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Post by Koala on Nov 15, 2014 18:33:43 GMT 10
A nice guy came to inspect our van at a car show last weekend and asked the usual questions and seemed very interested. Finally he asked me if I would be interested in his grand parents van which has been in storage in a shed on a property for very many years. He does not know the make of the van but describes the van as a time capsule with many period items inside........just as when it was last used years ago. Canvas over ply roof.
Decisions, decisions!!!!!
Heading off tomorrow to inspect.
Koala
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Post by cobber on Nov 15, 2014 19:10:52 GMT 10
G'day Ken Sounds interesting aye ? That is how I found Ol '36 so ..... good luck with it, don't forget to take your camera and ..... don't forget to tie the hatch down Cobber.
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Post by Koala on Nov 15, 2014 19:40:01 GMT 10
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Post by Koala on Nov 16, 2014 14:28:40 GMT 10
Off we went today through driving rain and gale force winds to inspect this van. I guess it is about 13' maybe 14' long with a wooden chassis and steel draw bar, 12 volt lighting and a valve radio. We have driven past this property many times and had no idea what this shed held. The van has been in the shed since 1962 when it had been purchased from Crookwell to be used as accommodation for a farm worker on the property which bred pure Merino sheep. The van looks worse than it actually is as a shredded tarp is over the van however some of the canvas is coming away from the ply. Fortunately the ply still looks good. The cupboards are full of many period items including board games, old show shashes and appliances. The steel drawbar with over ride brakes which connects to a wooden chassis. The left side. Aladins cave. I have never seen a van with this layout, a fixed double bed at the front with ample storage above, 2 single beds at the rear which also are used as the seats at the table. This is the front. Ice chest. Above sink storage. A huge water tank is under one of the single beds at the rear. Nice pump The wardrobe which has a radio inside. Radio controls. She must be a beauty as it has 5 knobs. The back end. Some old water damage. 2 single beds (with plenty of junk on them and the table in the middle. Storage under the beds and table. Under the sink. I have not seen wheels like this before....16" Spring shackle bolted to a wood chassis. I think that you will agree that this is a unusual van, I would be very interested in any comments but I think it needs a cosmetic tidy up then put in a museum. Koala
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Post by cobber on Nov 16, 2014 15:33:44 GMT 10
G'day Ken, It is an interesting one aye ? We drive past sheds like this one all the time don't we ? 1930s chassis and coupling... 1940s cupboard hardware... 1950s Bosse & Eunson windows..... well made from what we can see, not a rough home made job. You said 12 volt, has it no 240 volt input ? ...what runs the radio ? Are the owners willing to part with it and do they live in a community that have a regional museum ? Couldn't a fair dinkum vintage van ENTHUSIAST make it roadworthy and still retain most of its unique originality ? Like the Windmill van I had... and even Ol '36 they'll never be great touring caravans but....... they deserve to survive as examples of 'The way it was' .....I reckon Cobber.
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Post by Koala on Nov 16, 2014 17:03:27 GMT 10
Thanks Cobber So this van is a bit confused and does not seem to know when it was made From what you are saying it would be 50's if that is when the windows were made. When i think about it I would say that there is 240 volt as well as 12 volt...........there is a globe over the table but I don't recall seeing any 240 input socket. There are also two round flush mounted lights with celluloid lens in the ceiling. And yes the owners are parting with the van.
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Post by cobber on Nov 16, 2014 18:12:40 GMT 10
Crikey Ken..... don't trust me . I just chuck my thoughts out there for somebody with more knowledge to pick apart I can't imagine why anybody would put that coupling on a 1950s built van ... again I can't understand why we had to wait until the 1950s for somebody to build timber windows with curved corners, maybe Bosse and Eunson saw a van built in the 1940s by Fred Blog with them and said "beauty, we'll start making windows like that and sell 'em ready made". And the cupboard hardware, maybe those catches were made in the 1930s AND 1940s. Who knows these things for certain sure ? .... I don't, but it would be a great area for research if people would contribute... for the common good Cobber.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 16, 2014 19:04:02 GMT 10
Hi Koala,
What an interesting van. Thanks for posting the pics and telling us about it.
If I was guessing - which I am!! - i would say early 50's, based on the shape (what I can see of it), the size and placement of the windows, the construction of the front window, and "the vibe of the thing" (as Dennis Denuto said in 'The Castle' about something entirely different). However, it could also be earlier as you and Cobber have been discussing.
Lots of memories in the items in the cupboards. My mother had a Krisk been slicer and stringer, and how long since we heard about Vim?
Fantastic. Hope somebody is able to save it.
