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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 17:31:13 GMT 10
Hi everyone,
Early last year my wife convinced me that we should get a caravan for fun and easy family getaways. We searched a few caravan yards and for appeal and budgetary reasons knew we were looking at something pre-loved and from the vintage/classic era.
This led me to this wonderful site on which I have discovered a wealth of information from a crew of very helpful members. Thank you to all the contributors.
So back in June on another evening perusing the classifieds during my daily commute, I came across an old Viscount Ambassador for a price we couldn't refuse.
We picked it up that weekend (only an hour and a half's drive away!) and now it's time to get the reno underway for an already booked Easter holiday down the coast.
The clock is ticking....
Anyway, I'll post some photos when I can get to the PC and share the experience along the way.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2015 17:01:45 GMT 10
Again, another interesting project. I'm in the same boat, although with a bit of a head start, to get ours sorted and tested before Easter and the long weekends hit.
Where abouts are you located btw?
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Post by kharde on Jan 31, 2015 8:36:59 GMT 10
Congrats....
Keep us informed along the way. Can be a massive project, as I found (I recently stripped a 74 Ambassador, sandblasted rust, installed all mod-cons etc) but now that it is finished, well worth the journey.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 7:35:28 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 7:50:07 GMT 10
This is the work environment:  We started to strip out all of the internal furniture and fixtures:  Our youngest was a great helper, very enthusiastic:  A kerbside collection and a trailer load to the tip later and it's now just the shell. I'm thinking I'll have to detach the side panels because the old wall ply is sandwiched between the end frames and the wall frames. Similarly the ceiling ply is sandwiched between the roof framing and the wall framing. Very annoying, Initially I was in two minds about stripping all of walls and furniture but was glad after starting because it literally all just fell apart, especially the wall and ceiling ply. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 7:53:14 GMT 10
Hi dan81,
We are on the Central Coast of NSW.
Stripping the van has revealed it's probably in worse condition than I was anticipating, will be tough to have it all ready by Easter
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 7:58:17 GMT 10
The chassis is pretty rusty and to ease the pain, we're sending it off to the sandblaster. So this weekend I took the frame off the chassis. The hold down bolts had mostly corroded to the point where they couldn't be removed so I had to cut them off with the angle grinder.    |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 8:46:05 GMT 10
That is what I call keen, you will be very proud when it's all over, and I'm sure you will enjoy the van after all your efforts. The hill will get smaller as the days go by and the different repairs get finished.
Keep us updated, cheers |
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Post by atefooterz on Feb 5, 2015 8:58:32 GMT 10
Wow "classic resto much!" Great to see the love & attention and can not wait to follow your progress.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 17:18:14 GMT 10
Thanks for the encouragement atefooterz and lockyer.
Is it just me or does anyone else also think these original old chassis' were designed down to the bone? It just seems rather flimsy and I'd prefer something more robust even if there is a small weight penalty.
As you can see from the totally rusted out z section I already have to replace it and I'm thinking about a longer draw bar as well which would start closer to the axle and also lengthen the gap between the tow vehicle and chassis.
I'm also considering strengthening up the rear of the chassis so it can take the weight of a hitch mount style bike carrier. I figure positioning the bikes right at the back will ease up the tow ball load.
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Post by Mustang on Feb 5, 2015 17:25:29 GMT 10
Oh My , you just made me feel a whole lot better :PBut you are tackling the project sensibly, keep at it, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
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Post by atefooterz on Feb 5, 2015 20:42:06 GMT 10
When you think about the engineers & builders that made these things it all gets back to a compromise, if it were a bridge then rather than toss around a few kgs more you find it would collapse under the weight! It is a vicious cycle of the stronger & heavier the stronger & heavier the materials must be..at some point there is a happy medium, copy the original & get it hot gal dipped & your great great grandkids will enjoy it in tact!
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Post by Mustang on Feb 6, 2015 7:55:20 GMT 10
Having a look at your thread again, as you are a family man with honorable intentions, I expect instead of finishing by easter,
you may have a divorce instead. Why not book a hire van now for the easter period & really enjoy Christmas in Viscount???
