1966 Viscount Ambassador 20' E2340

[Deleted]

Nov 20, 2016 23:16:45 GMT 10 Mark Rowlands said:

Just bought same model van interesting full strip down

Join the forum and posts some images of it. 

[78466noM]

The sheets I used on ceiling are 3mm pine ply and the walls are 4mm hardwood bracing ply . If I was to do it again I would have used the 4mm ply on the ceiling as well unlike marine ply the face of the bracing ply needs a lot of work to be use as a face timber it is water resistant like marine ply and as I intended to paint walls anyway the finish wasn't too important as long as it was straight which it is a light sand and paint over top no problem. it will also be used for cupboards but that will be a lot of sanding as they will be stained and varnished.
If you got the same sheets I used in the ceiling I could see thinking about it now that it could bow on the wall it was very flimsy. On the ceiling it wasn't too bad as I had extra cross support timbers and worked one long edge out to the other lots of glue and screws to hold it until it set. When the upper cupboards are put in will help take the small sag it still has between timbers.

                       have fun I hope all goes ahead of plan for you

[atefooterz]

Nov 20, 2016 12:53:55 GMT 10 tasmillard said:

I got some video that ill put up after the job is done. I dont think the ply would settle flat again once it has warped. It felt like tension when trying to flatten it again, so unlikely that will be the case.

Having used a lot of 1mm aircraft ply, that never warps, i am wondering if they had an uneven moisture issue when they coated it. 

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2016 11:12:08 GMT 10 78466noM said:

The sheets I used on ceiling are 3mm pine ply and the walls are 4mm hardwood bracing ply . If I was to do it again I would have used the 4mm ply on the ceiling as well unlike marine ply the face of the bracing ply needs a lot of work to be use as a face timber it is water resistant like marine ply and as I intended to paint walls anyway the finish wasn't too important as long as it was straight which it is a light sand and paint over top no problem. it will also be used for cupboards but that will be a lot of sanding as they will be stained and varnished.
If you got the same sheets I used in the ceiling I could see thinking about it now that it could bow on the wall it was very flimsy. On the ceiling it wasn't too bad as I had extra cross support timbers and worked one long edge out to the other lots of glue and screws to hold it until it set. When the upper cupboards are put in will help take the small sag it still has between timbers.

                       have fun I hope all goes ahead of plan for you

Bracing ply cost $20 for 4 mm, marine $46 each or $40 each for 10 or more.
The rough surface of the bracing requites a lot of work to prepare it before and after each coat of paint because the grain pop out after each coat. 
IMHO $ 170  on a project that requires so much time (which it is not available) and effort it is a good investment a a very small percentage of the value of the van once it is finished. 

[tasmillard]

Not sure why they bowed like that, but its unacceptable. Unfortunately the place charged me incorrectly, so I guess its going to cost a bit more but overall it will last a very long time. As for the ceiling, we saw this very nicely textured ply with pvc, felt like leather to the touch and is almost identical as the original masonite pattern. That was $31 a sheet, so again needing 5 sheets there. Bruce - I also have an alloy frame running on one side where there are no cupboards, however the other side (kitchen) I have cut around the cupbards/wardrobe so I will be placing supporting timber on the egde to provide that support. I did the same for the back walls, ill cover that in the vid too.

[Deleted]

Looks great tasteful purchase just picked up same van and hope to do up

[tasmillard]

Thanks 66viscount. Like to see pics of yours.

Cheers,

[captivenut]

2400mm x 1200mm x 3mm colour coated hardwood caravan ply (ex Jayco stock?) can be purchased from $10 per sheet from Uptons in Melbourne & Albury. Also available from Robot Trading in Vic, and The Bunker in Qld. Dandenong Demolitions sometimes have 2100mmx 800mm white textured pvc coated caravan ceiling ply (also ex Jayco?) for $4.50 per sheet. Never store ply upright on its edge or you risk warping it. Always lay flat on a dry surface with some weight on top. When attaching to a curved surface (caravan ceiling, etc) it is best to curve or bend across the grain of the outer layers rather than along the length of the grain.
Cheers, Arthur

[Deleted]

Hi Arthur, last Saturday when we went to The Bunker we saw 2 types of caravan ply and the cheap one was of very poor quality peeling on the edges.
IMO going by the craftsmanship of the Australian mass produced caravans, if they rejected or not using that ply any more it should be send to the dump.

