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Post by smiles on May 21, 2008 20:18:40 GMT 10
Hi all Thanks for comments. Yes Col is right, thank goodness for hotroders and tele, and Kris & Col of course, who helped us get this van. We love the van and plan to keep it as original as possible. In fact the photos with the Nov dates show uncleaned cupboards, so we probably think we will keep the inside paint as is, without repainting. It's come up pretty good with cleaning, and I got all the carpet gum off the floor with the orange oil...it worked a treat Col. Life's little dings in the floor and cupboards make it feel pretty lived in, like the previous owners just moved out. We've re-done window seals and have new door seals and ice box seals to do. I've removed the little brass plate for exterior painting, unfortunately no serial number. An owner left his name/address (near Melb airport) under the Vanguard hubcaps. Google earthed him in, but looks like he's in the earth. 16" V/guard rims, no brakes, stepped axle...I'm working up to the brakes. Will weigh it first. Yes the wheels do fit the wheel arches very nicely, shame to change it. BUT we plan to put a lightning stripe down the side with the original name of van in sign-written decals, once it's all painted on the exterior. Re cupboards, yes, lots of them. The long shelf over the day/night van is meant for the hunter/gatherers...put yer fishin rod and gun up there just where the kiddies can reach them. Lucky we were all whipped into shape back then, hey? I've described the electrical system in the 240/12v thread. It's a real beauty. managed to get some old fuses, and away it went after ? years. Still playing with towhitch (has a 2.25" ball), jockey wheel, cushions, curtains. Replaced the door flyscreen with some nice old brass wire hiding in the shed. And just discovered a bit more rot in the hatch......
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Post by smiles on May 19, 2008 22:13:34 GMT 10
Cobber, here's a new thread, You asked for some snaps so here they are of the Overland “styleliner’ towed home from Melbourne by the authentic 1956 tow vehicle! No just kidding! But that fergie might have got some road rage going! Pretty useful for the last 200 metres into the shed Even the dog said, what the f…………have you brought home this time! But we reckon those cupboards would wipe the smiles off those Don owners faces we might not have a bath and a crappy little blue basin but we’ve got a cutlery drawer(with 2 sections) and a chopping board! MG] First things first…up with the old carpet, and yes its got lovely lino tiles! sadly, life ain’t perfect, and yes the Styleliner has got the rots, never mind, we’ll fix you up! Of course, several months later, work is going ever so slowly, but we’re getting closer to getting her on the road. replaced the ends of the bearers, front and back, some new studs,and some new double ply Well, at least the cups are ready!
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Post by smiles on May 17, 2008 0:04:54 GMT 10
And the other great thing about transformers is that they only cost about $10, unlike inverters which are expensive and don't change 240v into 12v. Inverters work the opposite way, changing 12 or 24v dc into 240v ac. Inverters are good if you want to run all your gadgets when you're away from the mains power in the bush, but transformers are good if you just want to run the lights & don't want 2 sets of lights. It was a far simpler world in the 1950's. Rob
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Post by smiles on May 16, 2008 23:53:31 GMT 10
The main switch in our van is original bakelite 1950's double pole with a fuse on each of the active and neutral wires. The interesting thing about our electrical system is that all the lighting is only 12 volt. When the van is supplied with 240v power from the mains, a transformer changes the power from 240v into 12v alternating current. Transformers can only be used with ac.
The van has a battery box for when there is no 240v & the lights run just as well on 240v as on 12v ac. Each of the lights have their own 12v fuses. Inside the van there are 3 x 240v powerpoints, & the transformer is plugged into one of those. BUT, underneath the van, there are 2 other 240v plugs hooked up to the 12v battery system. I think because they didn't have 12v plugs in those days, someone dodged it up with 240v plugs with one being used to charge up the battery when the car was driving along, & the other plug was to run the outside annex light. I will replace them with 2-pin low voltage plugs which are easy to come by and cheap. Basically the 2 batteries (the car's & the van's) are hooked up in parallel, with appropriate fuses, so both are charged as the car is driving.
