Homebuilt bondwood - "Griffin's Den II"

[Richard]

Hi George.
Great bit of detective work for an amateur sleuth.
Great story George, it is always fantastic to track down the history of a van, it makes it that so much more special.
I have had luck a couple of times tracking down the original owners with their name and address painted on the inside of the hubcaps.
Apparently years ago if you did this and you lost a hubcap,the person that found it would hopefully post it back. Good luck with it these days, the only place you would find it now would be on ebay.


Cheers.
Richard.

[OlFarts]

I bet your heart missed a beat when the lady mentioned a caravan she lived in 58 years ago George

Only thing that would top it off is a photo of your van behind the Zephyr taken way back then.


Good detective work mate.



Dave

[griffin]

The heart skipped a couple of times during our conversation, all good though. Hoping for a photo in due course.

For a bit of an update, I'm about half way through removal of the roof paint. Its so easy where it comes off back to the fabric taking all the layers of paint in one go, but when it separates at one of the silver layers, as it does quite often, I'm left with a very slow, tedious job of removing it cautiously with a scraper. I'm getting faster at it, and cleverer, when a sheet starts to separate now I attack it from a different side and can often get back under all the layers and minimise the scraper use. With the warm weather I can only do a bit morning and evening otherwise I cook under the cover, so then its time to tinker with something else.
At the moment that is cleaning up the ice chest, all that stainless steel comes up a treat, would make a good shaving mirror if needed. This is a photo of it pre-clean for comparison later.

It has all been hand made and if shine makes it colder then it will be good. The ice goes in the box at the top which has a drain pipe at the back. When I first looked at it I thought there was a piece of rubber tubing required to connect it to the chrome drain pipe you can see in the centre of the photo. Turns out there are two pieces of pipe inside one another and the smaller one simply slides up and goes over the piece of pipe on the ice box, too easy.

This photo is of the lino which has been in the van in 1952, and I've been trying to post it on the lino thread, but for some reason it won't accept photos, maybe Richard can transfer it, my mod powers don't seem to do anything.

All for now.

George

[griffin]

There hasn’t been much activity on GD II for about a month, some household repairs took precedence, sorting out a better shelter for the van and then our trip to Melbourne for 10 days or so - and a recovery period afterwards has seen little happen.

The ice box cleaned up nicely and I gave it a test during the hot weather with a single bag of ice. On the day the temperature in the van was 33C, inside the ice box it was 23C and it reduced to 15C a few hours after the ice was added, then next morning it was 10C which I guess is ok. The bag of ice was finished after 24 hours so it would seem that once it is cold and the ice kept replenished then the beers and whatever else should survive. I found there was water dribbling inside from the drain pipe which surprised me due to the way the sleeves overlap so I went and had a look outside and there was water dripping out, but after a couple of thrusts up the pipe with a long screw driver the remnants of a mud daubing wasps nest emerged and the problem was solved. Those little suckers get into everything! So now it looks like this inside.

I was in contact with the original owner’s family again too and they have found a photo and think there will be more, so I’m looking forward to seeing it.

I’m back into working on it now and just about have all the roof paint off, just a few stubborn bits remaining, and while there hasn’t been much activity there has been a lot of thought going on, driving the Hume to Melbourne and back provides plenty of time for thought. So, as a result I’ve decided to ditch the gas bottle fitting, and I’ve already done that. The draw bar extension is going too and I’m going to put an over ride coupling back on it and retain the original axle and brakes and see how it goes. Given that I’ve no intention of towing it around Aus. I’m hoping it will perform ok. If not then electric it will be.

Some more archaeology on the outside seemed in order so I could sort out what colours I wanted, so I spent some time with a sanding block checking out various areas. On the front, as on the roof there is two different layers of cream under the white, the original layer being darker than the top one, I sanded across the side strip where it starts to get the original brown and to my surprise I soon sanded though it to reveal an original blue stripe which was narrower at its commencement point. I don’t think I’ll be going for the blue though and while I’ve been hunting around the paint shops for sample colours I’ve not really found a good match for either colour so some more time needed there. The sides only seem to have the darker cream, maybe the ends and roof weathered a bit more and needed a touch up. The original brown stripe was about 13mm narrower than the present one and much neater in its curve, the edge of which I can detect now. The blue stripe was narrower again at its commencement point.