[captivenut]

I've never seen the stuff that The Bunker sells so I can't comment on their quality. I bought several plain matt white sheets from Uptons in Somerton, Vic, & textured white from Dandenong Demolitions around 12 months ago and have no problems with it. I've also seen Uptons ply lining used on other renos with no issues. I did see some sheets recently at Dande Demolitions that were damaged at the extreme ends but looked sound otherwise - would probably be ok if trimmed. But as always, buyer beware?

[tasmillard]

Bunker did have some fine quality 3mm ply, but it was $100 a sheet. Below that was similar size for $31 a sheet - this is the stuff that has a face on one side. Then there was the cheap $17 sheets, pretty much rough. So The 4mm marine grade I think sits as an alternative to the quality $100 sheets and will last the distance too.

I suppose its what the budget and expectations dictate. I know I have OCD issues when doing my projects but I balance this with budget spending.

[78466noM]

hi gitano the two of you are doing an excellent job. I would have loved to have used marine ply but as I am trying to keep the van in the Black in regard to spending (it has to be spare money I have made and only one income makes it tight. But when finished I will totally own it not an extra bill this also helps me be more creative in how I do something a lot of things I have had sitting around the garage have had a new lease on life usually not what it was originally intended for and having a list of what is need has helped me save tons as a lot of larger purchases have been sourced on special most have been more than 50% off. ) I have no choice but to put in the extra work though the sealer undercoat has made the job easier than I was expecting. But you two have a extremely tight deadline the extra ten or more hours needed for prep just isn't there.
  The viscount is lucky to have the aluminum roof batons the poor old millard had timber batons I did price what it would cost to replace with aluminum but the only product I could find easily and I used it to replace the timber that ran length ways would have cost way too much to do the cross batons so as long as I keep on top of any leaks they should last a long time I hope.

may the weather be perfect every time you want to work on your van.

[Deleted]

78466noM, the main thing is to have the vans on the road and enjoying them.
I was lucky that do not need to invest to much money in my Franklin an tasmillard have also a reasonable easy job on the Millard. The viscount is a different case and require more work.
Having said that if at the end it will cost $15000 fully restored and equiped it will be a bargain for a van of that size.

[78466noM]

you are exactly right gitano I know in the end I won't get what I put into it if I tried to sell it but it is not for sale it is for my families use and the good thing about all of this is I have been able to do it with out using money I have had to borrow .It may have taken a while to get this far but so I am told good things come to those who wait. It is  light weight  in the true sense I saw a new van not too big about six and a half foot wide and maybe seventeen foot long advertised as light weight 1880kg fill the water tank a few odds and ends blankets etc not to hard to get to the auto falcon or territory's with heavy duty tow bar of 2300kg max braked  weight not to mention the price I would have to live at work to pay for it I do intend to enjoy it as much as I can and just before I retire do a reseal of seams and see Australia in style if it isn't style we will at least be seen as a classic does sort of stick out . It will be set up for us and we will have to be fine tune it will need a few outings to sort that out both long and short .

              keep up the exceptional work and we should be on the road in the new year sometime all going well.

[tasmillard]

So finally after lots of issues, we got the rear ply walls up!  As mentioned, we initially used 2.7mm general grade ply but unfortunately it started buckling and not providing the end result I wanted.  So we removed it all and replaced it with 4mm marine ply and the difference is huge.

[78466noM]

Going well that first lot of ply is what I have on ceiling lucky for me none split the outside leaf I did notice it has bowed slightly between roof batons it has been too late for a while to change it but the upper cupboards should take most of the bow out. The marine ply you used looks excellent up on the walls. I am sure you will have it usable by your deadline at the rate you are going it was a pity about the first lot of ply but it is lucky it did bow and split before you got too far installing every thing around it.

