Millard 1978 and Franklin Hunter 1976

Hey All
Dual windows over the area that is normally the kitchen.
Unusual for an Olympic

Nice looking van none the less

cheers
Atog

hi gary.
wish i had some good advice for you. the millard was ok on the walls so to stop leaks in corrosion pin holes in the roof we used silver shield ( the bitumen style paint with a silver finish). sealed well but doesn't set like paint so it leaves run stains down the walls when it rains. will try and paint over the silver shield one day. (then clean the walls).
Interior walls were painted with all purpose undercoat then dulux suede (this hid all the faults) with the clear coat finish.
Any plastic strips etc were first coated with white knight grip lock.
Ceiling was undercoated then overcoated with wall paint, not ceiling paint.(the cupboards were left original)
The Franklin's interior was replaced with bunnings pre coated ply.
We had to completely sand off the coating just to get the grip lock to stick. Same problem with the original sections of walls and ceiling.
Then suede paint with cupboards left original.
The exterior paint was bad back & front and got worse while cleaning with metho. So we ended up removing all the paint with metho and sanding the hand painted side stripes and bogging the numerous dents.
Etch primer was spray painted to the exterior aluminium but the hire equipment (or me) left the coating like coarse 80 sandpaper so more major sanding. (ended up finishing off with an old "little beaver" and light sanding.)
I will paint the roof with wattyl solar guard ( therma shield would be better).
The walls were going to be automotive enamel with enamel add. (2 pac would be better) but the etch primer finish is so bad that i will probably do the whole van in solar guard to try to hide the faults. (all my faults,too)
well, thats a lot of rambling with no good advice except to check on everyone else's painting comments.
regards from phil
p.s. my other brother in law who works for smash repairs suggested i just use a scourer on all the original paint (no sanding or priming) and spray with the automotive enamel. (but i am told that acrylic is better)

hello Al.

The millard has a state energy commision cert dated 1978 in west aus. for Bi-Tone Caravan Sales
the number M53664 is on a plate rivotted to the A frame.
Chassis is galv. with aluminium frame.

The franklin has the number 2039 welded on the a frame.
this number was also hand written on the back every piece of interior lining i replaced, even the kitchen sink.(no known date yet) and is similar but different interior layout to this one
ditzygypsy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photos&action=display&thread=109
all the best in your chronicle endeavour.

Phil.

Phil, I've changed the original heading of your thread so I can find it more easily later when I want to retrieve your chassis numbers.

cheers,
Al.

hello c.c.ers. Here are the words to go with the photos.
Outside was paint stripped back to aluminium then numerous dents fixed with body filler.
All aluminium strips around the van edges were removed, cleaned and resealed with…..silicone….
Aluminium was coated with etch primer, left 2 weeks then coated with – yes, afraid so – solar guard.
Started first, though, on the inside. Lots of rotten window/door framework replaced and lots of internal ply removed but leaving the last thickness still glued to the foam which is in turn glued to the aluminium walls.
Replaced with ply from bunnings using the plastic joining strips. (had to do some ceiling as well).The ply bent well around the curve back and front.
Had to put in a new door jam using aluminium angle etc from a supplier. (franklins door jam was non existent).
New soft lino was placed over the existing tiles after some flooring was fixed with body filler.
Original broken fridge was replaced with a 2nd hand 3 way from the tender centre.
Rear nite & day lounge and dinette cushions were taken to a professional upholsterer using our material. (quite well priced too).
All windows were removed, cleaned and resealed using caulk (sort of plasticine in rolls) This was chosen after much differing advice from van repair yards. (had to remove the windows to get the fridge & lounge out)
Replaced the window dust seals, insect screens, and numerous broken pieces (winders etc) with similar parts from van repair shop. All window holes were not cut very well by franklin so windows had lotsa gaps.
Cupboard handles were replaced where needed with similar ones from same repair shop.
Louise did all the internal fixes like puttying numerous screw and nail holes in the cupboards and painting the walls with grip lock as the undercoat and then suede paint effects to hide the blemishes. Ceiling was ordinary wall paint over grip lock.
Still had to really sand the old and the new ply before painting. (She did a lot of the external sanding too, we both reckoned we had gone overboard)
We have started edging all the cupboard doors with a 5mm plastic angle to stop the chipboard from flaking more.
I have installed some 12v lighting and a car cd player that takes usb stick which run for probably 2 nights from a jump start/power pack.
That’s it. Finished (nearly). A year of weekends, too much grog and a missus who was getting over it.
(most of my time was spent trying to find where I put my glasses – and I was drinking out of a bottle)

After this, I must say that I am mighty impressed with the efforts of the cc’ers whose van rebuilds are posted on this site.
I cant believe the better than new finish you can get from your original vans state. Words escape me.
Something like that is not in my vocabulary let alone in the wife’s marriage vows.
well, its time for another one - drink that is. philou.

Hi philou

Well done with the renno it looks good, sure like the interior decorators touches..

Bobt

G'day there philou,

Great job on the reno,

it sure looks comfy and has the definite touch of a woman there,

I like the design of the fridge door patten, very different and suits the caravan perfectly,

those chandeliers fit in very well with the interior design, well done and a great job.

We hope to see that one in the West for the Wild-flower tour. ;D ;D

Cheers kiwijim

thought i would show some extras i did on the franklin.

The both wheels tow in at the top but one was worse so i heated up the bar that joins the main axle to the stub axle and then levered the stub axle downward a bit.
I figured it was enough but the wheel is still not correct but at least it matches the other one now instead of being worse.
I also finished placing plastic angle moulding around the chip'd chipboard cupboard doors.
And below are some photos i took before i found this site









Well, thats it.
The next project is to turn this old whiteant shed into a new carport for the Franklin & Millard

all the best to all you renovaters
phil
p.s. i just modified the photos smaller, they were still a bit big.

Philou,
congratulations on your 2 vans, they look great. Love the interior decorations.
In a word "WOW".

Frankidownunder.

Hi Ya Phil

You sure put a lot of effort into that little franklin. It came up a treat.. Love what you are towing it with. How does it cope?

Mate be very careful around the council clean up time. My dear beloved tried very hard to put me out for collection. She figured it would be a good start to the clean up ;D ;D

Bobt

thanks Bobt.
I lease the Astra from my work. The turbo diesel manual hatch is the only one with the more powerful engine and better suspension. (not the petrol and not the automatic).
Plenty of power for the approx 1 tonne total towing. (just needs a bit of rev and clutch work on a standing hill start).
Fuel goes from about 7L/100K not towing to 12L/100K towing.
The hatch also places the towball closer to the back axle better than car or wagon and i use weight distribution/stabilizer bars.
cheers.
no rubbish Phil.