Millard Barn Find

[Deleted]

Hi,



I have been offered this van for free.



it needs a lot of work but the price is right.



just wondering if someone can help identify the model. and whether or not it has an aluminium frame or not?



Thanks.



imgur.com/a/Gv7mw

[Zippo]

Have the same Millard van living next door. Same internal layout and it does have an aluminum frame. (15 foot I think but can check) Has 1000kg ATM on rego papers. I can look at the papers for his chassis number and year of manufacture so you can compare with yours. It has been painted inside and the lounge has been pulled out because it was broken in several places. Otherwise, clean version of what you're looking at. ** It has been wet in all 4 corners so look carefully at the ply and the external J molding. If you're up to the task, well worth picking it up. Good luck with it.

[Deleted]

Thanks for your info, any extra would be greatly appreciated.

I had planned on replacing any rotten timber/plywood, and fixing any leaks.
I think it needs a few new strips of siding/cladding. any one have any idea of the cost of that stuff?

The wife saw the photos and is totally spewing.She doesn't want it at all, I am hoping to clean the mould off with a pressure washer before I bring it home.

she sees a piece of junk that will make our backyard look crap. I see potential for an object to have a new lease on life and a family that will get great enjoyment from it.

anyone know the name of it? like is it a Millard Safari? or something, I'd love to see some stock photos of what its supposed to look like inside.

Thanks again.

Craig.

[Zippo]

Yours must have been an on-site van with its own power meter. As far as the layout goes, what you have looks original. For a model name - nothing on the rego papers here. Someone else may have an idea.
First job is truck wash and a water blaster to at least make it look better. When you clean the inside be very careful if there mold or rats and mice have been in there. Try not to make too much dust and us a real dust mask (don't breath in rat crap dust or mold spores). When you get to rebuilding, don't underestimate the amount of time and energy you will have to put in to the project. Good thing is though, you end up with clean, fresh van set up how you want it (which is usually pretty close to how it was built originally) and with any kind of luck - no leaks.

[Deleted]

Hi Craig,
Your van is a Millard model 15x8 6 berth.
Back then they just gave sizes as models,the Safari was a much earlier model.
Franklin,Viscount,Millard,Chesney and a few others made these vans to get families into caravans economically.Going by the interior I reckon it's about 1973 or74.
When you wash it don't ever use a pressure washer on hi,just low volume otherwise water will find its way into every nook and cranny that you can't see and cause more rot.
Good luck with your refurb!
Cheers
hughdeani

[Mustang]

Hi Craig,
If its for free, what a start.
At worst the parts are worth money, follow some full resto threads here to see if its what you want to do for the next 12 months.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I pretty much want to wash it off and give it some kind of paint job so that I can bring it home and my wife wont think our backyard looks like steptoe and son with a big dirty van in the back yard. She who must be obeyed, is really not keen on it coming home. at all. Period. but she will love family holidays in the van, when its finished.

Thanks for the tip on the water pressure. I don't want to create more work! I haven't seen the van in the flesh yet, I will probably go and see it next weekend.

its about 90 minutes from my house, I plan to check the chassis to see if its salvageable, and draw bar. If the cancer is not too bad, I plan to roll it on a car trailer and bring it home.

My initial jobs list would be.
Wire brush on power drill or angle grinder, get rid of the rust from the undercarriage and paint in a protective coating> maybe septone paint from super cheap? any other suggestions on paint for the undercarriage?

Then,repair the missing cladding, and sand and paint the outside in white with a new coloured stripe. > will this be a good opportunity to remove J mould and refit with silicone or sikaflex? before painting? ( I am well aware that a quick and cheap paint job may have to be re done properly in a years time, I just want to slap something on it to improve the first appearance look)

Then some new wheel bearings, check and repair the brake assembly and the lights, and get some new tyres, so I can at least move it around my yard.

The inside will take the longest, and I'm not underestimating anything at this stage.

I'll definitely check out some of the full restoration threads, and not be that guy that smashes everybody with questions instead of scouring the threads for information!

Thanks again, for the replies and info. I'll post more photos when I get them.

[Mustang]

Sept 22, 2015 23:25:08 GMT 10 gongrat said:

Then,repair the missing cladding, and sand and paint the outside in white with a new coloured stripe. > will this be a good opportunity to remove J mould and refit with silicone or sikaflex? before painting? ( I am well aware that a quick and cheap paint job may have to be re done properly in a years time, I just want to slap something on it to improve the first appearance look)

Tip: If you "slap" a tempory coat of paint on, most likley it will be there for a lot longer than twelve months. Paint dosn't make for a watertight van so if its not painted             immediatley it dosn't matter. Then the crap has to come off to do the job to your satisfaction.
      Confucious say, Tis better to plan than repeat .

Tip: re the silicone, make a date with the thread "Silicones & Sealants" there is a lot of info there.

      Renovating vans are like boats they take a lot of hours, you don't need to do things twice.

Cheers

[doublechevron]

I haven't renovated a single thing .... I reckon I've put at least 60hours into simply resealing the caravan here so far

seeya,
Shane L.

[bobt]

They say that caravans need resealing every 10 years. I know I had the problem with one of the modern boxes I once owned. So regardless of how old your van is its going to need doing some time.

I now have another 'modern white box 1992' that I am going to have to look at carefully.