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Post by Mustang on Apr 25, 2017 20:09:56 GMT 10
 Hi All Thankyou for welcoming me to this forum. I have several questions and please excuse my naivety as I am new to vintage caravans apart from playing in them when I was a kid. From looking at some of the posts I have identified the caravan I am looking at to be a 'Viscount Ambassador Aluvan' 1965*(I think) 22ft, duel axle ..It's chassis number is E2060. (Hopefully this will help with your list of lost caravans) It's the King Cahoona of the day  in silver with the orange flash It's a bit sodden on the inside but very complete and very repairable. What I am wondering is what will it cost me aprox to get this baby on the road again? (Piece of string is this long) From first observation I think its tyres, brakes, hubs general once over. Check electrics and gas connections, all which I am told still work inc the original fridge and cooker. I want to make the owner a fair price offer but also have an idea of what I might be up for...I am very handy and restore my own cars, but this would be my first caravan. Any pitfalls with this model would also be appreciated. I will post some pix when I work that part out. Thanks and look forward to any advice Max 
Editorial note: More photos of the caravan above can be found by clicking here Don Ricardo On our sister forum I renovated a 17' Viscount , took a year of retired time, caravans take a lot longer than cars, from your description you really are looking at a full reno, you need space, undercover, tools , a budget 10/20K & realistic time. Click on my link. |
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Post by hg1970 on Apr 29, 2017 20:39:03 GMT 10
Thanks Mustang for your reply
Did you take a look at the pix in the folder, just wondering?
I know I will be up for some work to get it back...what I really want to know is a fair price to offer or it's current value? The lady who has the property has been given some pretty shonky valuations on things from friends and I dont want to offend.
also..Is there anything in particular I should look for.
TIA
Max
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Post by Mustang on Apr 30, 2017 9:54:15 GMT 10
Thanks Mustang for your reply Did you take a look at the pix in the folder, just wondering? I know I will be up for some work to get it back...what I really want to know is a fair price to offer or it's current value? The lady who has the property has been given some pretty shonky valuations on things from friends and I dont want to offend. also..Is there anything in particular I should look for. TIA Max Check your messages. Cheers |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jul 23, 2017 17:27:47 GMT 10
Photo of a Viscount logo posted by Daggsey here on 10 November 2007:
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 10, 2017 19:07:01 GMT 10
Hi all, When Boblor documented the history of the Jones Dolly Wheel here in 2016, he provided photos of two unusual Viscount caravans fitted with Jones Dolly Wheels. 1. Late 50's Viscount:   The pics are photocopies of the original photos, so unfortunately not terrific quality, but I don't think we've seen an actual example of this model on the forum before. Boblor's caption 'No 2 Viscount caravan built' seems to imply that this van was only the second Viscount caravan built, and maybe that is what he was told by his informants. But the first Viscounts built in 1956 were a quite different shape, and the van above is a much squarer late 50's shape, so the van is clearly not the second Viscount. 2. Mid or late 60's Viscount:   This van is owned by Ray and Merle Bartlett. Ray worked with Herb Jones who developed the Jones Dolly Wheel, and Ray took over Herb's company after Herb's death. Again, according to Boblor's information, the van is said to be a 1964 model. However, it looks different to the 1964 Viscounts shown higher up this thread. Two notable features of this van, though, are the shape of the flash on the side, and the shape of the spats. They are both different to those on any other Viscount shown on this Viscount history thread (I think). They may perhaps be aftermarket, but the flash looks to be original (as far as you can tell from a photocopy of a photo!). Don Ricardo |
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Post by twocutekelpies on Aug 10, 2017 22:29:19 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 12, 2017 22:00:11 GMT 10
Hi Twocutekelpies,
That's interesting to read about the spats. That solves that question. I think the van has had quite a few mods over the years. The spats are one sign of that, but there are also quite a lot of pipes under the van, etc, which suggest that Ray and Merle Bartlett have added their own 'touches' to the van along the way. That includes the Jones Dolly Wheel too, of course.
