1976 Viscount Royal R65595

[Deleted]

Wow nearly a month has flown past since an update. Just some small things being done mainly, like finish off the front bunk bed, purchase some new LED strips and wire them all in, and mount a proper fuse block for all the 12v accessories. I was thinking of still using the cigarette plugs on the LED lights, but after constant problems with them jarring loose and whatnot on the camper trailer, decided to step it up a notch.

I'd never used a fuse block before, but it makes things so much neater and more reliable, only the LEDs wired in so far, will put the 12v pump on it next. The LEDS only draw .48AH, so they are miles below the 30amp per connection limit on the fuse block. Can someone with more experience let me know what size fuses I should run? I only had 5amp fuses, but I think 2-3 amp ones would be more suited for such a low draw LED. All of the cabling was hidden through the cupboards, and a switch was placed besides each light bar for easy access. Did I mention these things were BRIGHT? Holy Moly, only need 1 or 2 on at most inside the van, (5 are installed),

The front bunk is more or less finished, bonded 2 x 12mm plywood sheets together to make the ladder/support, and routed out the foot holes, it didn't turn out too bad. (Only my first real time using the new router). Got the fridge running well on gas, took a few days to get it lit properly, but it did keep the temp at a nice 2 degrees inside on gas #4 setting.

Anyway, should hopefully be able to get the gas/safety certificate done onsite in the next week, we are heading off to Wooyung end of September for a week, can't wait,

Regards
Ray













Mmmmm, better hurry up and get those curtains back up, don't want to annoy the neighbours

[millard1399]

Struth! Forget the neighbours!!...You'll have international shipping scrambling for their maps to pinpoint a new lighthouse that nobody told them had been built!

Don't ever park next to me...24 hours of daylight tends to make me a bit cranky!

But seriously, what a fabulous job! Great effort on those front bunks, and great effort with the lighting. Crikey, those leds sure put out some brilliance, ay?!

Looks like a well-deserved trip coming up for you, so hope it all goes smoothly.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

LOL, thanks Al. Theres no way we would have them all on at the same time thats for sure. Its all coming together nicely, I'll probably leave the repainting of the front/back of the van until after we return from our first trip. Same with underneath, (the dreaded chassis sanding/painting )

Still have to make a little divider for the top bunk where the sink is, don't want daughter #2 rolling off into the dishes in the middle of the night!

Hoo Roo
Ray

[Deleted]

hi Ray nice work i can see it from here. it is great when a plan comes together. what a ripper. cheers Gav

[Deleted]

Hello Raywise,
Your van looks great.
In reference to the fuse rating - 5 amp is perfect for the LED lights, even though the current draw is less than 1 amp. The fuse is there to protect against overload and short circuits, and as long as your wiring will carry more than 5 amps (2.5mm cable), you won't have any problems.

Regards,

Chris

[Deleted]

Thanks Gav, its getting there, but its fun, poor ol' house is getting neglected though,

Just what I needed to know Chris re the fuse/wiring side of things. I have used 14AWG speaker wire for the cabling, which I think equates to just over 2mm cross sectional wire dimensions, hopefully it is alright. I've used that wire for a long time on the camper trailer no problems, but technically whether it is the correct size, not exactly sure.

One thing I noticed tonight is the LEDs actually give a slightly bluish light, so its not as blinding as it looks in the photos, its quite nice to sit under. Have the gas/safety certificate fellow coming around Wednesday for an inspection, only thing I'm worried about is the tubular bracing under the "A" frame on one side has corroded and cracked though, will probably have to get it welded correctly upon his advise,

Hoo Roo
Ray

[Deleted]

Hello Ray,
The cable you have used is OK for LED lights - but is no good for anything that takes a higher current.

Chris

[Deleted]

Thanks Chris, The Whale 12v pump draws 2.8amps, so I will use some thicker wire for that item. I did hook up the camper trailer 12v pump with the same 14awg speaker wire, and has been going ok, but to be safe I think I'll replace that wire as well.

