Millard chassis numbers

[millard1399]

General Millard caravan information:

The Millard history has its origins way back in 1947, with Jim Darlington building caravans in a small factory in Mortlake, a suburb south of Sydney. Jim had two sons, John and his younger brother Peter. John would come in and give his father a hand building the vans in the early days.

Around 1954, the business was moved to 26 Wicks Road, North Ryde [it is now a block of home units] and John became the owner, with father Jim on hand for guidance. Younger brother Peter also joined the business, and worked his way up the ranks, starting as a carpenter and progressing up to the Executive team.



It appears the brand name Millard was first introduced by John Darlington, whose middle name was Millerd (with an ‘e’). A check of family history websites shows this Irish name to be interchangeable with the name Millard (with an ‘a’).

By the mid-1960s, the Millard business had grown so big that a new factory was set up at Smithfield, an outer western Sydney suburb. By mid-1971, the factory employed 275 people, with a daily output of 20 vans […approximately 7300 vans per year].

At the end of the decade in 1979, the Millard business was in dire financial straits, and a lifeline was offered by Viscount Caravans for a ‘merger’. This was accomplished by the end of 1979, with Viscount producing only the Millard Series 80 caravans in the Viscount factory. All other Millard factory equipment, stock, parts, etc, was sold off to repay creditors.

Millard chassis numbers:

Full size Millard caravans have a chassis number starting with ‘M’ and a series of numbers after that. The following advertisement is from December 1969, and shows the chassis numbers on two stolen caravans. If we assume these vans were relatively new when stolen, then our best guess at present is that Millard vans in 1970 had chassis numbers of M15000 onwards…



For information about Millard poptop caravans and campervans, click on this link: Millard poptop caravans

[millard1399]

1970 Millard caravans: Millard caravans built in 1970 are likely to have a chassis number somewhere around M15000. As we collect further information, this may have to be revised.

[millard1399]

1971 Millard caravans:

Millard and York new side flashes released at the Sydney Caravan Show May 1971

[millard1399]

1972 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1973 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1974 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1975 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1976 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1977 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1978 Millard caravans:

[millard1399]

1979 Millard caravans:

[jacko14]

Hi all,
Whilst waiting in a hospital emergency room a few years back I read an article in either "Caravan and Motorhome" or "Caravan World" about identifying 70's era Millards by the colour of the stripe. Unfortunately my mind was on other things and I was called away. The magazine was old (of course) and I have tried to get some info from "Caravan and Motorhome" without success. As there is so much interest in dating the Millards, someone may have access to old copies of these magazines.
Having only recently found this site via Australian 4x4 Forum, I have spent the last 3 nights looking at the posts. Much more interesting than TV. Keep up the posts.
Bob.
Millard No. M41267. Brown Stripe (originally).

[millard1399]

G'day Bob, and welcome to the forum! ;D

I hope you weren't waiting in the emergency room because of anything to do with caravanning!

The big jigsaw puzzle relating to Millards is starting to take shape bit by bit. From what I've learnt so far, Millard numbered their full size vans starting with M0001 (not sure about the zeroes) sometime in the early 1960s. We have confirmation that a chassis number from the M8xxx series was built in 1966.

So, they started at M01 and continued numbering their chassis consecutively until sometime in the late 1970s (maybe up until they closed down in 1979, but I haven't confirmed that yet). We have a forum member here who has chassis number M46913 with a fridge and stove dated 1976, so we're trying to work out the date of other Millards using that as a starting point.

The real trick we need to do to work out the year of manufacture, is to try and guess how many Millard vans were made each year. At the moment, I'm guessing around the 5000 mark, but that may be a pretty wild guess.

I'm not aware of the colour stripe indicating the period of manufacture. I'd have to look through my collection of Millard photos and see how the colour stripe lines up with the chassis number.

Your chassis number of M41267 is 5646 numbers less than the chassis number for 1976 I quoted above. So I'm kinda thinking your van was made just over a year earlier than that one, which places it somewhere around the 1974/75 mark. If it has the Starlight four seasons hatch on it, then that would place it in the early 1975 period. If it has the old-style box lid hatch, that would place it in the 1974 period.

cheers,
Al.

[jacko14]

Hi Al
It has the four seasons hatch on it and the rego says 1975 which looks like it is correct. I've had the stove out but did not think to look for dates. Might slip it out again and have a look. The frig was replaced by a 3way after I bought it.

Regards the colour stripe, I have seen Millards that look like mine, triple louvre windows and all, on Ebay advertised as early '80 models. A bit of advertising licence maybe!
Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Bob

[youngones]

Hi Al & Bob,
Our Millard has a chassis number of M55130. We pull front sheeting off and under was written on front right hand corner 22/06/72 with M55130 written above it and the Name 'Boris" written under it. Hope this might help with your datings. The original stripe was 'mustard/orange' since painted bluey/green. Odd thing is for us, it has slidding windows, we have been told its very unusal.
Cheers
James & Mel

[ianmillard]

Hi all. Maybe my numbers could help the great Millard dating debate. We purchased a Millard Capri (a full-sized van ) last year.
It was first registered in N.S.W. in 1973 but.....in the process of totally renovating it I found some interesting dates.
The chassis number is M13148 and this number was also written in black texta on the inside of an aluminium roof panel.
Stamped on a galvanised mudguard (previously covered by side panelling) is the date 7 - 6 - 68.
Stamped onto an edge of a chipboard dividing panel was 7 Mar 1968.
Stamped onto the inside of an overhead cupboard was 18 Apr 1969.
The van has only full-sized windows which hinge at the top and is white with the bottom half of the van painted brown. No stripe.
Hope this helps, Ian

[millard1399]

G'day Ian,

Verifying the year of manufacture of Millards is proving to be quite a complex operation.

