A Coromal between Classics

[kiwijim]

At long last the Coaster is now crawling it's way to it's new home about 100km out of Perth.

After well over 250 hits on GUMTREE, I didn't receive one reply,
The Coaster was bought by a bloke who happened to be driving past and saw the signs on the Coaster sitting on the front lawn.

I only had to drop a few quid off the price but, received more than what I had planed to let it go for, One Happy Chappy.

NOW...... Here's where I should hang my head in shame and go and sit besides AL on the other side of the fence.

After the Coaster went off down the road, I thought I would have a look at Gumtree, Ya know, Just to see what a bloke with a hand full of cash could grab,

Well, I'm afraid it's not a classic but, at a price tag of $5950 Who could resist this.........


It's an 88 Coromal 22ft long with Shower and Air con on the roof.
Full licensed for twelve months and a full set of new tires plus two spares, rear Island Double bed, central dining and front kitchen with a brand new fridge.
This van was advertised for 13 minuets when I spotted it and grabbed it over the phone.
The van is from a Deceased Estate and the family only wanted to get rid of it.

So until I find another Classic to rebuild, I guess I will be sitting besides Al's ( Millard 1399 ) Camp Fire.

Sorry All, Cheers Kiwijim

[bobt]

bloody 'ell another one.



geez kiwi fella... ya bought a coromal..

I can see its gunna need a little bit of a tweek here an there...

it was a real steal at that price..

ya know if ya add up the age of the van and the age of the owner then divide by 2 ya would qualify for this forum.. ;D

how about some inside photos..

bobt

[millard1399]

Ha ha ha...ain't that just the funniest coincidence! TWO traitors now!!

Congratulations on off-loading the Coaster, and congratulations on getting that van for what seems like a bargain price!

I hear what you're saying about Gumtree... when I had the Millard on there a couple of months ago, the only response I got during 3 weeks of listing was from a scammer. I pulled the advert, and the van is still sitting in the front yard, waiting for warmer weather to come, and for people to start thinking about summer caravanning. I've had enquiries from people going past our house and seeing the For Sale sign, but nobody has offered any dollars yet.

Looks like you and I will both be driving around the countryside with our heads bowed down low in case anybody from this forum recognises us.

cheers,
Al.

[mausie]

Hi Kiwijim

You should be renamed "Ned Kelly" what a steal

Seriously what a lovely van. :-)

I am sure you will find something older to have fun in.

Joe and I also own a 21' Jayco for the long trips. But thought we wanted something older to tote behind the Austin. So we are happy both ways hence the Capricorn

Congratulations on the sale and purchase- Coromal is a great van!!!

Mausie

[kiwijim]

Howdy Guys & Gals,

Yep, we're pretty happy with the Coromal and as you say Bobt, it does require a bit of fixing, small things like replacing the water pump and a bit of new lino on the floor.

The H.W.S. is an old manual ignition type and looks a bit sad so, that will be the next thing to sort out.

All in all, it's in a good solid state so, shouldn't take too long before I can use it to tour the country side, looking for that very rare Classic

I'll get some inside pic's up pretty soon Al, then we can compare notes "on the dark side" LOL

kiwijim ;D

[kiwijim]

O.K. Guys & Gals,
I've just torn myself away from doing some repairs to the Coromal,
I've taken a few pictures of the inside, just to give you some idea what she looks like..............
The front kitchen area.

The oven has never been used, I found the original hand book inside,

Here's the brand new fridge,

The rear bedroom,

And the Shower room off the rear bedroom,

Finally the central dining area,

The rear double bed isn't big enough for us, so I'm going to rip the lot out and after relining the walls, I'll fit a full size bed, ( Or Singles ) ;D ;D ;D

kiwijim

[millard1399]

Struth! That looks to be in pretty good nick!

Is the new fridge a gas/electric one, or just 240v?

I think you might have definitely won the "Bargain of the Month" award for this van. ;D ;D

cheers,
Al.

[kiwijim]

Howdy Al,
Unfortunately the new fridge is only 240v but we reckon that shouldn't be a problem.
Being new, the door seal is perfect so, if we give it full steam before we head away in the van, it will keep everything cool as long as we get power over night.

I am going to keep the eyes open for a 3 way fridge in the future, which would be the best way to go, then we will be able to do our favorite bush camping again.

I've a number of small jobs to do on the Coromal before I'm happy with it, I'm thinking of ripping everything out of the rear bedroom and fitting a larger d/bed and while at it I will reline the walls, should keep me out of mischief for a week or three. ;D ;D ;D

kiwijim ;D

[bobt]

Hey there Kiwijim

Measure carefully with that extra large bed. Friends of ours thought it would be nice to have a queen size bed in their caravan. They had it fitted while it was being built.

