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Post by akeepsake on Mar 28, 2015 7:30:10 GMT 10
Well folks the launch date has been set back a bit from the original planned weekend a couple of weeks ago due to a very exciting interruption which could not be ignored by myself or anyone else in their right mind for that matter! I got a call from an old work college out of the blue who said he needed help in sorting out and valuing the contents of his inlaws estate . A fair while back we had had a brief conversation and he told me he may have had a wooden canopy for an FJ Holden ute but couldn't be sure as it was inaccessible due to the tonnage of other bits and pieces crammed into the shed around it! Being the picker/collector that I am my heart rate hit 140 bpm and I broke out in a cold sweat! I imagined myself climbing over copius amounts of junk, torch in hand sifting through cobwebs, rats nests and possum poop ( as any male that draws breath would!) to extract the crusty gold that lay buried undisturbed by man for decades! Mike Wolf and Frank Fritz ,eat your heart out! That was about two years ago and to be honest I had given up hope until that call the day before I was to launch the Jenno so I am sure you all understand and forgive me for the postponement  Anyway, to cut what could be a very long story to a mediumely longish story in helping out with valuations etc I was offered first dibs on anything that wasn't wanted by the daughter of the estate which was very kind of them! On arrival at the old farm I was told that the house had been built around 1910 and when the original owners moved out they left everything in the sheds. The last owner was a bit of a hoarder and put his prize pickings straight on top of the original contents . This has caused, if left undisturbed, the common sedimentary layers of gold ( junk to the uneducated) which compares in importance to Tutankhamen's tomb to any picker with a pulse! Notice I said "sheds" not shed in the last paragraph? That's because their wasn't one, but 7 sheds ! Yep that's right 7 and as it stands I have haven't even got to shed number 5 so hopefully by now you have totally forgiven me for putting the Jenno launch in second place for a little bit  Ok ok what did I find you ask, well the list is too long ! It turns out the owner was in the electrical industry and I scored a heap of old Bakelite electrical fittings which will be super for future caravan resto projects, boxes of bakelite powerpoints still in their plastic! Double pole bakelite switches Anyway pics are easier: 3x rare 1 circa1927 shell drums  Lots of enamel signs  Holden brochures  Early Tassie streetlights  30-40s wooden stop sign ( I think it that age anyone know?)  Early brass sign ( maybe out of a train station  Anyone got any clues??  Canisters for the van ( match the colour of the Jenno cupboards)   Mint 50s Barsony lamp!  A very rare STC 1950 "Bantom" bakelite radio in mint cond ( under the dust) and it works ! Straight to the Jenno!  I will unload some stuff later to help,pay for all the stuff I want to keep so stay tuned! Btw the FJ canopy turned out to be a early milk wagon cover !!!! Sorry to all the FJ owners!, More on the Jenno soon! |
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 28, 2015 20:57:50 GMT 10
Forgot to add this pic in my last post. I couldn't believe my eyes when the first shed I walked into had an old caravan park power outlet post! It'll be a great edition when I display the van once I give it a bit of a spruce up!   |
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Post by cobber on Mar 29, 2015 7:31:20 GMT 10
G'day Andrew, Some good stuff there although I thinks we haven't seen all of it yet  I really like the 'Site 1 & 2' power outlet  ... that is the way it was, and not all that long ago in some parks (or am I showing my age  ).......you won't be tempted to install an RCD in the back of it will you ?  Cobber. |
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Post by murray on Mar 29, 2015 8:48:22 GMT 10
Cobber, It will probably be sitting in the driveway when anybody visits with some sort of credit card paywave....like at the airport drink machine Cheers Murray |
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Post by akeepsake on Apr 25, 2015 9:48:21 GMT 10
G'day Andrew, I don't quite understand how you can hold down a job, do such a thorough job on this van AND post such a great photographic record of what you are doing.... well done Cobber. Cobber I think you put the mockers on me with this statement and can't believe I've been so flat out that if neglected to post on my resto and have actually slipped down to page 2 .....PAGE 2!!!  