bambi mk 1 wrote:Neil wrote:cool door mirrors think I got a pair somewhere
Are you another Vandelazyman using them for Christmas tree decorations
no it might look a bit daft with more than 1 pair on
Moderator: Luke
bambi mk 1 wrote:Neil wrote:cool door mirrors think I got a pair somewhere
Are you another Vandelazyman using them for Christmas tree decorations
Neil wrote:bambi mk 1 wrote:Neil wrote:cool door mirrors think I got a pair somewhere
Are you another Vandelazyman using them for Christmas tree decorations
no it might look a bit daft with more than 1 pair on
Neil wrote:have a look on American ebay under vintage van mirrors as they sometimes come for sale on there
Looks pretty good. Key question - what is it like underneath?conrod wrote:I couldn't help myself! This came up at an auction 2 weeks ago, and I had to have a crack at it.
The van itself is a July 1978 build, so very early build as far as Sundowners go, I know of only 1 other July 1978 build, which is a yellow van which I think was the one used in all of the advertisements and a few magazine features. It was built as an auto, but has been converted to a manual at some point. The kicker for me is that it is in a colour I have never seen before, and with blue stripes, which again I have never seen before on a Sundowner. So of the 25 remaining Sundowners which I have records of, that makes this one a bit of a Unicorn
The downside (and it is a big one!) is that it is in Tasmania, and has no keys, so does not start, run and drive! For those of you who don't know where Tasmania is, look at a map of Australia. Then look down off the south-east coast, and it is a small island off the bottom. Which makes it a logistical nightmare to get it back to NZ. So needless to say, I bought the damn thing. I had it picked up and transported to an auto sparky, where it is at the moment. He is getting an ignition key cut, and will then attempt to fire it up. The fuel tank has a gaping big hole in it, so he is going to strap a 5L jerry can in the engine bay, and run a hose to the fuel pump. It needs to be able to be driven on to a transporter, as well as the RORO ferry for the trip to NZ.
That is the story so far!
And a few pics, to prove it did happen!
ColinJack wrote:Looks pretty good. Key question - what is it like underneath?
Hopefully the same - Tasmania is a bit smaller and further south but it looks like it has been parked in a shed or something for a while so will probably be really good. This is going to be an interesting thread methinks.conrod wrote:ColinJack wrote:Looks pretty good. Key question - what is it like underneath?
I don't know, hopefully okay! The other 2 I bought from Oz have been mint underneath. Dry climate, and no salt on the roads in winter.
conrod wrote:Gear selection was really bad, so I removed the shifter, repaired it by welding up the worn parts and machining back, and it now selects gears really well.(3 speed manual!)
conrod wrote: I gave it a machine polish, and it came up rather nice. It is the original colour called "Midnight Blue" and I think it looks quite good
Altransit wrote:conrod wrote:Gear selection was really bad, so I removed the shifter, repaired it by welding up the worn parts and machining back, and it now selects gears really well.(3 speed manual!)
Really? I thought that 3 speed boxes died out before the Transit was in production My dad's '64 Zodiac had a 4 speed column changeconrod wrote: I gave it a machine polish, and it came up rather nice. It is the original colour called "Midnight Blue" and I think it looks quite good
That was the colour of our Corsair 2000E
All looking good buddy
conrod wrote:conrod wrote:(3 speed manual!)
Yep the 3 speed was a Borg Warner box, also used in the 1970's and 1980's Falcons. Both of my other Aussie vans have been converted to T5 5 speed. Much better!.....
Interesting, I thought Midnight Blue was an Australian Ford colour! Only time I have seen it on a Transit, and only Sundowner I have ever seen with blue stripes
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