Our Touring Past

I had a phone call from David earlier this week that is the owner of an original Propert that was purchased second hand by his father in 1968. The Propert was purchased from a mining company and it was interesting that David mentioned that the axle had been changed over so the springs were over the axle to give it a higher ground clearance.

The first photo below shows the McAuliffs at Atherton ready for a trip.
And the second photo shows the Propert set up on the banks of the Herbert River at Innot Hot Springs near Mt Garnet Queensland.

Update on this Propert.
I was lucky enough to be able to purchase this from David and Jenny
Its a little the worse for wear now, with many bits missing that were unfortunately thrown away while clearing out his dads place after he passed away.
Not sure if at some stage the axle has been flipped over again as the propert sits very low now compared to the earlier photo above.
Here are a few pics of it now.

Brendan

Good to see, keep up the search, hopefully you find the missing bits, or something that will take their place.

George

Currently getting the draw bar remade as it had fractures in it.
One I return from my work trip I will be looking at pulling the outer shell off and then remaking it.
Can anyone advise what type of wood was used in the manufacture of the Properts?
Also I will then look over the remain parts and assess what is needed as many of the old metal screws and nails are starting to corrode or have rusted away completly.
Any advice is welcomed

Brendan

Hey Brendan.
Great to see the old van on the way to getting back on the road.
Are you going to remake the entire outer shell or do some repairs?
To remake the shell i would be using marine ply and maybe something like meranti / maple for the timber ribs etc.( originally the timber was some type of pine which is now unavailable apparently.) Just make sure it all gets several coats of paint over them.
What bits are you missing?

Cheers.
Richard.

Hi Richard,

Thank you for the suggestions.
When I return from my working trip I will look at removing the shell and make and assessment on it.
I think because it was ceased the hinges that make a Propert open have both been bent so need fixing.
I will assess the shell and then make a decision on if any of it is salvageable.
Currently missing the Annex however the poles were there which is good. If I can borrow or make drawings of an example I can get one made by the local canvas place.
The table but now have the plans to make a replacement unless an original appears.
The water tank, if I can find a proper example (even a rough one) one of dad's mate could make a new one.
The stove, not sure what type would have been fitted but the holes are there for it.

For now I will concentrate on getting the van back up to spec then I can worry about the missing bits.

Regards,

Brendan