1978 16' Viscount Explorer Pop Top - Refurb!

[matt]

Hi all! We have just moved up from a 1974 ACT up & out camper into a 1978 Viscount Pop Top that needs some TLC. I'll post photos as I go with the refurb. The aim is to have everything done in the next month or so (only had it three weeks so far) and head off to a few local spots before our first big road trip. Only paid a few grand with a roadworthy and gas cert. RWC was done by our mechanic so we know its mechanically sound. There's a few things on the list like Paint, new curtains, new cushion upholstery, powder room, (Lisa ;-) ) also new water tank and pump, new springs and ALKO shock absorber kit, solar panel, and deep cycle (Me... lol). This is her on pick up day a few weeks ago....

Now a quick question for you all.... We know its a 78 Viscount, but did this have a model name? We have scoured the net and haven't come up with its model name. If anyone could post some suggestions it would be mucho appreciated.

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This is the galley before shot... yep acres and acres of plastic wood, water damage to the corner, and a fridge that flops around......





Most of the doors back on after being coated with 2-pac food grade poly eurethane. New bench top in ... complete with wine glass holders. New light switches and GPO's in. A hint of the new flooring too. We used those self adhesive timber look vinyl planks. I work as a floor sander and thought of bamboo or composite floating floor but went for the vinyl stick on ones due to weight, ease of installation in a small space, and budget. (Would have loved real timber marquet floors but those purse strings were pulled tight...lol. Oh and a non flop around fridge!

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Will post more photos as we go along!

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[youngdazza]

G'day Matt

I used to own a Viscount pop=top similar to yours for about 10 years. I loved that van but unfortunately we outgrew it

The reno is looking great so far! The benchtop looks really shiny. I'm curious, where did you buy the benchtop from? Was it custom made? Is it It looks a lot thinner than the laminate benchtops that they normally use in kitchens...

Cheers

[matt]

Hey youngdazza

The bench tops and doors were made from 1500 x 600 x 19mm finger jointed pine panels that you can get from Bunnings Warehouse for around $40 each. I needed two to do the benchtop, all the doors plus wardrobe door, and had a little left over to make some shelves over the bed. I just used the original doors as a template and the benchtop I just measured and cut. I have access to a table saw so that made the job a bit easier. Rounded off all the visible edges, and coated with Northane 2 pack polyurethane. Doors got three coasts, bench top five. You can't see it in the picture but 2 pack poly can leave bubbles in the finish (I got a few). One trick is to sit with it until it skins and when bubbles appear blow over them with a drinking straw or warm them with one of those lighter powered blowtorches. This heats the bubble an pops it without touching the surface.

[murray]

Matt,
these viscounts are called "explorers"
will try and find more info for you
nice refurbishment
cheers
Murray

[murray]

Matt,
personal message sent
cheers

[matt]

OK. I posted in another thread about finding replacement flyscreens for the old girl, and a few people told me that they could be repaired. I've tackled a few of them now and it is a bit easier than I thought at first. Here is a bit of a how to.

FLY SCREEN REPAIRS

Tools Needed:

• Fibreglass fly screen
  
• Sharp scissors
  
• Hammer and panel pins or small brad nails
  
• A bench you can hammer the above panel pins into without the missus crackin' it!

Here is one of the screens from the double hopper windows. Just a tip. When you are taking them out take it easy. I destroyed one of these by forgetting that they are more than likely almost 40 years old. One other was too far gone, But for the most part they were all repairable.

Using the scissors cut off all the old fly screen as close as possible to the rubber. Use a sharp stanley knife if you want but I found it more accurate and easier using a large pair of scissors.Then using the panel pins, secure the old rubber in place. I used a framing square to help get it as square as possible. Not entirely critical I worked out, but does make the job a little neater and easier.

