Valiant (by Viscount) Caravans

[tristan]

Hey I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction I'm up to replacing the seals and have very little knolagde of what or how to do it. Was hoping to get some much needed advice on replacing them on my valiant.
Thanks

[eagleeyedpctek]

hi everyone been following ur posts here and my van looks like a 1966 van but the logo is the only one ive seen here with a plantagenet lion above the V also the chassis no starts with a B of which i have seen noone have a van with a b in the chassis no yet so ill post the pics i have id be very interested in learning about my van as it seems to be the odd one out so far also id be very interested in finding out more about the underseat icebox (other seat has massive compressor in it ) has ot been used in many years i believe but would like to know if its worth getting checked out and or fixing.

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[Don Ricardo]

G'day Eagleeyedpctek,

Great to hear about your van, and see some photos of it.

In regard to the serial number beginning with a 'B', if you look higher up this thread you'll see that many of the Valiant caravans shown have a serial number starting with that letter. According to Franklin1, who has done quite a lot of research on this topic, the letters 'B' and 'C' in the serial number were used by Viscount to designate a Valiant model.

You mentioned that your van with the serial number B2231 has been dated as 1966. On page 2 of this thread you will see two Valiants with the serial numbers B2389 and B2501 which have been dated as 1965. Their serial numbers are after yours, so that may indicate that your van is also 1965, or that their vans are actually 1966. I'm not sure where they got a 1965 date from, or where you got 1966 from, so I can't say which is correct, but 1965 or 66 seems right for your van. The coloured flash on the side also is a fairly reliable way of dating vans, and the flash on your van matches those on the other two vans, so it seems certain that they are from the same period. The 'V' logo on B2389 also appears to be the same as yours.

Regarding whether your van is worth getting checked out and fixed, it depends what you want to do with it and how much work it requires. It's hard for any of us to give you advice without knowing that. If the van requires quite a bit of work, and you are hoping to sell it, you are unlikely to get your money back from the cost of the repairs and/or make your fortune out of it. However, if you want to fix it up, are able to do a fair bit of the work required yourself, and then use it for holidays, etc, then it may well be worth it from your personal point of view.

Don Ricardo

[littlewildflower]

Hi Franklin1. I'm wondering if you have learnt any more about this particular model. It seems we have bought this little beauty, from the next owner, it was in worse shape than pictured here (and is now in pieces, but the penguin lace curtains were a dead giveaway. Curious to know an approximate age and model, as there are no markings on it. Thanks

Oct 4, 2008 20:50:17 GMT 10 Franklin1 said:

[Comment by Franklin1: I've placed this van in the Valiant thread because it's the nearest match I can find, based on outside shape/design. Maybe Daggsey can confirm whether he thinks it's a Valiant or not...]

1960s Valiant caravan - listed on ebay Sept 2008:





Edited description: Small 2 Berth Caravan; Approx 12ft; Recently Painted Inside And Out.

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Littlewildflower,

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new van.

I note that Franklin1 hasn't responded to you as yet. I'm sure he will at some point, however, in the interim looking back over this thread I'm thinking that your Valiant was built around 1962/63, based on the front windows and profile of the cladding on the sides.

There are some references to a Valiant Royale on the thread, but in basic terms, Valiant was one of two brand names Viscount Caravans added to its stable in the early 1960's - the other being Ambassador. Valiant and Ambassador were the 'economy' models added to the Viscount range at that time, with the name 'Viscount' itself being retained for the top model. I'm not sure whether 'Valiant' or 'Ambassador' was higher up in terms of specifications, but essentially your van is a Viscount Valiant.

You mention that there are no markings on it, but I'm wondering if you've had a look for a serial number on the draw bar? It will consists of a series of numbers, and maybe a letter, roughly welded on to the bar itself. It's possibly under a few layers of paint but will look like a series of raised, lumpy numbers on the side of the draw bar. If you can find it, it may help us to date your van more precisely, and place it more accurately in the Valiant production line.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Photos of Murray's Valiant Royale, serial number B358, posted on 23 May & 12 June 2013:















More photos of the caravan, including its restoration, can be found here.

---

On 24 May 2013, Franklin1 posted the following information which indicated that Murray's van was produced in early 1963:

...The Valiant model seems to have been launched in early 1962. It also seems that at first they were given an 'A' series chassis number, the same as the Viscount models. In fact, I'm guessing they just allocated the next chassis number available, irrespective of whether it was a Viscount or a Valiant. I'm thinking that if we saw a line-up of the chassis numbers A01 to A500 in order, some of them would be Viscounts, and some would be Valiants.

At some point during the first year of marketing, they've changed the Valiant numbering system and started a 'B' series. Somebody must have decided it was better to distinguish between the Viscount and the Valiant models. The Viscount continued to get an 'A' series number, and the Valiant started to get the 'B' numbers.

In mid-1962, the Valiant was being advertised as "aluminium and rescote", which I presume means that the sides were Rescote plywood, and the roof/ends were aluminium...



