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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 6, 2021 19:00:42 GMT 10
Wow, Surf Tragic! You’ve definitely proved your point about scraping off all the paint!! I am in awe of your meticulous and amazing work. Your van will be a work of art, which is only fitting given it’s history.  Don Ricardo |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Feb 6, 2021 19:45:49 GMT 10
G'day Don Ricardo It's humming along now & fun again, there will be a lull for a while as I get the electrical done & prepare for insulation in the walls first. As as you well know theres no backs in the cupboards so will have to line those with ply from the inside, including the Robe , Bath, and opposite bath under seat, some across the lower front & back, this will make the entire van double skinned, & can fit styrofoam between. I won't be getting bored for a while ! A work of art you say ? Ask Trena about the "artist" that I am !!  Surf Tragic |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 10, 2021 12:05:50 GMT 10
ST, you're a man with too much time on his hands!!! I know that the satisfaction of a job DONE PROPERLY is priceless. Always good to do something enjoyable after the crappy stuff!!
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Post by Surf Tragic on Feb 10, 2021 16:40:46 GMT 10
Well y'know Roehm3108, I'm inside all day today trying a new CAD program, I don't go down to the shed every day as it would end up too much like having a job !! I'm doing other stuff in between my spare time ! Do you ever throw a line in at that beautiful Lake you look out on ? |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Feb 11, 2021 20:10:39 GMT 10
 120 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Wal Robinson rang to say he found some more tools that were used in the Don Factory,, & invited us to take a short drive to Wooragee on the Beechworth Road where he & Anna were staying, to visit & take these if I wanted them. Isn't it amazing what he keeps finding ??. Of course I accepted, & they will be part of my Don Museum.  121 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr I never knew there was a Stanley 4 1/2, but there you are, learning something every day. I have the #3 & #4 and others. Love these old tools, they're still very useful. Surf Tragic. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 11, 2021 22:38:01 GMT 10
G’day Roehm, I don’t think I can agree with you that Surf Tragic has ‘too much time on his hands’. I think he has ‘ENOUGH time on his hands’. As a result his work is the gold standard (as the politicians like to say these days) that we can all seek to reach! Not that many of us can achieve that goal. Great work Surf Tragic. Keep inspiring us. Don Ricardo |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 13, 2021 14:06:15 GMT 10
Gee ST, you WRITE CAD programs??? Way ahead of my feeble talents!!! I don't actually look out on any lake, unless you're referring to the lake behind the servo across the road where Matilda the Commonwealth Games mascot lived. The servo has now closed and a new one built on the new freeway up the road and Matilda has been revitalised completely. There are other lakes and the Mary River in the near vicinity of where I live, but I haven't tested the waters yet. Not sure it would do my vertigo much good at the moment!!
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Post by Surf Tragic on Feb 14, 2021 23:15:06 GMT 10
Oh No Roehm3108, no Roehm3108,  I must put that right, I only USE CAD, not a programmer, I said " I'm inside all day today trying a new CAD program," I should have added, "written by Archline", it's different to AutoCad that I'm used to, so have to learn the new commands. AutoCAD won't let you buy their Software any more for a while now only lease it by the year, This lot let you buy it once only payment. It's on trial at the moment, and like all new things, it gets easy once you know which buttons to push. I thought you were near to Lake Cootharabra at Boreen Point, probably I've got that wrong !! Never mind. I've swum in the Mary River, also fished at the mouth and got up to my ankles in Mullet there, I don't remember the method we caught so many Officer, but we were very young & it was midnight !  |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 17, 2021 8:08:15 GMT 10
Teach me for misreading your post ST!!!! Still impressed you know how to use CAD!! Lake Cootharaba is about 45 mins away from me.
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Post by annesfx on Feb 21, 2021 20:35:21 GMT 10
Wow, amazing work Ron!
It really does look like you’re on the home straight now.
We are hoping to have our Don 133 ready for the Nationals in S.A, but couldn’t even compare the workmanship and skills that you have displayed through out your build!
