Olympic Debonair - "Griffin's Den"

[griffin]

Hi Richard

Time at last to repost some info about our van, seems that the electronic termites consumed the first one

For some time I have been looking at older vans, checking the www sites and eBay to see what was about and finally we bit the bullet and purchased an Olympic Debonair fiberglass caravan. I really wanted a plywood van but in reality it has to live outside and be big enough to use so the fibreglass seemed to be the way to go and I wanted something that didn't need restoring, I've got enough car projects, says 'she'

This one was for sale at Newcastle, registered and ready to roll so I took 'she who must be obeyed' (Barbara) to have a look. Much to my surprise 'she' quite liked it so the biggest hurdle was overcome A Propert and a couple of other ply candidates got the big thumbs down While I certainly didn't know anything about Olympic vans it seemed to be in good condition and relatively unmolested, inside and out. I spent some sleepless nights and more time on the www until in the end decided to go mad and buy it

We picked it up a week later and took it straight to our club Christmas party, rather appropriately at the Wangi Point Lakeside Holiday Park, a beautiful spot I'd not been to before, then home the same day. While it is ready to roll I seem to have spent forever tidying it up, inside and out, maybe just too fussy So here it is, as we got it

The outside was pretty dull so I set to and polished it with fibreglass polish from the local marine supply but that has been hard going ON the previous post 'Franklyn' suggested I try an electric buff which I did but I wasn't happy with the result, the polish seemed to glaze and dry too quickly. I was using an extra cut polish but changed to a fine cut which been much better, the side surfaces didn't seem to need the extra cut The roof is copping the extra cut followed by the fine but I'm only about half done on it Overall I'm pleased with the result although it's uneven in places, maybe another polish in due course will even it out. At least the RSI I thought I was suffering from all the polishing has been diagnosed as existing tendonosis and is being dealt with I've tidied the draw bar and given it a coat of 'Silvafross' from a tin that is older than the van Full of lead and other good stuff no doubt so it should last

For the moment the tow car is a 1961 Vauxhall PAX Velox (2.6 litre) and in due course it may finish up behind my 1934 Vauxhall Big Six roadster (3.3 litre) if I can ever finish the restoration The Velox certainly knows its there but I guess that's what gears are for. Some work probably needs to be done to freshen up the rear end of the Velox, reset the springs, new bushes and adjustable air shocks. At this time the only ones they can offer are from early Falcons but they have greater travel and may be a problem Any suggestions, the experts don't seem to know:?: Maybe I have to go for air bags which double the cost

'Frankln' also mentioned that we had been spotted so the spies are out and about although for the moment the van has a twin as the owner replaced it with a 16ft Olympic which he painted the same colour In due course I will repaint the bottom in 'Kodiak Brown' to match the Velox, hopefully over the household acrylic that is on it now although there was a little reaction when I tested it with thinners
I would really like to take it all back to the fiberglass finish all over, it has about 6 colours on it, but I think it may have originally been painted as it has lost the nearside wheel which necessitated a repair and it needed to be covered

That's about it for the moment, I don't seem to be able to add any more photos so will do an update later with some interior shots.

George

[Richard]

Hi George.
Welcome back. I dont know what happened to your first post, even Michael isnt sure.
This is a great looking combination and will look even better once the bottom panel is painted the same colour as the car.
I know all about polishing fibreglass caravans, as I had to polish our Sunliner when I first got it. It looked shiney enough but the gunk that polished off was amazing.
Will look forward to catching up somewhere.

Cheers.
Richard.

[griffin]

Debonair update.