Lots to report and so little time so here is a start to about a dozen posts to come! I finished the wiring of the tail lights and I'm glad im a sparky not an auto lekky! The original setup was positive earth so being a young buck I was unaware until Keith Winsor put me in the picture ( well not him in person ) but reading through my plans for caravans , touring guides etc put me in the picture and it was as easy as swapping the terminal connections behind this panel and hey presto, negative earth! The way is should be!!!! Well now that is  Another thing I discovered was the clearance / tail lights were not wired through the main wiring to the car connection plug but we're switched on separately by means of a switch just inside the door mounted near the floor on the rh side and were powered by the internal battery, which when in tow could be charged via the tow cars battery through a 3 pin socket mounted on the drawbar. Keith W also confirmed that as well! ( a handy bloke to know!) This way the clearance/tail lights could be illuminated when not hooked up to the vehicle which would be handy if you had to leave the van on the side of the road etc I stole the original ringrip switch and used it for the exterior light control and swapped for a two way modern switch ( will slap an old one in when I can find one) so now with this switch I can toggle it one way which gives clearance/tail lights supply from the park lights connection to the tow car and the other way to turn them on when the exterior 12v light is switched on Thi also allows just the exterior light to come on when this switch is toggled in " external mode" Pretty happy with that!  Hope that all makes sense!!!! More soon! |
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Post by aussieute on Apr 29, 2015 16:38:09 GMT 10
Hi Andrew my jennison is almost the same only it has a switch in the fuse box to change from 240 volts to 12 volts and turn on the little brown switch for the park lights and a battery under the right bed that caused part of my floor rot problem  chris |
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Apr 29, 2015 17:33:46 GMT 10
wow, that looks a little scary - a 240v knife switch without an insulated handle.  i hope the 240v isn't connected when the switch is made. geoff 'n jude |
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Post by cobber on Apr 29, 2015 17:52:51 GMT 10
wow, that looks a little scary - a 240v knife switch without an insulated handle. i hope the 240v isn't connected when the switch is made. geoff 'n jude ..... Gee it sure looks ORIGINAL ! doesn't it ? I'd leave it there aussieute even if it's not connected to anything anymore  Now Andrew you may already know this but.... if you click on THIS LINK it'll take you to the 1953 rules in NSW ( could be the same in other states ? ) and if you look at paragraph 39 it details the rules regarding the display of rear lights on a caravan parked on a public road after sunset, that's what the old Bakelite switch and the onboard battery are all about I don't know for certain sure when the regulation became obsolete, and even though reflectors are mention as a voluntary option in paragraph 38, it wouldn't have been until they became compulsory that the rear light regulation would have bit the dust. Cobber. |
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Apr 29, 2015 18:17:57 GMT 10
in paragraph 39 it details the rules regarding the display of rear lights on a caravan parked on a public road after sunset, that's what the old Bakelite switch and the onboard battery are all about Cobber. our aerolite has a switch under the bed to turn on all the tail and clearance lights for that purpose - i used it once while we were camped to show it off and everyone reckoned i was a goose. dad had a 1936 plymouth that had a seperate switch to turn on the tail light. i remember as a kid he would stop at dusk and one of us would have to jump out and turn on the tail light. geoff 'n jude ps - having had a closer look, it seems the cross handle of the knife switch is made of insulating material, but the screw heads are still exposed (and fumbling under the bed could cause a problem). |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 30, 2015 11:56:05 GMT 10
our aerolite has a switch under the bed to turn on all the tail and clearance lights for that purpose - i used it once while we were camped to show it off and everyone reckoned i was a goose. dad had a 1936 plymouth that had a seperate switch to turn on the tail light. i remember as a kid he would stop at dusk and one of us would have to jump out and turn on the tail light. Hi Aussieute, Cobber and Geoff n Jude, Our Don has the same set up with the bakelite switch - in an overhead cupboard in our case. We still need to use it because if we don't, the tail lights and side light are lit when we are on-site and have power connected to the van, ie the tail lights and side light are connected into the circuit for the internal lights. The reason for that is that we can also use the internal lights when the van is connected to the tow vehicle. One of the consequences is that at dusk we have to jump out of the car to switch on the van tail lights, as in days of old.  One of my memories as a kid was stopping the car at dusk while someone got out of the car to turn on the switch for the car tail lights, as Geoff n Jude commented. All the cars were the same in that era (1940's and before) as far as I remember. In fact I think there was a rule that there had to be an external tail light switch on the back mudguard of the car??? Someone might be able to confirm that? Ah, they were the good old days. None of this lazy "turn a switch on the dashboard" stuff! Don Ricardo |
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Post by kingswood308 on Apr 30, 2015 15:16:17 GMT 10
Victorian FX Holden had a switch (Pull-down ) In the tail lamp to turn the tail lamp on and off.
