1975 Franklin Hunter 12ft - W8372

[Deleted]

Thanks for the tip Alistair I have a collection original retro material but mainly smaller pieces, so its great to know where to buy more.

Once I have the van at home, remaking the curtains will one of my first jobs.

cheers
Sandy

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2012 8:48:08 GMT 10 millard1399 said:

You've obviously done your homework well, Sandy, although I wouldn't believe anything I write on this forum if I were you.

I'm 90% confident that the "W" series is from 1975, but I've come across some conflicting information about the "X" series being from 1976. Some things don't add up correctly, so I'm waiting for the day when somebody comes on the forum with a Franklin from the mid-70s that has all the original paperwork with it. That person might just be you.



Your numbers mean you have the 8,372nd chassis built in the year, which means it was built very close to the end of the year (I'll never know exactly how many Franklins were built each year, but 8,000 units would be up around the yearly output). However, the van might not have been purchased until the start of the following year (eg. in January for their holidays).

Anyway, I've got my fingers crossed that you can solve a little puzzle for me.

cheers,
Al.l

And here I was thinking you were the expert on such matters Al

But seriously... ;D....I really hope I do find the original receipt or some other paperwork showing the definite age of the van, to both solve your puzzle and know for my own satisfaction.

If mine was one of more than 8,000 units, they sure did churn them out in those days!! Makes me wonder how many old Franklins are left still standing ...

Sandy

[bobt]

Hi there retro73

That is one nice looking Hunter, love the green, that stove is in incredible condition, who was the dealer you acquire it from?

Curtains.. No surprise to me that they have gone.

In the past when we have washed the curtains in our vans, cause they were dirty we have had them shrink to the point where they could no longer be used.

Look forward to you telling us about your trip home.

bobt

[Deleted]

To update everyone: I'm now back home from Melbourne with my beautiful Franklin ('Frankie') safe and secure ;D Thanks again to everyone who provided such good advice, it all came in so handy!

Left at 5.30am Friday from Canberra and had a good trip, except for the horrific road accident on the freeway near Violet Town where a petrol tanker had jackknifed and crushed a small car truly horrible. It caused a long delay and massive detour but small price to pay compared to those who had been involved, poor things.

Arrived at the dealership around 3pm and the van was all ready to go, having been given all the necessary pre-delivery safety checks. A very knowledgeable chap named Dougie (BIG caravan fan!) did the handover and advised me on the towing mirrors (Note for Al - none of the cheaper strap on mirrors were any good for my particular car, so I ended up going for the more expensive Rossa clip and suction type, which proved to be excellent . Dougie then hitched me up and away we went...a bit nerve-wracking at first but I took it really easy and soon was humming along the freeway just fine.

The van towed perfectly - no swaying or other nasties, seemed to be really stable. I'd planned ahead and booked a spot at the Goulburn River Park at Seymour which someone had recommended, and arrived about 5.30. It was a lovely park and of course I'd booked a drive-through site being a newbie and all... too chicken to reverse on my first tow...

Spent a very comfortable night...I couldn't believe how warm and snug the van was, and the bed was much more comfy than I'd expected... ;D since it was only foam on a spring base.

Had my first brekky in the van the next morning - the little fridge had worked perfectly overnight too! I headed off around 9am - by that stage, luckily the freeway had reopened which meant an easier and quicker trip home.

I took a numerous rest breaks all the way back which made the trip very easy - plus the weather and scenery were glorious ;D Lucky timing weatherwise, lucky me!

I arrived in Canberra around 5.30pm safe and sound....but then the big reveal...would the van actually fit in my garage as per all my grand planning....

AArrggghhh...it missed by a matter of a few measly inches, even after taking some of the air out of the tyres... So all my measuring and fiddling and re-measuring didn't work out, alas... The Four Seasons hatch was taller than they had told me...!!

So at the moment my little Franklin is sitting outside my front door until I come up with a solution, such as fitting the small storage wheels. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to get about 4-6 more inches clearance?

So folks, that's my home-coming story! I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of fun in my new Classic van, I love it to pieces already ;D ;D.