However, the flash on the side is a different matter perhaps? That looks as if it may be original. Maybe somebody might decide to add a flash of their own, but unlike the other mods we can see, there is no particular benefit or extra utility from doing so - apart from having a van that looks a bit different to any other on the road. Have you seen a Viscount with a flash of that design before?
I don't think Boblor recorded the chassis number, and perhaps that was lost after the A-frame was replaced by the dolly wheel, but I'd love to know when it was built. The style of the 'open flash' (ie the design with an unpainted section in the middle) suggests a date around 1968 perhaps?
Don Ricardo
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Post by twocutekelpies on Aug 12, 2017 22:31:02 GMT 10
I can't say that I've seen that flashing before but I think it is quite similar to the 1966 flashing if it were done as an open flash instead of solid, looking at the flashings on the Ambassador page vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/10165/ambassador-viscount-chassis-numbers I quite like it though, looks sleek I would love to know the chassis number for this one also and add it to the spreadsheet. |
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Post by kerri on Aug 18, 2017 7:05:00 GMT 10
G'day Lisa, it's quite possible the chassis numbering system is as you say, however I'm inclined to think it's not quite as simple as that. The Viscount system is proving to be the most difficult to crack, so I continue to collect as much information as I can to try and understand how it worked. Some of the numbers I've collected so far, for Viscounts/Valiants/Ambassadors, are: A8054 - yours B488 B1375 - complete with paperwork to say purchased new Dec 1964 B1783 B2307 B3047 C1111 C1112 C2025 D919 E361 E7939 But when I try and match the number and the appearance of these vans to a particular year, it all goes haywire. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason at the moment about how Viscount decided to number their vans. cheers, Al. Hi. Don't forget I have a B177. You can add this to your collection. |
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Post by golddiger on Sept 13, 2017 19:28:44 GMT 10
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Post by twocutekelpies on Dec 30, 2017 9:56:28 GMT 10
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Post by twocutekelpies on Jan 5, 2018 10:53:22 GMT 10
In light of the reproduction 60s Viscount badges available now, I thought I'd do a little research into when and where they were used. Obviously I can only go off pics I've seen in the forums and from owners on facebook but it's enough to give a good indication. For the Dandenong built Viscounts, it appears that the badges were above the front window and below the back window for 1961/62, in 1962/63 some also have a badge under the window next to the door and some have a corresponding badge on the opposite side of the caravan. In 1963, the badges on the rear now appear above the back window. From what I've read, the Dandenong factory only operated from Aug 1961-mid 1963, hence why only these years are covered. For Sydney built Viscounts - 1962/63 have the badges above the front window and below the back window, I don't think they were on the sides as well at this stage but will stand corrected. In 1964, the badges on the rear now appear above the back window. Some Duralvans 1964-1967 also appear to have the Viscount badge located under the window, next to the door but with decals on the front and back. I also came across a few badges with the inlay on the writing red and the crown painted red and white, the back ground (where the lines are) also had remnants of being a pale blue, one was definitely a Dandenong built Viscount, one was a '64 Duralvan, not enough information on others. These are the reproduction badges available, as well as the above red and white painted one or any other colour requested. Details for badges - ditzygypsy.proboards.com/thread/4520/replicated-60s-70s-viscount-badges  |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 7, 2018 22:16:04 GMT 10
Photo of 1964 Viscount, serial number A922, posted by Franklin1 here on 28 December 2017:
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 15, 2018 16:19:42 GMT 10
1965 Viscount advert posted by Franklin1 here on 21 October 2010: The advert is of interest because it refers to the Air Flow (15 ft) and Palace (25 ft) Viscount model names. Franklin1 didn't date the advert but based on the flash on the sides of the Ambassador models, it is from 1965. Note that shape of the the flashes on the Viscount models differs from those on the Ambassadors. Don Ricardo
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Post by twocutekelpies on Feb 16, 2018 11:19:28 GMT 10
