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Post by kazandadam on Jul 15, 2009 12:28:07 GMT 10
Just so glad I could help ST....................Adam.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Jul 27, 2009 20:54:03 GMT 10
 It seems impossible to buy any 'D' mold the same roundy shape as used originally, so went from one hardware store to the next until we found a router bit that was pretty close to shaping what was needed & set up the router table to suit  It had to have 2 passes through the moulder, this is 1st pass.  They were near perfect, just needed some hand sanding to get it close enough  So that's all the trims for the outside, including the skirting around the lower edge, there wasn't any on the van, it had rotted off. These were all made from 1 piece of 8 X 1 hoop pine, beaut stuff to work with.  Everything primed. The hours & days fly, can't believe how fast the hours go when you're doing this sort of stuff  The hatch appeared to be pretty rough  Thought it was like skinning a cane toad, sure was about as tough   I am continualy amazed at how good the timber & ply is under all that gunk. Finally every sheet, nook & cranny, window frame, door frame, bead.......for the exterior.....is sanded......... now for some paint, not my favourite past-time but its gotta be done.  A coupla warm sunny days, just had to take it outside  The Jeep looked a bit out of place & a bit too breezy for a towcar, it sold last week & was loaded for a new home in ACT. Thats 3 vehicles gone this year, no toys left, & want to get a keeper in the next 12 months  It was the best feeling to fit the new trims, makes the old girl look half decent.  There's some wiring evident for lights at the back, all basic stuff but I love that sort of work, it will be a bit more hidden than original, some of the old wiring makes me have a chuckle.    Well there's lots of variety & interesting stuff to do, but looking at the map & checking out places that are 17 deg C, thats 10 deg warmer than this place, I'm tempted to clear out til it decides to get sensible.  Surf Tragic |
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Post by Franklin1 on Jul 27, 2009 22:30:20 GMT 10
Ahhh, ST...there's no greater satisfaction than making all the timber bits from scratch, eh?!! Looks like you and your Triton workbench are best mates on the job together! ;D ;D [I'm surprised you couldn't find what you call D-mould anywhere. Over here in our neck of the woods it's called "fly mould" and can still be found in the bigger timber places. In Bunnings, the "portamouldings" range of timber mouldings calls it "fly bead". (the 'fly' relates to timber flyscreens, in case any readers are wondering...  )] But what you've ended up doing is magnificent!! Next you'll be telling us you've gone into the local forest and carefully chosen a tree to cut up for the internal carpentry work! ;D ;D Love the quality of your work! It's certainly gonna be hard for anyone to call this Don 'overrated'. Congratulations on a really fine effort so far  cheers, Al. |
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Post by atouchofglass on Jul 28, 2009 6:10:23 GMT 10
Nice to see the quality of your work Surf Tragic Nothing like spending a few hours working with a quality van and making the bits yourself At least you know the quality that has gone into the van She looks great and the moulding just adds to the look Keep at it and keep posting those progress photos Gives us all something to aspire to or just drool over ;D ;D ;D  Cheers Atog |
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Post by cobber on Jul 28, 2009 9:17:35 GMT 10
G'day ST Congratulations on the restoration of the Don... she's looking great. I know what you're saying about these hard to get moulds. If you're talking about the mould that covers the join between the top ply and the sides....... where later they used aluminium “J” profile.... I just had a look at the 140 I have and the mould does appear to be thicker than the half round / “D” mould / fly mould commonly available. But........ It doesn't appear to provide an effective seal between the two sheets of ply as a “J” mould would.... how have you overcome that problem ? Imagine the hassle I had getting the mould for Ol' 36..... couldn't even find somebody who would make it for me so......... like you.. I made it me self, we'll show 'em aye ?..... they can't stop us from being "original" .  Cobber |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Jul 28, 2009 11:15:28 GMT 10
