Our Touring Past

Here is one i prepared earlier..

My first van was a homemade Bondwood we called "Just Croozn".
Towcar was a 1960 FB Holden Sataion wagon

You'll have to forgive me i am new at all this
Reddo

Hey Reddo.
This is the size your photo should be at 480 x 480 pixels.

Trish and i went to a garage sale/ deceased estate on the NSW central coast. We spotted the van and asked what they where doing with it..."Oh that... we are taking it to the dump tomorrow... "

Year of manufacture..... .. would you believe 2004
Yup... it was built in 2003/4 by a retired engineer who use to work for Smiths crisps in Sydney.

Sure looks "Ridgey Didge" dont she.
The family where selling everything in the house. Everything in the shed was earmarked to go to the tip... drills, oxy set, stock and dies, hundreds of AF /SAE/whitworth spanners and sockets, stanely screwdriver sets, bench drill and bench grinder, battery charger, multimeter, welder, beaut old hand saws. a complete shed full of tools all about to head to the tip beause the son and grandson had BMW's and had no use for in thier words " oily old spanners".
I was naturally.. gobsmacked. I offered him what i thought was a good price.. he said half that would be fine... i passed out...
It took 2 trips with the landcruiser fully loaded to the roof to clean up all the tools and sheets of stainless steel, brass and stainless rod etc. Then a 3rd trip to bring the van home full of camping and household appliances that didnt sell at the garage sale....that was set to go to the tip.....

But just what do ya do with 5 electric fry pans
Maybe not a vintage van.... but a very good replica with a lot of clever ideas that the mass produced vans could have took on board.
Reddo

Struth Reddo, you have incredible luck. I suppose there will be a few frypans on ebay LOL
That van looks the part, probably like something I would build.

Ken

While i was at the 2006 NRMA Motorfest in Macquarie st , Sydney with "Just Croozn" and my FJ Holden windowless panelvan

I was approached by a bloke that stated that his mate had a very well preserved Bondwood caravan in a shed at Cessnock in the Hunter Valley.
As soon as i got home i phoned the bloke... within 24 hours i was in his yard and a deal was struck...
That is the day that "Matilda" came into mine and Trishas life....


"Fairway caravans" where built in the Brisbane area from the mid 50s and traded into the late 60s or early70s. Finally being bought out by "Arrow Caravans" that are still trading to this day.
Reddo

Fantastic looking 'old' van built by the engineer from the chips factory. Yep,modern day makers would be hard pressed to replicate. Not having seen it up close & personal the quality would be unsurpassed.Tell you what though,between that one & Kens i`m getting really envious. But i mustn`t forget i have a rather special Td too. cheers

Hi DC3TD
Dont keep us in suspense. Start a DC3TD thread here in "photo album" and send us some pictures!!!

Reddo

Hi Reddo. Photobucket indicates that i can u/l from 100x75,160x160,320x240,640x480 & then beyond to suit 15"/17" screen & 1MB. So will muck about seeing which size will work best. I`m not sure if the pics i have posted elsewhere are going to be too big (640x480) to put up here.Plus my u beaut Sony DSC camera i got maybe 5 or 6 years ago got a taste of stairwell diving.Prognosis not good.Neither will be my wallet if it`s repairable.So any pics i do/try to u/l here at the moment will be ones before & just beginning the refurb. And of course the "nick nacks" i`d bought to 'decorate' her.We`ll see. cheers

Ok ... This was my next aquisistion.. A sad old late 50s alloy van....really fully of rot and had been overclad with aluminium to make matters worse .

I could see the potential to build something using all the odds and sods ... sorta look at the old van as "An Organ Donor"
How does the famous poem go..
"Murder bloody murder
Cried the man form Iron Bark
He set to work with tooth and Nail
He made the place a wreck" Before long i had the blank canvas i needed. and it didnt take long ta get something vaguely resembling a Teardrop caravan to start appearing from the ruins of Pompei. Elvis dropped in and the whole thing started shacking, rockin and a rollin. Poor thing went through a bit of "morphing" before i finally settled on the right sort of gaurds and wheels. slopped a few colours on the Fakedrop and she was near ready for Christening and reg....
All up about 8 months work.....
Ok .. so maybe not a genuine real McCoy Teardrop ....
But... there is a famous saying amongst us "droppers"...
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... well then.... "its is a duck.... Isnt that right Koala
Cant wait for Tomakin easter 2009... better rub some boot polish into those 70 year old 17" X 3.00 tyres.
I had a thought the other day.. The council will be holding thier annual "Art from Trash " comp soon... might enter the TD "Trash from treasure"

Reddo

Here is my current van that i bought from a mate at work for $400 with new annexe... I thought it had potential so i saved it from sitting out in the weather. I found out of a few other mates that the guy i bought it from paid $20 for it..... some mate eh
No friends when your in business thay say..



This was it when she came home
running gear stripped out and van in shed after sanding back to raw timber all over and applying 3 coats of oil based pink primer.



Running gear blasted and zinc phosed ready for painting



inside painted


outside painted.




Rosies first day out.

Reddo