aeroliteej
New Member
2 many toys?? BUT I,M NOT DEAD YET !!!!!
Posts: 33
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Post by aeroliteej on Apr 23, 2013 0:00:52 GMT 10
The red stripe is not original, alongside some of the windows are tiny strips of a teal green color,it will be going back to this. The van has 5 broken windows,at $90 (odd) each, it will hurt,but..... Missing a bit of exterior stuff. Chrome taillight surrounds,towel rails,LH rear clearance light housing,original outside light,etc,etc. Ive been told that l will need some horsepower to pull the Roadmaster. Am thinking that l might have overdone it! Am l concerned with fuel efficiency and emissions? Na, l rekn that 6's might be achievable. Sadly, thats not Litres per 100. And yes, there was no money left to spend on the bodywork. Lucky find was the rear window cover(l guess thats what it is,the press studs lined up), and the annex, which isnt bad, but needs a couple of repairs. Missing a bit of interior stuff. Fridge,stove,couple of cupboard door vents. Tiles could be original. Am going to clean them up and re-glue them back down properly, as they are lifting here and there. In pretty good condition l rekn. A fair bit of rot (which you cant see) in the board that runs horizontally from 1 side to the other at the front above the table. Similar at the rear of the van. Love the interior features of this van. Must have been a top-of-the-line at the time. Just love this van and would like to hear from anyone with info(from what l have gleaned off this website,it could be a 63), comments,etc,etc. Have you got one the same??? Cheers-Pete.
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Post by isambard on Apr 23, 2013 8:44:30 GMT 10
Hey Pete, that is a BEAUTIFUL van! what a find ... I'm very jealous - especially of that spectacular floor now I'm far from being an expert, but you could be right about the age. I have a '62, and while it's flat ally on the outside, it's almost identical inside. the only difference being we have the 'overhang' style wardrobe (the person in that bed gets to stick their feet under) which is a space saver in terms of length. ours also has the little nautical style shelf across the front end above the window, ditto at the rear end - whereas yours has cupboards. otherwise they're two peas in a pod. and you're right also that they are seriously good looking vans on the inside. the details are superb, and so very 'boaty' it's hard to know if you're on sea or land when you wake early as regards towing, we pull ours with an LPG Falcon wagon, and the car doesn't get anywhere near struggling. we've taken it up and down the east coast of Australia, over the great dividing range several times, in 40 degree heat, in pouring rain, etc. you might also be interested to know that we can get the van from Melbourne to Sydney for about $100 in fuel. you really can't go past LPG for cost effectiveness cheers Izzy
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2013 9:29:24 GMT 10
hi peter
that's a pretty good starting point for you.
it looks to be if fairly good condition so shouldn't take tooooooo much effort to tidy up.
lazza should be able to give you a precise year model for it.
conti
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Post by shesgotthelook on Apr 23, 2013 12:05:26 GMT 10
They are a beautifully shaped van & so stylish. I like that bunk version too Izzy. Such a shame that the only years caravan makers seriously considered the 'family' was 70's & 80's. & more recently with the triple bunkers & island beds. I find dropped down table beds very uncomfortable & you have to climb over the other half to get out!
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Post by isambard on Apr 23, 2013 13:41:47 GMT 10
They are a beautifully shaped van & so stylish. I like that bunk version too Izzy. Such a shame that the only years caravan makers seriously considered the 'family' was 70's & 80's. & more recently with the triple bunkers & island beds. I find dropped down table beds very uncomfortable & you have to climb over the other half to get out! exactly! as I often say, families were invented in 1960, and fell out of use around 1985. as much as I find those wee vans nice to look at, they're insanely impractical. even with our 15' RM we do get tired of having the dinette out of service for the duration. would be fabulous to have all four beds AND dinette available day and night. and just the extra floor space alone makes a difference in cold ir rainy weather. less claustrophobic for fidgety youngens - and oldens! back on RMs, I'd love to know what happened to the 19' in that trading post ad. there was another one on ebay last year, which sold for about $1500 if memory serves. I was THIS close to buying it but in the end couldnt get anyone to ship it as it was in a remote and somewhat difficult spot in Victoria. that's another I'd be interested to hear about. there are just so few of 'em
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Post by boblor on Apr 23, 2013 16:14:20 GMT 10
Hi Pete A good find. Me thinks about a 1966-7 model as the cupboard handles are the same as used in the fabuglass Olympics of that period. Cheers boblor
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Post by Jennison on Apr 24, 2013 14:43:12 GMT 10
Hey SGL and Isambard, while I agree that drop down table beds are not the most comfortable to share or get in and out of (especially if you have the window aisle!) I don't necessarily agree that pre 70's van designers did not have the family in mind. That's a bit like saying that that Holden "missed the market" when they were selling FJs and should have been selling Commodore V8s ;D 1950/60s' manufactures were building vans to the best of their ability, stds, style, design/ideas and budget of their time. You must also remember that people for the most part did not have motor cars with the size , power or tow capacity of today which in turn limited the size of the van they could tow. Prior to the 70s, Roadmasters, Jennison and some others were very much the the exception in that they built a range of larger van models but that was pointedly aimed at people who owned larger cars...customlines , chevs and the like and that would have been a small part of the overall market. The average family in the 60s' were driving much smaller vehicles with much a smaller tow capacity and accordingly towed much smaller vans....and loved every minute of it! Also disposable income was much less as well. A family of 9 used to holiday in my 14 ft pathfinder Each single bed held 2 kids sleeping toe to toe, mum and dad on the drop down table bed and the 3 eldest kids in the annex ;D and they loved their van and their holiday memories. Triple bunks, island beds etc may be par for the course these days but they are all part of the evolution of the industry and as soon as any manufacturer introduces ideas or change that other builders see merit in they will introduce them too. But remember, they come in a van that is on average twice the weight and size ;D regards jenno ;D
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Post by isambard on Apr 24, 2013 16:44:45 GMT 10
actually, Jenno, you make very good points! my own parents honeymooned in a tiny Don in 1958, and that van was modified to sleep 4 of us a few years later. further on in memory lane, we had a Holden in the 60's, so my idea of small was probably determined by our towing capacity. still, there is nothing like a 17' Pathfinder or a nice big Roadie
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Post by shesgotthelook on Apr 24, 2013 17:04:31 GMT 10
It's a pain having to make the bed up every day & guess who has to do it? I wouldn't like to sleep on my kitchen table at home either The best designed van I've owned was modified by a builder. Front kitchen, rear island dbl bed, table & seating one side & on the opposite couch he had built a bunk. It wasn't an overly large van, it was just a great design but I've never seen it copied. If I was custom building a new one, this is what I would ask for. Later design of vans was market driven. You try to buy a bunk van from the late 80's or 90's & they are very hard to find. Families didn't seem to go caravaning at this time & it was all aimed at grey nomads. Makes it very difficult if you have a small budget & have to go for a 70's bunk van because you know how much the modern monsters are I will have 2 vans at Bendigo & 2 kids still have to top & tail which they are very unhappy about! Bit cold to stick them out in a tent. Jennison, I wasn't being critical of the van makers of yesteryear. They were superior craftsmen. I just like a comfy bed
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aeroliteej
New Member
2 many toys?? BUT I,M NOT DEAD YET !!!!!
