east coast spring tour - expressions of interest.

[cobber]

Members,

Last time Glennn called into our place I promised to keep secret (from members of this forum) what he had on the trailer behind his ute ....but gee it’s hard when ya get provoked all the time.

Cobber.

[sutcac]

Hi there Reddo, any places left for the east coast Spring tour? If there are we (Clyde and Barb) would love to" Join In the Tour!"
The only problem I can see at the moment is in the form of a little fat Jack Russell we'll be travelling with. Do any / all the van parks on the tour allow pets? Can we be accommodated? No worries if's not possible-- we'll just cruise down and do the Coledale thing only. Cheers Clyde and Barb Slaughter, Buderim, Sunshine Coast, QLD( current holders of the S of Origin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[Deleted]

Hi Clyde & Barb
No worries. I have booked 10 sites. You make number 9.
I think we can get away with dawgs on tour as long as they are little ones. Ray has a J.Russell as well.
I will send you a PM. We have JBJ and Ray Roehm coming down from up your way. Might pay to PM them and get yourselves organised to travel together to Lithgow.... safety in numbers ... especially if you cane toads are entering Cockroach country.

Reddo.... NSW ( and Bondwoods) Rool OK

[kingy]

Hi JBJ,
Interesting you mention the EH overheating , iv'e been concerned about our EH on the Coledale trip as far as overheating. It has what looks to be a new radiator or least a new core with coolant etc. and i have fitted a temp gauge to keep an eye on things. Not having towed any great distance yet in warm weather i'm hoping she will cope ok.
I'm guessing the van come rego. time(very soon) will weigh in at about 600 kgs. Here's hoping for a cool EH
Cheers Kingy

[Deleted]

Hi JBJ.
Certain Lithgow has gas and Bathurst. Mudgee is a big country town and I am almost certain Gulgong will have LPG as well.
Doubtfull in Dunedoo and Merriwa.
May need to check travelmate and see how far it is from Mudgee to Scone might be stretching it.

Definetly in Scone and the rest of the way down the New England and on to Coledale. Is the EH dedicated gas???.... must be i suppose, otherwise you wouldnt be worrying about fuel eh.

heating problems??? Check the timing. make sure you have a good thermostat . i fitted a 174degree thermostat to the EK when i put the NOS HR radiator in it. still gets a bit warm at idle in heavy traffic etc. but good as gold out on the road.

Keep us posted.
Reddo

[santa28a]

Jailbarjuice,
on the ozrodders forum one of the guys makes a hose to hook up a 9kg gas cylinder to your car. Just the thing to carry in a dedicated gas powered car like your Dodge especially when towing a van which in most cases has a 9kg gas bottle sitting on the drawbar Not sure of his name but his sign in name is 32coupe
Cheers,
Santa28a

[earlee]

Hey JBJ - ;D

Is your radiator big enough? Is it the 202 size? or have you got at least the bigger 179 EH radiator which is wider then the 149 EH radiator. As you know - the bigger the better. ;D

What ratio diff is in the EH as that will make a difference as well when towing.

regards
earlee.

[rodp]

Can I put my 2 bob's worth in about cooling systems? Thermostats are most commonly blamed for overheating but are usually the last cause. Thermo=temperature stat= static i.e. the thermostat keeps the engine at the same temperature irrespective of the air temperature i.e.midsummer or mid winter.EH's don't have a very big radiator so if there is reduced capacity to cool because of blocked tubes and the engine is producing more heat than it should (running lean , too far retarded ignition,towing a van etc ) you have overheating.I agree with earlee re bigger the better in the radiator department.Point is there is sometimes no simple fix
regards, Rodp

[Deleted]

Hi Dennis
Doesnt bother me in the least where we talk about the problem. I went through the same thing when i bought eddy the EK Home. I cant remeber where and what section Col , I and a few others mulled over the cures for overheating but i ended up with a NOS HR radiator + 174 deg thermostat on the138s cooling system.
I have towed the van which i think is heavier and larger than "Groovin" to Valla Park and Syd All Holden Day.
Couple of big hills down around the Hawksbury etc. She got to 190 but showed no signs of giving up or boiling the kettle,.

I really thing your problems lie with the single carb feeding a worked hread and lumpy cam. Not enough fuel dropping into the cylinder while the bumpy cam is holding the valves open for an longer time than standard cam...... EH would probably be a lot happier with an X2 twin carb set up on it . with the right jetting for each carb ( remember your feeding 3 cylinders per carb not 6) you will get all the mix you need and still get reasonable economy

If the block was blocked you would have heating probs on long uphill climbs even without the van on the back.

I am sure you will have it sussed long before thje tour.

Other news.
I have just recieved a whole heap of goodies from "Snail of the west" to include in the showbags of those "Caravanning with the east coast stars". Might have a few left overs to sell at Coledale as well.
Planning going on all the time. I am gunna shake the media tree again sometime this week and see if we can get some press coverage somewhere along the way. I have recieved a reciept for deposits paid for sites at Glenbawn... Its all good Brudders.