Since the initial post above we have taken the Debonair on a debut run to Merimbula and a day out to General Motors Day at Penrith (separate posts under Runs and Events). ‘She’ was keen for some time away before the weather cooled down so we headed off to Nelson Bay for a week back at the end of April. The time in between was spent tinkering and removing most of the baby poop green paint from the sides. I was hoping the original underlying fibreglass would be in good condition and it largely was but there are various scuffs and marks that will never polish out and the wheel arch repair so the intention is to paint the bottom half. ‘She’ and I have agreed it would be nicer to match the fibreglass colour rather than two tone with the Kodiak Brown of the Velox so I just have to wait now for the weather to warm up so I can get into the painting

The Velox behaved and ran very well and the trip north on the motorway was a breeze, even the couple of long hills were managed easily We had decided to stay at the Big 4 caravan park at Soldier’s Point and followed our Tom Tom’s directions and arrived mid afternoon. We got a nice spot next to the amenities block, sorted out the van and put up our awning for its first try out. The park was well laid out with nice gardens between sites, a concrete slab for annexes, power, water, waste disposal and TV connections, all in all very pleasant we thought. The other bonus was the short walk next door to the Soldiers Point Bowling Club with $10 meals and $3.30 schooners of Old, what more could you want I had taken a small flat screen TV with us for a try this trip and had sorted it out with an indoor aerial at home which worked fine. Unfortunately it gave nothing but snow in the new location so I was soon in the office, paid my $20 deposit for a TV cable and hooked it up to the post and we were away with about 14 channels no less
We poked around the local area taking in the sites, dinner at the club the first couple of nights then we didn’t fancy the offerings for the next night so decided to cook our own. Some nice steak and vegies were prepared by self on the stove and the microwave, boiled some more water and washed up; ‘she’ was very impressed. After half, three quarters of an hour ‘she’ decided a cup of tea was in order, filled the kettle and next thing says, “You left the gas on.” So, not looking up from the cross word, I thought to myself, well just stick the kettle on, it won’t have used much gas. Then I heard her scratching about with the matches so I looked up and realised the gas may have been on but it wasn’t alight as I had thought Just as I was about to say, ‘don’t light that bloody match,’ ‘she’ lit the match. With mouth still open about to speak I was relieved that nothing happened, then ‘she’ placed the match to the burner, that’s when things happened This marvellous blue and yellow fireball erupted from the stove with a mighty whoosh, followed by the unmistakeable sound of singeing hair!! Then there were other unmistakeable sounds from ‘she’, mostly relating to my lack mental abilities and uncertain parental lineage Fortunately neither ‘she’ nor anything else caught alight and I ushered her to the amenities for some cold water treatment to her hand and face. Apart from some blisters on her hand, a missing eyebrow and some hair ‘she’ was unhurt. I must say it frightened me no end to think what may have happened to both of us so after an OH & S review of the situation we now turn off the gas under the sink immediately after using the stove. ‘She’ is not impressed that I manage a good laugh about it now but as I view it in my mind, the childhood vision of Wylie Coyote dissolving to ash after lighting the short fuse on the TNT just manages to superimpose itself

Our little adventures weren’t over however for this trip. I decided to get a new key cut for the door, $8 to Mister Minute and all was well. We went to Newcastle for the day and about mid day the weather turned bad and cold with light rain. As we returned north the weather seemed to follow as it hadn’t rained at the van until shortly after we got back. The forecast was for intermittent light showers, there was no mention of the ‘torrential downpours’ that came shortly after and through the night! At least it was an opportunity to check for leaks and to my relief there weren’t any except for one, right in the corner above my bed After some investigation I was able to cure it by twisting some paper towel into a wick and wedging it in the offending section of the window frame so it took the water back out the window, all sorted, and dried the bed with the fan heater
After my final trip to the toilet the key wouldn’t come out of the lock for some reason, the new key had been fine up till now. I eventually got it out and into bed. Next thing, ‘she’ is calling out, ‘The doors open’ and sure enough it was. It didn’t seem to want to latch properly despite me fiddling with it in the middle of the night. Latched at last and back to bed but this episode continued like a recurring nightmare throughout the night. Next morning I found the lock had turned so soon straightened it up and all was normal, I didn’t realise the implication of the lock having turned however
We continued our trips around the area and enjoyed it, it is a great spot, took the ferry to Tea Gardens, managed to catch up to an old work colleague, all was well. But as always these holidays come to an end and so Sunday morning we packed and headed home
The annex was still a bit damp so it was rolled up and stood up in a bucket which proved to be a wise move. At the start of the Freeway we stopped for a cuppa then headed off, all going sweet. Next stop was combined comfort and lunch at Hawkesbury Bridge, swung in and parked, took my new van key to open up and plunged it into a bloody great hole where the lock used to be! My good Lockwood barrel had fallen out, two rusty screws being all that was left poking out at me Now I realised why the lock had turned. With a screwdriver from the boot I soon had entry, the annex had produced quite an amount of water in the bucket so it was all ejected and laid out to dry while we lunched. There were no subsequent reports of anyone being ‘barrelled’ by a wayward Lockwood on the Freeway so that was a plus
So plenty of things learned on our trip and despite the incidents, ‘she’ is still keen to get away when the weather warms up. With a Canadian holiday now booked that’s not likely to be till Coledale, so hopefully I’ll have some new paint and a few other little bits sorted.
I think the Big 4 Soldier’s Point spoiled me though, if a park doesn’t come with nice lawns, gardens, a club next door and cable TV then I’ll believe I’m doing it hard. I can’t see me pulling up by some creek and roughing it somehow, to each their own I guess
George

