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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2012 9:52:41 GMT 10
G'day guys, love this site. i have an old millard I bought a year ago (don't know what year, if anyone could help here i would love to know), after selling my rebuilt viscount camper trailer i had for 15 years. the idea was that we were sick of set up time on a camper trailer and wanted a van we could pull up on side of road and make a coffee or lunch! also all involved was to back up on site turn a key and enjoy a beer whilst friends are still mucking around building a "home site"......  anyway it is an 18 foot dual axle millard, lime green. a dual axle was very hard to find in an 18 foot van of any description!! the van was sold at $3500 but the interior was shabby, rust on a frame (terminal)and the chassis needs attention........o.k start the rebuild.......but we now find out wife is pregnant with our first! this will put a dampner on time spent "playing on van"!!!! time passes and i have only painted interior and built master bedroom when.......OUR BABY GIRL ARRIVES!!!!! now i only get to play for a couple of hours a week to play in the green machine! will start to post some photos and the story behind "the green machine"  i added an external shower for free camping  also a town water pressure reduceing attachment and a lockable water filler as i have heard what people can do in parks up north!  a view of the side with modifications, not happy with the color or alaminium around the lockable filler so i will paint this  shower all fitted!  the old 50 litre fridge was not broken so I sold it and baught this 150 litre. was only a few years old but it wouldn't fit through the door!!!! so a neighbour had a crane so it had to go through the roof hatch!!!!!!  a updated fuse box with saftey fuse was needed and also a cd stereo with ipod connection was fitted!  i fitted L.E.D lights for free camping and they also improve the light in kitchen!  the new kitchen fitted (also a new dometic sink)  the old stove witch was lime green had to be modified so i painted it black as it was too good and no need to replace it!!  needed to add extra bench space so a cover over the stove was fitted  the "duetto" hot water system fitted so now we have 10 litres of hat water, works really well and is a lot smaller than other hot water units  a 12 volt pump and accumulator so now we don't need to PUMP it by hand, and we have running water in freecamping!  view of the new fridge/mwo/dinette  the new cd player  bunk area with new led lights and 12volt (cig lighter type) connectors for kids tv/dvd players etc  view to master bedroom with new concertina door fitted, the old was was mouldy  new bed with lifters and led lights fitted so now i have a lot more storage room for toilet and annex etc  new drawers fitted in bedroom so heaps more storage for clothes, we now use the old hanging area for a pantry! more photo's and stories to follow as bubs is screaming for me!! Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2012 14:09:26 GMT 10
Hi Lowerowe,
your van is 1971 72,as thats when Millard bought in colour co-ordination,eg your stove!From memory you could have your van themed in green,blue,mustard and a mettalic burnt orange.Vans were colour matched inside and out.
very trendy for their time!
Cheers
hughdeani
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Post by millard1399 on May 6, 2012 21:14:39 GMT 10
G'day lowerowe71, and welcome to the forum! ;D Great ol' van you've picked up there!  I'd be interested in knowing the chassis number of your van. I think I can see the plate to the right of the jockey wheel clamp in your first photo. It'll be there somewhere, and will be an "M" followed by some numbers. Like hughdeani says, it does look like an early '70s van. cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2012 21:54:53 GMT 10
Hi and thanks for the story so far.
She is beautiful and your ideas and workmanship first class.
She's a spitting image of my slightly younger 18' York.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2012 19:55:54 GMT 10
Cool van. I like the external shower and set up for free camps,
Part ( a lot ) of the reason I am fixing up our van is for a similar reason to yourself. We have a Goldstream Link that although is a super camper and really tough, I am sick of setting it up and pulling over on the side of the road for a nite is a pain especially late a nite.
