D.C's Vintage Caravan Repair and Restoration in Brunswick, Victoria | Carpenter

D.C's Vintage Caravan Repair and Restoration

Locality: Brunswick, Victoria

Address: 45 Talbot St 3025 Brunswick, VIC, Australia

Website:

Likes: 255

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Home improvement
• Automotive repair centre
• Carpenter
• Motorhome repair centre

25.01.2022 Caravan window glass (non tempered) with cute retro stickers. 1370mm x 310mm. Free to good home. Brunswick VIC

25.01.2022 ...and yay for Friday- Frankie gets some colour back into him, and Miss Mablemurielmarthamuffett gets some more interior...

25.01.2022 ...and nearly back in business..!

24.01.2022 So, a funny thing happened yesterday- I had the brilliant idea of taking a photo with the smartphone of Josh and Frankie driving down the road after he's been hitched up, and then sharing on this page with a witty tagline. Except- as I pulled said smartphone out of pocket and tried to flick it into camera mode in a smooth and oh so cool fashion like a gunslinger, I merely threw it like a frisbee twenty feet down the road where it rendered itself (inexplicably) into a vapour trail of glass and fake carbon fibre shards. The upshot of this is if you have been in touch with me regarding work on your van, or I have your work in the shed, I no longer have your contact details so please give me a call and I will take your name and details again only this time on paper. Cheers, Darren.

23.01.2022 Busy couple of months here at D.C's, plus I took some time to digest my continued association with a certain media platform and its unholy association with a particular online consultancy. Still- caravans! Woohoo! After what seems like aeons Ms Myrtle is out the door and on her way to a life of renewed adventuring at the towbar of Tol and Lavinias' holiday destination whims- and happy trails to all of them! Two shots of her as she came in, and one of as she went out...

23.01.2022 ...and because today is Friday, my all time favorite caravan song... https://youtu.be/yB6ImgO__w8

22.01.2022 What with the new caravan shaped hole in the shed making it look like I have nothing to do- everybody please meet Harold! He was towed in by Elise and Jess, and is to be turned into an events/coffee/cocktails van but unfortunately needs major surgery first. I've not been in the caravan gig for thaaaat long, but have been restoring things (cars, vintage timber boats, guitars, furniture, engines yadayada) for years, and know something at least of the process of where to start and where to finish with fixing anything. Prior to Elises stewardship, some shocking butchery was visited on poor Harold, a textbook example of just because you own a nail gun doesn't mean you can call yourself a tradesman or tradeswoman! My new name for these people- caravandals!

21.01.2022 Ms Myrtle- looking lemony fresh... and here she is, in technicolour this time...

20.01.2022 Yes- It has been a while... Various other projects have come into and gone out of the workshop here, toured interstate with one band and recorded with another, so sitting in front of the screen has been put to the bottom of the list. Anyhow work at DC's HQ hasn't stopped- do you remember poor Harold? Well here is whats left! Unfortunately nothing in the interior except the windows and some plywood was salvagable so one entire side was unbolted and hung on the wall to refer... to as a pattern. When you are building a new van from scratch at least you can think long and hard about the downfalls of the original, and tweak the new one a bit. The new Harold has 75mm more headroom inside and for no other reason than i think it looks good, the body lowered onto the chassis for a "channeled" look a la vintage hot rod style. At least 30 percent of the chassis was rusted through so some reinforcing and a new drawbar put in. Beefier springs to come in the near future. Many thanks to John Hall, find him at http://www.biasworkshop.com- that's him behind the welder. See more

17.01.2022 Hmmm- yesterdays post should have read "Whoo! Thursday disorientation! " Yesterdays shots show Ms Myrtles interior taking shape, with a berth that converts to a settee by sliding aft to reveal G&T tables over the ugly wheel arch tinware. Also shown is the biggest delamination in a piece of ply I have ever seen, so check the end grain as you cut ply out- easy enough to glue back together. Todays shot shows new roof hatch coaming, might go get another coffee...

15.01.2022 Whoo! Friday again...

12.01.2022 not too bad for a freezing monday- Frankies window has arrived, the framework is in and it all seems to fit- plus Oddity gets a facelift...

12.01.2022 Still working away on Harold for the dauntless Elise at Duck and Co. Harold has been re-created in pretty much the identical way he was originally built only with the benefits of 21st century materials and adhesives! I've taken certain liberties with certain aspects of his design to facilitate his new role as roving coffee ambassador, with an eye to the original shape and look. Exterior is about 90% done, with interior benches (and the associated origami of fitting everything into every hole) in the offing, coffee machine, sink and rinser to come. Soon I'll peel all the plastic off him and he'll be ready for his close-up!

09.01.2022 Ms Myrtle, showing her stripes, and true colours. Second coat on interior is done time to install locker doors, shelves, lights etc.

07.01.2022 Work continues apace on Ms Myrtle, even after a few weeks of life being in the way. New pop top hatch is finished, interior is 90 percent there and ready for primer, exterior primed up today- everything looks different with a coat of paint on it...

07.01.2022 G'day all, and a huge thanks to my 195 followers! Have also just started an Instagram page, dcs_vintagevanrepairco, so have a squizz there for snazzy work in progress shots without the usual waffle. In the mean time cracking on with Miss Myrtle, paint is done and Lavinia has aced the colours I reckon, plus some ally on and the cute little taillights that I just cant stop staring at. Lining up the roof and fitting gaslifts, plus a pattern for the canvas "boot", some surgery to fit her new hitch, (and whats left of the old one!)- It was held on real good.

04.01.2022 Jeez you think you've covered all the bases, crossed all the I's and dotted the T's. You've sanded, coated and sanded again, and gone over the works with a fine tooth magnifying glass. Then voila! The gremlins rear their ugly heads. I have used literally tons of plywood of varying calibre over the years and delamination is nearly unheard of. Bingo, three of them (and probably more!) in Ms Myrtles' side right before the topcoat goes on! Delaminations appear as blisters and will eventually turn into splits so, open them up with a stanley knife, fill with epoxy, clamp tight, sand and fill, coat sand and coat again! Her interior is primed ready for glossing and the shed is full of bunk parts, doors, and other bits ready for topcoat. Colours on next week, stay tuned!

03.01.2022 Ok Ok... get back to work! Road trip is done, and back to strike a blow. Frankie gets his 2nd roof panel and rear end skin... Posting this, then onto installing the hatch.