Of course not much good if you want to sit somewhere for a week, but then a little solar panel, hooked up to that outside plug would probably do the job. Rob
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Post by smiles on May 14, 2008 23:09:41 GMT 10
I've moved the photos I put on here into it's own thread
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Post by smiles on May 14, 2008 21:01:33 GMT 10
Well I think you could be right, but the hubbs here reckons that's where yer put the 'taters, in the galv zinc shelf. Dunno! Anyone here old enough to remember?
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Post by smiles on May 13, 2008 21:34:32 GMT 10
This is my 1st go at Photobucket, so can see I needed to reduce size of photos! I meant to say that the side bracket that fits into the 3 brass holders is another splashback, then the shelf fits into the 3 brackets on the back. Clear as mud?
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Post by smiles on May 13, 2008 21:29:16 GMT 10
We knew our stove was meant to have a shelf above the stove but looks like it had a different lot of knackery than the Don. We think it had a side bracket that fitted into the little brass holders and held up the shelf. I’ve just run out to the van, & there’s no holder up in the stove flue. We think this the veges up the top shelf, & bread in the bottom shelf, as this cupboard is next to the ice chest.
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Post by smiles on May 11, 2008 17:56:42 GMT 10
An old trick to estimate how much shrinkage there'll be with any fabric ,with either calico or canvas, is to cut an exact 6" square of fabric then soak it in lukewarm water before drying flat. Canvas & even calico can have a lot of sizing in it that keeps it nice & flat for putting on the roof, so I would actually think that either a lightweight canvas or a heavy weight calico would be best such as a 10oz canvas or lighter, especially if it wasn't going to shrink too much. I got 20 yds of old fashioned woven ticking to make cushion covers for the van, and washed my 6" sq before cutting the 20 yds into pieces the washing machine could handle. Our Overlander has canvas on the roof, but it is pretty light weight stuff, more like heavy calico.
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Post by smiles on Feb 6, 2008 21:58:47 GMT 10
Hi again Kris
What about the "Amigos"?
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Post by smiles on Feb 5, 2008 21:30:28 GMT 10
Hi Kris How about the Spanish word for castle being Castillo? Or better yet "Carlotta" just to get those guys lounging about under palm trees, up on their feet and doing something! Cathie
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Post by smiles on Feb 20, 2008 21:26:38 GMT 10
Hi Will I've been away in Melbourne & just got back. Is the silo paint glossy, matte or semi-gloss? What colours do you have? Does it dry hard? What happens when you come to re-paint the roof in 10-15 years, is it easy to sand back & key in the next coat? Wouldn't you only need an etch binder for a metal roof? Would the silo paint go on over the canvas roof after a nice careful sanding, as suggested by Reddo? Maybe you can send me a PM with your location so we can work out what freight might be like.
Thanks Cathie
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Post by smiles on Feb 8, 2008 15:30:48 GMT 10
Thanks Will n Reddo The canvas is glued/bonded onto the plywood roof, & the van is also lined with plywood. So we're not sure yet if we need the Silo treatment. We were hoping to do all the same paint over the whole lot externally. I checked out that EWPAA website and they seem to recommend all acrylic (primer & topcoats) for the flexibility of plywood. BUT Reddo, there's no substitute for experience!
I'll try & get this photobucket thing together n send a photo. Thanks
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Post by smiles on Feb 6, 2008 22:21:39 GMT 10
Hi all
I'm sure there's info somewhere, but can anyone tell us what's the best paint, oil-based undercoat or acrylic undercoat for the canvas overcoat on the van's plywood roof. It's already been painted about 20 years ago with acrylic paint, and we thought we would carefully sand off the canvas area to key the paint in. The canvas looks delicate and the existing paint is powdering rather than cracking like it is on the plywood sides of the van.
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Post by smiles on Nov 14, 2007 12:26:25 GMT 10
What about Broome's Head? Great spot right on the beach, trees, small village with pubs and last time we enquired dogs were allowed in the park.
It's going to be the first place we go when the van is fixed up and registered (our van leaves Melb tonight on its way north.
Could you make the date late in Feb so we can make it to your get together too?
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