Reddo...

[Deleted]

Hi All.
Its just over 4 weeks from now to the start of the east coast spring tour ( 16th Oct). The W.A crew are off enjoying the countryside at the moment on thier tour and i am sure there will be plenty of posts when they get back and sort out photobucket.

I figure that i will give one last call and ask people who intend coming with us to state thier intentions now. ... or at least no later than Saturday 16 september I have already contacted the van parks and made reservations for 9 vans. I have been asked to contact them and let them know of any extras... so now is your chance to speak up and be counted in.

Here is the roll call as at today . Friday 15th September

Name Tow car Van Name Brand or type

Cobber FJ Holden Sedan “Driftwood” Bondwood
Will & Lyn - Ford F100 Ute “JFK” Kennedy F/G
Kingy.... EH Holden sedan Bondwood

Kaybees 48 ford F100 Bondwood Teardrop

Ray Roehm Nissan X Trail - “Still Growin” Propert Trail-A-cabin
JailbarJuice EH Holden sedan -“Groovin” Purdon Bondwood
Sugarshack Ford convertible Bondwood
Sutcac.. EH Holden sedan Sunliner F/G

Reddo EK Holden Ute “Matilda” Fairway Bondwood.

Please notify me by PM if the above details are wrong or you would like to add more details. Not that it matters too much if you have had a change of tow vehicle but it will help me with updating the travel info i am putting together.

4 weeks... cant wait. Just need to pray for a bit of good weather and hope we dont get a repeat of the wet weather we had at Coledale last year

Reddo

[earlee]

Hi All. ;D

I won't be able to make it to reddos pre-coledale tour but am planning to hook up at north sydney with the parade going south on friday the 20th.

Look for the white commodore with the 1964 Franklin.!

earlee.

[Deleted]

Commodo.... WHAT.... late model crap
No 327 EK ... why not
Ok ya can tag along
Get to the end of the line and stay there

I think everyone will be keen on friday morning to get to Coledale by lunchtime or just after , so we should be able to get out of Munmorah by about 8.00am . Its only about an hour on the F3 to the sydney exit. We should be down around Wahroonga somewhere between 9 and 10.
There is a couple of petrol stations about 1/2 a K on the left after you get off the expressway.

might be a good spot to wait there.

Or if you are down this way Thursday arvo why not swing in to Munmorah and stay the night with the rest of us.

Lookin forward to catchin up with you again Earlee dont be latelee

Bloody Queenslanders in Commodores... what is this tour degenerating into folks?

Reddo

[earlee]

You are right again Reddo – maybe I should bring the Crewman to keep your EK company. It weighs over 2 ton by itself, so I don’t know how it would go towing the ’64 Franklin back to brissie. Its only powered by a 202, not a 327!

[Deleted]

Hi All
Three weeks today to the kick off of the east coast spring tour .

update, Update

i had been thinkin about the Thursday night stop over at munmorah . There is not much there in the way of scenery, things to do and you have to drive into town for supplies etc .
Sooooooooooo ... Trish and i took a reconnisence run to swansea gardens caravan park yesterday.

We had a yarn with the caretaker and he has plenty of sites available for us as a group on thursday 19th October. Its only about 1/2 south of Chez Reddos so its an easy drive after the BBQ lunch on thursday.
This park is on the edge of the lake with beautiful views across the swansea channel and lake macquarie.. Large new ammenities , Camp BBQs and a Pool .

I have been feeling a bit guilty about booking us into small town parks on the tour which may not have a 4 or 5 star rating . so i figure as a reward for putting up with possibly less than perfect van parks all week and the thought of three days at Coledale unpowered , i will book us in for an overnight stay in a flash(er) park ;D.

You can check it out at [e-mail]
Powered site overnight is $23. ( off peak season)

i was talking to Humpty last saturday and he said he was thinking about spending the night with us at munmorah. i mentioned Swansea and he said he couldnt stay there because he couldnt take his dog there . Good news Humps ;D ;D... they allow small dogs like jack russells, Maltese terriers etc. So Fang will be OK to stay with you and Denise at the park .

Also means that we will have 10 of us on the highway "coledale bound" early Friday morning .
The caretaker mentioned that you and the H.A.T.S crew are staying there on the Australia day weekend. Top venue mate.

Lynelle & John.
I will give your bro a call and let him know about our cancellation.

Bye for now
Reddo

[Deleted]

Ummmmmm
That a "1/2 Hours drive" ... south of Chez Reddos

Reddo... i must proof read before hitting send. I must proof read before hitting send.

[Deleted]

Hi All

Just over a week before kick off on the ECST.
It looks like my footy lovin buddy and his wife are headin over from Perth with blackbetty and JFK to the proper side of Australia on friday 13th.
They will be staying in 1 star luxury in the backyard at chez Reddos on friday and saturday night.