Howdy Franklin1 ;D ;DIn my quest to have one of the most overrated Dons, ;D ;D, I went to Bunnings & got a length of fly-mould & 2 different sizes of quad, the Porta 'D' mould had roundy edges and a flat top & is nowhere near the same profile as the moulding on the outside of the Don, but very much the same as whats on the wooden flyscreens & joins on the Caneite ceiling on the inside, I would use it there ok. Cobber, you have already noticed the D mould is 9mm thick on the trims outside, it would be as round as a piece of dowel split down the middle, & thought of doing just that except its hardwood & wouldnt curve as easy as the pine. To curve it cold was to the limit as far as breaking is concerned. Good to see you did the same with Ol'36 moulding, it looks a better idea for sealing the joint The Don people used some sort of sealer between the mould & sheets, it has gone very brittle, so I got a water based silicone that can be painted over & used that. First primed under it, ....( I am using oil based sealer/primer/undercoat everywhere)...... then 2 days later used the silicone sealer and cleaned up with water, its all I can think of to do. With good finishing coats it seems as good as you can get. I would really like to finish with acrylic, something with a bit of 'give'. ATOG, :)thanks for the quality van bit. ;D ;D Ron. |
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Post by John on Jul 28, 2009 20:14:55 GMT 10
To Ron & Cobber, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you !!!!  I've been looking at the original photo's of the "pop top" wondering how they sealed the joins, now I know! Even though I've recently removed the right angle aluminium that I used to seal the join on my other van and replaced it with J mould, I didn't realise that there is a similar product ( or one can be made ) made out of wood! COOL ;D Thanks for the info!!! ;D ;D ;D Cheers, John |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Aug 4, 2009 13:59:34 GMT 10
 The leadlight panels cannot be reused, some of the lead has corroded completely away,  some has been shodily resoldered, lots of the panes are broken, so we decided to make new ones, and my daughter obliged, how lucky can you be. She starts with the patterns.  Then cuts all the glass  Whacks 'em together the ghostly hand helps  Glues Solders 'em up  Next please  Horse-shoe nails holds the lead against the glass 'til the next pane goes in.  Polish up the solder. I got a full sheet of glass (much cheaper) & got the company to cut it into sizes easy to handle, thats one propped up against the van, theres enough left over to do a couple more vans if I ever am lucky enough to get another one.  New front window  The old hinges & screws are all cleaned up & re-used, it makes sense as all the holes & cut-out fit exact & neat.  Had to fit the new sash in place then take it out & prime.  Forgot to mention the fact that I painted the 1st coat of a 3 in 1 sealer/primer/undercoat on the whole van using a roller, then finished with a brush, the biggest delimma was, which way to finish the brush marks, big decisions, but it gives a good cover. Have since gone all over & filled any holes & scrapes. The ply was very thirsty so will be giving it at least one more of the same.  Assembled the new door  Fitting the new door. Wow theres a lot on the go, sometimes I think I'm seeing things so better have a break & post a bit of the progress. Surf Tragic |
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Post by sportsman 1 on Aug 4, 2009 18:20:33 GMT 10
Excellent progress ST,
makes me want to rush out and do some work on Hilda.
Then I stick my head out the door into the freezing Melbourne winter air, nope, go back inside in the warm and read what else there is on the forum!
Cheers, Leigh.
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Post by Surf Tragic on Aug 4, 2009 19:04:42 GMT 10
yep sportsman 1, a lot like that here too by the creek , but this project is doing a good job of getting me through another Viccy winter, however, when the sun dips, I'm outa there. ;D ST |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 4, 2009 20:26:47 GMT 10
G'day ST, Great effort on the leadlighting by your daughter. And what a great job you've done on recreating the windows and the doors! Just sublime! Just love the pic of your van reflected in the glass - very arty:  .......except that the glass is...leaning up...against...your van... Is it a trick of the lighting or an optical illusion?   Or are you trying to tell us something? Gives a whole new meaning to the following statement: ...I got a full sheet of glass (much cheaper) & got the company to cut it into sizes easy to handle, thats one propped up against the van, theres enough left over to do a couple more vans if I ever am lucky enough to get another one... Surf Tragic C'mon ST, 'fess up... ;D ;D ;D Don Ricardo (which is Latin for "busting to know what's going on") |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Aug 4, 2009 20:52:10 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 4, 2009 21:10:09 GMT 10
Hmmm! I smell a conspiracy! C'mon, 'fess up! What's going on? Give us the story... Don Ricardo |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2009 21:27:00 GMT 10
viiii know nuthink ;D ;D ;D ;D maybe it's the ghost of Don No 539  |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 4, 2009 22:22:37 GMT 10
Aw, c'mon Mark, don't you start throwing bits of bait to the masses as well!
No 539 isn't even on the list as far as I can see! Yep, definitely a conspiracy!