Well done 👏
Cheers Anne
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Post by Surf Tragic on Jul 25, 2021 17:55:57 GMT 10
 1 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr There are no backs on any cupboards, Robe, or other compartments, so had to line them all with ply to make a cavity to fit insulation. I take a lot of photos of all I do, so the unpainted ply shows every piece that's just been fitted on the LHS, it took a while.  2 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Behind the sink, drawers, & Bath on the RHS  3 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Tops of overhead cupboards. The insulation lays on this & then roof lining goes over the top.  4 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Backs of all overhead cupboards  5 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr it leaves room for 20mm polystyrene in the cavity, cut & glued in with water based "No Nails"  6 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr There's no room for a hammer or the small nail gun for a lot of these pieces, so am glad for the "no Nails" super strength Adhesive, there were many small stick props to hold it in place 'til the glue dried.  7 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Most pieces were cut a bit bigger & planed down for a tight fit. Many peices of pine nogging for this little job, 108 to be exact, and 40 pieces of ply cut to suit, so I got a lot of exercise up & down the ladders & Alum plank/trestle set-up, cutting, marking again, planing, all glued & nailed.. Now to paint all those !! Surf Tragic |
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Post by aussieute on Jul 25, 2021 22:19:57 GMT 10
Wow so much time and patience to do all that fiddley work job well done nice to see so many older vans getting new life as they were built for the next generation to see cheers chris
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 1, 2021 21:11:35 GMT 10
 130 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr The Chassis has been sitting outside in the weather for some time, finally it needs fitting before more ply goes on.  131 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Take the wheels off & it slides under easily  133 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr The moment of truth shows it needs some minor adjustments, it was made using the old chassis as a pattern.  134 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr All done except for about 10 bolts to fit along the length of the body, the easier part.  135 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Re-fit the repaired step frame , bolted to the chassis & floor bearer. Now to fit the Bath, it has to be done in sequence & in an order, part of the bath frame is also part of the framing that the front ply fastens on to !! So, fit Bath, then finish front frame ready for outer sheets of ply ! Unlike the way modern vans are made with the frame done, sheeted, then all the fixtures & cupboards are fastened separately to the walls. |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 2, 2021 7:39:35 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 2, 2021 11:40:08 GMT 10
Wow Surf Tragic,  You're making great progress there, and it's coming together really nicely.  I am interested that you had to fabricate a new chassis. I presume you were able to transfer some of the fittings over, such as the coupling, jockey wheel and handles? Don Ricardo |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 2, 2021 13:01:17 GMT 10
G'day Don Ricardo I thought the new stronger chassis was somewhat necessary, (Cobber would call me a Maximum-ist) The original one was twisted & bent with a curve up above the axle & sagging to the front & rear, & wanted something more rigid seeing I'm going to such pains to straighten the wooden frame. The axle is badly bent too ! All the original parts like the coupling with the jockey wheel & handles are integrated into the new frame, it wouldn't be a Don without that, also the small solid rubber wheels at the back, it looks identical to original & love the coupling. The plan is for a water tank under the floor with a pump to the sink, I'm past lugging tanks of heavy stuff around. I need a filler point in the side of the van & don't want a modern plastic one, I wonder if anyone has an old one ? I will google for that. I'll do a close up of the coupling for you. I've given myself a 'thumbs up' by mistake  Supposed to hit the 'edit' button. Surf Tragic |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 2, 2021 14:05:36 GMT 10
 136 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr The whole coupling welded into the new chassis, Jockey wheel, handles, little 'skid' under the coupling.  138 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr The 'skid' wheels at the back changed over to the new chassis. |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 2, 2021 14:57:03 GMT 10
so self-inflicted thumbs up was a Freudian slip? i agree that you deserve it!
