rookie seeking advice - 1970s Millard pop top?

[Husky]

Hey Tarren,

Welcome to the forum. Lots of crazy people here with awesome knowledge.

I personally don't have alot of experience with Millards however when checking out a project van there are a few common things to look at.

The chassis is a big one. A bit of surface rust is OK but look at the welds look for anything that looks like cracks or something a little different that may not be standard. Look for bows and bends in the chassis rail. A good chassis will make a much easier project. Look at the springs and axles. Flattened out springs mean they ate tired or the van has carried to much weight. Try and rock the wheels on the axle. If you can this could mean the hub bearings are gone. Bearings are relatively inexpensive but if the stub axle is damaged by loose bearings you could be up for a new axle.

Look for external holes in the skin and roof. Look inside at the lining for water stains and or damage. The windows leaking could mean you will need to re line some of the internal panels. Resealing the windows is an easy job.

Anything else broken or damaged would be easy to fix. As for a roll out kitchen it is very doable depending on where you were planning on putting it.

With Flikr you need to cut and paste the embed code. There is a tutorial thread here in the forum

Look forward to seeing some pics soon, have fun and don't be scared to ask questions

Husky

[snoops]

Hi Tarren, welcome to the forum. 😊

As Husky said, to link photos, copy the BB Code - when you have a pic up in Flickr, down the bottom RHS there’s a share arrow - click on that, you’ll see a list of items - Share, embed, email and BB code - click on BB code and copy the text in the box below and paste that straight into your post here. 😊. If you have trouble, link an address so we can go have a look.

[Alby]

thanks, got it now, the BB code is not available on some of the other photo views in flickr if that makes sense. be interested in any thoughts on the van.

[snoops]

Cool, that’s better! Looks pretty clean and straight from the outside - you have any pics of inside?

Right I’m no expert on these but the usual will apply - water damage from old hard mastic, and from the pop top. Check carefully inside for any signs, put the roof up and check the canvas, etc. A good look underneath for extensive rust - surface rust is usual, you’re looking for holes in things - don’t be scared to poke a screwdriver around if there’s any fresh paint that may have been used to cover things up.

If it’s been towed recently and regularly, then probably ok maechanically, but check the tyres, brakes and wheel bearings if you need to tow it a long way home - worth the time to do this rather than risk it in my opinion.

If you’re prepared for the work and are handy with tools, I’d always say go for it - restoring old vans is a hoot. 👍

[snoops]

What part of the world are you from? If you’re in Melbourne, I’d happily take a look at it for you.

[Alby]

in perth, thanks for the offer though. these usually have a cover over front window, right?

[Alby]

so I had a good look and decided its beyond my capabilities in terms of work required on the timber frame. Could be a fun project for someone else, but I'll keep lookin

[snoops]

They’ll be others out there - good luck with your search. 👍😊