It seems from the dates you've discovered, your van would have to have been built after 18 Apr 1969 (the stamp on the inside cupboard), and before mid-1970, when the single windows were replaced by the triple louvre windows.

Your chassis number of M13148 seems to line up fairly well with my previous "guess" that a chassis number of about M14000 signifies the start of 1970 Millards.

Thanks for posting the information. I'll copy it and post it over in the Millard History section of the Vintage forum. Have you posted a photo of your van on this forum already? Wouldn't mind a picture to go with your information, if it's possible for you to provide one.

cheers,
Al.

[drylander]

Hi all just joined yesterday but lurking for some time.
Just to add to this we have a 15'6 full size Millard that was given to me a couple years ago. It has 2 blue stripes, triple windows, 2 single beds at rear& fold down table at front. Number is M21006.
The chassis isn't galv and the hatch is a homer so cant help there. I will post pics when I get them sorted. It was a bit damaged (buckled skin) after the Pt Lincoln fires but only the outer sides which we are replacing soon. I also need to replace a reading light (240v)which is missing of which I have a picture attached if anyone can help.
Cheers
Pete

Attachments:

[millard1399]

G'day drylander, and welcome to the forum! ;D

Good to see you finally took the plunge and decided to come join us!

Your chassis number of M21006 is most likely from 1972 if my 'guesstimates' are close to being accurate. It won't have the galv chassis (that came in 1977) and it would have had the old style box-lid hatch cover.

It's always difficult tracking down bits and pieces for these old vans, so don't hold your breath waiting for a replacement lamp to show up. Might be better to have a think about installing a couple of new ones that have a 'retro' look about them.

Look forward to seeing some photos of your van. I've got photos of M21076 and M22749, so it will be interesting to compare them with yours.

cheers,
Al.

[millie]

Just found this forum relating to Millard Chassis Nos. Ours is a 1978 17'6" bogie wheel originally with yellow stripes & double hopper windows Chassis No. M52889 It has the four seasons hatch. If anyone wishes to see an imaculate Millard of a similar year go to Watson's (Jacyco) Caravans at Coff's Harbour where they have it in their indoor showroom, along with a couple of nice old Holden cars.
Cheers, Millie

[millard1399]

Hi Millie,

I assume you are not the same person as 'Rosie' on this forum, who also owns a 1978 Millard, and who also mentioned the Millard at Coffs Harbour recently. Sounds like Millards are attracted to Coffs Harbour!

I'd be very interested in seeing a photo of YOUR van, particularly so I know what your chassis number of M52889 relates to visually. Can I ask how you know it's a 1978 model? I'm keen to find people with documented evidence of the date of manufacture of their Millard, and then I can start to match chassis numbers with year-of-manufacture more accurately. At the moment, I'm just guessing to a large extent.

cheers,
Al.

[millie]

Hi Al,
We bought our Chassis No M52889 Millard new very early March 1978 so guess it could have been built in 1977. Can't see any other dates anywhere else at this stage but will post it if we come across any.
Sorry, can't post any photos at this stage. Our van is almost the same as the one at Coffs Harbour except its a 16ft and ours is a 17'6" tandem.
Cheers, Millie

[millard1399]

G'day Millie,

Being the original owner of a van is just as good as having documentation showing the age of the van.

I know from my research that the caravan industry was in the doldrums in the latter 1970s, so it's possible your van was built in 1977 and hung around the sales yards for a while. I have newspaper advertisements where dealers were trying to flog off new Viscounts in 1978 that were a fair few months old.

It's also possible your van was indeed built in early 1978, so for the sake of our history collection, I'll pretend your chassis number of M52889 equates to the start of 1978. That will at least allow me to do some calculations to try and work out which chassis numbers belong to each year before 1978.

You say your van looks the same as the one at Coffs Harbour? Funny thing about Millards is that they ALL seem to look the same at first glance. The only thing that seemed to change with them throughout the '70s was the windows. Millard must have followed the "Mortein" advert "if you're on a good thing, stick to it!" when they designed the cabin shape.

Hope to see a photo of your van one day.

cheers,
Al.

[millie]

Hi Al,
I was intriqued about your deduction that Liriojaguar's Millard that he is using to sleep his family in on site is probably a 1978 model - I realise he did say from information given him by its original owners that it's a 1978 model. I think it shows as having two tiered louvre windows or maybe its three.
As I said previously ours was sold to us new early in 1978 with chassis number 2,123 before Liriojaguar's. Ours has three tiered louvre windows by the way.
If there was a slow up in the late 70's of production in general of caravans, would there have been still that many produced in 1978? Just curious considering there seems to be an ongoing fascination of chassis numbers of the old Millards.

Cheers, Millie

[Josy Col]

::)G'day.
Found your article on Millard quite interesting. Thanks.
Out of curiosity we would like to find out a little more about our recently acquired Millard and am wondering if you can throw any light on it for us please.
Whilst the rego papers say it is a 1982, it was suggested by a caravan repairer that it could be a 1984 series 80.
There is no model name or number on the rego papers.
It is a 17 foot full size caravan.
The Vin number starts with TR.
Thanks for anything you can tell us about it.