A bit of scratching about on the door, the window frames and the smaller access doors on each side too found they had all been cream which pleases me as I don’t like them picked out in a different colour. When I find the colours I want and its all prepared then it will be back to cream with a brown flash, and I have a couple of little embellishments I want to try to individualise it.

There is some rot in the bottom of the front window frame, but it should be easy to repair, although I thought I’d take it off to do the job and then found I have to remove the stainless steel eyebrow to get at the hinge. To remove the four screws for the hinges I have to take out twenty screws to remove the eyebrow!

The door has a lift out panel at the top with a fixed fly screen on the outside and I’m thinking I might make another panel fitted with a port hole to let in a bit more light, and make it from something a bit lighter, it is very heavy, must be a slab of ironbark I think.

Earlier I posted a photo of the cupboard above the stove which showed a metal grate and a couple of pieces of round cardboard. Being a bit slow on the uptake at times I wondered why the cardboard was there and was going to chuck them away when I thought I’d try them for size in the port hole. Perfect fit it turns out so I guess they are the ‘curtains’ to provide privacy and keep a bit of light out. Very novel but I think I’m expected to do better than that by ‘she who must.’

Just before I left for Melbourne a friend lent me a copy of a Caravan Park Ltd. Parts and Accessories Catalogue he had salted away and it has some interesting bits that match some of my accessories, but more on that next time.

George

[OlFarts]

The ice box is a stunner George

If you don't mind me asking, what did you use to bring up the shine on the stainless ??

Two of my vans are galvo in the ice box and one is stainless.


Cheers mate.

Dave

[griffin]

Hi Dave

I used AUTOSOL Metal Polish, made in Germany and available at most auto shops I think, about $10 for a 75ml tube. I've been using it about 15 years, mainly on chrome, but on any metal, I used it on the Olympic for the Al band around the middle and it came up great.

Today I took off the first of the homemade stainless steel eyebrows to get access to the window hinge and I gave it a clean up using a green scourer with some "Gumption" from the kitchen of 'she who must' and the result is just as good. It's a lot quicker and easier so I will be trying it on my stainless steel lining in the stove recess in due course. A quick lick of AUTOSOL afterwards should keep it good for years. They also make a specific polish for Al and a leather cleaner, haven't tried those though. I reckon "Gumption" on the gal would go well

I have to wonder about the use of the name 'stainless steel' when clearly it isn't, and we have to spend so much time cleaning it. Should it be something taken up with 'fair trading' or similar to find a more appropriate name

Last post I mentioned I had a Caravan Park parts catalogue and price list from about 1953 which has parts which appear to be used on my bondwood. Specifically the hand pump, window stays, portholes, jockey wheel, support stand (U9 and U7 respectively in the attached) and even the inner spring cushions for the dining set.

While the latter are now missing the owner's son described them as being 6" thick, maroon with a floral pattern, and such an item is described and illustrated.

The dining area even conforms to the dimensions to take the standard size cushions offered. Of course other suppliers may have also offered all these items in their own catalogues if they were proprietary items from outside suppliers, Caravan Park certainly didn't made all the items listed in the 24 pages.

AND, did anyone know the roofing fabric had a special name, "DESOUTTIE" (B3 above) - try that in Google and see what you get, not much let me tell you I only found a Trove reference to the material in a tent makers advertisement, it seems to have been a name for a lightweight canvas.

George

[griffin]

YeeHar, all that paint is finally off the roof and I can start sealing it. Lots of extra scratching to thin out patches of red oxide, but I'm finally happy that it should seal really well. Apart from the earlier test on the roof I also tried it out on the front hatch which is just plywood, with just a narrow piece of canvas around the edges. The canvas was lifting in lots of places so I painted the sealant in and over it and it is now all sealed up nicely with the canvas quite soundly attached.

So with the roof out of the way I was on a roll and took to the front with the heat gun and stripped off all the paint, so with a quick sand it will get a coat of sealant too. Heat gun, did I ever mention it's one of the best things I've ever bought, and only from Aldi, don't know how I survived all these years without one
Even the window frames are stripped ready to repair. I've decided I really like Masonite, the little piece in the middle was so easy to strip, paint just fell off with the heat applied. Looking forward to the rear section which is half Masonite. The patch still left in the photo is for me to match up a colour, and whatever those two metal plates between the windows are for still has me baffled, but with the paint off they are both stainless steel and have only been painted with the white in its more recent makeover.

