Rambler

[jenniewren]

Anyone heard of...have got...info on...

RAMBLER Deluxe - lowline - Preston.... about 9/10ft length x 6'6" width....can't find the tape measure! This is my stepping out.
All diamond alum...big frowning brow looking at me with two dents!!
Grrrr...not sure how to tackle these.

I just acquired it......will tell you the story of acquisition /history when I post pic's later tonight...tomorrow! ;D ;D

DHL has Rambler-Nash but it's not the same!

Chassis # N516
Is registered with this Chassis # (thank goodness)

It's in quite good condition......well except for those, in your face, dents in his brow line & one cracked front window!

Small, retro, boxy looking, frowning all the time, cutey! J

[Franklin1]

Fair dinkum, jenniewren!...Since when does "Rambler" sound like "Franklin"!!?

Hopefully you only bought this van so you could trade it IN on a Franklin.

Our understanding is that Rambler was a distributor for different brands of vans,a form of "badge engineering" [info copied from a hughdeani post on the Classic forum]. I suspect your chassis number is a Newlands number, and I'm thinking your van must be pretty close to the end of the 1960s before they changed to the acrylic painted cladding, and before they changed the cabin design to remove the front bulkhead (nose).

You can check out this thread and this thread on the Classic forum for vans with chassis numbers not too far after yours.


Go buy a Franklin, jenniewren, and stop all this nonsense... ;D ;D

cheers,
Al.

[jenniewren]

I know, I know Al pal.....

But I just couldn't say NO!

It cost me the money I had in my wallet....what could I do ....he was an ol tough stockman that had a leather whip on his shoulder for goodness sake.

You just don't mess with tough ol blokes like that! ;D

I thought he may have whipped it around my ankles if I walked away from it!!!!

BUT it does have a SHELF, in fact a couple & a tea towel rail, so there!

I had a look in these threads.....similar but not quite.....and you are on the money.

It's not what I really, really want but like I said...I just couldn't say NO especially when he told me to "get in there girlie & have a look!!!!!" ;D

What a sucker I am.....

And it is a long story how I got to this point.....will tell when I post pic's.....

I will send them thru shortly....it's raining! ;)J

[shesgotthelook]

Gotta love an impulse buy! Like the sound of his eyebrows Can you lend me a shelf for my 'just had to have it' purchase? ;D

[jenniewren]

Ummm.....just had a looksee Mr Franklin1.......NO nothing remotely like these but I'd say it is a Newlands going by chassis #.

Mine has the patterned masonite? ceiling, but does have laminate cupboard doors (don't like them much!) has the original sq tiles on floor (really good cond). Except for one tile that has a fruit stain on it.

I'd say mid/late 60's.......very retro looking on outside shape!

Anodised 60's lamp over bed....retro cool looking little clock over dinette....still works in fact!

Is it permissible to paint over laminate doors etc or should I keep it original?? I know it's up to the individual.....but would I be really, really doing the wrong thing? It's already been painted over on one wall section.....looks soooo much better.

Oh dear.....I've really done it this time!!!! J

[jenniewren]

Bah ha ha.....Go on have a chuckle....that brow is a worry though! Far out.....those dents are already annoying the @**@ out of me! Know anyone who has a gentle hand with a hammer?

Guess I can give it a go.....oh dear lordy lordy lordy......J

[Franklin1]

Cut the drawbar off and get it rewelded onto the chassis at the back!. Never have to look those dents in the face again!! ;D ;D

[jenniewren]

You are a funny man Mr F1.......just when it has been growing on me...now NOT so sure....

I have discovered it needs quite a few "little" things....like those window ext things about 4 I think I counted...the ones that hold the windows open with the wing nuts. Needs a couple on the blind front & rear window covering awning thingy's.....did I buy spontaneously......

AND a new water tank..discovered holes in it.....was wondering what the goats/sheep dip container was for with a hose coming out of it.....in the ice box cupboard!!!

Yeah....don't say a word.....I can hear you chuckling from here

I am shaking my head.....I didn't buy spontaneously.....I did not.....it was sooo cheap, practically freee...... I was actually feeling guilty.....now I'm not so sure........urghhhhh

[Franklin1]

Never underestimate the potential of a bargain purchase, jenniewren. Just ask sgtl

Could end up with a handy deposit for a you-know-what...

[Roehm3108]

If you want to paint over those laminated doors, wipe/paint them with ESP from your local paint shop. Then paint over with enamel paint raither than acrylic. It sets really hard after a few weeks.