[Richard]

Arh George, the joys of Historic Caravanning. There are no modern safety features on these old vans !
Great story and Iam glad to see that Barbara came out of it relatively unscathed and it hasnt dampened her enthausium for getting away in the van.

Cheers.
Richard

[griffin]

Hi

With the van in our ownership for 12 months now I thought a little update might be in order. A couple of weeks of fine weather and some enthusiasm found me determined to paint one side of the van while the going was good and these new photos show the result.
I'm quite happy with the it and looking forward to some good weather so I can get on with the other side and the back. We decided to stick with the fibreglass look with just a small colour stripe of Kodiak Brown to match the car. I'm not that fond of the colour to want a big splash of it on the van too
The colour match came up quite well considering I got some cream cards from Bunnings, picked the colour that was closest then took it to the paint shop and they did the same to come up with their nearest colour It's all done with acrylic lacquer as I have to work in the open and didn't want to go poisening the neighbours kids and pets using 2k
We, 'she' and I are happy that it looks much neater now, considering I'm only a mug painter After a lot of messing about it's also got a new (2nd hand) front awning which came my way after the auction at Coledale and is in much nicer condition than the old one
I've been playing with the over ride brakes to try and make them a bit more efficient too.
The Velox has had the rear springs reset with an extra leaf and next year a new motor will be built for it
We should have been away in Bathurst this weekend but a bout of gout has kept me grounded and I didn't even have a drink to celebrate the new look 'Griffin's Den'

George

[Richard]

Hi George.
The Olympic looks great, its amazing what a coat of paint can do.
Probably just as well your gout was playing up as it would have been a bit wet in Bathurst this weekend. Linda and I have just got back from Bendigo and we were dodging storms and floods all weekend.

Cheers.
Richard

[griffin]

Well at last I've got the final paint on the van, you can see why I didn't want a restoration project We are quite happy with the result, now I only have to finish polishing the window frames and some tarting up of the chassis. I'm waiting for a mate to come good with a pair of 13" Holden dress rims for the wheels and that will be it.
It was due for a rego check the day I finished so for the first time I got to see what the combination looked like. I'm over painting for a while though 'She' has me lined up to do the interior of the house but I can feel the arthritis in my shoulders playing up at the thought of it

Now it's onto the engine rebuild for the Velox and some time away in the van. The big trip at the end of the year is Perth all being well Our postponed trip to Bathurst is on the agenda for the end of March and will try and time it to come back through Crookwell to the Goulburn Swap
I'm still not happy with the over ride brakes and despite a lot of fiddling and adjustment I don't think they are doing much I'll keep at it though, I really don't want to change to electric but might have to go that route if I can't sort it

George

[Richard]

Hi George.
WOW! What a difference a bit of paint makes. I was just having a look at the photo I have of your van at Coledale and the Olympic now looks fantastic. ( even better than the brown it was when you picked it up )

Over the years I have stuck with the overide brakes, but I did add a booster to the FJ. But the problem is that my vans are getting heavier and there are alot more idiots on the road. So I have come to the conclusion that if I need anything major done to the brakes Ill replace them with electric. It is nice to keep things original, but you also need to be practical. No need to scare the missus if for example you are coming down a steep hill and the car just happens to jump out of gear.

