Newbie and York owner - age?

[ozchic]

What is it about tiny caravans? Was I denied a cubby house when a child? This week I stumbled across a tiny Coronet and was ready to purchase when the full extent of the reno made me rethink things. By the end of the day I owned a tiny York instead. (If anyone wants to add to a register for Coronets, I have photos and drawbar details for the one I didn't buy).

Anyway, here's some grainy pics of my little York van. She has the front and rear "eaves", aluminium frame, and fills me with both love and fear of not being able to do her justice. I have no-one to do any of the more skilled things needed, so will pace the restoration as I can afford things eg a new drawbar and cable brakes were recently quoted at $1000 here. There's not much needed to be roadworthy and registered it seems, and the rest will happen over time.

If anyone can let me know more about her age etc would be appreciated.

Cheers! Vicki

[Gidget]

Hi Ozchic (Vicki), I am also a York owner (2 actually - '71 & '77). You have a great little York there. We have a facebook group called The Itty Bitty York Committee if you'd like to join. A spreadsheet of known chassis numbers has been created to help new owners identify the age of their Yorks. If your chassis number is Y1804 (?) that means your York is a very early model manufactured in 1969. By all means, continue to post here (or in the vintage forum) but pop over to the FB group for lots of examples and to meet many little York owners
Cheers, Lisa

[ozchic]

Oct 30, 2019 6:33:55 GMT 10 Gidget said:

Hi Ozchic (Vicki), I am also a York owner (2 actually - '71 & '77). You have a great little York there. We have a facebook group called The Itty Bitty York Committee if you'd like to join. A spreadsheet of known chassis numbers has been created to help new owners identify the age of their Yorks. If your chassis number is Y1804 (?) that means your York is a very early model manufactured in 1969. By all means, continue to post here (or in the vintage forum) but pop over to the FB group for lots of examples and to meet many little York owners
Cheers, Lisa

Hi Lisa and thankyou! I will join the fb group as you suggested - the number confused me a bit as it seemed an older number, but the van has the double (not triple) windows. However, I think the double eaves (I call them eyelashes) suggests it is older than I originally thought. I have been trying to duplicate the post in the Vintage Forum but am finding the website a challenge to negotiate! I devoured the work done by a girl called blayneyreno in the caravanersforum and ended up both excited and terrified. I am nowhere near her level of expertise, but then again my van isn't in bad shape as it is.

Cheers, Vicki

PS The photo of the drawbar lettering also seems to offer a lightened area after the final number. Surely a welded number wouldn't fall off? It looks like another zero ... ie Y18040 perhaps?

[bobt]

Hi ozchic

Congratulations on your purchase. Yep sometimes it is wise to walk away.

Good luck with this one. Please share your progress with us

bobt

[twocutekelpies]

Hi Vicki, I'm blayneyreno in the other forum and by no means an expert, just learning as I go and doing the same as you by devouring everyone else's posts, that's why it's taking me so long to do my reno, always second guessing myself  

Your double windows are called "double hopper", they are earlier than the louvre type windows and as Lisa says, yours is from 1969. 

Looking forward to seeing more and great to see another little York

Cheers
Shelley