thinking of getting a highwayman

A

Adam B Harris

New Member
Hi all,

I've been lurking for a while and sought some advice from someone you call "The Iceman" offline.

I am an itinerate musician from rural Western Australia with no mechanical knowledge and I have been offered the use of a Commer Highwayman which has been sitting in a field. I was down there the other day and made this video so you guys could suss out how bad it actually is at the moment.


Unfortunately I have no easy way really of getting a mechanic out to look at it so I am flying blind. I would appreciate your first thoughts on the condition of the van.

cheers
Adam
 
It obviously has some body issues, door bottoms, front valances and below the screen, all repairable and panels available. The mechanics will need a full overhaul, again bits are available. The engine has been changed, which may be a Holden 6 cyl, a common swap in Oz. The big issue with Highwaymans is the timber frame. They suffer very bad from water ingress around the seams, rotting them from inside out. There is some obvious signs of this over the drivers door.
Looks like a big project to me!
 
Hi Adam and welcome to the Madhouse:D What a great project you've got.
Martin is THE expert on these vans and I have to agree with him. It looks like it's beem in that position for a long time and time has taken it's toll, especially over the cab:( Nothing is un-repairable but it will take time. effort and deep pockets depending on what you want to achieve and how much of the work you do yourself. I'm sure Aaron has given you lots of great advise and shared his experiences - he did a fantastic job, here's a reminder:)

http://forum.commervanfan.co.uk/index.php?threads/the-iceman-restoration.2039/
 
You did indeed, Chris! And so did I - just now. Serves me right for being such a poor CVF-forumer these days.. :(
 
Thank you all for your input. Much as I would love to take it on, in the end I decided "too hard" and bought myself a Toyota Hiace Poptop instead. What worries me though is the guy with the van is talking about taking it down the tip, such a waste. I've a good mind to take it off his hands anyway, just to rescue it for a more deserving person down the track.
 
Its that hard to find the table legs?

Tell me at what point in the video (in minutes, seconds) the legs come up and I will talk the guy and see if he can help you out. He is a friend of mine and not unreasonable.
 
Two minutes 39 seconds:)
Well done with the Toyota, nice vans:cool: Maybe trade up to a Commer sometime in the future.
 
Its great but it eats fuel. To be expected I suppose. Still a bit sad about not getting the Commer.

The legs Jostein wants are the ones that are attached to that table? Probably would cost a fortune to post and my friend is going to want something for taking the legs off and packaging them I'm sure but I will look into it. Would have thought it would have been easier to source the legs - well almost any other way.
 
I have been after these table legs for about 10 years now, Adam. Impossible to find.

I have been contemplating getting a replica made, but that costs to - and I only have photos of the tables to use as a guide.

As you say, shipping cost alone might just make this unfeasible. But it would be interesting to know how much it would be. It would be the legs and brackets I would need - if in ok condition (not too bent and/or rusted through). If possible to check this, I would be very grateful.
 
Far out, ten years is a long time. I contacted my friend, he is going to take some photos for you. I can't remember anything about the what condition the legs were in as I was checking out other things. Looks like some rust on there, hard to tell from the video.
 
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