Hi there, Not only am I new to this forum .....but new to the whole forum thing to so get ready for some laughs. Well I shipped an early 74 back from Oz about 3 years ago and its a Swagman conversion... I just wondered if anyone new much about them ? apparently small firm just outside of Sydney. Also I was wondering if anyone new of a decent reasonable covered storage option in the Bristol area? I am sure that you don't need a massive introduction from me I'm just a jolly Swagman.
welcome matey, there's a few aussie vans on here and our resident aussie mod @Terrordales may know. a few members in bristol too, @Baysearcher is one and owns an aus bus.
Hello & Welcome from The Colonial Contingent This is from Wheels magazine May 1978 Your Home Away From Home When Wheels last surveyed the campervan scene, in 1976, you could buy a small model such as Mazda’s F1000 new, reasonably equipped and ready to roll for less than $5000. Popular large models cost from about $7000 to $9000, fully rigged and on the road. Times change and so do prices. Today, with rego and insurance included you wouldn’t get much back from $6500 for a fully equipped Mazda F1000. Since that earlier survey, van prices have increased sharply. Conversion costs have climbed too. The steep price hikes are undoubtedly one of the main reasons why ’77 sales couldn’t exactly be classed as buoyant. But some observers believed the campervan industry was due for a levelling-off period anyway, regardless of the price rises. It would have been a bit to expect the thriving growth of recent years to continue indefinitely. Still, as Confucius said from his cyclone-proof shelter, it’s an ill wind that blows no good. And the slowing of campervan sales hasn’t been all bad for makers and buyers. It has encouraged buyers to shop around even more carefully than before to compare prices and features. It has also meant that makers have trimmed fat from their operations (to help contain prices as much as possible), getting production on more efficient footings. It hasn’t stopped new conversions being introduced and older ones being revised, with more rationalisation between the floorpans and furniture used for different vehicles. The keen would-be campervanner needn’t necessarily fork out a bundle for a brand new, fully converted unit. Most camper companies will fit their conversions to your existing van. Though the accompanying price table only lists conversions for current models, some earlier (cheaper) models are still popular bases for the job; Toyota Hiace and Commuter for example, and Volkswagens of course, remain high on the list of campervanner’s favourites. There’s also yet another option open to the handyman would-be campervanner looking for other ways to save. In that case do-it-yourself furniture fitting is an answer. The idea is that you trundle the van along to your local friendly conversion specialist and have the pop-up (or high-top) roof fitted. For that the price is about $650 to $825 depending on maker and model. You then fit some, or all factory-furniture, or make your own. And so to the survey of what’s available. While it’s beyond our scope to include every conversion from every converter, the guide covers most popular models from major firms, main standard features and prices. Dormobile Head office: Dormobile Australia Pty Ltd, 9 Wiluna St, Fyshwick, ACT, 2609 Dormobile conversions are produced for the VW, Bedford and Ford Transit vans. Complete and partial conversions on new and used vans are available direct from Dormobile. The Dormobile conversion is readily identified in the crowd because instead of being raised vertically as usual, the roof is hinged along the offside and tilts up to add a relatively big area above the normal roofline. The fibreglass roof has 2 fixed windows and two hatches. With the roof up there’s more than 2.4 m (8ft) headroom. Two folding single bunks are the upper berths. The three conversions share similar features which include a three-way fridge, plastic sink and drainage board with water foot-pumped from a 21-litre plastic jerrycan in the cupboard, a two-burner grill, fluorescent light, and roof-up warning light. Tow-bar, cabin bunk and electric water pump are among the many options available. The fully lined roof costs about $885 and the van can then be left empty for commercial purposes or have furniture added for campervanning. Land Cruisers Head office: Land Cruisers Conversions Pty Ltd, 33 Alleyne St, Chatswood, NSW 2067. Land Cruisers don’t quote specific prices for its conversions but because they range from $1800-$3000 depending on layout, furniture and features. A spokesman said that most Land Cruisers conversions have custom features, so it’s rare for any two to have the same design and price. Equipment and features shared by most LC conversions include 240v/12v/gas fridge, two-burner griller or a stovette with oven and two burner top, stainless steel sink, Melanime-finished furniture and solar insulated curtain. A selection of furniture is available for fit-it-yourself van projects. Land Cruisers concentrates on the popular vans including VW’s. Sopru Head office: E. Sopru and Co, 6-22 Antoine St, Rydalmere, NSW 2116. Branches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Sopru’s best known conversions are the Campmobile Volkaswagens, with new complete models marketed through VW dealers. For the VW, Sopru’s range begins with a Handyman conversion, consisting of extending roof and other minor parts for about $699. There are three complete conversions – Basic, Traveller and Deluxe. The £1825 Basic features include table, rear seat-bed, side cupboard, wardrobe, stainless sink, hand pump, fluorescent light, kangaroo bar with covered spare wheel and under-floor 45-litre water tank. No gas, fridge and cooker. Those items are added in the £2697 Traveller version which also has an additional utility seat, retractable side step and roof rack. The £2960 Deluxe model has all those features plus 240v hot plate and power point, extra lighting, deluxe upholstery and a folding exterior table. Sunliner Head office: Swagman Conversions 150 Frances St, Lidcombe, NSW 2141 (not sure if this is a print error) Sunliner campers are made by Hunter Conversions to suit Nissan E20, Bedford CFS, Toyota Hiace, Mazda F1000 and Volkswagen. Hunter doesn’t list standard prices for the conversions. Depending on the vehicle, Sunliner conversions vary from $2000-3500. Standard features include low-profile roof , fibreglass roof, Melanime-finish cabinets, stainless steel sink, galvanised under-floor water-tank, fluorescent lights, tinted side windows, two-burner cooker and 12v/240v/ gas fridge. Swagman Head office: Swagman Conversions 150 Frances St, Lidcombe, NSW 2141 One of the most prolific producers of van conversions , Swagman makes fibreglass and wood furniture, offering either or both depending on the vehicle. There are four varieties of Swagman Volkswagens: Deluxe and standard fibreglass at about $2850 and $2650 respectively, and the equivalents in timber for about $2795 and $2545. The Deluxe features are similar to the Nissan (roof rack, fluorescent light, filtered roof vent, shade awning, upper berth boards and mattress, indoor/outdoor table, two-burner cooker, 12v/240v/gas fridge, 45 litre fibreglass under-floor water tank, 240v double power point & vinyl floor), but the standard editions have more deletions including the under-floor water tank, fly-screened centre window and 240v power point. Trakka Head office: Trakka-Bout Sales (NSW) Pty Ltd, 116 Military Rd, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089. Trakka’s van conversions revolve around Volkswagen, Nissan E20 and Toyota Hiace with four basic floorplan layouts for each. The VW conversion averages about $2700 according to Trakka, but there is no list price as such because you start with the low-profile pop-top roof at about $640, then choose your floorplan, and from there the price depends on how much furniture or features you order. You’re limited only by your imagination and budget because the range of options is pretty big.
Hi Johno, Whereabouts in Bristol are you? Wise choice an Aussie bay; relatively solid (as long as it hasn't lived on the coast) and the steering wheel's on the correct side!
Hello again , I've been flat out earning a living and ignoring my bus!! Thinking about selling him as I've used it twice in four years. So what's the best way to get a sensible valuation? Johno