[jenniewren]

Ok...ESP...is that like Grip lock which is what I was thinking of using. And yes enamel paint...thanks for that. I really think I will be painting over them!! About to post some pic's see what you all think...

No laughing at my impulsive purchase/bargain of the century!!!

[shesgotthelook]

ESP enables you to paint over laminates etc, it's a liquid primer & helps paint adhere to shiny surfaces without having to sand, strip et al. One tin goes a long way

[jenniewren]

Here tis...."THE BROW"

Approx 9ft - 10ft with drawbar x about 6' 6" wide






The original tiles...pretty good nick except for the fruit stain under table but I intend to rescue a good one under bed area & swap them over


The table and single seaters...vynal one side/fabric other...all need replacing....


The falks stove....complete with instructions...



The double wardrobe/2 drawers underneath


The bed at rear...gotta love those retro cushions...& three woollen blankets...horse blankets???


Plate racks that were hidden in overheads...along with a few panadol packs...


Tea towel rail....great cond


Love this clock over dinette....she works & keeps perfect time!


Bit bleary...but the dinette area...table folds down to a single bed...a really little single bed!


Original anodised lamp over bed....ex cond....works


Like the colour of these tiles...ex cond...what stain???




Ummm....anyone need a good drench?? Used as water storage for the sink! Urrrgh... Original ice cupboard.....hopefully it will fit a bar fridge & will be able to keep the door. Like that chrome handle.


This is why the goat/sheep drench container is there...


One cracked window....


Right hand BROW frown.....


Left hand BROW frown....this has a a couple of puncture holes...thinking the whole sheeting needs replacing....


The back end....all lighting works nicely


THE BROW......


The sink area....




Kinda grows on you......

Well that's about it.....
We called into the boy's couz in the country....he told me he had a retro van just waiting for me....yeah right.
He was serious, before I knew it we were strolling towards his neighbours shed!

We met, piercing blue eyes, brown as the earth, wiry little stockman but very quietly spoken!

We opened BROW up and I couldn't get over how clean/neat he was.....couz wanted me to buy it.....only cause he loved the clock and the retro look of it!

So here was the deal couz tells me......(remember he's not my couz)

Not a word, follow my lead, give me your money cause the ol fella will only deal with me! Otherwise he will not sell it!

What? Huh? Why am I here.....?

Cause I told him your going to look at it for me & tinker with it for me!!! Come on......ready??

No....I am just not good at this stuff....couz does it all the time as he is into vintage/retro/muscle cars so he is use to stalking barns and the like......bit like you vv stalkers......

Couz looks at watch impatiently...he has an appointment in a shed down the way....some car he has discovered.

He is suppose to be looking for BONDY'S not retro BROW'S!!!!!!

Ooook...I say....but, but, do I really want this boxy, beaten up, frowning brow?
Too late....owner wanted peanuts, that I felt soooo guilty!
Hummmm.....he knew there were more faults than we saw in those five flashing minutes of the deal.......shrewd man.

But the funniest thing that left us all speechless was when we hooked up, shook hands, he walked with me to car & said very quietly...

"Now girlie, you look after my little van & do it up how you think it should be & have fun holidaying"

He knew all along..... Harrrrrr

I have the history of this little guy....from the stockman who has had it for 23 odd years....it has been to every stockman's event known...
He is the second owner...he rescued it from under pine trees & was covered in black nettles....was used as a fruit storage shed on a property in Bruthen, East Gippsland (a little town in the country near Omeo, Victoria)

Hence the plum/nectarine stain....

Has been registered/still is in fact from the time he purchased it.

The stockman, complete with leather whip (he had it over his shoulder when we did the deal) probably why I didn't like to say NO, got it to sleep in at these events. Thought it would be better than a swag cause "he was getting too old for that caper"....ummm I think he is about 99 not out NOW.....but sharp as.

He called it "Jelly Bean" cause it's small......aha


So there you have it....guess I need to figure out a few things in the way of repair work.....

WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!!

BUT I do have that SHELF.......Mr Franklin1
Hope haven't bored you too much....

Let you know how I go with reno's and what I decide to do with cladding/painting etc.......J

[humpyboy]

jenniewren, I don't think you really want this do you ? you say it cost you peanuts? I have some cashews here, how many do you want for me to take it off your hands? ;D

[DC3Td]

Hi Jenniewren. What a great score. Got it for peanuts eh.So any money you shell out will be worth it. Pretty hard to come by that diamond patterned sheeting but similar is available & probably won`t be a noticeable difference.Impressive condition given its age.Happy renos. gordon

[Roehm3108]

Nice van!! A week's work and it'll be like new ;D ;D ;D

[seeshell]

Hi Jenniewren

Love the story and the van - I see what you mean about calling it "frowning" because of the impressions on the brow.

