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Post by jemson on Feb 1, 2018 11:26:50 GMT 10
Hi All,
Am newly registered on the forum but have read a bunch of other threads as a guest.
Recently picked up a 197x Franklin Regent in need of some attention. Based on the serial I believe it might be a 1970 model but someone may be able to help confirm this.
Roof seems in good condition on the van and doesn't appear to have any roof leaks.
Has had some water damage to flooring and internal ply at the front from crack/non sealed windows and some general water entry around the wheel arches though.
I have already gutted the cabinetry and pulled up the floor as the front was rotted and cabinet were very tired and this is making it much easier to wire brush the chassis and apply rust converter and paint over. Otherwise frame is in pretty good order.
Where I am currently looking for some advice (and haven't found too much in search) is around the lower internal walls and the wood at the bottom of these walls. From the parts I can see the wood at the bottom has completely rotted out in sections. Is it worth going to the trouble to remove the walls and attempt to replace these, or just try and repair the accessible sections as possible?
Regarding the water damaged/rotten ply I am curious as to what others have done in this situation since the ply is glued to the polystyrene? There are some parts around the door in particular that would be cleary visible to leave as is.
Am writing this on my phone but will post some photos of the current state and the forementioned damage as soon as I can.
Appreciate any advise that can be offered!
Andrew
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Post by jemson on Feb 1, 2018 11:35:26 GMT 10
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Post by Mustang on Feb 2, 2018 16:43:55 GMT 10
Hi Jemsen, Welcome to our Classic Forum. Your van looks the goods on the outside??? The Franklin experts will be along shortly to help your cause. You just need one more step to publish your images , have another look at the link . We will move your thread shortly to "Hall of Fame" there you can post images, tell your story & ask advice  Cheers & Welcome Brent |
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Post by pisces51 on Feb 2, 2018 18:01:45 GMT 10
G'day Andrew, Yes, the '0' after the hyphen in the chassis number confirms your van is from 1970. The numbers before the hyphen mean it is the 2,283rd chassis built that year, which would be around about the April period in '70. The construction method for the walls was to make them as a 'sandwich' on a table before installing them onto the van floor. Our sister forum for Vintage caravans built before 1970, currently has a thread describing the repair/rebuild of a Franklin Premier from 1968/69. You can get some idea of how your van was built by reading this thread: Renovating my Franklin PremierYou have probably already been reading the other thread on this Classic forum about the 1972 Franklin Hunter: Jack's Franklin Hunter 1972The following link will show you all the threads on this forum where the word 'Franklin' is in the heading. If you skip through the 9 pages of threads, there might be something of interest to you. Unfortunately, most of the photos will be blanked out due to changes to Photobucket last year, but sometimes there might be some words that could still be useful: Franklin threadscheers, Al. |
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Post by jemson on Feb 4, 2018 19:19:21 GMT 10
Thanks Brent and Al! I have gone back and edited by post above to post the photos in line rather than via the links. Van looks great from the outside. Very few dings or issues with the cladding. There are a few small screw holes (you can see some on the front where there was a TV antenna at some point) and a couple of dings from the door flying open to the left of the middle window. Otherwise exterior is pretty sound! Appreciate the confirmation on the 1970 build, and the April estimation is great to know as well! Had found a wealth of information in TedAlley's here ditzygypsy.proboards.com/thread/2334/1974-franklin-regent-v2541Yes the photobucket issue has been a pain, but I have managed to see the photos directly on the photobucket site so working around that. Had seen Jack's thread, but not the Premier one which is great information also. Am thinking with the ply I might do a test run on the small section near the door in cutting out bottom 300-400mm and installing a replacement piece in there with joiner. Still not sure about the base timbers and what to do there though... I have done a bit more work over the weekend in applying some cold gal to the front two thirds of the frame that are accessible after removing the floor. Still need to do another coat and touch up some areas but looking 100% better! Once completed I am planning to install either 9mm or 12mm marine ply on the first third before removing the back section and cleaning that up as well. Hopefully 9mm will be suitable to lower the cost and weight, but will need to investigate this further. Probably going to be another two weeks before I get to put any more real time into it. Before:  2018-02-04_08-11-14 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr After:  2018-02-04_08-11-28 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr |
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Post by snoops on Feb 4, 2018 19:45:00 GMT 10
The base timbers that bolt to the chassis can be replaced - I did this on my Franklin Arrow. I replaced about half of one side. Grind the old bolts off, remove the trim and you can carefully peel back the cladding from the outside. Old timber will just about fall out it it's rotten. I used a piece of tassie oak and slid it back into the gap, with a lot of Polyurathane sealant on both sides to glue it back to the cladding and interior sheeting. Nex bolt hols were drilled through it and new bolts installed. It's not a 5 minute job, but if you do one part of one side at a time, you could do the whole lot if needed. The floor being out at the moment works for you here.