Remember to hammer the pins through the rubber on the outside of the channel so you don't have to pull them out as you go ( did that the first go didn't I )

Now lay the fly screen over the top. Start on the longer side with an edge of the roll (generally square) and secure that edge using an old soldering iron tip. I have an old soldering iron I specifically use just for repairing plastics. You can push the screen into the corners quite easily. Then you can go over the whole width of the rubber to ensure a good bond. Now I dont know wether it is the screen melting to the rubber, the rubber melting to the screen, or the two melting into each other, but it seems to work well. NOTE: Don't go too hard core with the iron or use too big an iron (This one is a little 30 watt one) or you will need to find a smaller screen to do with the piece you just melted beyond recognition.

VIOLA! New fly screen ready for fitment. I priced buying new screens and they averaged about $30-45 delivered from online sources and $60-$130 from local caravan parts suppliers (we live in Hervey Bay where everything used for boats, caravans, or other toys, seems to come with a 100-200% mark up compared to capital cities)

I'm guessing that these cost me about $3-$8 each to do plus a few hours of my time.  So definitely worth a go if saving money is your forte!

Next job on the list is to under sling the axle... I'll post more pics doing that job too!

[viscount6116]

Gday Matt

Nice work on the flyscreen repair , I seriously would have never thought of doing that with a soldering iron

Cheers Andy

[peter92]

Hi Matt
Welcome, your doing a nice job on the van and keep up with the pics its surprising how all these pics and info help
Nice jobon the screens too
Regards Peter

[matt]

Todays job is done... Underslinging the axle for a bit of extra ground clearance. Now before everyone starts piping up with the legalities or handling issues I'll start with a few things first.

• I have done extensive research on the issue through one caravan repairer, two trailer builders, and a mechanic registered to do roadworthy certificates.
• All four could not see an issue with Queensland road rules or Australian Design regulations
• I deliberately ignored forums after about ten minutes of searching due to the fact that there is way to much subjectivity.

I don't mean this with any disrespect but I am putting this information up to show others how I went about it and the checks I did before attempting it. I have seen 'flame wars' start on this topic and if it starts on this post I will delete it.

Now to the fun part.... the how to.

As you can see from the picture on the day I picked her up, she's a little low to the ground. The drive home (only four or five blocks!) presented problems from the get go with spoon drains/dips, over zealous speed humps, even my very moderate driveway. So we had to lift her a bit.

Having a drop axle and sitting on 13" wheels didn't help the issue either so on went the thinking caps. Some of the options we thought of were....

• raised springs.... problem - cost
• larger wheels... problem - wheel arch clearance
• replace the drop axle with a straight one - again cost, but if it came to that it was the cheaper option.
• undersling the axle - problem - dubious information everywhere as to the engineering/legal/handling

First was to get informed by people in the know. My guess was if I asked four or five people in the industry and three or four came back with the exact same answer then I was probably safe. The consensus was that it was legal and safe (in Queensland at least) and apart from a couple of new axle pads I shouldn't need anything else.

There is one definite NO-NO's though and one is to rotate the axle around 180°. One thing i found out is that particularly on heavier trailers and caravans that the axle is bent to set the correct camber on the wheels once the caravan is loaded. If you rotate the axle you might end up with a caravan that wiggles its bum faster than Miley Cyrus!  I put a straight edge along my axle and sure enough it had a slight upward bend with all the weight on stands. Once the weight was back on the wheels it straightened out a bit. I'm guessing once its loaded with gear it will probably flatten out completely.

Some helpful tips I found were:

• Get the van to a comfortable working height on four sturdy stands.
• Beg, borrow, or steal a, air ratchet gun.... seriously this makes it easier when working with 40 year old suspension bolts (and cuts down on swearing!)
• On that note hit all the suspension bolts with WD-40 before jacking up the van to give it time to work in.
  
• Have a couple of those little scissor jacks on hand to keep the axle in place when re aligning it underneath the springs
• Don't forget to centre your axle before tightening the U-bolts, tighten them just enough and re measure before tightening all the way.

Now here she is with an underslung axle..... note: the stabiliser legs are only just touching the ground and not taking any weight for the photo.

...and here is how it is set up underneath. You'll notice the new axle pad. The old axle pad serves as a useful guide when re installing. Oh and before anyone says "why didn't you change the U-bolts or the this or the that" I normally change all the nuts and bolts on a job like this, but apart from the axle pads, no one had the sizes I needed that was open on a Sunday so I have to wait until a weekday.