I may end up pulling down ceiling when we get back from Kangaroo Island I will do it the same way you did by cutting around cupboards and use marine ply for it I like the timber grain showing on walls but the smooth ceiling is a better contrast against it.

I hope you have no more set backs and most things run along smoothly.

[tasmillard]

Thinking some more about the ceiling... chatting with Gitano we are contemplating using the same 4mm marine ply used on the walls for the ceiling. Yes it will require more work to finish it (sanding/painting) but I really like the idea of having the structural strength plus water resistance. But the main reason is to ensure that the sheet doesnt warp/sag/distort between the ceiling alloy beams and the corners.

Anyone see a reason why not to use marine ply on the ceiling?

[Mustang]

Nov 29, 2016 7:20:43 GMT 10 tasmillard said:

Thinking some more about the ceiling... chatting with Gitano we are contemplating using the same 4mm marine ply used on the walls for the ceiling. Yes it will require more work to finish it (sanding/painting) but I really like the idea of having the structural strength plus water resistance. But the main reason is to ensure that the sheet doesnt warp/sag/distort between the ceiling alloy beams and the corners.

Anyone see a reason why not to use marine ply on the ceiling?

As you have a tandem the small amount of extra weight should not be an issue, the 4mm would take care of any further water/buckling issues.
Our ceiling was in when we bought it, its some type of white laminated board. The white freshens up the whole look of the van.

Edit:

I have now watched your video, on the plus side you discovered the rubbish before finishing.

[tasmillard]

Thanks Mustang, thats the thinking. As for painting we will go with a slightly off white (like a pearl) so its not so bright like the millard is.

[Deleted]

I was thinking in exploring the possibilities of giving some texture effects to the ceiling paint, in this manner the amount of work prep will be reduced considerable.

[atefooterz]

Nov 29, 2016 9:30:21 GMT 10 @gitano said:

I was thinking in exploring the possibilities of giving some texture effects to the ceiling paint, in this manner the amount of work prep will be reduced considerable.

Just beware later on as all that extra surface area will be a nightmare to clean, if any soot or dust etc accumilates.

[Deleted]

Nov 29, 2016 10:05:12 GMT 10 atefooterz said:

Nov 29, 2016 9:30:21 GMT 10 @gitano said:

I was thinking in exploring the possibilities of giving some texture effects to the ceiling paint, in this manner the amount of work prep will be reduced considerable.

Just beware later on as all that extra surface area will be a nightmare to clean, if any soot or dust etc accumilates.

Yes, agree, have to be like a velvet finish which they are available.

[78466noM]

The amount you will use on the ceiling won't put much extra weight looking up Mr-ply it is 8 to 10 kg a full 24x12 sheet can't find the weight for the other but at a guess say 5 to 7kg. I used 3 and a just over half on the millard with cut out for vent and about 20cm off the ends.The little extra weight would be acceptable in the millard.Your going to have big cut-outs around cupboards so with that you will be adding very little extra weight just keep the 20litre bottle of water in the car when traveling should compensate for it.
I used a good quality sealer and undercoat the smooth ply on roof was not a problem top coat is smooth like it was painted on gyp- rock. gitano's suggestion is also a good one though if after you do it and you don't like the effect you can always knock the top off it use a filler undercoat and redo after Christmas.

[Deleted]

The only problem with redo or touch up the ceiling is that will be a overhead job. I would not able to do a job like this but then again my cervical spine is kaput.
I would do all the prep and first coat before installation (once the ply it is cut to size) and do the last 2 coats in position.

[78466noM]

I was thinking your idea is spot on but the whole lot could be done outside finish up either a cap or dab of paint on rivets. cut then fit to ceiling when happy with fit drill out rivets take outside paint ,spay ,roller , brush or any other way I haven't thought of clean up rivet holes when dry then install. My neck is still a bit tight from Sunday looking up at what I was doing  and painting it at hip level would have to be a easier and most likely a better job should be quicker as not have to tape and cover what you don't want painted that for some reason always ends up with paint on it. this may not work for ends with a bend as paint may crack as you bend sheet into place but flat pieces no problem.