Regarding the timber panelling inside, I think you are on the right track with cutting a srtip off, glueing a new bit in, and covering it with another strip. Given that a lot of the lower wall is covered by and bed, you won't see a lot of the repair anyway.
Chassis looks great with a clean and paint too. 👍😊
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Post by jemson on Feb 4, 2018 20:59:17 GMT 10
The base timbers that bolt to the chassis can be replaced - I did this on my Franklin Arrow. I replaced about half of one side. Grind the old bolts off, remove the trim and you can carefully peel back the cladding from the outside. Old timber will just about fall out it it's rotten. I used a piece of tassie oak and slid it back into the gap, with a lot of Polyurathane sealant on both sides to glue it back to the cladding and interior sheeting. Nex bolt hols were drilled through it and new bolts installed. It's not a 5 minute job, but if you do one part of one side at a time, you could do the whole lot if needed. The floor being out at the moment works for you here. Thanks for the tip! That is a great idea. I had not considered replacement from the outside! Will certainly give that a try and let you know how I get on. |
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Post by Husky on Feb 5, 2018 14:35:07 GMT 10
Hi Jemson welcome to the forum. The help and knowledge here is amazing.
I had a similar problem with timber framing on my first van which I pretty much had to re frame the lower 450mm of wall. I also put steel bracing on the new framing. Take a look it was called the Scenic and the link is in my Signature.
I'll follow along your thread with interest. Any questions just ask
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Post by Rattles on Feb 5, 2018 15:14:32 GMT 10
When you replace a strip of the interior lining back cut between the Ply and insulation with a small saw blade and glue (PVA) a strip of scrap ply say 60mm behind the upper lining and hanging down say another 60mm cut a small chamfer on the two mating linings, Use screws (they do not need to be over tight) to pull the top in until glue sets and fix the bottom the same, Drill clearance holes in the linings and use button head S/T screws, Remove the screws and fill the holes and chamfers with wood filler.
Rattles
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Post by pisces51 on Feb 5, 2018 20:25:42 GMT 10
G'day Andrew (jemson), Do not skimp on the thickness of the floor sheeting. The standard is 15mm thick, and looking at your photos of your chassis, I would highly recommend you go with this thickness. The 'bearers' in your chassis (the long channels from front to back) are all that is supporting the floor. The cross-members holding the bearers in position are on the underside and provide no actual support to the flooring itself. You do not need to pay for the expensive marine ply. Buy 'exterior grade' ply with BB faces. Exterior grade ply has the same glue lines in it as marine grade, so the glue used is the same water-resistant stuff. Exterior grade ply will have some 'voids' or gaps in the ply layers around the cut edges, but all you do is go get some construction adhesive and either pump it into the voids using the nozzle, or you pump adhesive onto scrap timber and then force it into the voids/gaps using a spatula or putty knife (sort of like repairing holes in a plaster wall). Do this, and for a fraction of the cost you will have created your own equivalent to marine ply.  The BB faces on the ply are suitable for painting. BB means 'B-grade' surface on both surfaces, and this grade is more than suitable for caravan flooring. Paint the underside of the flooring before fitting, to protect against stone chips and water splashes coming up from the road. I used exterior acrylic undercoat and topcoats under mine, and after almost 3 years, it still looks as good as new (have travelled about 10,000kms in the van). Depending on what you are proposing to do on the top surface (vinyl tiles, sheet vinyl, carpet, etc), you can seal the top surface of the ply with any polyurethane coating to protect against kitchen spills, etc. See the information tables in the following website for the weights of various thicknesses of ply sheeting. 15mm thick is about 7kgs per sheet heavier than 12.5mm...meaning about 35kgs more weight in the van for a total floor...but the benefits of the thicker flooring on your chassis design will far outweigh the additional weight: Plymaster websitecheers, Al. |
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Post by jemson on Feb 6, 2018 20:44:27 GMT 10
Thanks everyone for the advice and words of experience thus far! Has been an amazing help and opened my eyes up to a number of options I had not considered.