Next Job....... The water tank! i wonder what nasties I'll find in that!

[Deleted]

Great info on the flyscreens and the axle, thanks! I've been researching a new axle for ours and it's hurting my brain! We've also been deciding whether to go underslung or just wait and see how she sits with tougher new springs, because I think that might make a huge difference in itself.

We're definitely going a 2 tonne upgrade, I just have to get my head around offsets and all the details we'll apparently need to do it, as I've got the main measurements and haven't figured anything out beyond that!

Great work!
Loreena

[matt]

Oct 23, 2014 13:00:27 GMT 10 @littleaustravlr said:

Great info on the flyscreens and the axle, thanks! I've been researching a new axle for ours and it's hurting my brain! We've also been deciding whether to go underslung or just wait and see how she sits with tougher new springs, because I think that might make a huge difference in itself.

We're definitely going a 2 tonne upgrade, I just have to get my head around offsets and all the details we'll apparently need to do it, as I've got the main measurements and haven't figured anything out beyond that!

Great work!
Loreena

G'day Loreena  ( @littleaustravlr ). Thanks for the comments.

Just a quick question. Are you upgrading the springs for extra load or is your van a bit bouncy? One of our next mods is to fit the ALKO shock absorber kit to help reduce bounce and by all reports makes towing older vans behave a lot better on the road! Going to heavier springs can, from experience, start damaging trailers/vans if the load isn't there.

Cheers - Matt

[Deleted]

Very newbies- Wow will be definitely giving this a go thanks 

[matt]

Just a quick post about some of the outside fixes... I've always liked the look of the 50s and 60s unpainted aluminium vans so we've partially done it here with ours. Time consuming, yes, cost wise though its very cheap. All you need is some varying grades of wet and dry, a Josco polishing wheel kit for your drill, and some finishing polish like autosol.

The yellow cladding was still in good condition so I just cut it with some kittens No.2. The white was badly oxidized so it was cleaned up with general purpose thinners (seriously the remaining paint just literally wiped off!). Polished up the first 12-14 inches and painted the rest with etch primer and gloss white acrylic. The pop top roof is next to get the treatment.

Some of the soft furnishings have been finished on the inside. We saved heaps by scouring the local op shops for material for the lounges and curtains. The stove was repainted using high temp paint to get rid of the baby crap yellow cook top.

You might notice the different colour light switches. All the 240v stuff is white, 12v is black. Just for ease of recognition.

[viscount6116]

Hey Matt van is looking smick mate

Cheers Andy

[matt]

OK. This weekends job, among other things, is to replace the old "fish'n'chip shop" splash back. All I wanted to do is polish it up and be done with it, but you know how it goes, Happy Wife.... Happy Caravanning!

We looked at a few ideas from poly carbonate, to glass, to powdercoating the old panels. But Lisa my beautiful wife had her heart set on..... tiles.

Initially I was worried about the weight and cracking but after talking to a few tilers and being pointed in the right direction for products it was all steam ahead. Time will tell. As for the weight issue, it only adds around 20kgs in weight but it adds alot more wow factor.

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The obligatory before shot of the fish'n'chip shop splash back, sans the Jensen range hood.

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The new 12v Camec range hood.

A couple of minor issues with the product, like no wiring diagram or install instructions (not that they are too difficult) but it would have been nice. Also a screw was rattling around which turned out to be one of the fan retaining screws. How it came loose is any ones guess as to replace it I had to un rivet the fan shroud, replace th esmall bolt and nut, then re rivet the shround... go figure. Otherwise a good looking unit.

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The New Tiles....
The tiles were only $5.00 a pack from the local Bunnings (needed 10 because of the pattern Lisa wanted, but you could get away with 8 for the area of the splash back in our van). The tilers recommended the Dunlop products. The adhesive is designed to stick direct to wood/ply, and is flexible. The grout is also flexible(ish) and should hold up.

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Cutting weird shapes....

With the splash backs out they made the perfect(ish) template for the base of the tiles. I went for 9mm ply as a balance of weight and rigidity. I did think about using hardiflex or blueboard but its hard to get in small sizes and I'm not a big fan of cutting fibre cement sheeting.