Don Ricardo
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Post by Roehm3108 on Nov 16, 2014 20:02:11 GMT 10
That door hardware could well date back to the pre-40's as it's the same as a couple of meat safes I restored, which were in the seller's family since the mid thirties!! Hope that helps confuse matter more! Ray
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 16, 2014 21:51:01 GMT 10
Hi Roehm,
Are you referring to the hardware on the actual door to the van, or the hardware on the cupboards?
Don Ricardo
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Post by akeepsake on Nov 16, 2014 21:58:10 GMT 10
Koala What a fantastic little time capsule you have found there! You have to rescue it ! It looks very unique . I'm not sure but I reckon the cupboard doors ad cabinets may have been originally varnished timber as the interior inside of the doors looks that way? But I could be wrong , but if I was right that makes it earlier than a 50s van ?? Also interesting that it has a small window over the sink as most vans similar to this don't
Cobber a question ....what are Bosse and Eunson windows ? Are they suppliers of wooden windows separate to the maker? My Jennison has windows like this ( a ply facade mounted on a wooden frame and curved on the inside.
Anyway koala grab it and figure out the rest later! Cheers Andrew
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 16, 2014 22:36:08 GMT 10
G'day Akeepsake, A few of us (including Cobber) have been using 'Bosse & Eunson' as shorthand to refer to a particular style of wooden framed windows which were made by Bosse & Eunson, but possibly other makers as well. According to Winser they were popular for vans from around 1953 to 1957, but were used by some caravan manufacturers after that (and possibly before that as well?). There's further info here. Have a look at the link and see if the construction of the Jennison's windows are the same as Bosse & Eunson. If so, we can push the date for that style window back to at least 1948 which may tell us a bit more about the possible dates for the van Koala showed us. Don Ricardo
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Post by Roehm3108 on Nov 17, 2014 6:00:31 GMT 10
I was referring to the internal hardware DonR
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Post by cobber on Nov 17, 2014 6:49:06 GMT 10
G'day Ray, It's impossible to be dogmatic about these things but here are a few examples of the catches fitted to 1930s caravans on the forum. Marks 1936 Paramount vintagecaravans.proboards.com/post/53204The 1937 Windmill vintagecaravans.proboards.com/post/81748That look to be the same style I have on Ol '36 (but a different brand, which is interesting... for me ) So...... can we say THAT was the 1930s style ? More research needed to find other examples of the catches on 'Granddads van' and what vans they are on. Cobber.
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Post by akeepsake on Nov 17, 2014 9:00:31 GMT 10
G'day Akeepsake, A few of us (including Cobber) have been using 'Bosse & Eunson' as shorthand to refer to a particular style of wooden framed windows which were made by Bosse & Eunson, but possibly other makers as well. According to Winser they were popular for vans from around 1953 to 1957, but were used by some caravan manufacturers after that (and possibly before that as well?). There's further info here. Have a look at the link and see if the construction of the Jennison's windows are the same as Bosse & Eunson. If so, we can push the date for that style window back to at least 1948 which may tell us a bit more about the possible dates for the van Koala showed us. Don Ricardo Thanks for that Richard I'll snap some pics of my windows tonight and send them to you also window hardware Cheers Andrew
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Post by Koala on Nov 17, 2014 18:19:59 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 17, 2014 19:49:10 GMT 10
That door hardware could well date back to the pre-40's as it's the same as a couple of meat safes I restored, which were in the seller's family since the mid thirties!! Hope that helps confuse matter more! Ray Hi Roehm and Koala, Roehm - you are no doubt correct about the door catches being used on (domestic) furniture in the 30's, however the same type were used well into the 50's as well. The following catch is on Don no 946, built in 1955/56 and appears to be identical - or near identical - to the catches on the van Koala has see: So that gives Koala only a 20-year window for the van! We're really helping him narrow down the range between us, eh? Koala - the wheels are an interesting style aren't they? They put me in mind of the solid, non-slotted wheels that were on cars in the...30's, maybe...? As you say, something Kaybee could probably identify in a flash. Maybe you should email him since he's not on the forum now? It would be great to know what he thinks. Don Ricardo
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Post by DC3Td on Nov 17, 2014 19:55:26 GMT 10
Interesting van Koala to say the least.As to your 4 questions - yes to all.Well maybe not the last one but who cares.You could have a lovely van that will love you anyway.Besides we`re here to save caravans not marriages.Ha.
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Post by griffin on Nov 17, 2014 21:31:44 GMT 10
Hi Koala
I like the style of that van, I'm sure the missus will love it, and if not at least you will have a quality 'dog house' to camp in.
