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Hi All.
I have recently picked up a 1957 approximately Carapark Caravan. The Chassis Number is S1266. Is anyone out there familiar with these old Caravans? It has mechanical (Cable) Overide Brakes fitted with FX Wheels and Hubcaps. I checked the axle bearings and they were still packed with grease like it was serviced yesterday after sitting in a shed for the last 40 odd years. I wired up some new tail lights and clearance lights and towed it home on a permit. It tows extremely well.
It needs a full reno inside. It is still (originally) unpainted outside and still has the original red stripes. I intend to leave the outside 'as found'.
If anyone has any info on these old Caravans it would be much appreciated. Number produced. Various Models and number of each Model produced etc.
TIA
Ron |
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There is an old caravan forum in Australia, look them up, it's great info about all them old Vans.
My Oldies had a new 1966 van that I remember and so I looked such things up on that van forum.
I was interested in the progression of such things etc. a lot of the History is there.
Many people have done up the old Vans and show so much of their work.
1957 may have the old ice bin ? not a Gas electric Fridge ? or maybe a Kero fridge !
My dad had lots of trailers for work, interesting in the Axle beam that was years ago. I remember of one that was real strong 3in round beam and went bending upwards like, so as not to drag through sand like most rubbish and it towed like great and I could reverse it so easy like magic, and reverse real fast as I hooked around the property with it when I was 13yo in my HR Holden ! it had the draw bar going as one piece not an A frame like most and long springs like a car not short rubbish.
So I had an interest in such designs and all.
Dad had a Trailer with HK-T-G Disc brakes on the front axle and he would always like sit on 90 MPH with that in tow, loaded up and all with his 1971 LTD Galaxie like nothing to it.
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I joined a Vintage Caravan Forum last night and am waiting on a reply.
My Van tows really well and has greaseable shackles and front pins. It has Caravan Hubs and Brakes fitted, not original FX FJ. The kitchenette bench/cupboard as well as the bed, table and seats either side are long gone. Only the overheads and shelves are still there along with the wardrobe. A couple of water leaks to fix too as I went through some heavy rain coming home and since I got back. It still has what appears to be the original water tank underneath. Some one many years ago tried to hammer and jemmy the door open so that needs a little bit of work to tidy it up. I don't know why they did that as it has a second door in the main door with a vwardrobe key and very basic lock with a flyscreen in the main door. The main door has your everyday old lockwood house front door lock. The key still works fine but the surround is buggered.
I think it would have had an ice bin back in the day. I believe mine was used by the council as a smoko hut which they could tow to sites around the snowy mountains. The previous owner bought it from the council in the very early 80's I think and he had bunks front and rear and always kept it in the shed. Even the old perished crossplies still held air so he could move it to another shed and when I took them in to fit the new tyres the insides of the rims were like new. The outsides are a bit ordinary. I have 4 restored FX Hubcaps in a box somewhere.
Cheers.
Ron
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Originally Posted by: nineteenfortyeight  I joined a Vintage Caravan Forum last night and am waiting on a reply.
My Van tows really well and has greaseable shackles and front pins. It has Caravan Hubs and Brakes fitted, not original FX FJ. The kitchenette bench/cupboard as well as the bed, table and seats either side are long gone. Only the overheads and shelves are still there along with the wardrobe. A couple of water leaks to fix too as I went through some heavy rain coming home and since I got back. It still has what appears to be the original water tank underneath. Some one many years ago tried to hammer and jemmy the door open so that needs a little bit of work to tidy it up. I don't know why they did that as it has a second door in the main door with a vwardrobe key and very basic lock with a flyscreen in the main door. The main door has your everyday old lockwood house front door lock. The key still works fine but the surround is buggered.
I think it would have had an ice bin back in the day. I believe mine was used by the council as a smoko hut which they could tow to sites around the snowy mountains. The previous owner bought it from the council in the very early 80's I think and he had bunks front and rear and always kept it in the shed. Even the old perished crossplies still held air so he could move it to another shed and when I took them in to fit the new tyres the insides of the rims were like new. The outsides are a bit ordinary. I have 4 restored FX Hubcaps in a box somewhere.
Cheers.
Ron
I find such old Vans interesting, got one up the road has VW wheels on it, the owned died and some dude cleaned everything out of the rental property, he was pulling the Van down and said pulling the floor up was bloody hard work, some other dude wanted the chassis but brought that back. it's sitting their for a year now, no one has rented the house in 2 years now. Interesting it has VW brakes on it as well. the Van was fine, but everything had to be destroyed and go to the dump, 6 cars that I know of as well. Another dude who died in the street, the same thing happened, everything just dumped, like 6 of the biggest skip bins came and everything had to be destroyed.
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Thanks Castellan.
My wife has been trawling various websites looking for info about these old Vans. She's found a bit here and there and every interior pic she finds is different so it is hard to work out what is original and what isn't. My neighbours are travelling at the moment and came across one the same as mine fully restored and shiny like new for $20k. It certainly looks good.
I hate to see everything go to the dump. Just because you don't want it someone else might. A few years back someone in our town bought a tandem axle trailer to move his family from interstate. After the move he turned up at the local tip with the trailer and asked where the steel scrap was. He was pointed in the right direction. 5 minutes later he drove out without the trailer as that was the 'steel scrap' he dropped off!
Going to get a weighbridge ticket for it today and hopefully a safety certificate today or tomorrow. I fixed the jemmied door lock. It is missing some of the trim around the screen on the inside of the second door which is a part of the main door. I fixed the locks on both and they work fine. Just need some sealer/rubber around the gaps to keep the rain and wind out.
Cheers,
Ron |
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I like to keep everything original mainly in cars or vans and even my house sort of, bar the kitchen and bathroom, add fans and Air-con.
People say why don't you up date it all modern and I say I spent so many years working in new houses that I can not stand them, I want to live in something different. but some of the old bathrooms pre 1970's tiled can be as good as the day they were built. All rendered walls and neat cement hand fixed tiles, you can't beat that.
polished Timber floors, funny to see some young people spin out when looking at my polished timber floors, they have never seen the real stuff.
My brothers kids love the HR Holden's and I thought what the hell would they like in such at all, but they do.
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