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 2, 2021 21:12:37 GMT 10
Hi Surf Tragic, The original fittings from the chassis have been beautifully incorporated into the new chassis. Congratulations on a job, not just well, but excellently done. One thing that surprised me was that your coupling head does not have a grease nipple on the near side in between the two bolts holding the parts of the coupling together. Is there one on the off side of the coupling head? If there isn’t, how do you lubricate the captive ball? Just wondering if the grease nipple might have been a late 40’s innovation?? I was interested in your proposal about the water tank. I know where you’re coming from - lifting the 16 litre galley tank into the van and then up over the sink into its position is a major effort, and seems to get heavier every year! I must admit I cheat and fill both tanks with a hose before I leave, and multiple buckets full when we are away. In relation to what you are suggesting with the tank, I guess it depends on whether you will need to carry water with you when you travel. The idea of a pump tap seems a bit modern to me.  Colinandsue came up with what I thought was quite a nice solution for their Don 140. I’m not sure if you’ve seen it? They got a false tank made to fit above the sink (filler cap and handle included), and mounted an original on/off tap in the correct location in the tank over the sink. The tap was then connected to a hose which went down behind the sink, through the kitchen cupboards and down through the floor. Under the floor is a hose fitting that can be connected to the caravan site water supply. That works well if you’re always going to have access to a water supply. If you eliminate the 40 litre tank under the near side dinette seat, that will provide some useful additional storage space. But I hope you’ll still mount the Don external tap just to the left of the step? That is a nice feature of the Don 140’s. It could be connected to the under floor tank or, using Colinandsue’s method, the water supply. Don Ricardo |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 3, 2021 19:29:49 GMT 10
 142 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Don Ricardo, There's the grease nipple on the RH Side ! Everything seems well greased but of course will give it all a proper service later.  139 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Step frame is bolted to the chassis.  140 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr Don Ricardo, see the part of the step that angles down at about 45 deg, take note of that as I'm going to refer to that particular piece in reference to a homemade van you have asked for comments on. Your other comments about the water tank, it would seem you have read my mind, as it is intended to make a false tank with all fittings hidden behind & use an under floor tank, electric pump, and use the same original tap. The arrangement using a hose & town water has an appeal too, I will know what to do when it comes time to do it !! I'm open to any opinions & suggestions. The water tank under the seat has already been discarded, but I could certainly remount the tap on the left side of the door, good idea. If this had been my only van that I'd used all my life, I would have made modern improvements & conveniences along the way like you have done, (frig), like we do in our homes. My intention is to have a Diesel heater, also cooler plates in the ice-chest powered by a 12 V compressor. None of these things will be seen. If anyone has a spare antique waster filler for the outside wall, please contact me. Surf Tragic |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 4, 2021 21:05:33 GMT 10
Hi Surf Tragic, Ah, so you do have a grease nipple, but on the other side of the coupling. I wonder if there is any significance in that? I must say I haven’t taken any notice of the location of the nipple when I’ve been looking at various Dons. I better start being more observant! I do know that little design changes were made along the way, particularly to the 140 model, I think, so it’s possible this was one of them. I’ll see what I can find out…not that it’s really of great moment. I was interested to hear more about your thinking in relation to the water tank and supply. I’ll look forward to seeing what you decide. Adding the external tap should be a relatively simple exercise whichever way you go. Looking at the photos of the chassis under the floor is fantastic. It gives me an idea of how it all would have looked when the vans rolled out of the Don factory. Just so fresh and clean. How much work did you have to do to get the rear safety wheels working and looking so good? I am assuming they turn? I can’t remember the wheels ever turning on our van, although I’m sure they would have at the beginning. In addition, somebody* a long time ago painted ours when they were painting the chassis, thus making them even less likely to turn! Don Ricardo * That “somebody” would actually be me, when I was in my teens or early 20’s…  I had a passion for painting anything that wasn’t moving when I was young. When I was three or four I painted the boot lid of my mother’s black Morris 8 silver with some left over paint from the caravan roof. I thought it looked pretty good! My mother was a remarkably patient person who responded by sitting me down and having a chat with me about what should be painted, and what should not. The chat worked, but clearly I didn’t apply the principle to the Don’s safety wheels later on! |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 5, 2021 16:38:23 GMT 10