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ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

The old fake timber sheeting is back to haunt me! (some like it but I'm definitely not one, each to their own I say!)

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The Dummy Fit...


One thing I cant stress enough.... Dummy fit... Dummy fit.... and Dummy fit again, before breaking out the old liquid nails!

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Use plenty of liquid nails.
Its cheap. I use the quick grab stuff to save having to hold pieces in position before getting on the next step.

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With the tiles all stuck on...

 ...its now a waiting game of 24 hours before grouting. Some tips I can pass on about this. It's not as hard as you think, just watch some tiling how to's on you tube. Don't forget to cover everything around your work. The adhesive will get f****g everywhere.

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All done with the new range hood installed. Had a few issues with the positioning of the exhaust on the new range hood (nothing a fein multi tool couldn't fix )
We went for a colour matched grout to help hide the 'dodgy' corners...lol. (and yes, there is a trim missing from the right side of the splash back. Cant rush these things can we!)






So now the kitchen is FINALLY finished .  Next job........lol

[tasmillard]

Great idea Matt... I actually got some similar tiles left over that I may look at using as a splash wall also. Thanks for the post.

[matt]

Been a busy few days.....

New under sink water filter...

Water Filters.... hmmmmm.... This was one job with a moderate amount of swearing. Confined space + Leaks = Frustration ;-) All good and reasonably straight forward (so it seems) until you need to attach the water line to the tap. This brand uses one of those stupid brass olive and retaining nut connections. Long story short, buy a model that has all quick connect and screw fittings.

New Water Pump Fitted.

Woo hoo! We now have water. This only goes to the sink taps at present. This one is a 10psi 17 l/m automatic job. Its fairly quiet but at the end of the day you only hear it when you are using water. The only issue I could really pick is the mounts. I don't know if its common but this one can't be underslung by its tiny little rubber mounts, hence the aluminium strap. Stone guard is yet to be fitted.

Bloody Tail Lights...grrrrrrrr

I always find it funny that trailer and caravan tail lights can work perfectly one second and then behave like they're possessed the next. I ended up giving up in the end and built this rear bar to mount the new lights on (later it will have the spare and possibly a jerry can holder). I ran completely new wiring the whole way through in some conduit tube under the van. Problem solved.

Some handy little storage ideas from another post.....

Good use for the inside of a cupboard door! I'm going to add some smaller ones for cans like insect repellent and sunscreen. plus a horizontal one for small utensils and rolls.

This is the new spice rack. It holds 9 standard masterfoods type spice bottles.

Anyhow. I have to get off to work. I'll post links to all the above bits n pieces when I get back!

[camper2van]

Hi Matt
Like what you have done with the inside of your van .
Good write up on the flyscreen repairs .
I have the opposite problem with the axle ,l would love a drop axle to lower my van a little .
With the trailer lights mounted on the nudge bar. What will you do with the old light holes ?
Cheers for now Mark

[matt]

Hey Mark (camper2van). Thanks for the comments.

From what I can gather, the drop axles were used to lower the centre of gravity. Also most cars of that era were old XB/XC falcons or HX holdens so the old 13" wheels with a drop axle worked a treat. We tow the van with a, AU falcon which isn't too much different (ground clearance wise) but still had a problem with the current state of regional Queensland roads (You know when you cross in to Queensland you have to set your watch back 20 years...lol) These days though, half the population seeming to buy Toorak Tractors, they need the higher vans.

I had a look around for new axles when I was trying to sort this problem and there are a number of sellers on ebay that have really good prices on drop axles so that might be worth a look.

As for the old light holes... well ;-) you cant have too many lights! The tail light circuit is still working fine (the only one though) so I'll be fitting some retro style round narva jobs with LED globes. The redundant holes will be sealed with pop rivets and sikaflex then repainted, and hidden behind the new lights.  We aren't too worried about blemishes like that (look at the hail damage in the rear panelling!) but preventing future water leaks is a bit of a priority.