Posts: 33
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Post by aeroliteej on Apr 24, 2013 21:47:47 GMT 10
Thanks for the replies guys. Hey Isambard, the 62 looks great(owned by the Hills),further up this thread. Real nice. Bet its immaculate inside as well. I got real lucky with my RM purchase. I was chasing up a lead on an old timber exterior van from a mate. I went to enquire about the timber van(which turned out to be a "homemade", maybe late 40s. 9ft 8 long,6ft 1 wide). The lady told me that someone else was looking at this van. Anyway l noticed another van under a half tarp. This turned out to be the RM. To keep a long story short, l ended up with the RM, AND the "homemade". It turned out that the prospective buyer hadnt come back. I consider that a win. And, all this was only 3 ks from our place. Couldnt see these 2 vans from the road, because they were 1k up a dead-end dirt road.
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Post by isambard on Apr 24, 2013 22:09:44 GMT 10
wow - you are one lucky chappy!
will be great to see how both projects unfold.
my RM is in pretty good order, and very original like yours. a fellow forum member did the hard work, and we're finishing the last little bits that need doing. incidentally this is our third vintage van and turns more heads than previous two. my theory is it's the shape. like an old Citroen!
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aeroliteej
New Member
2 many toys?? BUT I,M NOT DEAD YET !!!!!
Posts: 33
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Post by aeroliteej on Apr 24, 2013 22:50:48 GMT 10
Isambard, l get the idea that you are now trying to provoke controversial conversations. Fancy putting Roadmaster caravans in the same sentence as Citroen cars. (only jokin mate,each to their own). I guess that the adjustable height rear suspension could be an advantage.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 25, 2013 12:47:14 GMT 10
Hi Aeroliteej,
That's a very nice van you have there, with some lovely features.
There's lots of people out there in V V land who would give their right arm for a Roadmaster in good condition, so you've done very well for yourself!
Regarding the age of the van, I think Boblor is quite possibly pretty close to the mark. Looking at the Roadmaster thread, your van has the same front and rear window treatment as the 1963 Roadmaster, but the same cladding (but different window treatment) as the 1968 Roadmaster. So somewhere in between 1963 and 1968!!
As Conti said, Lazza (who now owns Roadmaster) will be able to give you a specific answer when he comes across the pics of your van.
Don Ricardo
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lazza
Junior Member
Posts: 66
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Post by lazza on Apr 26, 2013 21:07:00 GMT 10
Hi Aeroliteej, As Don Ricardo said that is a nice looking van you have there. What you have is a 1964-1965 model Roadmaster. The wrap around windows were replaced with square corners in 1966. The cupboards across the front and rear were introduced in 1964 when the roof line was raised slightly and the stucco aluminium gained the RS1 profile in 1964.
Hope this has helped a little
Regards Larry W
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Post by Daryl34ply on Apr 27, 2013 11:09:12 GMT 10
Hi,all this is the start of our greythorne resto ,also my first attempt to load pics so here goes,i have been told it is 1962/63 owner was not sure he had owned it 20 years cheers Daryl
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aeroliteej
New Member
2 many toys?? BUT I,M NOT DEAD YET !!!!!
Posts: 33
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Post by aeroliteej on Apr 28, 2013 23:34:54 GMT 10
Thanks heaps lazza for the extra info on our van. Any extra information gained is greatly received. Howdy Daryl, looks like a great start to another v.v. I see you live at Cobram,not too far from where we are at Tawonga. You are also not that far from Broken Hill(where next years v.v. nationals are being held)......hint,hint.
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Post by Daryl34ply on Apr 29, 2013 18:20:04 GMT 10
Hi Peter, had a big weekend found heaps off rot (rust) whatever it's bad so off with front and rear might as well fix it right . Off to old cranks beecworth hotrod run this weekend .sounds like broken hill may be a goer cheers daryl
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Post by shazron on Sept 11, 2016 13:41:45 GMT 10
Hi I have one similar that im trying to identify before we start to renovate. it looks the same on the inside but has a single wardrobe and has Adelma posted on the van with Coppola stickers
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