I'm attaching some pics...

Sandy

[Deleted]

Getting hitched up!


All ready to roll...


On the road...


Taking a break for a nice cuppa...



Goulburn River Park, Seymour...



On the road near Gundagai, and not too far to home...

[kiwijim]

Howdy Retro73,

I must say, you have a great caravan there, looks as though it was made to fit you car perfectly,
Glad to hear the first trip was such a success and having fine weather was a real bonus this time of the year.

If you have already taken the air out of the tires and the van is still too high, the only other option you may have, apart from cutting a square out of the front of the shed, would be taking the wheels off completely.
This can be a real pain if you want to use the van again in a week or so but, it may give you enough clearance to get it into the shed.

You will have to jack up the van in a position so that you will be able to remove the jack after you have lowered it.
Lower the van until it is sitting on the break drums after running a couple of strips of old carpet then you should be able to push the van into position.
One other thing you will have to watch is that the spring shackles aren't lower than the drums or you will end up sitting on them instead of the drums.

If all else fails. I'll make you an offer. ;D ;D ;D

kiwijim ;D

[mausie]

Hi Sandy
Joe & I have been watching your story unfold. "Frankie" is such a great looking Franklin.

We are very jealous. Last year we purchased a 12.5 foot Capricorn in Victoria but our story does not have the happy ending as yours does because we are rebuilding our van - the woodwork was rotten- check out our progress on this forum.

We live in Gowrie, ACT ;D ;D ;D

One of my mates recently bought himself a very nice Franklin Freeway he lives in Richardson ACT.

If you are interested, CIT runs a Caravanning for begineers Course as well as a Reversing course. These are only one day courses and are very good. Something for you to consider.

Best wishes
Mausie

[Deleted]

Hi Kiwijim

Thanks for your advice re taking the wheels off completely...you haven't mentioned trying the small caravan storage wheels - is that because they don't work?

I'd appreciate any advice on these...

thanks
Sandy

PS Nice try...no, I don't think I'll be taking any offers on Frankie at this stage! ;D ;D He's a rare bird!!

[Deleted]

Hi Mausie

Thanks for the compliments on Frankie - yes, he's a very nice van indeed and quite rare to find one of this age in such good condition ;D.

I paid a relatively high price as far as old caravans go, but felt it was worth it for such an immaculate van and annexe in such good original condition and obviously well cared for from new.

Good to know there are other Classic vanners in the ACT ;D ;D. I'll check out your rebuild thread.

And thanks for the info on CIT courses, sounds like just what I need before tackling reversing etc .

Hope we can get together one of these days...

Sandy

[millard1399]

G'day Sandy,

Well done on getting your van home at your first attempt at towing. Sounds like you had quite a pleasant trip home. ;D

I must say the Franklin is one of the best (if not THE best) condition Franklins I've seen from the '70s. Irrespective of the price you paid, this one will easily last for another 50 years if it's looked after, so just divide the price by 50 and it's a cheap annual cost.

To work out how much lower your van would be if you fitted stowaway wheels on it, measure the outside diameter of one of your tyres half way up the wheel. Then subtract 400mm from that figure. Then halve the result.

I recently calculated that my 14 inch wheels have a tyre diameter of 630mm. The stowaway wheels are 400mm outside diameter.

630 minus 400 equals 230. Divide 230 by 2 equals 115mm.

My van would drop 115mm in height.

If you have 13 inch tyres on your van, the drop in height will be less than 115mm.

Your options really depend on exactly how much you are missing out by at the moment.

ps. Don't forget that in-depth search for the manufacturing date for me.

pps. A classy van deserves to be towed with classy mirrors anyway. ;D

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Hi there Al

Nice to hear from you and thanks for your good wishes on Frankie's (and of course Yours Truly's) safe return! . Yes, I'm very chuffed with my purchase and the near immaculate condition, not to mention the good looks ;D. I felt so happy towing the van along and it does match quite well with my SUV.

Now that the dust has settled after our whirlwind 48 hours, I have just been looking through the various books which I found in the van.