Then in late 1962, they were being advertised as "all aluminium", meaning the full cladding was aluminium (but not the framework, which came later)...



In February 1963, customers were being offered the choice of figured aluminium or the latest American ribbed cladding...



From what I understand about the history, "figured aluminium" is the flat diamond pattern aluminium that was used in the early 1960s. If you look at the first Valiant in the DHL thread and note the photo when it was the original plain cladding with the green stripe, you'll see what I think was called the "figured aluminium" cladding.
(And no, that van is not a 1968 Valiant. We've learnt heaps more about Valiants since that post was made in 2007. )

In November 1963, they started using the sloping windows on the Valiants, "as in Viscounts"...



So in summary, I reckon you've got the American ribbed cladding that was optional in early 1963. You've also got the straight windows before the sloping windows came in at the end of 1963.

I've only ever seen this particular ribbed cladding on the Valiant model, never the Viscount, and it only seems to have been a short-term thing, because in late 1963 the new ribbed profile from Comalco became available and was being used in both the Viscount and Valiant models.

---

Photos of Aeroliteej's Valiant Royale posted on 15 October 2012, and with the same cladding as Murray's, but with the serial number A315:











Further photos of this van can be found here.

Commenting on Aeroliteej's van, Chubi advised that his Valiant had the same cladding and a serial number of A127.

Elsewhere on this thread, Franklin1 has commented on some Valiants with 'A' series serial numbers. 'A' series numbers were also used for Viscounts, and Franklin1 has suggested that Viscounts and Valiants shared the 'A' series numbers until Viscount decided to apply separate numbering systems to the two brands, with Viscounts using the 'A' numbers and Valiants 'B' and then 'C' serial numbers. If this is correct, then Aeroliteej and Chubi's vans would have been built before Murray's.

---

Photos of a Valiant caravan owned by the City of Banyule in Melbourne, serial number B689, sighted by Don Ricardo on 19 October 2016:











Note that the cladding on this van has 'multi-strand' ribbing (for the want of a better description), different to the 'American' ribbed cladding on Murray and Aeroliteej's vans shown above.  In addition it looks to me as if the side windows are slanted (I didn't take a photo of the side of the van straight on).  Based on the information provided by Franklin1 in relation to Murray's van, it looks as if this van was one of the ones produced from November 1963 onwards that Franklin1 wrote about.  This fits (amazingly!)with the date on the rego sticker.  The fact that the van has a July registration is unlikely to be significant because the van has probably been re-registered at some point - it has a 'V' number plate which is relatively recent. In any case, caravans weren't required to be separately registered in Victoria until 1967, meaning that this Valiant would have been registered several years after it was built and could have been registered in any month of the year.

Nevertheless, comparing this van with Murray's Valiant seems to tell us that Viscount changed from the 'American' ribbed cladding and straight windows to the 'multi-strand' ribbed cladding and slanted windows sometime between serial numbers B358 and B689.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Oct 17, 2016 13:20:23 GMT 10 littlewildflower said:

Hi Franklin1. I'm wondering if you have learnt any more about this particular model. It seems we have bought this little beauty, from the next owner, it was in worse shape than pictured here (and is now in pieces, but the penguin lace curtains were a dead giveaway. Curious to know an approximate age and model, as there are no markings on it. Thanks

Hi again Littlewildflower,

I see that Franklin1 hasn't responded to your post, but I've just posted some information about Valiant caravans immediately above this on the Valiant thread in the 'Down History Lane' section, which may help you.

From the information Murray and Franklin1 posted back in 2013, it looks like your van is a Valiant Royale with the 'American' ribbed cladding, which seems to have been produced between 1962 and the earlier part of 1963.

Hope that is some help to you.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Article on the 1968 Valiant caravan published in the Australian Motor Manual in January 1968 (page 71):

Don't be fooled by the headline "Ambassador 'Fifteen' Valiant Van".  The article is about the Valiant not the Ambassador.

[Don Ricardo]

Photos of Greecelightning65's 1965 12 ft 6 in Valiant, serial no B2012 posted here on 15 December 2016:





Note the unusual 'Valiant' logo:



Serial number:



In her post, Greecelightning65 noted:

There is a 64 ambassador on ebay (16ft) at the moment with the same shape stripes, front windows and even same laminex. I do not have curved rear windows though.

---

Posting on the same day, Franklin1 wrote:

I'm confident you have a 1965 model, based on the design of the green pattern on the side, and the B2012 chassis number. The curved windows are not normally seen on the Valiant models, but it's quite possible your van was specially made to a customer's requirements, or was specially made to celebrate a particular event. The unusual Valiant sticker suggests there was something unusual happening at the time your van was built. We've seen a couple of variations to the standard run-of-mill Valiant stickers, which makes me lean towards those stickers being brought out only for special occasions.

So, it sounds like you've got a bit of a "hybrid" van - ie. the base Valiant, with additional bling of Viscount wrap-around windows on the front, and some upmarket Ambassador laminex inside...