I had to come up with a plan to make sure they dont claim squatters rights and take up permanent residency in my back yard which willno doubt decrease my property value..
So Trish and i have hatched a plan to evict them . ...........
Seeing as though Sydney is always a bung fight to drive around in ... especially on a Monday i thought we might head off to Lithgow on Sunday 15th.
I have just got off the "dog and Bone" to the Lithgow van park. Meredith the caretaker is cool with early starters for the tour rocking in on sunday arvo. So i reserved the same 9 sites that we have alocated for monday 16th.

This doesnt mean that we will be Leaving lithgow on Monday. all it means is that if anyone wants to roll up there on sunday they will be welcome to set up on the site they where alocated for Monday. Just mention to the caretaker you are with the vintage van mob...." Well duuurrrrr" ....... they will only have to take one look at your car and van to realise that, wont they Einstien ..

I have spoken with KB2 and she says that they are headin to a swap meet saturday and where planning on headin up to Lithgow on sunday anyway. So there ya go folks.
Reddo, Will and Lyn and probably Kaybees at Lithgow sunday arvo..... any others keen on the idea. I think the JBJs will be down to Newy on friday 13th so they might cruise on down with us as well.
I got the impression from our conversation that if anyone who lives local and not coming on the tour wants to bring their van down and stay the night would be welcome to do so and there is plenty of sites alongside our 9.. what do ya reckon Don . want to do a trial night before heading off to Coledale the following weekend??

We Can spend Monday doin' the toursity thingys around Lithgow. would have liked to have had a ride on the zig zag railway.. will check if they run the trains on monday Also would have like to have a look at the lithgow small arms factory. again i think it will be shut on monday.
Hmmmmmm might be a problem finding things to do on monday..... hey look the pubs are open..... yahooo


Ok folks thats about it from "stuff up headquarters"

10 more ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZs

[kingy]

Hi reddo,
Big chance we'll be hitting Lithgo early Sundy arvo, we intend to leave home mid saturday arvo and travel to around the Gong. somewhere, then continue onto Lithgo the following morning, or at least thats the plan so far. WISH we could leave now ;D ;D
Cheers Kingy

[cobber]

Reddo,

Sunday at Lithgow sounds good to us.
The Zig-Zag railway runs every day of the year---except Christmas day.
www.zigzagrailway.com.au/

[sugarshack]

Hi reddo and ECST participants, sorry chaps we will have to catch up to you on the Monday I
have to work on Sunday.Will leave early so I think we should lob by 10 am. sugarshack

[Deleted]

Yeah right Cobber
Done a bit of homework on your link earlier today.

I googled zig zag before i posted todays message. I think you will find that the "bondwoods" of the train word......that is "Proper steam trains ".... .........dont run on Weekdays. Only what they refer to as.. Motor rails...."Diesel" ... or what i refer to as the "oil burning pretend version of real trains" run during the week.

I think the reason for this is there is a lot more volunteers involved in getting the coal fired steamers ( read here real trains again folks) from the top of the great divide at Clarence to the bottom and back up again.
Where is the thrill in hanging out the window of a red rattler without coping a face full of sinters and soot. I can cop diesel oil following an oily 4X4 down the highway.

Anyway mate i am prepared to forego a day on the choo choos knowing that there will be enough to keep me entertained in the van park watching FJs roll down the mountain ( do the have mountains in W.A???) trailing clouds of blue smoke and nursing glowing red brake drums

I better stop talkin about irrelavant non vint van things like trains before my message gets "nuked"
Hey Will ... they have a footy ground in Lithgow too

Lithgow ... famous for FOSSIL fuels:D
OOOOOooooooooooooppppppssss .... there's that word again Cob.

reddohcaseyjonesasteaminandarollin'
Firemanwallyandtherestofthecrew
inathrillingadventurethatsalotoffunwhencaseytakesthethrottleforanotherrun... choof.. choof

[veedubnut]

Wish I could join you all on Sunday night at Lithgow but, I'm working as well Afternoon shift at Katoomba railway. Actually come to think of it Bigdidda is also working at Katoomba pulling his levers on Sunday I'll just be watching... I like to watch Kettle will be on for anyone who wants to drop by ;D

Cheers

Greg

[bigdidda]

Col,
Greg will probably shoot me for saying this but NOT MUCH.
He sits in a little room like me but with less windows and watches people on TV all day. ;D
Honestly he is the CCTV man and does actually have a quite important job as his area covers from Lapstone to Mt Victoria i think.
regards don

[veedubnut]

Hi Col,

Well to be honest I just drink tea and coffee all day *cough cough* urrrr I mean (geez I hope my CEO isn't into old plywood vans) ;D I'm a CCTV Operator... translation:- monitor all Blue Mtns Rail stations via the cameras. Provide video footage for Police evidence etc.

There now if nobody wants to talk to me I'll know why

Cheers

Greg

[veedubnut]

Well You beat me to it Don!

[veedubnut]

Hi Col,

Yeah I will be towing the TD with my Volksy... I have decided not to change the raging 1200cc engine for my 1600cc. It will be a real test indeed

I might leave home on Thursday night just so I'll be there by lunchtime on Friday

Cheers

Greg