Regarding floor height I was fairly certain I measured the original ply at ~10mm but may have to recheck that. Good advice on the BB grade ply Al, that would be a considerable saving vs the AA Marine Ply.
Can't wait to get back into it now.
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Post by 78466noM on Feb 9, 2018 18:40:51 GMT 10
The thinner the ply the more flex it will have in your van as pisces51 has said you have no cross support and as you lay the floor use a good quality adhesive to join them together. There are many ways to connect floor to chassis I used long large pop rivets you could also use screws or flat type head bolts and bolts.
Your van does look very good .
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Post by jemson on Feb 25, 2018 13:48:46 GMT 10
Managed to spend another day on the van project and replaced the timbers in the front left section of wall with some Tasmanian Oak! Used the existing bolt holes in the frame to secure the lower timber with some pre-drilled holes and 25mm coach bolts. It was a mission but happy with the result. The rot extended about a quarter of the way up one of the door timbers also, so I cut and replaced a good section of that, and recessed a few notches to flush mount some metal bracing. Used some PVA as well as the bracing to ensure stability. I also removed some ply on the right side to check the timbers there are they are in perfect condition, so I am calling that a win too!  IMG_20180218_153838 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20180218_131548 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr I also had a go at replacing a section of ply using some 3mm ply and a strip of "Wall art joiner" from Bunnings. I put PVA behind the ply and rested some weight against it for a few hours to ensure it bonded to the polystyrene also. I think this has come up great and will look even better once painted. Planning to replace the rest of the lower damaged sections in the same way and run all the way to the back at the same height for effect.  IMG_20180217_155255 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20180217_184057 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20180218_155719 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr Will heed the advice on the thicker flooring also! Bunnings have some well priced 17mm BC flooring ply that might be suitable. Plan will be to check the rest of the timbers and replace as needed, continue replacing damaged ply with the joiners as above, touch up the chassis with cold gal where needed, then start flooing. Any tips on what paint product to use to protect the underside of the flooring ply? I was thinking bitumen paint might be the shot here! |
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Post by Husky on Feb 25, 2018 22:31:42 GMT 10
Yeah I use bitumen paint or also known as body deadner on all my under floors. Even coat the chassis as well to protect from stone chips which lead to more rust. I recommend brush on rather than spray for a thicker coat but make sure you have a can of all purpose thinners as well as it can get very thick very quickly and you'll feel like trowling it on. Just thin it enough to keep it workable just a bit thinner than a honey consistency will do
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Post by 78466noM on Feb 27, 2018 8:31:23 GMT 10
love what you have done with the walls when finished should look really good.The floor in mine is raw unpainted has been that way since 1978 it was suggested to leave it that way as it dries quickly stone chips can allow water to get under just like on the clear coat on a car once under it sits and takes a long time to dry and has time to soak into timber leaves. Use external ply as they use the same glue as marine ply in it just second rate timber leaves and don't use form ply the shiny surface will peel off very quickly under the van and I think it has the wrong glue as they need to be able to bend it.
