17' Viscount Supreme "Vincent" (updated images)

[snoops]

Yeah, sorry about that, low blow I know....

But, it is really easy and cheap to register trailers and vans down here. For rego, you just take the van along, they check to make sure the lighting is working and meets the codes of the year it was built to, measure the length and width, ask you what the ATM is if it is old and doesn't have a plate attached showing this, then it's $55 for the years rego and $21 for the plate. No safety checks, no gas compliance necessary. If you enquire about why the laws appear to be so lax, the answer you'll get is that there are almost zero accidents and incedents due to these things, so they don't waste time and money needlessly enforcing them.

lets face it, a regulated gas supply packs between 2.5 and 2.8KPA.  You can stop a leak like that with some chewing gum, and even if you spring a leak, it leaks at such a slow rate that it would be damn near impossible to blow up you van like this.  An unregulated gas supply is a different story but doesn't apply in older vans, and I doubt newer ones either, but I've never checked.

They still need to be kept in a roadworthy condition but the onus is on the owner to do this.

[Mustang]

Nov 7, 2015 19:05:34 GMT 10 snoops said:

Yeah, sorry about that, low blow I know....

But, it is really easy and cheap to register trailers and vans down here. For rego, you just take the van along, they check to make sure the lighting is working and meets the codes of the year it was built to, measure the length and width, ask you what the ATM is if it is old and doesn't have a plate attached showing this, then it's $55 for the years rego and $21 for the plate. No safety checks, no gas compliance necessary. If you enquire about why the laws appear to be so lax, the answer you'll get is that there are almost zero accidents and incedents due to these things, so they don't waste time and money needlessly enforcing them.

lets face it, a regulated gas supply packs between 2.5 and 2.8KPA.  You can stop a leak like that with some chewing gum, and even if you spring a leak, it leaks at such a slow rate that it would be damn near impossible to blow up you van like this.  An unregulated gas supply is a different story but doesn't apply in older vans, and I doubt newer ones either, but I've never checked.

They still need to be kept in a roadworthy condition but the onus is on the owner to do this.

Isn't that just common sense? but up here in Qld there are plenty of caravan accidents. Usually too much weight behind the inferior tug.

[snoops]

Accidents yes, but not caused by the van being unroadworthy, etc - like you said, overloaded and badly loaded vans behind crappy tow vehicles or due to inexperienced drivers.

Anyway, back to your van, I didn't want to hijack your thread (too much)... . It's great to see your approaching to the point where rego is just around the corner.

[tasmillard]

Given the condition, they would have little doubt that anything else would be dodgy, so should be easier. Like mine, the inspector didnt even go inside the van, and made some comments about its condition which helped.

[Mustang]

Nov 7, 2015 19:31:51 GMT 10 snoops said:

Accidents yes, but not caused by the van being unroadworthy, etc - like you said, overloaded and badly loaded vans behind crappy tow vehicles or due to inexperienced drivers.

Anyway, back to your van, I didn't want to hijack your thread (too much)... . It's great to see your approaching to the point where rego is just around the corner.

We are registered, I never let it lapse.

[Deleted]

Nov 7, 2015 17:42:39 GMT 10 Mustang said:

Nov 7, 2015 13:36:25 GMT 10 snoops said:

Or, you could just live in Victoria, where none of that stuff is checked when you get rego on your van.

If your lights are working, you pay your $55 and drive away.

Or SA where I rocked up with the plate number written on a post-it note, filled in a 1 page form, and the van which had been out of reg for over a decade was in my name 15 minutes later.

[Mustang]

Now the fridge is in (for now) I have laid the lino tiles.
The neutral theme is what we wanted. (Original was cream with gold)



The rear is carpeted same as original, (same position) apart from the fact that gold & cream shagpile is hard to come by on the roll....



With the physical, I guess this is it, not much will change from here on:

Bugger what am I going to do now??

[snoops]

Awesome job. What you do now is go out on the weekends and enjoy using it, rather than working on it every spare minute. . I made the mistake of getting mine usable, then trying to finish it, but I find any spare weekend I have, I go camping in it rather than working on it.

Enjoy!

[tasmillard]

very nice indeed, great workmanship.

[Mustang]

Getting down to the sharp end of our reno, I kept the original "main switch" box, while fitting a circuit breaker/ safety switch.

