1971 Ambassador 13ft Chassis no. 4140E

[peter92]

hi all, our 13' ambassador needs a new ceiling as we have a full inside reno to do. can some one help on hows the best way to tackle this please
chase no 4140E. will have pics very soon
thanks in advance to all
regards peter

[peter92]

hi all, we just bort our viscount ambassador 13'
its a great van, so we are doing a total refitment inside
we paid $450 for it and it had water damage so decided to redo the inside from scratch
so far ive taken all the ceiling and walls off, so if any one could be helpful on how to fit it out it would be really great
i havent taken off the outside walls as i cant put it in a shed so will have to build it from inside the van
if some one can give me any ideas on what stuff to buy it would be great as i havent done this before, very green, i am
any way thanks in advance
regards peter

[peter92]

oh,i forgot . its a 1974 model chase no 4140E
regards peter

[bobt]

Hi ya Peter92.. Welcome aboard

how about sharing some photos..

bobt

[peter92]

here are some pics so far
regards peter

Attachments:

[peter92]

[peter92]

[millard1399]

G'day Peter,

I'm inclined to think your van is more likely from 1971 or 1972, rather than the later 1974. By 1974, it would have had the Viscount wind-out windows rather than the push-out windows you've got. I know the Ambassadors in the late 1960s had the chassis numbers starting with "E", and it seems that at some point in 1970 they switched to start the numbers again but with the "E" at the end, like yours. I've got photos in my collection of a late 1969/early 1970 Ambassador with the chassis number of E10033, so they must have changed not long after reaching the 10,000 number.

Your photos show a fairly big job ahead of you. There'll be a lot of "fussy" cutting to get the internal lining to fit around all the curves. What you use to line it with will depend on how you want it to look when it's finished. You could buy plain plywood and then paint it whatever colour you wanted, or you could buy that ready-finished random grooved plywood with the paper face on it that has the timber grain look. A lot of brands of vans in the 1970s used that random grooved plywood on the walls, and then a plain (usually white) plywood on the ceiling. You can also buy sheets of polyester coated ply, but it's pretty expensive.

You can get a couple of timber grain colours in that random grooved plywood in Bunnings. It costs $23.50 per sheet.

Keep us posted as you work your way through the project.

cheers,
Al.

[peter92]

hi Al, thanks for all the encouragement, it would be nice to no when it was made. i no its going to be a big job but i like the old ones better than new
i have decided to get the polyester ply sheetings and this is what it will be
Illusion
grey
white gloss
i got these from one of the links from the forum, thanks for them, very helpful
im going to replace all the electrics as the old one are wrong colours and need replacing and also the 12v as well
any help on these would be great
is there any plans here on how to rewire all the 240/12v, dont worry, im not going to connect it myself. i just wont to run the wires and then get a sparky to connect it all up
just need to no how its done so i can put the ceiling and walls up
sorry for the long post
regards peter

[peter92]

i also forgot to ask,
when making all the frame work for cupboards and all that stuff, what is the best timber to use and what size please
regards peter

[millard1399]

G'day Peter,

To get an understanding of the electrical system in a caravan, you should read all the information available on the CaravansPlus website about Questions and Answers. Click on this link, and you'll see lots of info about heaps of stuff.

The crucial thing (I think) is the installation of a combined RCD/MCB unit, connected to the inlet power socket on the van wall. That will give you the safety coverage for both faulty wiring (or faulty appliances), and wiring overload.

You could check if the power points and light switches in the van are of the "double pole" type. If they are, you could reuse them. If not, you'll need to get the correct "double pole" type.

With an aluminium frame, all wiring passing through the frame must have the grommets for the wiring.


For the timber framework, it's more a case of what's readily available, rather than what's the best. Personally, I prefer oregon timber because it's light and strong. But, it's not readily available in the sizes needed for framework, and is also really expensive these days. Most caravan timber frames are made from meranti timber, so you should be able to readily get it in sizes suitable for cupboard framework. The most commonly available timber is the radiata pine, usually in the size 42mm x 18mm. Cupboards have been built out of this stuff since when your Grandad was a boy, so it's proven itself. Radiata pine is also the cheapest of the options available.


cheers,
Al.

[peter92]

thanks again Al
sorry about all the questions but if find if i dont ask, i dont get. it right
if you can think of anything that may help me in my project, please let me no
regards peter

[peter92]

hi all, we want to put a shower cubicle in our van thats no bigger than 750 x 750 any ideas where to get one or how to make one
regards peter

[millard1399]

G'day Peter,

Depends how many dollars you've got in your back pocket. There's one on ebay, external size 720mm width x 700mm depth x 2020mm height. The seller has 10 available, each for $550 Buy-it-now, or Make Offer. Click on this link.

You can also search ebay for "fibreglass shower" and see what other items are available. These shower units crop up on ebay on a regular basis. There's always somebody taking one out of their van, when they do a restoration. You just need to strike it lucky with the size you want.

cheers,
Al.