Other states may have had the same switch, I was informed Victorian ones required the switch.
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Post by akeepsake on Sept 13, 2015 16:20:01 GMT 10
Well folks it's been awhile since I added a post re the Jenno resto .Life has gotten in the road and renos to the old shed turning it into a teenage retreat ( or maybe a Dad retreat! ) took over Winter in Tassie was without exception the coldest I can remember and believe me I can remember a few! It snowed and settled at our place on the coast which was a first! The Jenno hasn't seen the light of day since Easter but the good news is it made its first official outing since 1970!!! Anyway taking a step back before registering I needed to get an electrical compliance certificate. After sorting all the 12v stuff I had to get the 240v shipshape . Originally Jenno came with 240v installed from the factory which consisted of a thee pin plug mounted into a wooden block under the van A very rudimentary set up and only a small step up from the hanging lead that the early Dons have.  There was no earth originally as the 240v fed only a light mounted above the kitchen The earth in the pic above was added as a later addition and was soldered to retro fitted gas line that went inside the van and then a copper earth strap was used to earth the later fitted power point seen below. The original light switch was removed at some time and this old wooden mounting block was replaced over the top and outlet had no switch as the switch mounted with it was used for the light  The original mains supply cables fed from underneath to the outlet above were waxed cotton coated Indian rubber . Being used primarily for a light and never had major current loads or exposure to light or heat were in amazing condition . I re routed these up into the cupboard above straight into the RCD and also ran an earth down the cavity to the incoming supply plug under the van. I also fitted a couple of period Bakelite outlets for phone chargers etc next to it.  I glued a couple of old wooden switch bases together and drilled them out   I know the Bakelite plug was authentic but it was always going to be susceptible to damage soma modern replacement was found ( if you don't like Phillips head look away now! ) but remember Phillip has feelings too!!  I will make up a short lead to plug into this permantly to keep the dust out and make it easy to plug in a lead. Electrical sorted ! Next was removal of the two original safety chains so to comply with standards .Domyou reckon this is strong enough??  I opted to attach with a high tensile bolt rather than weld  Next was the removal of the agricultural gas bottle stand . The drawbar which originally was painted the same colour as the van ( Jennison beige!)  After about 3 hours with a wire brush attachment and a cordless drill it looked like this!  Then it was followed up by a good coat of rust converter and a few coats of galvaprime undercoat ready for top coat  Next was a home visit from the inspector, a few ticks in the boxes on his form, a trip to the registration office and hey presto it's done!  Tassie doesn't have personalised plates for vans but I sweet talked the lovely lady at the office to give me number 49 as she's a 49 model! ( not the lady , the van!!) so the plate stands for " Zee '49 Vintage Bondwood " Pretty chuffed about that I must say it was a fairly easy process to register and I want to thank all those here who have helped me get this far ! Last but not least a few pics of the maiden voyage (overnighter) Hooking up!  Heading down to a friends Dam in Railton Tas!  This is what it's all about!  Jenno felt a bit alone with no other Vvans to rub shoulders with but that wil be something we'll have to remedy in the future!!  Even though it was only an overnighter with only a couple of the kids it was a super time with cracker weather for that time of year ! Now to sort out the inside . Stay tuned!! |
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Post by DC3Td on Sept 13, 2015 19:48:06 GMT 10
Brilliant news.I am surprised though that your undercarriage power plug is allowed to be kept open & not requiring a cover.Staying tuned. gordon
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Post by akeepsake on Sept 13, 2015 20:02:36 GMT 10
Brilliant news.I am surprised though that your undercarriage power plug is allowed to be kept open & not requiring a cover.Staying tuned. gordon giddy Gordon. Original factory installed equipment are allowed to remain . Technically this has been modified but it's better than factory. I am going to fit a ply stone guard in front of it and will plug a short lead slightly modified with an oring fitted around the outside to seal out the elements much better than it was I think and I didn't want to spoil the sleek lines of Jenno and fit one on the outside Cheers Andrew |
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Post by DC3Td on Sept 13, 2015 20:11:27 GMT 10
Gday Andrew. Understood the factory fitment location.Never would dream of relocating it.Was looking at it being a safety issue if water got into it.As you say you`ll sort that issue.Now you just have to get out & about the great Tassie outdoors. cheers
