mainly working with straight lines. As you can see our van also has a curved roof: The aim with an awning for a van like yours and ours is to have the long edge away from the van sitting flat, and the edge attached to the van curved to match the curve of the van. To do that you basically need to have the edge to attach to the van cut on a curve. I’ve tried to draw it here. It’s very rough, I’m sorry because I’ve tried to draw it on my iPad with my finger. Ok so the bottom edge in the drawing is the side away from the van. The top edge with the curve is where it attaches to the van. The other sides are just straight. The depth of the curve will depend on the height of the curve on the van. Our awning is 12 ft long (on a 14 ft 6 in van) and 8 ft wide. We used to have a 6 ft wide awning, but found it wasn’t wide enough to provide sufficient shade and protection. We were fortunate because we still have the old annexe for our van and the awning maker was able to use the roof of the annexe as a pattern. Regarding poles, etc, if your van is a 10 footer you may find that it is difficult to make the awning the full 10 ft, but it depends on the shape of the van. You’ll see from the shape of our van why our awning could only be 12 ft. Anyway, as you can see we use four poles along the side away from the van, and then also a pole in the middle of each side. With a 10 ft awning you may get away with three poles I think. The span between each pole will be 5 ft though. On ours it is only 4 ft, so there will be a bit more flap if there are only three poles. We found that we didn’t need side poles with a 6 ft wide awning, but definitely do with the 8ft wide one. Without them, there would be a lot of movement and flap, especially in high winds. We also use the ribs from the old annexe - you can see the lines under the canvas. Hope that helps? It is a bit difficult to explain, but by all means come back to me and ask questions, or I can PM you my phone number and we can have a chat. As it happens, we will be putting up the awning tomorrow, so if you like I can take a photo of the curved edge which may help to explain it all better. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 9, 2021 12:04:55 GMT 10
Hi all, Good to see that the ABC is showing an interest in vintage vans over the last week or so! The first item published on the ABC News website on 8 January 2021 is headed "Vintage caravan renovations explode in popularity as COVID-19 restricts summer holiday travel plans" and starts off: "They're popping up at caravan sites across the country.
"Parked alongside flashy modern rigs are a growing number of vintage caravans, with renovations that leave the sticky-beaks lining up for a look.
"As COVID-19 puts a hold on international travel plans and Australians look closer to home for their holidays, caravans have been exploding in popularity.
"But vintage vans — in original or renovated condition — are in particularly high demand, with many snapped up within hours of going on the market.
"Some renovated vintage caravans are being sold for close to $20,000 and on Facebook pages van owners share renovation tips and plan meet ups at caravan parks across the country."You can read the rest and see the pics hereThe second item was a radio chat segment called "Our favourite caravan holiday memories" on ABC Overnights last Monday, 4 January 2021 involving program host Michael Pavlich and some vintage caravan aficionado. You can find a link to the audio here. See, it is 'OUR ABC'! Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 9, 2021 10:44:34 GMT 10
Hi all, Jennison has kindly provided a copy of the magazine article (see his post immediately above) written by his grandmother Doris Jennison in 1952 telling the story of how her husband John Jennison became involved in the caravan industry, from the construction of their first caravan in 1933 to the development of the Jennison Pathfinder after World War II. It's a fascinating read and has been incorporated into the updated first post on this thread here. Below is a photo of the first Jennison caravan, the story of which is told in Doris Jennison's article: Thanks to Jennison for sharing some more of his family's history with us. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 8, 2021 19:49:24 GMT 10
Hi Bigal1,
That's really interesting information. That may explain a lot! And also may mean that we don't have to beat ourselves up for not being able to fully "crack" the Millard serial number puzzle!
I will be interested in Twocutekelpies' thoughts.
Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 8, 2021 19:33:17 GMT 10
Hi Morgzord,
Great news to hear that you've got the van safely home, and also to hear that it was within the towing capacity of your Subaru. Phew! Well done.
As Mustang has intimated, it would be interesting to know how much the aircon contributes to the ball weight.
Keep us up to date with your reno.
Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 7, 2021 20:37:15 GMT 10
Hi Mycaravan,
Welcome to the forum and thanks for showing us your Bri-Ray Microvan. Funnily enough several of them have come out of the woodwork in recent months.