I did think of design change with the grease nipple being on the other side on your van, & checked the Four Dons I have here. I will call it LHS & RHS for reasons I will explain below. Don 140 , 1948, RHS ser# 343 Don 120 , 1954, LHS ser# 784 Don 120, ? RHS No serial # visible, bought on 6th Dec 2015. can't find a posting. From Mt Martha. Could you do a search also to see if I'm going blind please. Don 133 1958 RHS ser# 1108 Don 133 1958 ser# 1107 Coupling upgraded Whether there is rhyme or reason in these differences may be explained by an incident I recall when motoring through Melbourne, my wife was navigating & informed me to turn RIGHT at the next major intersection, so I took care moving across 3 lanes to the right lane, when we got to the intersection she said, " no, this way" which was LEFT ! I will add a little more, as you can imagine I had to go right, then do a 'U' turn, come back, wait, then proceed. So I realized that some people have a bother in discerning between Left & Right. Has anybody else had this experience ? Now when she says "turn right," I ask which one, the left one or the right one. Could it be that an employee in the Don Factory had this peculiarity, and when told to fit the grease nipple on the Right, fitted it on the LEFT !! Apart from that, only today, I find that one Don 120 has NO ID anywhere that I can see, not even a mark on the wall where the brass plaque usually is, none on outside wall LHS of door, none on step. It is a very original van all round with original seat cushions, colours, wind-up Jockey wheel, but being at Mt Martha was in the salt air, the chassis is very rusted with large holes around the coupling area, the brake drums were rusted together & had to be cut apart, the Jockey winder is rusted, locked solid. It was difficult to load on the trailer. By the way Don Ricardo, the safety wheels at the back do turn, but not very freely, enough to do what they are there for. Your painting skills started early in life Surf Tragic |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 5, 2021 21:29:20 GMT 10
Hi Surf Tragic. Interesting to read what you’ve discovered about the RH and LH grease nipples, and also your theory about a Don employee being left/right confused. I am that way myself, so your theory sounds feasible! I’ll see what I can find out from my Don files about the grease nipples. The thread about your ‘numberless’ 120 you have been looking for is here. I’ve also checked my files and have some photos of a Don 120 taken from EBay in November 2015 which I think is the van you rescued from Mount Martha. Is the van a 122 model (3-berth)? If so, there is a photo of the serial number plate for the van showing ‘934’. In the photo the plate is just loose and shown with two Don badges, so maybe they’re stored away in the van somewhere? I’ll email the photos to you, and you can see if it’s your van. Don Ricardo PS Looking at the photo of the serial plate again, I think it may say ‘994’. |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 6, 2021 11:06:22 GMT 10
Hi Don Ricardo.
There's mystery with this Don 934 (or 994) !! I don't ever remember seeing any Badges or the ID plate. The van on the link you sent is indeed THE van I have hidden away behind the main shed, so will do a thorough search for these items now & let you know.
Thanks, Surf Tragic
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Post by Surf Tragic on Sept 6, 2021 19:07:44 GMT 10
 144 by Surf Tragic, on Flickr I found the Badges & ID plate, they were in a safe place but completely forgotten about, Just 6 years gone since I purchased the van. I rang that mobile number with those photos you sent, same people I bought it off, they now live in Queensland on the outskirts of Noosa, very pleasant & helpful. Really I must place it in Members Photo Album so it's on the record. Thanks Don Ricardo for your help. This Number looks fairly clear now Surf Tragic |
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I must put that right, I only USE CAD, not a programmer, I said " I'm inside all day today trying a new CAD program," I should have added, "written by Archline", it's different to AutoCad that I'm used to, so have to learn the new commands. AutoCAD won't let you buy their Software any more for a while now only lease it by the year, This lot let you buy it once only payment. It's on trial at the moment, and like all new things, it gets easy once you know which buttons to push.