[peter92]

thanks Al, just bort it
regards peter

[millard1399]

Another satisfied customer! ;D ;D

[peter92]

hi Al , change my mind on the shower,see what else i can find. may have to make one. any ideas on how to do it
regards peter

[millard1399]

Well, I've seen photos of showers built in old vans that look like they were made out of some waterproof panelling stuff. I've seen that sort of stuff in Bunnings, but it ain't cheap either. One of the products is made by Laminex Industries and is called "Aquapanel", and there's another one from Formica. But as I said, they ain't cheap, so expect to pay up around $180 for a 2400 x 1200mm sheet. By the time you bought a few sheets of this stuff, you might as well have bought the $550 fibreglass one.

These wet-area panelling sheets require some timber framework to fix them onto, so there's a cost in the framework as well. Then you'll have to buy the plastic mouldings that the sheets fit into in the corners, plus the waterproof sealant to seal it all up properly.

I've never had any experience with caravan shower units, so I'm not the best person to advise you, but whichever way you go it seems like it would be a pretty expensive addition.

Maybe waiting and hoping for the right size fibreglass unit to appear for sale somewhere near you might be the cheapest option?

Hopefully, other readers might have some good ideas.

cheers,
Al.

[peter92]

yeah, i no what you mean, but i bort the other one for $500 but by the time they added on delivery it was going to cost me $853.00 deliverd
so thats why ive changed my mind. would be great to find one here in qld for the same price i bort it for
regards peter

[peter92]

hi all, just wondering if any one has put a shower in there van and if they can give me any ideas or hints on putting one in our 13' ter
very low cost would be good but needs to be quality, no leaks latter down the track
regards peter

[peter92]

hi al, i was just scratching around today and where the blue stripe is at the rear of my van on the left side, door side, i scratched the paint and there is an orange paint under the blue. after looking at the pics on here, could that orange mean that mine is a royal instead of an ambassador
what do you think
regards peter

[Deleted]

That is a big job, I ended up rebuilding the entire inside of my 15 ft Franklin Caravelle to do just so. started out, the idea was to remove the wardrobe and build the shower into that space, trouble was the wheelwell was in the way so end result was the kitchen was moved to the Lh side of the van, shower and toilet built on the Rh side, new front seating designed and built and bed changed from twin beds along the sides to a double across the back. cost all up with new lining, appliances etc, around $17000.00. Am I happy?, you bet, perfect layout for us and works well. The following link goes to my renovation shown on Vintage Caravans, our sister site.Some of the building techniques i used are shown there, Remember though, my van is nearly 15ft long inside, you may have a problem with a shorter van.

vintagecaravans.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=photo&thread=4729&page=1

Best of luck with your project,hope this has been of help,

Frankidownunder.

[Deleted]

Hi Peter92,
what is wrong with your ceiling, is it rotted out or is the covering material coming adrift?. Replacement of the ceiling panels will depend on how the van is made, if the roof is constructed on a frame and the ceiling added underneath that frame then it may be practical to remove the old panels and install new ones, however, if the roof is constructed like my Franklin where the ceiling panels form the roof structure then the only way to do a replacement is to take off the roof skin, remove the old ceiling panels and replace with new ones one at a time to prevent the van walls from moving, then replace and reseal the roof skin. (the ceiling panels in the old Franklin are about 8mm thick 3 ply curved to suit the body line). Have a close look at your ceiling,(post up some photos if possible) and hopefully others who may have repaired your model van will be able to offer more concise advise.

Frankidownunder.

[millard1399]

No, it's not the colour on the cladding that determines the model, it's the appearance and internal layout/fittings.

When I first saw your photos, I could tell it had been repainted at some time. Viscounts never had a single stripe below the windows like that in the early 1970s. I would think yours would have had the "lightning stripes" on the sides like this one, if your van is from 1970/71...




...or would have had this paint pattern if it was from 1971/1972...




The main difference in the appearance between the Ambassador and the Royal, was that the Royal got wrap-around windows at the front and rear, whereas the Ambassador only got the front and rear windows like yours. Later in the 1970s, Viscount weren't so fussy about building the correct van, so you'll sometimes see a Viscount without wraparound windows but with the Royal sticker on it. But certainly at the time yours was built, the Ambassadors looked like yours does.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Hi there Peter92 i am also up to the point in my reno on our chesney 69-70 see hall of fame i am lucky enough to know a fellow who is going to build my shower for me. Lucky for me he works and builds f/glass boats for Kelvacat,so when he does i will be putting a blow by blow pictorial of how he achieves this in hope it may come in handy for others. Unfortunately this will not be until i finish scraping and painting chassis ,also our reno has been done very much to our budget which unashamedly is not huge but even so has now passed the $6500 with approx another $3000 to go ,still cheap i reckon for van built to free camp and to our personal preference all the best and regards peterg