Just had the gas/safety certificate done on the van, all passed with flying colours. Just have to raise the regulator above the actual gas bottle tap. I asked why this was and the gas bloke said its a new regulation purely because as there is always a tiny percentage of oil vapour in any gas supply, over time the regulator orifices can be blocked. Raising the regulator avoids this.

edit- Heres a handy wire size calculator I just found, www.gtsparkplugs.com/WireCalc.html


Woohoo, on we go,

Regards
Ray

[Deleted]

Hello Ray,
The wire calculator you found is good, if not a little complicated for caravans etc. - the following is a little simpler:
Commonly available cable - 2.5mm = 5 amps, 3.0mm = 10 amps, 4.0mm = 15 amps, 5.0mm = 25 amps, 6.0mm = 50 amps, 8.0mm = 100 amps, etc.
If the cable run is over 5 metres, go up a size to allow for voltage drop (biggest enemy of low voltage installations).
As a general rule of thumb, use cable that has the next higher rating for each application, and ensure that there is no chance of short circuits by providing double insulation when passing through metal panels / frames etc, and always solder joints where possible to exclude moisture. Silicone grease aound crimped terminals is also a good idea.

Regards,

Chris

[Deleted]

Well, we have finally been away for our 1st trip in the Royal. Before that we finished off as much as possible of the interior, (looks livable now!), did a trial setup in the backyard with the tarp/poles, and then off we went. Wooyung (Sth of Pottsville NSW) is one of our favourite spots, and the trip down was great.

Travelling along the highway I spied in the distance a familiar shape, (Thats gotta be a Viscount!) and gradually caught up to the car ahead. It was an earlier Viscount Royal with the wraparound front window, and the couple driving got pretty excited when we pulled alongside them, waving and giving peace signs at us, ( I hope they were peace signs, ;D ;D) They did look horribly unbalanced though, the van and their stationwagon resembled the letter V (slightly exaggerated, but you know what I mean).

The week away was unreal, the Viscount didn't move off line once, (4 bar WDH works well), although on the way home we did lose something off her. I saw the top hatch lifting in the front corner, so we stopped as soon as we could, (why aren't there more stopping bays on these highways??), and had a look. One corner was missing the fasteners that secure the fibreglass lid to the steel legs, something I completely forgot to fix before we left home. Anyway, decided to travel on but at a slower pace and hope for the best, but 10 mins later thinking all was ok, the hatch decided to leave us, and luckily did not hit anyone behind (a bloke let us know as he drove past us). Along this stretch of highway there is absolutely no where to stop, so we had little choice but to keep going. Checked properly once we got home and the hatch had taken the rear support legs with it, .

I will try to make up another hatch lid, although my father-in-law has a hatch he made for their van and never used it, so I probably will take up his offer to use his and adapt it to the Viscount. All in all, a good 1st outing, still a little upset about the missing hatch (should have fixed it before leaving ) Everyone loved staying in the Viscount rather than our camper trailer, so that is a big plus,

Regards
Ray

[Deleted]

One other thing we did also was replace all of the perished rubber seals around the windows. These were no longer rubber but a brittle plastic , and removing them was a little difficult. I read somewhere that heating the old seals makes it easier to remove them, so out came the hairdryer and it worked nicely. Just grabbed one end of the seal with pliers, ran the heat along in front and just pulled it out in one easy go. Putting the new seal in took a while as on the first couple of windows I was using a small screwdriver to "push" the seal into the channel. I then found a much quicker way was to slot one side of the seal in the channel, then get a wide scraper and push down a couple of times, seal inserted correctly. Won't have to do them again for a while

Regards
Ray

[millard1399]

G'day Ray,

Congratulations on a very successful first trip (hatch notwithstanding ). It sure looks like everyone had a really enjoyable time.

"Hatches blowing off" would have to be one of the events I've heard of happening to a few of these Classic and Vintage vans over the years. It seems these caravan hatches probably should have been always hinged at the front, so they don't suddenly pop up and become an air-scoop for the oncoming air flow.

Hopefully you'll be able to adapt the other hatch to fit, and be on the road again quick smart.

During one of our first trips away after the Millard poptop was restored, we were travelling along the Pacific Hwy north of Newcastle and an oncoming car flashed its lights and the driver pointed skywards as he passed us. I looked in the mirror to see the front of the poptop roof raised up in the air. We quickly pulled to a stop and found that the two interior clamps were undone. To this day I don't know whether they came undone themselves, or whether I'd forgotten to clamp them properly when we set off, but ever since I've always double-checked them and we've never had a repeat of the problem.

I know of one vintage caravan where they lost a complete window out of the van when they were towing it back home after buying it. They spent a fruitless few hours backtracking to try and locate it.

I also know of two old vans that lost a wheel during travel, and another bloke who has lost two original hubcaps off his vintage van on two separate occasions.

I guess it's a lot like us humans as we get older...bits start falling apart.

ps. Nice job on the windows too!

