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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2014 14:06:23 GMT 10
Hi all, I have decided to restore my late fathers caravan up, which originally was owned by my grand father. I recently found all associated paper work to do with the van including the original 'Hollywood Drive Caravan Sales' receipt from Cabramatta. Ive been doing some research and hoping to find some pictures of other caravans of the same model to get ideas and to see what it could end up like once im finished( this will help me convince my wife for the time I want to spend repairing the old girl...the missus is super keen to start travelling without the tent and swags but isn't so convinced about the viscount...hoping to change her mind.) Something I noticed on the sale receipt was the date of the receipt was 9-5-77 which correlates with the S/N R7-1172, but on all of the RTA inspection reports show the date of manufacture to be 1980 and the model as 604. I will try to post some pics but any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated cheers. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2014 19:42:10 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 9:23:50 GMT 10
GO TEAM VISCOUNTS! Love it. Can't wait to see your After photos. Enidb
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2014 22:04:03 GMT 10
G'day all,
Im having some trouble with my fridge. Its not working so I thought I'll pull it out and try and tinker with it in the garage but Im unable to gain access to disconnect the copper line from the fridge. I've noticed that on most other vans the vents are made on a removable panel however this is not the case with mine,just wondering if this access panel is something that people have modified on there caravans or this is how they were released. Im a bit reluctant to cut into my side panel to get access so Im thinking about cutting one in from under the floor just to disconnect the gas line. Its got me beat how they installed it in the first place, Its like they plumbed up the fridge and built the cabinet around it??
Anyway any sugestions or advice would be much appreciated
Cheers....
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2014 20:55:44 GMT 10
Got my fridge working on 240V, the freezer compartment was just starting to freeze up slightly after running for about an hour and twenty minutes. Im not sure if its as efficient as it should be(I've got no experience with these fridges) but im stoked that its working after not being run for at least 26 years.
Just wondering if I would be able to adapt the fridge with a 12V heater, the fridge is an Electrolux, model number is RM36E,
thanks in advance...
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Post by ForumMod on May 12, 2014 17:39:12 GMT 10
G'day blazzer, I'm just catching up with your posts after being away for 3 weeks. I wouldn't take much notice of what's on the RTA information about the age of your van. We often come across examples of the RTA saying one thing, and the real truth being something entirely different. The purchase receipt date matches what we know about the chassis numbers from that time period, so you've got the only proof you need. I'm not sure what you mean when you say, "Just wondering if I would be able to adapt the fridge with a 12V heater,...". What exactly do you want to do?? I reckon your Viscount will come up a treat with a bit of spit and polish. You shouldn't have too much trouble convincing your wife that the Viscount is much more comfortable to stay in compared with a bit of soggy canvas. Good luck with the project.  cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2014 19:15:28 GMT 10
Thanks for the reply Al,Yeah mate I think the missus was overwhelmed with all the junk in the van as well as the appearance of it but she is definitely coming around as I do more on the van..
My fridge is only a two way fridge, 240v and Gas. I would like to run it off 12V and I was thinking that all it was missing was a heating coil which would be tapped into my 12V lighting circuit( on a switch before the light switch so I don't need to turn the lights on to turn the fridge on)
Cheers Les
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Post by ForumMod on May 12, 2014 21:48:52 GMT 10
It isn't that simple. The 12V part of fridges need a much, much heavier duty cable to operate them than your typical light cable. At least 4mm cable is recommended, and some say a 6mm or 8mm cable is more preferrable. The 12V cable size that manufacturers fitted into the vans in the '70s for the fridge is nowhere near thick enough to do the job properly.
Apart from the cable aspects, I don't think it's a simple matter of fitting a heater into the system. You somehow would have to have that heater operate off a thermocouple to shut it on and off, otherwise I reckon you'd overcook the cooling system at the back of the fridge. There would be more knowledgeable people about it than I am, but my gut feeling is that it wouldn't be something that's simple to do.
cheers,
Al.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 13:53:37 GMT 10
Hi blazzer, I am new here too, and in the early stages of doing up (almost gutting) a 1978 Viscount Supreme. My thread is titled S88038 if you want to have a look. We got our fridge out on Saturday, we took the outside panel off the van to undo the gas lead, then actually demolished to kitchen cabinet around it which was our intention anyway. We found that it had been screwed in through the cabinetry on the front side edges of the fridge, then trim had been put over the top of the screws. So yes I think that they put the fridge in then finished building the kitchen around it.
cheers
Karen
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2014 15:32:58 GMT 10
Dually noted Al, thanks for the advice..... Thanks Karen I'll definitely check your thread out, good luck with it anyway
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Post by supreme78 on May 18, 2014 9:41:47 GMT 10
The 12 v element uses as much power as your headlights and because it's so far from your car battery you need 6mm min wire to give the current required. If you leave it on for a couple hrs your battery will be flat. My viscount s81091 has the spot in the back of the fridge for the element but I decided against it as I don't travel large distances in it anyway. Some people use an inverter to power the 240 using 12v from a battery when car is running. This is cheeper to set up and you can use the inverter for other things when camping. Look at my renovation build in here under S81091
I enjoyed restoring my caravan ( although never finished) it's a stress relaxant and the end result is a nice van for getting away. I still have a list a page long but I use it and enjoy it. Happy restoring.
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Post by supreme78 on May 18, 2014 10:00:27 GMT 10
I forgot to mention that the 12v element is just adequate to keep your fridge at temp. You need to cool the fridge by gas or 240 and then 12 v will keep it cool while driving only. It's does not need a thermostat as it's not strong enough to need to cycle on and off.
My 78 supreme has a removable cover over the back of the fridge that is screwed on with like 28 screws. It now has sealing foam on it and held on with about10 screws. It's mounted through the floor at the rear and screwed into cabinet at the front. The fridge was sitting on chipboard that was stuffed and so the fridge was sagged down in the cupboard so I replaced it with decent ply .
If you read my posts you will see how I added a fan and thermostat to run the fan to assist the fridge when the warmer months hit.
I guess I was lucky that my van wasn't to badly water damaged and so the resto wasn't to bad. The best tool I bought while renovating was a dremel multi tool like a renovator tool. For cutting ply timber ect it's been a handy tool.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 10:59:58 GMT 10
Hi supreme78, thanks for the info.. I wanted the 12v like you said just for travelling long stints then I would revert back to gas or 240. I like the inverter idea but the inverter I have says to only use when car is off then it has a warning light to let you know when the power is getting low, it was only cheap maybe ill have a look for one that can be used while car is running. I have used those dremel multi tools and they are well worth the investment.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 23:11:15 GMT 10
g'day all, haven't done much on the van lately except for repairing the bottom bunk bed and the lounge as they were starting to collapse from the corners of the access panel to the storage compartment. decided time to try and get the electrical's going....nothing but dramas anyway my older brother offered me a hand and before we new it pretty much rewired and re-configured all the wires at the junction where all the wires come into five to go to the plug and bingo! what a relief I was really pulling my hair out(and I don't have much left)..its always good when theres someone you can turn to when you feel like you've come to a dead end.
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