I've noticed with old hinges and handles, the manufacturers seemed to have a great 'if it ain't broke, don't change it policy' and some of them were available for years. The wheels are certainly a mystery, never seen anything like them so hopefully someone will know in time what they may be.
As for the electrics I can only comment on my own 1950s homebuilt, it has one double powerpoint and 4 x 240v 25w lights, one in each corner, but the main lighting is 12v which is far better than the 240v.
The 12v is from supplied from a battery which has no source of charge, and the 240v had no inlet, it was just a piece of household cable which ran through the chassis with a male 3 pin plug on the front. I assume this was plugged into a lead when 240v was available. Only the stop/tail light was connected to the car electricals, and so far I've just used the leads that came with it to connect the car battery to the terminals in the battery box which has an external access door. I may use a jump starter pack to provide the power in future and I can always charge it up on the go in the car. I've now wired the 240v to a 15a caravan socket mounted under the van.
I've spoken to the sons of the original owner and they reckon it hardly ever went anywhere where 240v was available, and from what I've read it seems it wasn't commonly available in parks until the 60s.
And Cobber, my valve radio is 12v, and this one might be too, can't imagine you would run it for long, from past experience with an old valve Ferris car radio I used once, I was looking for a push at the end of the day!!
George
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Post by akeepsake on Nov 17, 2014 22:12:31 GMT 10
G'day Akeepsake, A few of us (including Cobber) have been using 'Bosse & Eunson' as shorthand to refer to a particular style of wooden framed windows which were made by Bosse & Eunson, but possibly other makers as well. According to Winser they were popular for vans from around 1953 to 1957, but were used by some caravan manufacturers after that (and possibly before that as well?). There's further info here. Have a look at the link and see if the construction of the Jennison's windows are the same as Bosse & Eunson. If so, we can push the date for that style window back to at least 1948 which may tell us a bit more about the possible dates for the van Koala showed us. Don Ricardo Thanks for that Richard I'll snap some pics of my windows tonight and send them to you also window hardware Cheers Andrew Don R in the effort to help date this van here are some shots of my windows . The exterior is ply about 4mm thick made up of 3 pieces ( top , bottom and two sides) The internal is made up of what looks like Oregon framework which is butt jointed A shot from the inside ( no glass) showing the overlay to seat the glass and on the outside seal against the frame The front windows measure 2' x 18" and the back are 3' x18" so the measurements match the produced ones. Personally I suspect these windows were built in the Jennison factory as they are penciled top and bottom and have 14' marked on them as well . They also have chisel markings to match them to each frame Anyway hope that helps Feel free to move this to the window section if required Koala As to your four questions defiantly yes for the first 3 .... As for the last , if you annoy the wife she may get upset ...but if you really upset them they'll usually give you the silent treatment. I find it's worth the extra effort ......so go for it!
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Post by murray on Nov 18, 2014 5:33:26 GMT 10
Will my wife still love me? Oh woe is me ) Koala [/a][/quote] She will love you more - just name it after a "dear departed relative" Cheers Murray
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Post by cobber on Nov 18, 2014 13:55:41 GMT 10
G'day Andrew, I think we have come to assume that the Boose and Eunson windows were constructed in the way you have shown us rather than a solid piece of timber with a rebate on the inner surface to seat the glass. A van I had, and sold to Big hArt back in 2004 (6th and 7th photo) had the construction you have shown us Andrew, although the ply part was one piece on all windows. I had to remake the ply section for all windows because of de-lamination around the edges.... a potential problem if they are not sealed really well. Ken, Did you notice how Granddads windows were made ? An example of well constructed round cornered windows can be seen in this Lantern roof fan (1944) of Earlee's[/a] , they I think were solid wood. Cobber.
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Post by Koala on Nov 18, 2014 16:22:45 GMT 10
Quote Ken, Did you notice how Granddads windows were made ? Cobber. [/quote] Sorry Granddad I didn't look that close at Cobbers windows Koala
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Post by cobber on Nov 18, 2014 17:55:15 GMT 10
It's OK Ken.....I understand, you did give us good photos of the tow coupling... ice chest... galley pump (no tea towel rail I noticed ) so............ Ya done good Have a look at the windows when you get it home Cobber.
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Post by Koala on Nov 18, 2014 18:50:37 GMT 10
It's OK Ken.....I understand, you did give us good photos of the tow coupling... ice chest... galley pump (no tea towel rail I noticed ) so............ Ya done good Have a look at the windows when you get it home Cobber. OK OK, is this what you are looking for?? One deluxe towel rail And one DeVilbiss nasal inhaler new still in the box. And some new Kromhyd soles for my boots Koala
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