Regards
cameron
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2012 18:06:48 GMT 10
Great re-build. Love the drawers in the kitchen. Many lovely ideas there.  |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2012 19:28:25 GMT 10
Cool van. I like the external shower and set up for free camps, Part ( a lot ) of the reason I am fixing up our van is for a similar reason to yourself. We have a Goldstream Link that although is a super camper and really tough, I am sick of setting it up and pulling over on the side of the road for a nite is a pain especially late a nite. Regards cameron yeah, i know that. touring through vic especially Gippsland there is a lot of free camp spots to side of highways, being able to pull over and get out of car open door then fridge then drink beer/ boil kettle was important, after all time spent setting up is time from your holiday....and lets face it the drive is long enough with kiddies! the shower id still to be finished as well, need to add rope tracks for the screen, next month i think |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2012 19:31:09 GMT 10
Great re-build. Love the drawers in the kitchen. Many lovely ideas there. yeah, for some reason there was only one small drawer and a smallish cupboard there origanally.... so much waisted space....we have so much more room now for food/pots/towels etc but thanks. p.s not all ideas were mine.....most was from my beautiful wife  |
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2012 19:14:43 GMT 10
Hi and thanks for the story so far. She is beautiful and your ideas and workmanship first class. She's a spitting image of my slightly younger 18' York. thanks, been hard work with a Budget and a 9month old....other people say the rebuild but then they put a normal fridge and crappy benches etc and they don't look any good or practical. |
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2012 19:16:41 GMT 10
Hi Lowerowe, your van is 1971 72,as thats when Millard bought in colour co-ordination,eg your stove!From memory you could have your van themed in green,blue,mustard and a mettalic burnt orange.Vans were colour matched inside and out. very trendy for their time! Cheers hughdeani jezz, thank god i didnt buy a mustard or burnt orange!!!! agreed very trendy, also the best layout and weight!!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2012 20:20:32 GMT 10
OK here's how i made the cabinets for the van, I am not a cabinet maker so this may be wrong but this is the way I DO IT! please don't criticise me, I am getting there. anyway thought some people would like to see how I have done them, so.........  The empty space i need to fill to hide my reverse camera leads and storage for the misses!  the new reverse camera!!  the framework for the cupboard made from 10mmx10mm and 18mmx5mm pine blanks (for weight) and faced with 3mm MDF panels. NOTE: i have glued and nailed all joins as i have seen some professional made van fall apart after a year! (my mates Jayco for one)  drill holes out for router bit for door holes  i know i didn;t need this many, got excited  started to router out cupboards, a router is so easy for this and such a neat finish  cutting cutting...... getting there  the frame is finished, now to do the doors  doors are made from 9mm MDF  handles are attached.....time to paint, but i will do that in a couple of weeks......maybe? |
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Post by millard1399 on Jul 22, 2012 22:21:10 GMT 10
G'day lowerowe, There isn't necessarily any right way or wrong way to do things on a van. I guess the only "right way" is whatever way you are capable of doing things. The really crucial part of any caravan restoration is making the van watertight, and a watertight van allows you to get away with a number of changes that some people might consider "not the best way of doing it". Some people (me included) will argue against using MDF in a van because it acts like a sponge with water. Others will say that if you fully coat it in protective paint, it will resist soaking up water. When I did the work on my Millard poptop, I coated the back of the wall ply with two coats of enamel primer paint. Six months after the resto was completed, I noticed water staining on the internal paper facing around the front side window. Somehow water was leaking into the van above that side window, even after I'd used heaps of cartridges of sealant around the van. I ended up having to put another run of sealant on the side of the edge moulding above that window. Was I crapped off about the leak after all the hard work I'd put into it? You betcha!! And am I still crapped off whenever I look at the water marks and think how they make my effort seem amateurish? Damn straight, I am!!  The moral of the story is to do whatever you want in the van, but by crikey you have to make sure that the finished van is absolutely waterproof, otherwise your brilliant cabinetwork will end up looking pretty ordinary. I like the quality of work you're doing. MDF seems to be heavier than ply of the same thickness, so you should expect to see a change in weight in the van. Keep doing the great job you're doing. And make sure you've got enough money left over for plenty of decent sealant when you put everything back together. ;D cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2012 22:39:10 GMT 10
yeah, agreed. my last van i used MDF in the restore. used a pva and water spray then sealer/undercoat and enamel. seemed to work o.k.
i have access to mdf but not ply. anyway if it does leak and swell mdf, i'll build more cabinets. will be a pain in the bum though!