Richard

[griffin]

Shakespeare I think warned, ‘Beware the Ides of March’ but like Caesar I didn’t heed the warning and decided to take the Debonair out to be weighed yesterday, just for interest First of all some round the block trips testing the much fiddled and adjusted brakes, along with some backing up the incline in our street, sufficient I would have thought to put the brakes on. Wrong can back it like there is nothing there, and it seems there isn’t, despite the handbrake locking it solid on the first notch now

Defeated by the brakes for the moment I set off for the weighbridge, via the servo to fill the Velox. $72 later it is full of 95 RON I could have bought the whole car for that 10 years ago and the price of petrol is supposed to worsen with events in Japan and Libya, we might not be able to afford to go vanning soon. On the up side the Velox is running much better after a minor repair to the carbie so some joy there

At the weighbridge the lady operator admired the outfit and told me she had a van on order, didn’t seem to know much about other than it weighs in about 2.5 tonne unladen with all the mod cons, shower, toilet, washing machine, AND she had a spare room full of bits and pieces to put on arrival Onto the machine, uncoupled and with the dolly wheel on, the Debonair with full water and gas tanks and most of our bits and pieces came in at 1.12 tonne I was a little surprised but with the amount of towing of car trailers with all sorts of loads in the past I certainly knew I was lugging more than the 850kg on the rego papers. Max towing capacity for the Velox is 24cwt or 1.22 tonne as I figure it so it’s nearly time to look for another tow vehicle Considering the cupboards are probably only about 80% of their capacity then I’m scared by what you might be able to get the weight up to if you filled them all up, fortunately we don’t need to but we have a bit of food and clothing to add.

With weighbridge ticket in hand I headed off to Clarke Rubber to sort out something to reseal the door after another frustrating waste of time trying to make it fit better, it’s never going to happen I went to open the door so we could play with the rubbers only to find the van key on my Velox set is the old lock (now somewhere on the side of the F3) so I couldn’t open the door Just as well that little stuff up was discovered before we got to Bathurst or ‘she’ would not have been pleased

Strike four, you’re out, so I headed home for a much deserved ale and a think about what to do next with the brakes, what I can jettison to save weight and sort out my keys. Does anyone have any ideas on sorting out the over-ride brakes or should I just go electric They must have worked reasonably in their day surely although I must say they are best described as ‘agricultural’ compared to the mechanical brakes on my 37 Vauxhall so maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part

Here’s another picture of the finished product, from the rear, so you can recognise what's holding you up Still some touch ups to the undercarriage, a new rear awning and some window frame polishing to go but we are happy with it now

George

[griffin]

Nothing much has been happening with 'Griffin's Den' for a while, since Cowra and Barbara taking ill really, just a few day trips if you can do that with a van.

We have been looking to brighten the interior with better curtains and have spent hours in shops and op shops looking for something suitable. It finally cropped up on a recent trip up north to stay with some friends near Macleay. Along the way we visited other friends at Harrington and they took us out for a day around the area. At Kendall we had a great lunch in the local club overlooking the river and afterwards headed off past the very large op shop. My mate who was driving didn't want to stop but was out voted 3-1 so he pulled into the car park and gave us 'five minutes' to have a look. As I headed in the front door I saw one of the staff coming out of the back room with a piece of bright curtain material and hang it on a rack. I made a bee line for it and scooped it up, and with much arm measuring I took it over to 'she' for an opinion. The opinion was favourable and I reckoned there was enough for the four curtains at the front of the Debonair so I paid the $3 asking price and was back in the car with about 3 minutes to spare.

Certainly brighter than khaki The edge of the fabric tells me it's "Capistrano Stripe" which might mean something to someone who can date it and tell me something about it, maybe? It has been made up and installed now and the piece provided exactly the right amount for the curtains in the front of the van and should substantially brighten our outlook now with the khaki gone. The khaki can stay in the bedroom end, Capistrano might be a bit 'loud' to afford comfortable sleep.

After a lot of stop/start attempts I've just about finished building a new front end for the Velox fitted with disc brakes from the PB model, and hopefully next weekend I'll manage a changeover.
With a week in Forster planned for next month (July) I hope there will be some extra stopping power available

George