It's really hard to say anything about the value. For one thing we have a policy on the forum of not discussing prices or values because in the case of vintage caravans there are no real price guides, but also because we want to guard against one member down valuing the price of a van belonging to another member so that they can pounce on it later (and possibly re-sell it at a higher price).
However, apart from that, it's really hard to put a value on something like the Bri-Ray because (a) it's quite a rare van, which you'd think would be a good thing, but (b) it's rare because they were not very popular when they were being made and as result they're not the sort of van that a whole lot of people are looking out for. There are certain types of vintage caravan which seem to be always popular and are subject to strong demand, and there are others that are not sadly.
With a van like the Bri-Ray, if you were selling (which I gather you aren't), you're basically looking for a niche buyer who is looking for the same type of van they remember staying in as a child or their grandparents had. In the end the value is set by how much a buyer is willing to pay, and how much the seller is willing to accept.
Having said all that, you can sometimes get a sense of value by watching for what Bri-Rays sell for on Gumtree or Ebuy, but because they're rare you may have to wait a while.
Sorry that sounds a bit negative and isn't much help. If you're looking for an insurance value though, we may be able to give you some guidance.
I reckon your van is probably the best preserved Microvan we've seen on the forum, so it deserves lots of love and care.
Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 7, 2021 20:21:38 GMT 10
HI Aussieute,
Great to see that the work on the 30 foot Jennison is progressing.
It is a massive beast isn't it? I was really struck by the hatch - it alone is more than 1 1/2 times the length of our van which was considered to be a large van in its time!
Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 6, 2021 22:23:16 GMT 10
Hi Rawpedo, Welcome to the forum and thanks for telling us about your Adelma. There's really no 'old threads' in the Down History Lane section. They are all current in the sense that they are intended to record information about the various brands and manufacturers, and we add information to them as it comes in. We would be really interested to hear more about the "last Adelma" and see some photos, as well as hear to hear about Sal Coppola. Regarding photos, there is information on how to do that on this forum if you click on this link. In the meantime enjoy your trip to Port Lincoln. That's a great area to visit. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 6, 2021 22:14:39 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 1, 2021 17:35:26 GMT 10
Hi Gypsy 10,
OK let’s try and narrow it down a bit...
Based on the vegetation in the photo, I’m thinking Queensland. And I would think the anchor indicates a seaside location?
Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 25, 2020 22:13:10 GMT 10
Merry Christmas everyone. It's been a strange year, but Christmas is still a special time of year which brings with it a sense of joy and hope. Dona Ricardo and I trust that forum members have had a lovely Christmas day, and that it has been a meaningful time for you whether you have been with family and friends or have just had a quieter day. Our prayer is that 2021 will be safe and less stressful year for us all. With very best wishes from both of us, and thanks to everyone who has contributed to the forum this year. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 22, 2020 12:10:55 GMT 10
Photos of a Norich 'Custom Cruiser' caravan posted on the Vintage Caravan Renovations and Sales, Australia Facebook page in November 2020:
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 22, 2020 11:59:18 GMT 10
Hi Surf Tragic, I'm so pleased to see that you've started work on No 343 again. Each little step is a step closer to the finished project, but from your comments, some of the steps are quite complicated and complex to achieve. It's excellent that you've got the know how, creativity and skills to be able to achieve the result required. I was really interested to see the technique you've used to straighten up the cross beams in the roof - a bit along the lines of the procedure we used to strengthen the floor in our 140, but your solution is much more elegant! I was also really interested to see the size of the original beams in the roof of the van. They really are quite substantial and more heavy duty than I had anticipated, although thinking about it...I've climbed all over the roof of our van when painting the roof and there's never been any sign of movement. Just as well, or else I might have been up for a task like the one you're tackling at the moment. (PS I don't climb over the roof now - I work from each side or through the hatch! Just thought I should clarify... ) I will look forward to further instalments of the story. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 22, 2020 11:46:14 GMT 10
G'day Karavaninkallista, You're making great progress on the rebuilding of the van. It is looking fantastic and coming together nicely. I had to have a chuckle about priming some of the ply in the van. Sometimes you just need to do something like that to give you a sense of progress, and a target to aim at. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 22, 2020 10:57:53 GMT 10
