Day by Day our 14' Viscount

[LGT]

Hi again,
I am about to tackle the underside of Vintage Rambler. It is an aluminium chassis with a plywood floor and steel leaf springs. Although it looks a bit unloved I am sure that it is in a sound condition.
I would be keen to know if anyone can suggest a one paint finish thatwould be OK on all three surfaces.
Cheers for now.
LGT.

[78466noM]

Don't paint the ply as it has been explained to me water gets under the paint and can cause rot to the ply. Clean and brush or spay some rust converter on any rusted steel on the chassis and springs then good coat or two of etch primer and any quality rust preventative paint over the top. This has worked well for my millard's steel chassis

[LGT]

HI THERE, Happy new year,
Interesting point re the ply. I am doing the job on Wednesday and will hAVE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE FLOOR. IT IS CURRENTLY A PALE BLACK COLOUR AND DOES NOT LOOK AS IF IT HAS EVER HAD A FLL COVERING OF PAINT.THE CHASSIS IS ALMINIUM SO I HAVE AN ETCH PRIMER UNDERCOAT AND A SUITABLE PAINT TO COVER THAT. GOOD POINT RE THE STEEL SPRINGS ETC AND WILL USE THE RUST CONVERTER PRIOR TO PAINTING.

[atefooterz]

If it has a now pale black coating, it may be form ply, that has a water resistant fibre bond, so not as vunerable to rot like many indoor plys used as floors.

[LGT]

It does look like fibre bond material, about 1 inch thick. I thought it may have been a marine ply with a class A glue bond. It looks very sound on inspection today. Some photos tomorrow of the work.

[LGT]

Well what a job. There is no way I want to do that again for at least ten years. My son Gaz and I took almost four hours to sand, brush and scrape away years of brown dirt, light surface rust and old silver paint before spraying a rust converter prior to undercoating the chassis with a metal primer then painting the whole underside with a waterproof, rust preventing, water based metal finish capable of adhearing to timber as well.

Much to my surprise I found that the Viscount chassis was in fact steel channel and not the aluminium I thought it would have been. On further reading I note that all the chassis' were steel and all the frames were aluminium from about 1973 or thereabouts. The floor is plywood around 25mm thick and definately of marine quality. It is in perfect condition.


I was very pleased to find the springs, shackles and shackle bushes were all in excellent condition and responded very well to the treatment we gave them. I was expecting a need to renew the bushes.

With the van at home again I will remove the wheels and finish the areas I could not reach whilst on the hoist.

I can safely say that the full restoration is now complete and I feel confident to take VINTAGE RAMBLER anywhere we want to go.
Happy new year and safe caravanning to all.
Cheers,
LGT.

[awbeattie381]

Aug 27, 2017 19:12:28 GMT 10 LGT said:

Days 18 and19



I decided not to use metal checker plate on the remake of the entrance step. I was warned that it can be very slippery when wet so I have used vinyl flooring material instead in a travertine pattern

which looks quite good.

As with all such projects the time comes when most of the obvious improvements are completed and attention turns to the jobs that take time but are barely noticeable to most people.

The last two days have been taken up with such jobs as replacing old rivets that although still do the job they take away from the original look you are striving for. Old external window fittings which served a purpose over the years are all removed as redundant. The build up of dirt in the window crevices and tracks all need attention. Window winder struts that lift the widows out have a fitting on the outside of the window frame and over the years such things as old nails and ill fitting screws have been used to hold the strut in place. These fittings were originally riveted into place so they have all been corrected.





As planned the skin rivets have all been replaced with new ones and as it was originally they were fitted with a white cap and again one could say that this is unnecessary but it immediately improves the look of the outside.

I spent this morning washing the outside with my pressure spray cleaner. It certainly found pockets of thirty year old dirt but unfortunately exposed the only structural problem I have encountered.

These vans used what I consider to be very poor quality plywood sometimes where it is absolutely bound to finally fall apart. I would guess there is no marine grade material used at all.

The underside of the pop top is three ply where the skirt joins the pop top roof. Although it is not open to the weather directly it sits on the lower roof section which allows the ply to be in contact with a damp atmosphere of rain and wash water. Over the years the ply de-laminates.

To replace all the ply in the pop top would be a major job, so as the problem is only in one 300mm section I am considering removing the top veneer of ply which has failed and painting the section with a two pack epoxy or fibre glass. I will then paint the complete area with an enamel paint to waterproof it.

I have been lucky not to have found more weather affected areas throughout the job but all the seals are in a very sound condition.

Once the repair is done I intend to polish the whole of the outside. Then it will be carpets and curtains.



As a matter of interest my van has a Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Association of Australia badge number 50705. This places it in 1978. I have removed the tired old plated badge and cleaned it up, finally priming it and finishing it with a bright silver finish. It will be reunited with my 78 Viscount on the left of the entrance door.








Great van and what a fast reno! Great to see another sympathetic reno to bring it back to former glory!

Quick question, where did you buy your stabiliser wheels from? Is that just a nut and bolt setup to keep the wheel in place? My wheels are disintegrating and need drilling out.

[LGT]

Thanks for you comments, I was unable to buy any wheels wide enough to replace the broken ones, so I removed two wheels of my outdoor gas heater.

Now I just need to find wheels for a gas heater.

[atefooterz]

Jan 6, 2018 15:02:10 GMT 10 LGT said:

Thanks for you comments, I was unable to buy any wheels wide enough to replace the broken ones, so I removed two wheels of my outdoor gas heater.

Now I just need to find wheels for a gas heater.