[matt]

OK. Despite the 36^oC Heat here in Hervey Bay yesterday (Although a few nearby places hit 41^oC+ poor buggas) I managed to get a few jobs done. With her first test trip only a couple of weeks away it's about time I finished a few crucial bits and pieces.

NEW SHOES!!! NEW LIGHTS!!! and tidier plumbing!

The old 13" holden wheels and half rotten (sitting in a paddock rotten) LT tyres are gone. replaced with a shiny new pair of 14" Sunraysias and Light Truck tyres. Pretty good price too at only $140 each, fitted and balanced. If you're in Hervey Bay and need tyres make sure you try Craig at Rock Bottom Tyres. Craig is also going to do the wheel bearings for us next week and is allowing me to help so I can do them myself from now on. I've done plenty of un braked axle bearings before but never an axle with over run brakes.

We have come across one issue though , I know need to fit new stabiliser legs as the old ones have reached their limit of stretch! I've found these stabiliser legs on ebay which I have had before on our old '74 ACT Camper. Not bad at $105 a pair, with winder handle, delivered! I looked at getting manutec or ALKO ones but I'll see how these go (as usual playing Chinese Roulette...lol)

In answer to Mark's camper2van earlier Question about the old holes, the old wiring and holes from the old trailer lights have been fitted with Narva red tail lights and the old screw holes will be filled with white automotive Sika (Sikaflex 227 white) and pop rivets.  Tidy's it up nicely I reckon. The old wiring has been retained and hidden inside the new lights so if anyone down the track wants to go pulling panels of and finding shorts or broken wires they can...lol

That electrical conduit is handy stuff! Cheap too! Funny story though. I went to our local reuse and recycle yard the other day to see if they had any 32mm conduit thinking that I'd score a length for a dollar or two..... SIX BUCKS!!!!! WHAT? The stuff is only $5 a length at Bunnings! So off to Bunnings I go, lol.

Anyhow. The new trailer wiring and hose from the pump to the kitchen is sheathed in conduit now. Makes things a bit tidier and helps protect it from road debris a bit better. Ha! Just had a closer look at the photo... I still have to change those U-bolts though before we go

Haven't got any work on at the moment until next week so it's time to hook in and finish those last minute jobs. Then I'll be posting some Maiden Voyage photos......Off to the Bundy Rodeo at the end of the month. Hopefully it's not as hot as it has been the last few days!

[atefooterz]

Nice work Matt, with your conduits are you 240V in the orange & 12V in the white?

[matt]

The orange one is a to sleeve the water hose. We're on a bit of a budget and I looked at using normal plumbing, but then looked at the old blue drinking water hose. Trouble with that is it could easily get damaged being slung underneath. A length of 32mm conduit solved that one. The grey one has the tail lights cable running through it. Again, added protection.

[viscount6116]

Gday Matt

Looking good mate

Cheers Andy

[matt]

Ahhhhh Bugger it!!!!! Had planned to do a quick test run this weekend to a nearby caravan park just to make sure we were ready to go. Found a problem before I even left the street. can anyone guess what it might be?

Yep... a buggered spring. So off to the trailer shop I go only to find that he hasn't even got the size listed in his catalogue! He did suggest a spring resetting place nearby but I'd rather buy new if I can. I'll post it in the tech stuff section, but the size I am looking for is 45x8x762mm 4 leaf 680kg if anyone can suggest a place? I really need it by the end of the week.

Here are some side view shots to show how bad it has sagged.....

This is the right side. How it should sit.....



...and the left is about 2 inches lower.

I have been told that it shouldn't matter too much but I'd rather err on the side of caution. Here is another funny twist to the story too. The right side is fitted with a 5 leaf spring and the left has a 4 leaf spring. I thought it was funny that the right was sagging seeing as the left generally gets all the hard work with rough road shoulders and the occasional gutter. But I'm guessing that the left was replaced at some stage with whatever they could get. Does anyone know if Viscounts from this era were originally fitted with 5 leaf springs?

Anyhow. When I get the new ones I'll post a how to for every ones benefit. Cheers for now!

[matt]

OK, it looks like I may be in luck with Big Red Caravan Parts in Brisbane, should get the new springs by the middle of the week!