Our Touring Past

Sunliner Caravans were started by Mr Bert Tickner, with the workshop at
Mid North Moulded Products. Hill St. Foster. NSW.

Mr Tickner left school at a very early age, but soon showed a talent for small business and business management. In about 1957 he started Mid North Coast Moulded Products and the first Sunliner caravan was produced in 1958.
Business carried on till about 1970 when Mr Tickner finally closed the doors of Mid North Coast Plastics as the cheaper produced and lighter aluminium van took over the market.




Identification.

Chassis Numbers.

The chassis No is usually found on the left hand draw bar usuall at the back of the coupling or up to about 200mm back. The first 2 numbers are the year, the next 2 are the month with the last 3 or 4 numbers being the build No. ( usually separated by a / or X or - )

An example of a chassis number would be 6305X105

This translates to the van being built in 1963 on the 5th month (may) and is the 105th Sunliner built.

I came across this chassis No of 6012-500-155 Which would mean it was built in the 12th month 1960 and was the 155 Sunliner built. Does anybody know what the 500 stands for ? It could be a hint to the model.
Body Identification.

The 58 -59 models had fibreglass side window frames, fibreglass lining inside and spats covering the wheels.
Bubble perspex windows in the front and back were fazed out in 1963.

Chassis could be ordered with either a channel chassis and leaf springs or a round tube chassis with independent suspension. With these being trouble some they were sometimes removed and replaced with leaf springs.

Sunliner Independent Suspension. See also.
Gracemuir Caravans
Skyline Caravans
Waldens Sunliners


1967 Sunliner Road Test.

1967 Sunliner 13' Victory Model.
The photo below is of a 1958 - 59 Sunliner that was manufactured in Bundaberg Queensland by Gracemur. With the most distinguishing feature being the smaller front wrap around windows with an opening aluminium window in the middle.
The Photo below is of a 1958 - 59 Sunliner that was made in Victoria by Auto Assemblers and badged as a Skyline. Unlike the model above there are no apparent differences to the original Sunliners.

Sunliner House Boat.

I came across these photos a while back, does any ony know about this van or where it is.

A 1959 Ad for Sunliner.
I have just noticed from the larger version of this picture below that the name above the front window has been parly erased but it actually reads SKYLINE and not SUNLINER.

Points to Help Identify the Year Model of a Sunliner.

Sunliner construction started in 1958 at Mid North Coast Plastics at Foster NSW.

The best way to identify the year model of a Sunliner is with the chassis number as mentioned above. As I have come across alot of Sunliners without a chassis number the next best way is to use the following information.
Keeping in mind that say, a late 1962 Sunliner with front bubble windows may have a vinyl hood lining as used in 1963 instead of the fibreglass moulded ceiling. Changes like this could have been made as the owner requested it, or they could have made the change to the late 62 model before the new model was released in 63.

1958 to 59 Sunliners.



1. Chassis started out as the tubular pipe chassis with independent suspension. But square tube could be ordered with a solid axle and leaf springs.

2. Wrap around front and rear perspex windows.

3. Fibreglass frames to the side windows, with 4 opening, with small "eyebrows" over the windows.

4. Recess panel in middle part of the door.

5. Wheel spats covering the wheels.

6. Although these stone guards are painted on the body does not have the recess panel.

7. Fibreglass ceiling lining to the inside.

1960 to 62 Sunliners.



1. Tubular pipe chassis mostly with solid axle and leaf springs or a rectangle steel chassis with solid axle and leaf springs.

2. Curved perspex front and back windows.

3 and 4 Aluminium framed side windows with "eyebrows" .

5 and 6. "Spears added" to the sides.

6. Wheel spats deleted.

7. Fibreglass ceiling lining to the inside.

1963 to 66 Sunliners.



1. Tubular pipe chassis with solid axle and leaf springs or a rectangle steel chassis with solid axle and leaf springs.

2. Aluminium framed opening windows added to the front and smaller fixed flat windows to the rear.

3. Fixed front left side window, with "eyebrows" over window deleted.

4. 3 aluminium framed windows to the sides, with "eyebrows" over the windows deleted.

5 and 6. Side spears continued.

7.Inside fibreglass ceiling lining changed to Diamond patterned white vinyl ceiling lining .

A 1961 ad for Sunliner Caravans.
With the supplier being Auto Assemblers of 44 Moorabool St. Geelong. Victoria.

Sunliner on YouTube.

For those that are interested I have added a short video to YouTube of our Sunliner caravan.
Click on the link below to view the video.

Our Sunliner

Sunliner Chassis Details.

Round Tube Chassis.
Square Tube Chassis.

Sunliner Colour Schemes.

Interior.
The interior colour scheme for most Sunliners up untill about 1964 is a White interior with the cupboard doors painted a different pastel colour on each door. After 1964 the cupboard doors were finished in a lime wash Fake timber finish.

The photo below shows the lime wash timber finish from 1964 to 70.
Exterior.
Again the exterior is painted white, with some Sunliners leaving the factory with a colour flash down the side, which was colour matched to the seat vinyl colour. eg if the seat cushions were blue the van would have a blue flash down the side.

The Sunliner below is sporting its original side flash from when it left the factory at Foster.

I have found this article on a very modified Sunliner.
The article states that it is a 1949 model, but it looks to be a 1962 - 64 model.

Sunliner Hubcaps.

Well it has taken me a while to get around to it but with the help of some original factory photos I have tracked down the hubcaps that were supplied to new Sunliners .
The hubcaps that were supplied by Mid North Coast Plastics are actually Holden FB EK commercial hubcaps ,as they do not have the Holden Logo on them as the passanger vehicles did.
I came across this set at the Ballarat swap meet earlier this year for our Sunliner .