Rimex Metals are a local metal company that do stamped sheeting (stainless and aluminum), but I don't think the exact pattern you need. There are some that are close though.

www.rimexmetals.com.au/StainlessSteelFinishes/PlainTexturedStainlessSteel.html#

Perhaps you could salvage part of the uncrumpled ally off the middle of the roof, and bring that to the front to "botox" the brows. Then use some similar/like patterned ally in the middle of the roof where it won't be seen?

Or try beating it out gently - Aluminum seems to bruise, and you probably won't be able to completely erase the "frown". But on the other hand, it will look less obvious. Still, it's character, and you don't want to take that away do you?

Any way you go, looks like a cracker of a project!
Seeshell

[jenniewren]

A weeks work eh?
My pace must be a lot slower than yours my friend

You know, I had brekky yesterday outside....
BROW was sitting over yonder with the usual glaring stare, frowning at me but as I sat there pondering...where do I begin with you, I rather enjoyed looking at his retro side angle.

Yes, he was peanuts, small change in my wallet in fact, and I will be "shelling" out a few dollars but you know......BROW is growing on me more each day!

He really is in pretty good condition.....not sure of age as I have never seen one like BROW.....although something in my memory bank says I have seen one either advertised for sale recently or a member here has one!

Anywho.....BROW stays as the boy is quite taken with him! More so than the ex Coronet.....

Hmmmm...where do I begin?

[jenniewren]

Thanks Seeshell.....was going to look into new sheeting.

"Couz's" son is a panel beater actually & he did suggest that......which is what I think we will do. It would be better to keep the original alum on his brow line & use a slightly different pattern on roof.

And yes, I think he will spruce up quite smartly........
Have no idea why we think it's a male.....I think the ol fella referred to it as "he's in there..."

Homework time.................J

[seeshell]

Hi Jennie

Thinking more on it - if you take off the "angry" panels, beat those flat and use them on the roof and transfer the good stuff to the brows perhaps you won't need to use any new material at all.

Cheers
Seeshell

[jenniewren]

Two good minds Seeshell....was thinking the same.....although R/H side has punctured thru in a few places but thought perhaps we could do a patch job because really who is going to climb up and have a look!? Besides only being 5' myself...what I don't seeee.......
Hmmm...can I use an angle grinder?? Guess there is always a first!

Pulling up those two/three tiles are going to be fun.....I remember the Coronet tiles were stuck down with elephant glue.....and I don't want them damaged....gentle hand with a wide spatula me thinks. Need a few bits for the falks stove I discovered.....

Coffee and reflective time out....................

[seeshell]

Hi Jennie

Try warming the area before lifting the glue, it softens it and reduces the chance of breaking the tiles.

I've heard of people using hair dryers or heat guns, but that can be difficult to get the right temperature for softening glue without scorching the tiles. I got a recommendation from an old man when renovating my Bendigo house which worked a treat. Lay down a hot water bottle that covers the whole area (boiling water/no furry cover on it) and let it sit on the tile for quite a while to drive in the heat (20 minutes or more) - yes, it's a one tile at a time process. The tile should feel quite hot to the touch before you get underway. Then you need to work quickly before it cools down.

I sharpened and heated the scraper, and started along the edge rather than the corner. Corners are notoriously delicate! When I was done, they didn't look great underneath but they were reusable.

They level up again with glue when you relay them - it's often risky to sand them on the back side since the filler can be Asbestos. Also, make sure when you heat the area and scrape it's well ventilated and you wear a mask.

Perhaps before you attack the one under the table you can practice your technique under the bed/in the closet to see if it works for you.

Happy tiling,
Seeshell

[jenniewren]

Excellent.....thanks for the tip......the ex Coronet was simple....just attacked it with a chisel and went crazy...they were stubborn as and chipped off everywhere took me several weeks.... this is a whole different story.......hot water bottle it is.....if it still won't budge I will leave it.....as once again it tells a story! It's worth a try however..............are you sure your not a tradie in real life? J

Oh & I'm going to give tapping the L/H side alum dent a go & see what happens I decided....I can just get my arm in the cupboard door...............

[hilldweller]

Nice van Love the ceiling and the floor tiles. And the shelf - very cool Good luck with it.

[jenniewren]

Thank you Mr hilldweller.....it's a pretty cool retro looking vv. I also love the tiles, ceiling...and that elusive shelf! BUT the clock is what got me.....it's in really great cond.