While on the roll I cut the draw bar extension off too, so now I only have the original stumpy draw bar, and it looks weird now. It has me wondering what sort of coupling it could have had originally as there is only two holes in it, about 100mm, diagonally apart? I'd even toyed with putting the old coupling from the Olympic on it, but the draw bar isn't anywhere near wide enough to take it, so a modern one will be the go.

And, for anyone who may be interested, this is a photo of the two stainless steel eyebrows showing how the one on the right cleaned up using a Scotch-bright and Gumption. Will do me

So it feels like I've achieved something this week, but with Christmas approaching and all the hoo-har it commands I've only got one day this week to do any more, frustrating And, I've got GD I (the Olympic Deboniar) at home too this week so the driveway is a bit cramped, but I'm getting fit shoving the sod of a thing around to get various cars out as required

George

[OlFarts]

The eyebrows came up well George

[griffin]

More progress over the past week, mixed results, but feels good. The sealing of the roof with Bondall has been moving along, I've tried doing about a square metre at a time, early morning before it gets too hot as I didn't want it to dry too quickly. I was hoping for maximum penetration that way. However, there have been some problems, while the canvas is certainly sealed it has also lifted away from the ply in places, drying with a bubble. It seemed odd as it was nice and flat when I finished applying the Bondall so I wondered if their might be a pocket of air expanding as the day warmed and caused it to lift. So I tried an area late in the afternoon and it seems a little better, but still some lifting. Guess it doesn't matter as long as it is sealed, but I'll keep working on it, might get it sorted by the time it is finished

Some time spent underneath cleaning the axle and frame, and I'm pleased to say there is more dust than rust, the latter is just surface with no major problems to be found. I guess its life in a less humid area has been kind. Some of the nuts have come loose on the bolts that secure it to the frame, no lock washers ever used, and the threads are so good I can do them up again by hand The nuts will be removed and fitted with a lock washer, and I might shorten some. I never know why there is 75mm of extra thread, maybe they didn't own a hacksaw

I also had my first experience using 'Bog for Builders' on the damaged window frame. I got it all cleaned up, treated with Earl's Wood Hardener (great stuff) then slapped on some bog. The photos say it all, seems like it does all it claims although I'm not drilling or nailing it. As with automotive filler I had difficulty getting the mix right with it going off too quickly, but after a couple of goes I got it sorted. I'm also a bit stingy with it so there will need to be a couple of little touch ups. Now all sanded and pretty much ready to putty the bottom edge of the glass. The glass only has one puttied edge, along the outside bottom edge where the glass sits in a groove in the timber. The other sides are flush with the glass held in with small quad from the inside. Whoever did the previous repair seems to have removed the quad and put some Silicon in before replacing it. There was just a slight bit showing here and there, really neat job and if it ain't broke I even managed to use the bog to recreate a piece of the bottom quad which had rotted out completely Time will tell now with some weather and vibration.

I'm pleased to say this is actually the biggest timber repair needed

It's nice timber too when sanded, quite light in colour and weight, fine grain, no idea what it might be though.

Still looking for suitable paint.

George

[griffin]

Some more action in the last few days with the new over ride coupling fitted, meaning I now join the 'stumpy A frame' brigade. Boy it looks short, the front of the van is certainly going to fill the mirror on the Velox, I'll have to watch the corners when I reverse.
Before I cut off the extension I tried it on the car for the sake of it, the added height on the coupling seemed to drop the front of the van, but I could never get the over ride to work with it so it had to go.

The new one is only a cheapie from eBay, from China it would appear, and the base plate for the brake lever has holes that are a couple of mm out, so some filing was necessary. You'd think they could get it right!

And the grandson watched dad do a bit of his beaut boilermakers welding, much nicer than anything I could have achieved.

During the week I went to the local bearing supplier to get some new seals and took along the bearings, which I had deemed to be in excellent condition, but thought a spare one might be in order while I had them out. He confirmed my thoughts on their condition and being an older guy thought they were Chevrolet. That was the case too, an older, but 'modern' Timken roller type replacement for the original ball bearing type. Now the quirky bit, they were likely to be expensive, very expensive, it they were available. And they were, about $320 a bearing but if I only want to have a spare I can get the original ball type for only $105 each. So, if the brakes prove to be ok then I'll get a spare, until then I'll save the money in case I have to get a new axle with electric brakes.

George