Hi all, It's great to see the ingenuity that people have used to build Gypsy-style caravans. Some people are so creative! However, to avoid altering the focus of Roehm3108's Cino Vardo thread - which is his Cino Vardo project - we have moved some of the recent posts about modern Gypsy-style caravans to this new thread in the 'Whatever' section. This is not at all meant to discourage people from posting about Gypsy-style vans. I think many of us vintage vanners are fascinated by some modern 'old style' builds and interpretations. The intent is to provide a dedicated space on the forum for posts about such caravans. So please post away!Don Ricardo for the admin team
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 21, 2020 13:27:26 GMT 10
Restored Atlantic caravan listed on Ebuy, December 2020I have posted these photos because they show the rear windows of the van, as well as some photos of the internal layout of the van showing what look to be quite original fittings: Note the double rear windows: The characteristic Atlantic drawbar: Inside, from the front - note that in some vans the front bed can also be set up as a two-seat dinette as seen in some other Atlantic photos higher up this thread: Note the round sink and water tank:
The rear dinette converts into a double bed: Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 21, 2020 13:17:54 GMT 10
Hi Robbiem, Welcome to the forum. Some photos of your Crusader would probably help people assess what the van is like. There are instructions on how to post photos here. The simplest way is to use the 'Add Attachment' button, but note that because you are posting from your mobile (nothing wrong with that ) you'll need to take the additional step that's referred to so that the 'Add Attachment' button will appear in the 'Create Post' window. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 20, 2020 22:20:34 GMT 10
Hi all, A recent discussion about the identity of a caravan advertised as a 1952 'Tenison', but almost certainly a modified relatively early Atlantic, led to the realisation that none of the photos of early Atlantics on this thread - such as Belinda's and MrFJ55's - show the rear of the caravan and therefore put a question mark over what type of rear windows were used on early Atlantics, if any. A search led to the discovery that in 2007 Ridgeydidge posted photos of the rear of his Atlantic restoration project here: The photos show that two non-opening windows were installed in the rear wall. Note also that on Ridgeydidge's Atlantic there are no external wheel arches. This feature has been seen on some other early Atlantics. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 20, 2020 22:07:48 GMT 10
Hi Roehm, Jennison sent me this photo of a Gypsy-style caravan to post for you to look at: He sent it to me a while ago, in the midst of another project we were discussing and I have been so absorbed by the other project that I neglected to post the photo for you. Apologies to you both. I have to say that in my eyes Cino Vardo is more elegant than this one, but it does show that there are a few people around with the idea of building a van of this type. And the lawn mower is a nice touch! None of them use a horse as a tow vehicle though, which would obviate the need for the lawn mower. I think that's the next step in the process, don't you reckon. Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 18, 2020 22:13:39 GMT 10
Some more photos of Toniajanice's Vogue, serial number VC363 listed on Facebook Marketplace in December 2020:Note the Vogue logo/sticker in the third photo. Interesting to see that every Vogue we've seen on the forum seems to have a different logo/sticker. Don Ricardo ADDENDUM - August 2021: Some additional photos of Toniajnaice’s Vogue caravan from her post on the Viscount Caravan Owners - Australia Facebook page in October 2020: Serial number VC363: And a ‘Viscount’ name plate to the left of the door:
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 17, 2020 10:29:29 GMT 10
Hi Roehm and SGTL, As I should have done earlier on, I took my search regarding the "Tenison" a little further and checked out Ridgeydidge's Atlantic from 2007 here. Here's his van - before restoration I hasten to add! And the all important rear view: Aha! Two rear windows! I think we can now say that both the "Tenison" and the "Atlantic" we have been using for comparison on this thread are definitely Atlantics, as is the one currently on Ebuy. Case closed?? Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 16, 2020 15:37:49 GMT 10
Hi Roehm,
How about Wychwood Garden at Mole Creek?
Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 16, 2020 12:42:00 GMT 10
Hi R3108,
Yes, it's absolutely possible - indeed likely - that Tennyson had been building caravans before the first adverts in the press started appearing in 1957.
My observation is that quite a few caravan manufacturers started building vans quietly for a while, selling them locally to contacts or maybe through a dealer, before they get their confidence and stock numbers up and start placing adverts in the papers. Franklin is actually an example of that - Geoff Robertson's first few caravans were sold through Hawthorn Caravans in Melbourne. So Tennyson may well have started a year or two, or perhaps more, before 1957. However, I'm guessing that the owner who made up the 'Tenison' ID plate didn't have any documentary evidence that the van was built by Tennyson, or else they would have got the spelling right?
Don Ricardo
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