Don Ricardo
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Post by dosse on Aug 5, 2009 17:32:34 GMT 10
G'day Ron Very impressed......keep up the great work. Looking at your post the other day.......I have had to reduce my medication as i can see two Don's.......Please explain . Owner of the over/rated Don dosse. |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Aug 5, 2009 18:56:16 GMT 10
Howdy Dosse, The details have been moved to a new thread in 'General' & show the retrieval. It was just a bit of fun on the side. ST |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Aug 31, 2009 16:13:44 GMT 10
;DJust a bit of excitement this last week ;D It was very good of Mark T to give me the contact details of a lady just out of Sydney who had some old caravan bits & pieces, she wanted to clear out of her shed, so after some correspondence & then the photos arrived , there was no doubt these items came out of a Don. Kerrie said the van had been in a hail storm and had been completely wrecked. I hoped the 'wrecked' shell & chassis would be there too as I would have gladly swept up the lot and rebuilt it, but found out this all happened 20 years ago & evrything disappeared except for these items  I fitted the camping body on the ute to keep it safe for travel, glad I did as it poured continuously for hours on the freeway  This cupbd was home made and consists of a flyscreen & a cupboard door that came off the original van, the chrome vents are the only usable items here  all the doors     One original drawer with the only handle I possess, but got another push-knob, only 5 to go ;D!  Original Table   ;D ;DNow, the best piece of the lot, and the main reason I drove 1250k's, apart from a nice drive and weekend away.     That alone made the trip worthwhile I reckon, and it is the exact width to fit my robe, but 50mm shy in height which is easily fixed. So, not having the flair to tell stories like Reddo, I will just say I think this stuff is the "Ducks Guts", & sign off. Thanks Mark T for helping out again. Surf Tragic |
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Post by JBJ on Aug 31, 2009 17:55:02 GMT 10
Hi Ron,
Great find. That stuff doesnt normally exist, let alone turn up available.
Your catches you are chasing appear the same as the ones being reproduced in Brisbane. I've got one I bought somewhere here, that I dont need. if you PM me youre postal adress, I 'll send it to you when I find it. From memory they are $14.50 each plus postage from the manufacturer, but the one I have is free.
JBJ
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 18:05:13 GMT 10
Onya S/T I have said it here a gazillion times before...... We need to make the effort to follow up on ANY leads we get on old vans .. or .... parts thereof. With the Demolition derby .. and ... family cracker night at the speedway mentality out there it will only be a matter of time before all the old vans , and their gizzards will be all gone. Big effort to travelthe distance you did..... but youi have been rewarded. Lotsa rare goodies in that haul. Congrats. Reddo
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Post by Surf Tragic on Aug 31, 2009 22:45:23 GMT 10
 Thanks JBJ for the offer, I will PM you. These catches I can get from bunnings & bought this for trial, they are quite a bit different to the original type but I will use them if I can't get anything else, and it will be interesting to see what you have. . There is a company in the UK that show a similar catch to original, the photo in their catalogue is unclear, have written asking for clear details but no answer yet, maybe they don't understand plain English. ;D I may try a phone call. The cost of the catch they have translates to $70 per catch, plus postage. There's probably an old cupboard somewhere with a dozen on it, will have to start searching all the auction houses around here. Yep Reddo, I am very lucky with this lot, it gave me a real buzz Surf Tragic |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 23:28:58 GMT 10
ssshhhhh  ......don't anyone tell surf tragic 'bout the next "Don" project I have lined up for him ;D ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by cobber on Sept 1, 2009 7:19:44 GMT 10
Crikey Ron.. That's like winning the lottery aye ? Don't give up on this bloke in Brisbane, I called in there on the way back from Bundy and he has stuff there that isn't shown in his catalogues (he also doesn't have (or can't find) stuff that is in his catalogues. Give him a ring... send him a picture... I found him to be very helpful. He had an ETAS dead lock for Ol' 36 that I have been chasing for 3 years Cobber. |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 1, 2009 11:19:25 GMT 10
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Post by coasterwanderer on Sept 10, 2009 15:01:34 GMT 10
Congratulation on the rebuild of your DON caravan.
I have just browsed through it but will soon read it from start to finish.
My late Uncle worked for Don Caravans at the factory near the corner of Neerim Road and Dandenong Rd (Princess Hwy ) Oakleigh (Near where Chadstone Chrysler now are), right up to when they closed down,Due to the owner refusing to change from bondwood to aluminium construction ,and consequently the loss of sales, they also owned the Sundowner caravan park at Springvale Nth in the later years.
My uncle also purchased one the last shells to be built and fitted it out in his garage.
Great memories of a well know and popular brand .
They don't build em like they used to.
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Well there's lots of variety & interesting stuff to do, but looking 
)]