Alas...there is no original receipt, nor any indication of the date of purchase unfortunately. The little plastic bag I found contains the following:

- Franklin Owner's Manual - the only date I could find was on the inside cover, "Revised and Reprinted in 1974" so I guess that must mean a post-74 van at least.
- The Franklin Warranty card - alas, not completed or dated
- The original Electrolux fridge manual and Warranty card - not dated
- The Tudor Gas Stove information card - not dated
- and lastly, a 1985 -1986 Victorian Caravan Parks Directory

So...I'm afraid to say, I can shed no further light on this burning question.... . Such a shame, I would love to have found something!

I also had one last lead to pursue - I discovered a very feint phone number on the keytag. I rang this today, only to find a recorded message saying 'This number is out of service' which I guess means the old folk who owned the van have moved on, perhaps into a nursing home or similar.

I will call the dealership tomorrow and ask if they can provide any further information about the origins of the van. I'd love to get hold of some old photos to make up an album.

Wish me luck...

I'll now go and take my tape measure and do what you suggest re the wheels... Though seems I'm none too good at measuring things in the first place...hahaha!

Sandy ;D

[Deleted]

Hi Al ;D

Did you read my post re the books in my van??

Sandy

[millard1399]

Yep, sure did, and I've been sulking ever since!

I thought for sure if I was ever gonna find out the actual year of a Franklin, this was going to be the one.

Never mind, all you have to do is rip out all the interior wall panelling for me. The date would have been scribbled on the back by the production line workers when it was being built.

Heyyyy!!!...What's that gagging noise I can hear coming from Canberra?? Politicians?


Thanks for trying though, Sandy.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Oh dear... sorry to have ruined your day Al!

I too am disappointed as I would love to know more about my van.

I wasn't able to speak to the dealer whom I bought it form today, but will try again tomorrow. The other possible lead is through a sticker on the van which reads 'Sold and Serviced by Glenlee, Latrobe Valley'. I guess this was the original dealer who sold the van new, so I'll Google them and see if they are still in business....may be some info they could provide

As for ripping into my pristine van walls to find a date...as they say on Little Britain..."Computer says No!"

But I'm a determined gal , so watch this space... ;D May come up with something yet....

Sandy

[Deleted]

Hi Sandy,
Glenlee are no longer I'm afraid!They sold all sorts of brands and put their stickers on them,but didnt try to hide the original nameplates,hence your van still has its nameplates.
You also cant rip the walls apart as they are "Thermopanel" which is a compressed aluminium,foam and inner plywood,cut out in one piece.Just keep looking under everything to get an exact build date!
Glad you had a good trip home,it will only get easier from now on.
Cheers
hughdeani

[Deleted]

Hey retro73.
I have a Hunter 75 model. I have sticker above the door inside, with writing on it. You may have one too. Ill post a pic later of it.

Heres the sticker, above the door.



scotty

[Deleted]

Hi Scotty1

Thanks ... had a look but no sticker to be found, alas. I did find written above the inside wardrobe door ' Hunter W 8372' but again, no date...

The inside finish of your van looks exactly like mine - the wall panel and ceiling panel are identical.

Have you any pics of you van already posted on the forum

Would love to see him.... ;D and compare notes

Sandy

[Deleted]

Hi Sandy

Mine Hunter is identical inside to yours except a little longer.

Some photos in this post from earlier last year.

ditzygypsy.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=techno&thread=1157&page=1

Scotty

[Fingers Crossed]

First of all nice van great to see the vintage vans on the road again.

Now I have been offered a van via family and was wondering if anyone could work out the model of my franklin hunter V2265.

I hope that the van I have been offered can look similar with a little TLC and not cost a fortune.

[millard1399]

G'day Fingers Crossed,

At this stage I'm saying the V series numbers are from 1974, however I'm always wavering in my level of certainty. I'm seeing more and more caravans with an X series number that can only be from 1977 and not earlier, so I might have to adjust my thinking and say the V series is 1975, the W series is 1976, and the X series is 1977.

You can take your pick at the moment...1974 or 1975.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Wow - great Hunter. She is a beauty.