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Post by drylander on Jul 22, 2012 23:39:02 GMT 10
Lowerowe71 your doing good and once painted it will look the part. I probably would have made the doors from ply but just my preference. Any chance you could get a nice closeup of the Millard sticker at the front? Mine got a bit scorched and I would like to get a new one made but need a copy of the sticker. Same age as mine so would be nice if you could assist
Pete
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2012 20:53:27 GMT 10
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Post by drylander on Jul 26, 2012 0:11:38 GMT 10
thanks but they only have the later stickers. I would like to get the original style as I think they look better than the coloured stuff. ;D
Pete
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2012 18:26:50 GMT 10
thanks but they only have the later stickers. I would like to get the original style as I think they look better than the coloured stuff. ;D Pete agreed, i'll post the photo tomorrow! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2012 17:03:50 GMT 10
Lowerowe71 your doing good and once painted it will look the part. I probably would have made the doors from ply but just my preference. Any chance you could get a nice closeup of the Millard sticker at the front? Mine got a bit scorched and I would like to get a new one made but need a copy of the sticker. Same age as mine so would be nice if you could assist Pete here is the front sticker drylander  hope it helps, sorry so late posting i have had nothing but trouble lately!! and an update on cupboards!!!! the space before hand and after  and inside  |
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Post by jai on Oct 8, 2012 20:04:23 GMT 10
Hey there,
Love the van and your story.
Your cupboards look fantastic!!!
I'm in the middle of restoring a completely gutted 1965 viscount, trying to find the time around my 4 small children is proving to be a huge challenge.
Good luck with your juggling.... ;D
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2012 16:33:11 GMT 10
 the old a-frame, rusted through and damm dangerous! anyway it's gone now. the new one is longer to fit a toolbox (for annex and hoses etc  the new a-frame getting made up, the bars were spread at the coupling  painted and ready to fit the new toolbox and pole carrier.  installing the new jacking points. these old vans never came with a place to jack it up. this is designed to fit my high lift jack.  placed between the wheels  finished ready to be painted  the new drop stands installed one on each corner alko of course  the new bumper bar, not correct he will remake it using 4mm RHS as this is not strong enough to carry 2 20ltr water jerry cans plus holders and a bolt on spare wheel holder. (not these stupid welded spare wheel holders, all jerry can holders and spare wheel holder are to be bolt on so they can be removed to fit bike rack or simular  ok, so now i need to remove the surface rust and after 40 years of crap it'll take me a while. left hand side is what is was, right side has been sanded and the rear has been sprayed with rust converter ready to be painted |
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Post by millard1399 on Nov 9, 2012 20:16:49 GMT 10
G'day lowerowe, Well you're certainly putting in the hard yards on this project. It's all looking pretty good so far! ;D Can you tell me what the chassis number is on the drawbar you cut off the van? It looks like M27305 to me, is that right? When you confirm that number, I'll change the first heading of this thread to say the van is a 1972 model with that number. Also, you don't need to post in both the threads you started for this van. Just keep posting in this one in the Hall Of Fame, and I'll delete the other one in the General Section. Keep up the great work! ;D cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2012 20:25:04 GMT 10
G'day lowerowe, Well you're certainly putting in the hard yards on this project. It's all looking pretty good so far! ;D Can you tell me what the chassis number is on the drawbar you cut off the van? It looks like M27305 to me, is that right? When you confirm that number, I'll change the first heading of this thread to say the van is a 1972 model with that number. Also, you don't need to post in both the threads you started for this van. Just keep posting in this one in the Hall Of Fame, and I'll delete the other one in the General Section. Keep up the great work! ;D cheers, Al. thanks that'll be good! and yes m27305 although now it need a new number! |
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Post by millard1399 on Nov 9, 2012 21:28:19 GMT 10
Nup, just get the welder to weld that same number on the new drawbar, and you'll retain the history.  cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2012 5:22:35 GMT 10
Hi lowerowe. Great job , so far love your work. Please keep the photos coming. Cheers Gav. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 20:12:34 GMT 10
 new jack point works well, why didn't these come with this??  close up of new jack point  new toolbox installed and pole pipe installed, new gas ring (lockable) and bolt on jokey wheel. wow getting there  new gas regulator installed, gas piping getting installed next month......slowly getting there!!! i just want to go camping!! ;D ;D ;D |
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