Now I gotta talk imperial here cause I can handle that. 5 foot wide island bed at the rear of a 7.6 wide caravan makes it a little sqeezey getting around.

Ya real lucky with the oven. Nice fridge bit of bad luck about the 240v bit never mind I am sure you will find a solution. Well for that matter, the price you paid I guess you could afford to buy a replacement.

Nice looking on the inside too you should be real pleased with your self.

Now what is the Tare weight?

bobt

[kiwijim]

Hey there Bobt,

Don't you worry about this cookie making a mistake with the measuring tape, I'll leave that to more experienced people on this Forum, ;D ;D ;D

WE have been out shopping for a new pillow top mattress and found one at our local Coromal Dealer, ran a tape over it and found it will fit nice and snug after I do the alterations in the Van, leaving a good distance between the walls on both side.

The tare weight of the van is 2000 with an agg weight of 2600
I had no trouble towing it home behind the Patrol, but did have a slight bounce in the back end with-out the stabiliser bars fitted.

I suppose I should start a new tread with the Coromal rebuild but,
what the heck to call it....... "Here's Traitor No 2" ? ? ?

Cheers kiwijim ;D

[millard1399]

Yeah..."Confessions of the Coromal Kiwi"

I'll just change the heading of this thread, and you can keep posting stuff about the Coromal here. Just tell me what you want to call the thread.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Hey Jim,
I guess you and Al could start a new forum,
" Classic Coromal " club.
That way you can still use the CC . ;D ;D
Mate, what a bargain, seems the kiwi was in the right spot at the right time.
Regards
Teflon

[bobt]

hey Al

How about renaming to "Traitor Too" ;D

Bobt

[kiwijim]

Howdy Guys,

I've been thinking as to what I could call this tread,

Maybe you could change the Heading Al,
If you could change it to, A Coromal between Classics

G'day Teflon, Yer, the Coromal was a steal alright at the price, I'm afraid I'm not in the Financial Managers "Good Books " at the moment though,
I had just sold the Coaster and the "Boss" had just given me a lecture about ....not running out and buying the first caravan I saw,
Then I spotted the Coromal for sale, before we knew it I was on the Phone, then into the Patrol for a 1.1/2 hr drive to see it. and bought it, there and then.

There is quiet a bit of work to do in the van,
I've ordered a new H.W.S. should be here in a week, then I am going to repair some water damaged wall panels ( typical Coromal windows )
I've already replaced the water pump, removed the fridge, as the wiring for the H.W.S. control and switch for the water pump will have to go behind the cupboard face beside the fridge.
Started to remove the wardrobe in the rear to widen the room for the new D/bed, then I will recover the dining area floor with vinyl , or maybe I'll use some timber floor panels I have,.... somewhere in the back shed.

Looks like we will miss the Wild Flower season again this year but, the Missus is quiet happy to stay home for a while after that trip to S.A..... pretty hard on us "Oldies"

Kiwijim ;D

[millard1399]

G'day kiwijim,

Sounds like you'll be a busy man for a few weeks. That'll keep you out of trouble for a bit!!

[kiwijim]

Howdy Al,

Thanks for changing the tread Name,
"Yep" it will be quiet a few months before the Coromal re-build will be complete, and it certainly will keep me out of mischief.

Went in and priced some new wall panels yesterday,
" Sufferin Cetermide " $ 85 .00 per sheet !!!
and I require 4 sheets plus color coded joiner and edge strips,
This re-build could run into a stack of Buck's.

I tried to get some cheaper wall panels at the "Green Shed" but all they had was a "cakky" yellow, cheap at $23.00 but no wonder going by the color, I bet they give the stuff away in the end.

I'll start posting some Pic's shortly.......
"Yes Dear" I'm coming !!!

kiwijim

[kiwijim]

Here's one Happy Chappy,

I went to a Wood whole-sale place today and the Bloke there was kind enough to order the new wall lining for me, Why so happy
Well, through this Guy I saved $109.00 off the price the Caravan yards were asking for three sheets of the lining. ;D ;D ;D

Now a few Pics of the Coromal demolition under way,
Why am I getting a new H.W.S. ?
Would you attempt to light this........


The inside of the Coromal looks a bit like a bomb has gone off....


I've taken out the old Plunger type (seized ) water pump........


Replacing the old Pump with this new 17 L.P.M. high pressure pump.......


I checked the front window and wondered why it was leaking,
soon found out, some dip wit had shoved rag into the gap at the top........