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Post by Jennison on Sept 14, 2015 10:14:15 GMT 10
looking good Andrew...guess we can check out all your gold on the 2018 VV nats in Tasmania aye!!!!!! jenno |
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Post by akeepsake on Sept 14, 2015 17:27:37 GMT 10
looking good Andrew...guess we can check out all your gold on the 2018 VV nats in Tasmania aye!!!!!! jenno Absolutely!!! |
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Post by akeepsake on Oct 30, 2015 12:08:10 GMT 10
Well Jenno had her first official function last night . My daughter and friends decided rather than turn up to their year 10 leavers dinner in a average old muscle car opted for a grand entrance in something a bit different so I bundled them in the back of the van and they arrived to a crowd of onlookers in one piece ! She looked amazing and was greeted with claps and cheers ( my daughter looked pretty good as well ) Big turnout! Musta knew there was going to be a vintage van in the processions  Lookin good !  Stands out anywhere !  New "vintage " towcar  |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 30, 2015 17:16:36 GMT 10
Great photos Akeepsake, and congratulations to your daughter and her friends for their good taste! Arriving in a Jennison definitely tops arriving on a horse! (I gather that was one of the other girl's mode of transport for the dinner? Obviously they put a bit of thought into coming up with something unusual to arrive in/on?) The van looks terrific and the three girls look just lovely. You must have been a proud Dad. Hope they all had a great night. Don Ricardo |
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Post by akeepsake on Oct 30, 2015 18:13:21 GMT 10
Thanks Don R was a fun night and yes I'm a very proud Dad!
Just need to get Jenno out and using it for what it was designed for!
Cheers
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Post by akeepsake on Nov 4, 2015 9:35:46 GMT 10
Well summer is just around the corner and I was inspired after my leavers dinner parade to get cracking on the inside as a little work needs to be done The inside of the Jenno is pretty well in original condition besides a few modifications that Jack had done to accommodate his three daughters,namely cutting down the single bed to accommodate a bunk  He had done quite a good job of it however the metal wheel arch was exposed and was dented in over the years due to being kicked, sat on etc. The plan is to go back to original with a couple of small mods so to accommodate the wooden annex poles which due to their length won't fit in any stowaway spots. First thing was to remove all the modifications taking care not to damage existing stuff.  All the existing framework was made from Oregon and luckily I had some in the shed ( cause I never throw out anything ! You never know when you might need it!!) I machined it up to size and with a bit of glue some slot headed screws and a couple of nails hey presto! Original framework was dowelled together and even though it was lightweight it was very strong!!  Covered in 4mm ply and fitted pelmet  Sorted the other end now just need to make door and bed insert stay tuned!  |
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Post by akeepsake on Nov 7, 2015 10:56:16 GMT 10
Note to all restorers please wear your safety glasses ! I usually do but on this occasion was ripping some timber for the van that had a nail in it and unfortunately all the holes in the cheese lined up! This 15mm piece of nail flew up and went into my eyeball , hit the back of my eye and settled inside the bottom of my eye!!!! Yes you read correctly ....inside my eyeball !!! I didn't realize that there was anything there until the XRay lady shrieked OMG!! And I had a look and there it was!! This is me with the foreign body sitting on my thumb post op. A 2 1/2 hour procedure that I was conscious for ! Amazing doctors and their skill level is outstanding Very lucky nail missed all vital parts but not out of the woods yet but all going well so far Still in hospital and hopefully out tomorrow !  Stay tuned and wear those specks!!!!! |
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Nov 7, 2015 11:04:20 GMT 10
hi andrew
just goes to show that vintage vanners are a bit one-eyed.
sounds a bit painful though and also a bit lucky it hit in a good spot.
good luck with the recovery.
geoff 'n jude
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Post by akeepsake on Nov 7, 2015 11:42:25 GMT 10
hi andrew just goes to show that vintage vanners are a bit one-eyed. sounds a bit painful though and also a bit lucky it hit in a good spot. good luck with the recovery. geoff 'n jude Thanks guys! One eyed I am!! |
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Post by DC3Td on Nov 7, 2015 11:57:30 GMT 10
Geez,you were so lucky.Hope all works out well & that you`ll be back on the tools in no time.
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Anyone got any clues??
... that is the way it was, and not all that long ago in some parks (or am I showing my age 
).......you won't be tempted to install an RCD in the back of it will you ? 