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Post by jemson on Sept 13, 2019 22:52:32 GMT 10
Has been a while since I have updated this thread and quite a bit happened in the interim. Wife and I had another baby in May 2018 which meant not much happened for several months thereafter. Got stuck back into the van earlier this year and is now mostly complete. Still a few things to do; Going to put a stripe down the side (undecided on colour yet, thinking black), going to replace the step, change the rims, clean up skylights and rebuild lifters for the skylight. Currently usable without those things and took it on its first outing last week! Some shots of the current state below, with full album of progress shots here: www.flickr.com/photos/155220852@N05/Kitchen built with 3mm masonite sheets and a 30x30 pine frame. Gas lifters on the double bed at the back with storage underneath. Very happy with the current result, as are the family.  IMG_20190902_150050 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20190901_191040 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20190901_191011 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20190901_191009 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr |
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Post by jemson on Sept 13, 2019 23:05:08 GMT 10
(Nerd Alert) I also designed a 12V smart switch circuit which I had made, and 3D printed some custom switch cases. I have a low power wifi router in the van which the switches connect to to allow switching from attached mobile devices as well as manual switching. The router also has a 4G dongle connected to allow for internet access for kids tablets etc, as well as the ability to stream TV/Movies to devices in the tow car while traveling. Kept the kids entertained for the 4h trip in the car last week. Some photos of the smart switches below:  IMG_20190828_221956 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr  IMG_20190828_221835 by Andrew Robinson, on Flickr |
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Post by grandad on Sept 14, 2019 11:34:19 GMT 10
Ok, (Nerd Alert) got my attention. I felt like putting my hand up and replying "Present sir!"
More info please?
Where did you buy?
Link?
Compatible with Google Home?
Suitable for both 12V DC and 240V AC?
I went searching a while back for this and drew a blank.
Jim
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Post by jemson on Sept 14, 2019 13:24:08 GMT 10
Haha. Glad I am not the only tech nerd present.
For 240V you can look at the Sonoff range. I removed my 240V lighting and am running all 12V LED. I couldn't find anything similar for 12V either so designed my own. It is a Wemos D1 Mini running Tasmota, 12v to 5V buck converter (it's under the Wemos so not visible in the photo) and a relay circuit. I designed the PCB myself and had them printed by JLCPCB in China for a few dollars each. The cases are again my design and as mentioned printed on my 3D printer in PETG. Wifi router has a little MQTT server on it and a web interface to control the lights from there.
Sonoff (240V) range is compatible for Google Home out of the box, my 12V circuit is also compatible but requires some middleware such as Home Assistant to do so currently which would require additional hardware to run it or a hosted service.
Can share my designs and parts list if your interested, or could probably build a couple and post out as well as I do have extra PCBs and parts.
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Post by bobt on Sept 16, 2019 23:05:01 GMT 10
Hey jemson
Looks a little different now to when I saw the first collection of Pics. Congrats on a good job.
Look forward to reading about you out and about using it.
bobt
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Post by grandad on Sept 17, 2019 10:43:59 GMT 10
Thank you for the kind offer Jemson. But I first looked into this shortly after my daughter gave me a Google Home. I was having a ball setting up as much as I could in my home and the thought occurred to me "How about I make The Pumpkin, (My Franklin Mini) totally voice controlled? Wouldn't that be cool? My inner nerd was screaming for attention.
But, at the end of the day, I now realise that there's not much benefit in doing this in the van. Being able to control the outside light by voice control may be beneficial. Walking towards the van at night, or sitting outside under the awning maybe? But, how would the Google Mini hear me from outside? All too hard.
I did have some fun with one of my boys when I was visiting him though.
He was so proud of himself when he discovered that he could ask Google any question with his voice only, as he demonstrated on his smart phone.
"Yeah? Can you do this?" As I picked up my phone and said "Hey Google. Turn the air conditioner on" And Google replied. "Certainly, turning the Air conditioner on" But when I said "Thank you" and Google replied, "You are most welcome. That's what I'm here for" he totally lost it.
Never mess with an old nerd.
Jim
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