(love the little guy with the protection goggles)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 8:44:18 GMT 10
Thanks for the encouragement atefooterz and lockyer. Is it just me or does anyone else also think these original old chassis' were designed down to the bone? It just seems rather flimsy and I'd prefer something more robust even if there is a small weight penalty. As you can see from the totally rusted out z section I already have to replace it and I'm thinking about a longer draw bar as well which would start closer to the axle and also lengthen the gap between the tow vehicle and chassis. I'm also considering strengthening up the rear of the chassis so it can take the weight of a hitch mount style bike carrier. I figure positioning the bikes right at the back will ease up the tow ball load. I hope you have deep pockets..? The way vans where built and then registered is on there weight, so when it comes time to register your van you will need to have all components upgraded to suit the new ATM/GTM of the van. Have a read of this thread and see what happens when your van goes over weight and what you may then need to do. Over weight
cheers
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Post by awbeattie381 on Feb 6, 2015 12:33:02 GMT 10
Having a look at your thread again, as you are a family man with honorable intentions, I expect instead of finishing by easter, you may have a divorce instead. Why not book a hire van now for the easter period & really enjoy Christmas in Viscount??? (love the little guy with the protection goggles) agree with this statement. Try and find another van for easter. Everything takes 10 times longer than you would expect. Unless you are working on the van 5 days/week between now and then its going to be a massive challenge. Not saying it cant be done, but might want a plan b... Great start to the project though. Plenty of progress being made! Enjoy it, and when you think you have hit a brick wall, have a cuppa (or a beer) so you can think about it calmly! haha |
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Post by atefooterz on Feb 6, 2015 18:25:44 GMT 10
I hope you mean Easter 2017 or 2016, anything else would be a 24/7 adventure
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Post by youngdazza on Feb 6, 2015 18:45:54 GMT 10
A lot of nay-sayers here. I'd say give it your best shot. Sure, have a back up plan, but there's nothing better than a deadline to get you motivated...
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Post by camper2van on Feb 6, 2015 19:02:39 GMT 10
Good luck with your build . Sorry to see it is going to be a lot more work than you expected . Your van like mine have been around for a long time. The roads they travelled back then would have been rough as compared to todays roads . If you fix that chassis or make one the same and maybe get it dipped it should easily last another 40 yrs . All the best Mark |
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Post by atefooterz on Feb 6, 2015 20:49:36 GMT 10
A lot of nay-sayers here. I'd say give it your best shot. Sure, have a back up plan, but there's nothing better than a deadline to get you motivated... I agree with you in many ways, being a can do sorta dude for many years, with a project like this there is also the risk of short cutting or glossing over stuff that requires major surgery again down the track, so while possible is it worth the risk? My way of lookin at it may be to at least have it registered & camp in the bare bones of it for Easter... or plan B* I have spent many years getting skiffs together for deadlines & the extra cash & work to fix it up again afterwards! When you are not paid to do endless snafu rectifications it gets a bit meh!  * If you read my thread all i needed was to get a blue slip with very basic stuff but it still took almost a month! Other folks not me (their scedules) |
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Post by kharde on Feb 7, 2015 7:31:24 GMT 10
My van was in a similiar state you yours at the beginning. When I looked at everything that needed to be done - so overwhelming and I was ready to throw the towel in. BUT... I just completed one task at a time, deliberately not looking at the big picture and whola: Mine was completed in under a year.
(Note: I got my van professionally sandblasted as well to get me kickstarted....)
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Post by kharde on Feb 7, 2015 7:33:54 GMT 10
Do watch the weight though. Not expensive (mine came in well underweight [and I installed a toilet, air-conditioner, fridge, etc]) but I was always mindful of the weight. My van was dual axle though, so I had more weight to play with (ball park figure - each of my axles were graded to 800kg).
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Post by snoops on Feb 7, 2015 18:49:02 GMT 10
Thanks for the encouragement atefooterz and lockyer. Is it just me or does anyone else also think these original old chassis' were designed down to the bone? It just seems rather flimsy and I'd prefer something more robust even if there is a small weight penalty. As you can see from the totally rusted out z section I already have to replace it and I'm thinking about a longer draw bar as well which would start closer to the axle and also lengthen the gap between the tow vehicle and chassis. I'm also considering strengthening up the rear of the chassis so it can take the weight of a hitch mount style bike carrier. I figure positioning the bikes right at the back will ease up the tow ball load. From the pics, it looks like the outside of the chassis is stuffed, but looks to be only surface rust on most of it. I would replace the bad stuff and yes, get a new draw bar made up a bit longer, and tied in back to the spring hangers. I'm doing this on mine at the moment. It's all I have to do before rego and it's first outing. You will have some late nights getting it finished by Easter, but best of luck. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2015 21:52:45 GMT 10
Ok, all good things to consider. I know this is an ambitious project and while plan A is to have it all done and dusted, realistically it's probably a case of just getting it on the road and useable as a place for sleeping, without furniture or fixtures. I really want to do a thorough job and as has been said, everything seems to take 10 times as long and twice the price...I don't want to take any short cuts or half measures just to maintain a self imposed deadline. Especially when there are suitable plan B's. At this stage plan B is probably just to take the tent and camp.
On Friday I took off the old water tanks (not sure yet about whether or not we should reuse them) and yesterday I dropped off the chassis to the sandblaster. On Monday I'll be talking to the boiler maker about steel repairs and strengthening as well as a new draw bar.
While that's all happening, we need to choose a colour for the chassis paint and work out some of the essential systems, particularly braking and electrical.
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Post by atefooterz on Feb 8, 2015 23:33:51 GMT 10
Here is hoping you at least get to camp in the registered bare bones van at Easter! Using them is the best way forwards to work out the best mods.
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