We reinforced the wall with 6mm marine ply, this is inside the wardrobe.

The original instruction sheet is still in place.

[awbeattie381]

great job mustang, good to see a finished project (other than the hundreds of other little jobs on the list!).

Back to the rego, here in NSW I didnt have a problem getting mine renewed. Even though the interior of my van is pretty much empty I didnt want it to lapse. The guy doing the rego check attacked the suspension with a long lever to check for play, had a quick look at the drawbar, lights and that was it. Nothing about gas. Not sure if it would be a different story going for a blue slip but I didnt want to find out!

I bet you cant wait to get it out and star using it now!

[atefooterz]

Amazing work Mustang and November is only just underway, your eta for show & tell completion hit the mark.

[Deleted]

Awesome finish Mustang. It's amazing how great all the old vans come up with love and attention. Your van will get more looks than all these new monster vans out on the road. Great job, now enjoy!   

[Deleted]

Beautiful job, I like the neutral interior

[myarrow1]

Wow, that looks unreal........ Much more character than the white boxes getting dragged around nowadays !!!!!!

[Mustang]

Thank you guys for the encouraging  comments. Now vincent is in the shed & the "big fella" is out I miss it already.

Been busy in the paint shop as when we return, we only have three weeks before the VV Nationals,
I have to make a bed frame, bead around the lino, rejig the fridge, hook up a battery for the 12v, 
I guess other jobs I havn't thought of??  we will just have to shake the bugs out as we travel to SW Rocks.

Paint shop:


The Big fella, our home for the next 3 months:



Cheers & Merry Christmas, I'll be looking in at all the reno's when we have service.

[murray]

Mustang,
Have a good couple of months before the nationals 
Don't "rough-it" too much
Where will you be for your birthday ?

Mustang's tent alternative


cheers
Murray

[Mustang]

Hi Murry,
Thanks for the exposure
We will be somewhere in NSW on the 20th, as the Beatles sang " when I'm 64" , bloody hell am I???
Cheers

[doublechevron]

Nov 10, 2015 19:51:17 GMT 10 Mustang said:

That looks absolutely sensational.  The wheel spats really do dress it up nicely next to your polished  aluminium

seeya,
Shane L.

[Mustang]

Vincent has a wine cellar, 39.6 meter's of pine. (Image is distorted its longer than wider)



Should be able to equalise some weight here, with a couple of cartons?



Perhaps I should get some gas struts, so I dont strain myself getting a red out

[Deleted]

That will help to reduce the ball weight?

[jm9422]

I must have gone through this whole thread twice over a couple of weeks. I wasn't around to see these classics when they were new, but would they have looked as good as Vincent?

Amazing work you've put in.

[Mustang]

Thanks JM9422,
I have added at least a 100 kilos in hardwood frames , brackets, screws, screws & more screws, a decent bed frame , marine floor,etc, etc,
yes they were very smart when new & never affordable for us, we love the fact that Vincent was headed for the paddock for a second time & the van is now giving us & followers so much fun.

[Mustang]

Spent the week doing a zillion little jobs, Quads, door seals, making frame for prints, etc etc, tomorrow Vincent leaves the cave & the big fella moves back in.
So we are up to road testing of those temperamental brakes I haven't tried them since they have been re-wired to parallel.
Fingers crossed.

[Mustang]

Brakes Report:

Well sometimes the best advice  doesn't work.

On the modern I adjust the pads up to a stop then back off a few clicks until the wheel spins one to two turns. The brakes work fine .

Tried this with Vincent's new brakes & they ran very hot?

So after reading the net until midnight,  I tried the following.

Backed off the handbrake cable until loose, backed off the pads until the wheel spun totally free.

Disconnected the electrics to the brakes & ran for 2km, 5km,10km, no heat so this discounted the bearings.

Connected the brakes & repeated the run with virtually no braking to check for sticking trailing shoes, no heat.

Now time to add the power, the Teckonsha has up to 13 amp setting backed this off to 7, with no boost & bingo braking without excessive heat, phew!!!

Diagnosis: I reckon originally I had to much power in the Teckonsha, pads too close to the drums, hand brake cable to neat, originally the wiring was in series, its now in parallel.