---

Replying later that day, Greecelightning65 posted:

The interior lounge cushions are a sky blue (still in really good condition considering) and I can see remnants of pale blue under the green stripes so I think it is possible she was originally blue.

[twocutekelpies]

There was some discussion in the Viscount Caravan Owners group on facebook regarding Greecelightning's Valiant and the thought was raised that the decal is very similar to a Chrysler Valiant decal and perhaps a previous owner matched the caravan decal to their tow vehicle. Just a thought

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Twocutekelpies,

That is indeed an interesting suggestion.

Here is the Valiant car badge used from 1962 to 1981:



It is indeed very similar, and I think whoever came up with the suggestion is on the mark.

The van carries a Viscount Valiant serial number, but there are some features which seem to be from a more upmarket Viscount model, as Greecelightning65 and Franklin1 noted.  I guess another possibility is that Viscount and Chrysler did some type of cross promotion based on the Valiant name, and linked to a 'specced-up' caravan.  That might explain the badge and the higher level of specifications for the caravan.  Just another theory, but we know of a few examples of special deals between caravan manufacturers and car dealers.

Don Ricardo

[valiantb]

we aquired a valiant caravan its model no is 2269 we are after some spares a table some cushions for the seating a front glass for push out windows and any original parts you may have lying around.

[twocutekelpies]

Hi Valiantb, would there be a B in front of that 2269? I'm thinking around 1965 based on what I've collected and if yours is B2269, then meet its sister B2270 at vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/12190/viscount-valiant-restoration. Very similar

Do you have the original table inside? Any dates under that or under drawers, in wardrobe etc?

[valiantb]

no i don,t have the table but its geat to know it has a sister lol i would like to get a table as we are restoreing to original we have an ice box as a fridge original stove ect what colour floring did they use 

[valiantb]

it does have the number 11 /1 on the alumum behind the ply that we had to get rid of mould but we have no other leaks and it was useable as a van my son stayed in it we do need some things like a water tank thats gone

[valiantb]

[valiantb]

 just a few pics so far as you can see no table would love to source one 

[valiantb]

side view 

[twocutekelpies]

Thanks for posting those pics Valiantb. I don't know what colour the flooring was they used, is it still there underneath? It may have been left due to asbestos and just covered over. Have a search in the vv forum for valiant, there's a few on here as well as in this thread, that might help with how it looked originally.

It wouldn't have been painted like that when it first came out and unfortunately B2270 has also been painted so we can't see which paintwork it did have. This is the Viscount Ambassador thread but I think the paintwork was the same across the models so you can see 1965's here - vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/10165/ambassador-viscount-chassis-numbers

[valiantb]

unfortunately they have been removed and the laminate was liquid nailed on by old owners its a shame but we will prevail thanks for your input 

[zaylie]

I have just purchased a Viscount Valiant!! YAY
Chassis #B2544 (?) Any idea of what year? I'm thinking around '65??
I'm not sure how to attach photos /:

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Zaylie,

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on acquiring your Valiant. Reading your post, it sounds like you're quite excited about it, which is fantastic.

Based on the serial number of B2544, 1965 sounds right, but the other thing to take into account for dating Valiants and other Viscount caravans after about 1964 is the shape of the coloured flash on the side of the van. These were updated each year or so, and provide a good guide for dating your van.

The best way to post photos on the forum is via Photobucket or one of the other online photo storage websites, such as Flickr or Picasa. There are instructions on how to do it in the 'Forum Guidelines & Helpful Hints' section of the forum. Have a go at posting the photos and let us know how you get on. It will be great to see some pics of your van.

Don Ricardo

[alby]

Hi Guys,

Just picked up a 14ish ft Valiant, no B1020. Rego papers say 1970 but according to this forum am I right in thinking it's more like early 60s?

Will try and get some photos uploaded once I work out how to lol.

Cheers, Bert.

[Don Ricardo]

Jul 1, 2017 15:47:31 GMT 10 alby said:

Hi Guys,

Just picked up a 14ish ft Valiant, no B1020. Rego papers say 1970 but according to this forum am I right in thinking it's more like early 60s?

Will try and get some photos uploaded once I work out how to lol.

Cheers, Bert.

Hi Alby,

I just noticed that you haven't received a reply to your question - apologies for that. A number of us have been busy dealing with a major problem with the way we post photos on the forum, but have got it sorted now. In the meantime, you've probably got tired of waiting, but I hope you may be coming back every now and then just to check for a response.

In any case to answer your query, yes, your Valiant was definitely built well before 1970. A Valiant with the serial number B689 was built in 1963 (possibly in July) and Valiant with the serial number B2012 was built in 1965, so my guess is that your van with serial number B1020 would have been built in 1963 or 1964.

If you are able to show us some photos of your van we may be able to date it more precisely by the livery and/or coloured flashes on the side. There are instructions on how to post photos at the top of each section of the forum.

Hope that helps.

Don Ricardo

[scotty47]

Hi all I have just renovated a viscount valiant I'll try and upload some photos soon it's chassis number is B187 so from what I've read it sounds like from 1962