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Post by cobber on May 15, 2008 8:16:35 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Mar 21, 2014 19:13:19 GMT 10
Has anybody been wondering what happened to the restoration project on this 'Don' caravan ? 
Well.... after removing the fibro/ hardy plank that was on the off side of this van it was discovered that much of the frame would need replacing but.... more distressing was the fact that the entire side had bowed out just over an inch. There was also a fair amount of wood rot in the chassis under the van.
All in all, after looking at it for a couple of years, I couldn't get enthused enough to take it on. I offered it to another forum member ( who shall remain nameless  ) who never took delivery of it and cogitated about it for a further couple of years.
We knew of another forum member who had recently retired and in a supreme act of kindness we thought we would pass the van on to him to help him survive the stresses of retirement 
I'm pleased to report we made a good choice. Colin, from the Colin & sue show, (you know him as the restorer of 'Miss Dorothy' recently told us he has finished the restoration and I had the opportunity to look at his work today.
I'll just post a couple of photos of the Don here and a new thread will be started under Colin& Sue's name with a more detailed description of the restoration process.
Looking along the side that was bowed out.
Colin removed all the cupboards along that side and replaced the framework then pulled the side in to where it should be, Then replaced the cupboards to hold the side in where it should be.
All slot head screws were saved and new hinges were sourced from..... of all places, the big green shed 
The rear lead light window was missing, Colin found a man who not only replaced that window but also re-conditioned all the other lead light windows.
The unique Don light shades were also remade.
All rusted metal fittings were either replaced or re-chromed.
A beautiful restoration.... congratulations Colin, a job well done.
As mentioned, a new more detailed thread will be started later.
Cobber.
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 21, 2014 19:55:45 GMT 10
Great to see another one saved Cobber! Well done to Colin and Sue!! It's always a labour of love and much labour can cause the love to wain but it comes back when results like this are achieved  Again... Well done and looking forward to the restoration thread!!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2014 19:58:20 GMT 10
OoooooooooooooooooH Bugga... I voted "Modify it"..... Now look what you have done...  Naa... tell you the truth I forgot that Cobber had this van. Good to see it well on the road to recovery.. Congrats Col and Sue. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 21, 2014 20:50:02 GMT 10
Hi Cobber,
Looks like a great restoration of a van that many would have thought was too far gone to worry about. Congratulations to Colinandsue on a fantastic effort.
Looking back at the photos on this thread just shows how much work has been done!
I will look forward to hearing more about the project from Colinandsue. One thing that intrigues me is the drawbar. Looks like it combines the original captive ball coupling (or at least part of it) with a quick release coupling - is that right?
Don Ricardo
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Post by cobber on Mar 22, 2014 7:20:06 GMT 10
G'day Andrew Reddo & Don,
She has been a pretty big restoration and I hope the new thread shows some of the detail.
As you noticed Don R the draw bar has been altered to accommodate an extension to the original, but with a quick release set-up that allows the extension to be removed so that the unique Don coupling can be displayed. The main objective I think was to extend the Don's rather short 'A' frame.
Cobber.
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Post by hilldweller on Mar 22, 2014 16:58:04 GMT 10
Oooh that's loverly! And beautifully shiny and straight Enjoyed the banter in the early part of this thread too - before my time and I hadn't stumbled on it previously. |
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Post by cobber on Mar 22, 2014 18:11:18 GMT 10
Oooh that's loverly! And beautifully shiny and straight Enjoyed the banter in the early part of this thread too - before my time and I hadn't stumbled on it previously. G'day hilldweller, So now you know how three four of us got to be 'LEGENDS' !.... banter you called it .... it got to be known as ... dribble Cobber. |
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 22, 2014 21:50:48 GMT 10
Cobber as far as I'm concerned they should have made you a legend a long time ago |
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Post by cobber on Mar 23, 2014 8:20:42 GMT 10
Andrew!... fair crack o' the whip mate.
Many of us apparently thought 'God all mighty' was a bit pretentious, I'm inclined to feel the same about being labeled a 'Legend'.
I'd feel more comfortable if those of us who have exceeded 4000 posts were designated 'dribbler'  .... although there probably is one of our number who doesn't deserve that distinctive title because he's managed to clock up 4000 posts with hardly any dribble..... NO !  I'm not talking about Reddo
( or me)
anyway.... this is a very good example of how you 'dribble' ..... rave on about a subject that has nothing to do with the thread you're on..but has it's own thread somewhere else 
Cobber.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Mar 31, 2014 19:06:19 GMT 10
Just found this thread, been away 3 weeks without my computer. That is a big resto for sure, having been there & seen it in its original state. My own 140 has a big bow along one side & the one advertised in Wangaratta was exactly the same, so it must be a design fault in that particular model.
I will be very interested to see details of the repair & the light shades have me intrigued too. Look forward to the full story.
Cheers. ....ST
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) who never took delivery of it and cogitated about it for a further couple of years.
Again... Well done and looking forward to the restoration thread!!!!
.... although there probably is one of our number who doesn't deserve that distinctive title because he's managed to clock up 4000 posts with hardly any dribble..... NO ! 
I'm not talking about Reddo 