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Thanks Al, yep, funny thing with the hatch is I'm pretty sure my brother has towed the van for around 1500kms with it like that, and we go down the highway and off it comes, . Still its something I should not have overlooked while fixing everything else up, oh well, live and learn (again!). The "new improved hatch" will have locking latches on it!.

[Deleted]

Howdy all, haven't done a lot to speak of recently to the van, except... try to replace the hatch we lost on our trip. Now, my dear father-in-law said no worries, as he made a hatch around 30 years ago which was never used for their van project, and we could have it. Fantastic!. The only thing was it was HEAVY. It was solid wood with a galv sheet riveted around the outside. Beautiful job, fit perfectly, but after spending a long time cleaning it up, painting it, fitting the brackets etc, the poor ol winding mechanism said no way, I'm not lifting 10 KILOS!

So off it came again, and to save mucking around, we went to Camec and found they had 1 fibreglass hatch left out the back in the right size. $100.00 later and we were heading home to try to finish this nightmare of a job. The unpainted fibreglass top got a couple of coats of white Solarguard, and to save riveting through from the outside, the hatch legs were screwed into some pine strips that were glued to the hatch itself, worked out well.

Oh well, only thing now before we go on another trip is to securely lock down all 4 corners of the new hatch with some sort of latch system, going to make sure this hatch does not fly off anywhere!

Hoo Roo
Ray


Replacement winding mechanism and legs derusted and painted.


The 10 Kilo monster hatch


It did fit nicely though


Nice new 1 Kilo Fibreglass hatch


Raises high enough


Closes nicley, soon to be locked properley as well.

[millard1399]

G'day Ray,

That new hatch cover is certainly a step up in class!

Whatever you do, don't throw that old home-made hatch cover away. Probably the most common caravan "disaster event" I've read about on this and the Vintage forums, is people losing their hatch during towing. Your old home-made one would suit many an aluminium van from the 1960s.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Quite right Al, I didn't think of that. ! It needs a sturdy winder to operate it though.

[supreme78]

My 1972 viscount hatch was a mess when I got her. It was laying on the floor of the van.
I modified the roof and fitted one of those fancy wind up jobs with the fly screen and shade screen built in.
It was the best thing I ever did. Lit up the van nicely and was great for hot nights.
I will find a pic somewhere and add it.
Great job on the van by the way.
I have a 1978 viscount supreme now and it has 2 four seasons hatches. I am not a big fan of them but they are in very good condition and all work so they will do.
I love doing work on the van it's very therapeutic as you say.
Keep up the good work

[Deleted]

You know it's funny, haven't done much to the Viscount since the last update, but we are back at Wooyung now, plenty of time to sit and think about what still needs doing. I know I've got to pull apart the rear brakes/check bearings etc, have a bit of an annoying squeak going on, plus have to replace the old water tank as the drain tube snapped clean off from age. I still want to repaint the outside, although to do the job properly all the windows/trim etc will have to come off to remove the old cracked sealant etc, a scary thought!

But, it should be fun all the same. One thing I wanted to check is with the roof, as these cannot support any weight on top, what does everyone work from when stripping/painting the roof? I was thinking trestles with planks going across might be the best way, any ideas.?

Regards
Ray

[Deleted]

Hi Ray

I did exactly what you proposed.. Two aluminium planks from my local hardware rents them for about $15 each for a weekend. I got two up on the roof for extra foot space.. Also gives you something to stand on when maneuvering the other into position. I think they were 2.5 or 3 mtr width..

This is my next job now as well.. Need to paint the roof probably with that paint product that reduces heat. Then put my new viscount stickers on front and rear yeah!!

Cheers

Mike

[raywise]

Holy Moly, just reviving my old thread on our Viscount Royal. We haven't done much more on our van over the last few years, it has been going well. But we have booked her in for some upgrade work in November this year.

The list of work includes --New Suspension package with Electric Brakes

                                 --Replace the original draw bar with one slightly longer

                                -- Install a Carefree 11-12 foot side roll out awning.

                                -- Fabricate a rear mounted bar to place the spare wheel there.

                                -- Install a new single pull out entry step.

                                -- Engineers Mod Plate with increased GVM.

We were thinking of trying to install a complete new chassis, but that involved a lot of work. A good cleanup and paint treatment should suffice for the current one. We still have to do a paint job on the van, and possibly redo the sealing under all of the trims etc. That in itself is a huge task, but *should* be fun.

Regards

Ray

[Mustang]

Hi Raywise,
Welcome back.
Good to see you found your previous thread, do keep us up to date.
Cheers
Mustang