? www.alliedindustrial.com.au/wheels

[LGT]

1st - 4th March 2018 Continual improvement

One of the worst features of older caravans such as my 1978 Viscount is
the use of unpolished grey aluminium on the doors and windows. I know
that it is part of the look but when the aluminium becomes flat grey with quite
a lot of minor surface corrosion it spoils the over all appearance of the caravan
which is probably looking very smart elsewhere.
In my case I tried to get an acceptable finish on all the aluminium during my
restoration project. I used the recommended surface cleaners which I found left
streaks on the surfaces which needed another round of cleaning and polishing
to finally get an acceptable finish.
Over the next few month the old grey tired look returned even with the caravan
fully protected against the elements which made me determined to find the answer.

I decided that the best way to work on the doors was to remove the inner door first
from the main door by drilling out twenty or so rivets and then taking the
frame apart. I found that the various channels in the frame were full of forty
year old dirt, so I pressure cleaned the pieces before beginning the process.,

Firstly I rubbed the surfaces down with a green abrasive pad containing dish
washing liquid and a small amount of water. This was to remove any surface dirt and
easily removed stains. I then wiped the surface off. Next I applied some more
dish washing liquid and attached a 100 grit 50mm flap wheel abrasive to
my battery powered drill and abraded the surface in a straight line down the
length of the pieces. It is important to use an even pressure and try not to pause
along the length of the work to get the best finish.
Next I applied liquid Reflection metal polish and repeated the flap wheel process.
Finally I pressure hosed the work down, dried it with a cloth and buffed it by hand.
The finish is acceptable but not brilliant but I am satisfied that it as good as I can
achieve without giving the job to a professional polisher.



The final task in the restoration of Vintage Rambler was always going to be the
re spraying of the Sunflower yellow side panels.
I was quoted $200 to spray the panels if I did the masking and surface preparation
which I considered reasonable but I decided that I could obtain a very good gloss
finish spraying with British Paints, Spray Easy Paint and Prime enamel. The colour
I used is Sunpower gloss. The colour is almost exactly the same as the original.
I masked the aluminium and white borders of the work area and cleaned the surface with mineral turpentine prior to rubbing the old surface with a green 3M abrasive pad to
create a satisfactory key. I applied the second coat after the 10 minute drying time
and much to my surprise the finish is certainly as good as I would expect from
a professional spray painter. The paint cost me $36 and I have one almost full can
left over for future touch ups.
I have now run out of projects on my restored Vintage Rambler and look forward
to many more years of trouble free travel in this great country of ours.

[atefooterz]

Thanks for the update. I recomend reading Mustangs thread about how he keeps Vincent`s alloy shiney. I am sure you do not want to go over the process again in a few years, or sooner via being near salt or dirty wet road coating.

[Mustang]

Hi Lgt,
Great update, your van looks so fresh. A nice size to tow, keep us up to date of your travels by posting in "Who's on the Road"
Cheers

[LGT]

March 17 2018

When I first took possession of VINTAGE RAMBLER I decided that apart from touching up some of the white aluminium I could live with the original mustard/yellow on the sides of the van.
I cleaned and polished the now rather thin coverage of paint and concentrated on more important jobs.
Since then I have in almost all aspects, completed the renovation and as to be expected, I can focus on cosmetics and convenience. Last update I resprayed the yellow sides, but decided another coat was required.
I sprayed two coats of the Sunflower yellow mentioned previously, followed by two coats of clear gloss acrylic which is said to protect the base coat from ultra violet damage, so with any luck whoever owns the caravan after me will not need to repaint the sides for a few years.

I also installed my new, well over-priced flame indicator rod today and was delighted to see the reflection of the gas flame in my forty year old Electrolux RM360 Refrigerator.
The old fridge was overhauled in my last post and is now 100% reliable on gas and AC and looks brand new to boot.

My lovely wife and myself are planning another trip away but we will probably wait for the Commonwealth Games to finish.



See you on the road.
LGT.

[LGT]

With the Commonwealth Games over it was time to hook up Vintage Rambler and travel south for
an hour or two to Brunswick Heads just north of Byron Bay.
There are three caravan and cabin parks in the area but we decided to stay at the Reflections Terrace
Park which is located opposite the small shopping area and within walking distance from the iconic Brunswick Heads Hotel.

We kept a van at this site when our boys were very young and have always had wonderful memories of those few years in the late eighties. It was nice to revisit after more than twenty five years even though the park itself has seen many changes since those days.

We reversed into our site and were soon sitting relaxed alongside the tranquil Brunswick river.
The weather was showery and by the end of the day we had strong winds and heavy rain throughout the night, but we enjoyed a beautiful meal and one or two excellent wines to wash it down before turning in. During the next two days of better weather we had five separate groups of people wanting to look through and all over Vintage Rambler. One older couple who had parked their luxurious unit across from us said that they noticed our van immediately on arrival and voted it the best caravan in the park.
I think I could have sold Vintage Rambler twice in two days but that was not going to happen.
I have had a photo summary of the restoration produced by Snapfish which I have sitting in a brochure holder inside the door of the van. It comprises twenty pages of photos and a few words with each photo relating to the restoration process. I don’t think many people realise just how much work goes into saving a vintage van or car from the scrap yard.
Perhaps other restorers have done a similar thing but if not I recommend it as a record of the work either for yourself or a potential buyer at some future date and certainly of interest to those like minded passers by.

I am very pleased with the final job and have growing confidence in the van itself.
I tow the caravan with my two litre Kia Sportage at around ninety kilometres an hour on the highway without any instability or lack of power at all. The tow ball weight is approximately
one hundred kilos and the gross weight when travelling is approximately thirteen hundred kilos.
The Kia is rated at 1600 kilos for a 50mm ball. The whole unit sits quite level when loaded.
We look forward to our next venture.

[78466noM]

A beautiful job well done