The rear Bedroom is pretty well demolished now.......




And so the fun continues...... ;D ;D

kiwijim ;D

[kiwijim]

Hey Al,

You're not wrong about this Coromal keeping me busy,
The deeper I poke the more I find to repair.

I haven't done a heck of a lot lately because it's been so cold and Wet,
today it's back to fine weather so, into the van and yanked out the last of the water damaged wall lining.......



I got a bit of a surprise when I removed the rear wall panel, All wooden frame and NO insulation.....

Looking at the window seal from the out-side, it's no wonder the van leaks, the windows are all coming out to do the internal walls then I'll be re-sealing the windows with some good sealer........

While I'm at it, I've got to show you Guys what I picked up at Bunnings the other day,
It's a very small but powerful Electric Screwdriver, it only turns at 200 R.P.M. but has a fantastic torque, not a bad buy at less than $50.00...............

It has a Twist handle for easy access to tight spots, also a very bright L.E.D. light........



One other thing I have done on the van is to remove two out-of-date gas bottles and the regulator,
New regulations now say that the regulator has to be higher than the gas bottles, this will prevent gas residue from entering the gas line and should stop that liquid junk from getting to and blocking gas appliances.......


kiwijim ;D ( still having fun)

[millard1399]

G'day kiwijim,

You're a glutton for punishment! ;D

I reckon if I tampered with the Windsor to the extent that you are doing, I'd find the same sorts of problems. That's why I carry a battery around with wires connected to my earlobes. As soon as I think about pulling parts of the van apart, I get a jolt in my brain that stops me dead in my tracks!


Sounds like the canny Kiwi has scored another bargain with the wall panelling. And that screwdriver will come in real handy as well. Gotta love those Bunnings bargains. ;D

I've started a new thread over in the Techo Stuff section about the new gas regulations. I'd like somebody to post a photo of how the gas regulator should be positioned, so I can locate mine properly.

cheers,
Al.

[kiwijim]

"YEP" I reckon I'll have to invest in a battery and a couple of Ear Lobe clips myself, Al.

My trouble is, I hate to see things that need to be replaced or repaired, I just can't leave them as they are.

This Reno started off with the simple idea of widening the gap between the rear wardrobes to allow a full width D/bed to be fitted, it's kinda snow-balled from there.

The "Boss" came into the van the other day and started giving me bad ideas about fitting another Washing Machine, "Geeez" as though I haven't got enough to repair now,

As things stand, I can now see that the hand will be in the rear pocket again very soon, I will require another two sheets of wall paneling to finish what I have found so far.

Warm weather's back ( 29.9 deg ) today, so there should be some activity in the van pretty soon now.

kiwijim ;D

[bobt]

geeez kiwijim

Just love the fully insulated rear wall. Strangly enough some manufactures still do this. Then they wonder why they don't get repeat business.

Nice score with the screw driver, are we to assume your not going to use stables inside this van?

bobt

[kiwijim]

Howdy Bobt,

Yer, it was a bit of a surprise to see NO insulation in the rear of the Coromal,
Without ripping out the Ceiling I can't say if it is insulated there either, hopefully so, I guess when we are in it and it's raining heavily, that will tell.

My policy with staples is,.... only use them when nothing else works, if possible I will glue and screw every time and only use staples for Butt joints and plenty of glue every time. ;D

I started to reduce the width of the bed-side cabinets in the shed today ( Pics to follow )
I intend to build the cabinets completely and then fit and screw them in place from the inside, into the floor and into the wall frame, at least next time they have to be removed, there won't be a million staples to cut through.

I've plenty of glue on the Pinkies tonight,
"Man" that No More Nails sure can stick

The little Battery operated screw driver I bought is sure getting a work-out, I still can't get over the fact it only has a 3.6V LI-Ion Rechargeable battery,
I use it constantly and it's still holding the first charge, the torque is fantastic, saves a heck of a lot of wrist action, ( us Oldies need all the help we can get ) ;D ;D ;D


kiwijim ;D

[kiwijim]

Well I suppose its about time I showed the wee bit of progress on the Coromal refit.
This was the old water damaged wall about a month ago......


This is it today.......




We have ripped out all the old seating material and have bought a roll of new stuff to recover all the seating........





After replacing the wall panels, I cleaned up and repainted the large rear windows and refitted them, using all stainless 6g x 20mm screws........


I have still to finish the rear overhead cupboards, not an easy thing to reface when they are already built into the caravan.

kiwijim

[Deleted]

You have been hard at it!! I hope it was not as painfull as the shower.
Cheers Gav

[jeff]

Thats a very neat job Jim, looking good, keep up the good work