Franklin1 didn't date the advert but based on the flash on the sides of the Ambassador models, it is from 1965. Note that shape of the the flashes on the Viscount models differs from those on the Ambassadors. Don Ricardo I actually found the full advert for that in The Sydney Morning Herald March 3, 1968 - here's the link There's a write up next to the ad for an 18ft6 Ambassador. I wonder if they used the same ad for a few years, based on that flashing. news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19680303&id=XvlXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uOcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2598,1265256&hl=en  1968 Mar 3 |
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Post by Franklin1 on Feb 16, 2018 19:00:31 GMT 10
G'day twocutekelpies, Not the same ad, as such, but Viscount certainly used similar sketches of the 1965 model for a good few years. It was a real 'red herring' when I started researching the history of Viscount vans all those years ago. It wasn't until forum members started posting more and more Viscounts, that we realised something wasn't matching the recurring sketches in the ads. The following thumbnail can be clicked on to get the full-size picture, and is from the Royal Auto journal Nov 1966. The ad shows a similar sketch of the 1965 model, even though a new paint design had already been introduced on the 1966 models. Viscount obviously didn't spend money keeping their advertising up to date!   cheers, Al. |
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Post by Mustang on Feb 20, 2018 8:22:32 GMT 10
Franklin1 didn't date the advert but based on the flash on the sides of the Ambassador models, it is from 1965. Note that shape of the the flashes on the Viscount models differs from those on the Ambassadors. Don Ricardo I actually found the full advert for that in The Sydney Morning Herald March 3, 1968 - here's the link There's a write up next to the ad for an 18ft6 Ambassador. I wonder if they used the same ad for a few years, based on that flashing. news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19680303&id=XvlXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uOcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2598,1265256&hl=en 1968 Mar 3 I went looking in the newspaper link for this cartoon to reproduce it. Staggering how many ads that were sold in a daily newspaper!!!! Found the cartoon on page 56 , enlarged it , but could not download the size I wanted, any member have ideas? |
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Post by twocutekelpies on Feb 20, 2018 8:40:54 GMT 10
For some reason the whole link doesn't hyperlink past the comma, need to copy and paste the whole link for it to take you directly. I zoomed in and took screen dumps then stitched them together in paint, very high tech lol. I found a heap of ads for Viscount in these archives, I keep meaning to make an album in the Viscount Owners FB group but haven't found the time yet.  |
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Post by Mustang on Feb 21, 2018 8:00:35 GMT 10
Thank you , Its twice the size now, I will add some colour & re paste.
Brent
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Post by twocutekelpies on Feb 21, 2018 11:17:17 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 24, 2018 20:54:16 GMT 10
A handy guide to Viscount serial numbers from 1960 to 1981 prepared by Twocutekelpies and posted with her permission: (Source: Viscount Caravan Owners Australia Facebook page here)
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Post by twocutekelpies on Mar 24, 2018 10:53:30 GMT 10
I need to rephrase "highest number" to "highest number we've come across or been given" due to not having access to the old invoice books, I have no way of knowing what the "highest number" actually is  The highest Valiant "A" chassis number on the spreadsheet has just climbed to A584 |
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Post by shesgotthelook on Apr 25, 2018 15:07:46 GMT 10
I was talking to Austin 125 at the Nationals & he happened to mention that my model of Viscount was advertised in Keith Winsers Caravan & Touring Manual, Book 10, 1958.   |
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Post by shesgotthelook on Apr 25, 2018 15:15:14 GMT 10
& then something even more exciting happened at the Dawn Service in Rochester. Talking to a man I have known for many years, I mentioned we had been to the Vintage Caravan Nationals & I showed him a photo of our van. He said' gosh, that's a lot like our Viscount that we had. Then I talked to his brother (who'm I'd never met before) & he said 'I've got all dad's photo's converted from slides on my phone, would you like to see?' & then he air dropped them to my phone. Incredible. .jpg) Note the dolly wheel!   From struggling to find any information on the bondwood Viscounts, in a matter of days I have seen all of this. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 4, 2018 12:55:02 GMT 10
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in silver with the orange flash
