New member from west oz

[Adam]

Hey all, just put a post on another thread, quick intro, my name Adam from Dunsborough. Recently purchased 69 haf from Doug Lennox in qld. Haf is in bits, body good condition, have got motor running briefly, new fuel pump on way. Once motor running properly will pull out and check clutch, sort brakes, sort electrical, put together and see what works???? Then disassemble and clean up and put back together, get her licensed, and happy days?? Hopefully?? Maybe??? I'm no mechanic, but have a few mates onboard giving me a hand, learning along the way and having a few beers and laughs!! Not expecting to be much help to any of your questions, but will certainly be asking a few! Dale from Haflingertechnik has already been helpful, will try upload a few pics, cheers for now.

[ogdenenterprise]

Hi Adam ,
welcome to the forum there is a lot of info on here and everyone will try to help when you get stuck.

Dave

[AustHaflinger]

Hi Adam - welcome to the Forum - lots of information and we have quite a few Aussie members and we even let people from WA in.

Enjoy getting your vehicle back on the road, dont get too frustrated and share your experiences here.

Garry

[jhon]

Welcome Adam, I hope you enjoy your Haflinger 'journey' - these vehicles get under your skin.

Cheers

[ogdenenterprise]

Hi Adam,
What are your plans for the rebuild, are you just going to get it going and use it or back to original. I personally have taken mine back to original which I prefer. I still have to have a canvas cover made and register it for the road, but as they say Rome wasn't built in a day.

Dave

[Adam]

Planning on being able to use it as a semi regular drive around car!! As for keeping it original, would definitely like to keep it close but not sure?? Some rear guards that have been fabricated came with it, not sure if through Haflingertechnik or custom made, some rear led lights also came with it? Not sure if I should use these or use original style lights, I think they look similar? Will get seats custom made and canvas custom made, and will respray car once it is all sorted! Will re wire once I get that sorted and haven't even made it to the transmission yet, although chassis looks to be in good nick, partially rebuilt? Any suggestions or ideas opinions welcome? Not after a showroom car, but would love to get in sweet basically original condition! No idea about exhaust, two pipes heading under vehicle and two heater pipes just cut off!! Cheers

[heinkeljb]

Have you got the exploded parts book and the workshop repair manual? They will be a big help whilst you try and get your head around some of the stranger things about how a Haflnger was built.

Those and ask lots of questions!

The LED lights make a lot of sense if you are not to bothered that they are not original as the Haflinger's electrical system is not designed to produce much more than electrical consumers take - i.e. not really any spare electricity of things like more lights, radio, mobile phone charger, Sat Nav etc! So any thing that saves a bit over the original fitment will help elsewhere.
Do you know which variation of Haf you have in terms of the "top speed"? There should be a plate on the dash which tells you max speed in every gear. Take that with a pinch of salt - Original engine doesn't have much spare HP after turning all the drive train to really get up to the top speed and stay there. You say you want to use it almost daily? I am all for that, just remember it has "very" short service intervals by today's standards and will require "adjustment" virtually every time you take it out!
Having put you off your new acquisition, I would like to point out that they are great fun to drive, will put you in the spot light wherever you go and you will get rich if you charge for answering the following question:-
Is it amphibious? Or a variation of that!!

John

[Adam]

Well I've driven land rovers for the past 20 years so fairly familiar with breakdowns!!!700ap, have workshop manuals, wiring schematics which between a few are making sense! By daily driver really only mean to the shops, pup or surf!! Not planning on adding any extra electrics, want to hear the engine, not snoop dog!!! My old man who recently passed away craned a haflinger onto a pearling lugger in Broome, sailed it into the kimberleys, unloaded it and explored with an elder aboriginal named watti!! Did two documentary, across the top, and follow the sun!! Both are on you tube and the haf features in follow the sun. Just a quick back story to let you all know how my interest in haflinger came about!! Cheers everyone

[AustHaflinger]

Malcolm Douglas - David Oldmeadow??

[Adam]

That's the one, made first two docos together, Malcolm kept on doing them on his own!!

[AustHaflinger]

Well you come from a great pedigree I noted seeing the passing of your father a little while back in the media - please accept my belated condolences.

Film makers of the ilk of your father and Malcolm Douglas are well known to my generation. Back in the 60s films like the two you mentioned never got into the cinemas or onto TV but were hawked around the country, often by the film makers themselves, being shown in church and town halls for 50p admission. As a kid living in the city, I certainly loved them as the outback seemed so exotic and so far away.

It was only later when outdoor pursuits became popular that these very early films and documentaries were picked up and shown by the media.

On Haflinger aspects - my Haflinger is on the road albeit on Historic Registration but it is well known around my local area as it is driven every week and often I do coffee runs under the guise of maintenance. Hopefully historic rego usage requirements will change soon and I will be able to us my car as I see fit. So your plan on using your Haf as a run around vehicle is certainly doable.

The 'nice weather' you guys have in the west should be great in a Haffy particularly in spring and autumn - being near the sea, summer shouldn't be too bad either.

Thanks for the background information and I can assure everyone on here that both videos are well worth watching.

Garry

[heinkeljb]

Any chance you can post links to the videos? I had a quick search for "follow the sun" and most of the results are about song lyrics!

John

[AustHaflinger]

Across the Top https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PRv7Z0JjdM&t=436s
Follow the Sun Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYvsbt1OP-U&t=33s
Follow the Sun Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tlbr8qFH6g

Part 1 has the Haflinger from the start but little after it is loaded? Part 2 has a bit - make sure you look at around 33.43 - interesting stuff. A bit later it shows old Wattie hunting - hmmm maybe been eating a bit too much white man's food.

Where is this Haflinger now? In the Malcolm Douglas Museum in Broome? Adam do you know? - I understand the very rare 86 Landrover Series 1 Station Wagon that was used in Across the Top is there.

Garry

[Adam]

Nice that you enjoyed! Not sure what happened to the haf! Was Mum's shopping car in Darwin for a bit, I know one of the old landy's is at the croc park being restored. Like to think that it's my one now?? About the same vintage!! Time to order brake master cylinder now, gotta be able to stop her once I get her going!!

[mechanical horse]

Hey Adam
I have just sat through the 3 videos that Gary has posted, and I first saw them in Mel during the time I was doing my apprenticeship and they convinced me that I should get out and have a look at that part of Australia. During my annual leave in the last year of my training I went up to the Gulf and shot on a Station there for 6 weeks. That decided it for me.
I bought a 4WD and set off via WA and took a couple of years to get to Darwin where I was caught up in Cyclone Tracy. Having lost everything in the cyclone it forced me to make a new start there and to live there.For the next 35 years I lived in the Top End but have traveled, fished and hunted over nearly all of those areas mentioned in the videos except for the Cape and without doubt they are the best and the most dangerous and hardest parts of this country.
So I hold your Dad and Malcolm Douglas, who I met in Broome on a couple of occasions, completely responsible for my change of direction when I was about 20 years old.It is without doubt the best decision that I ever have made in life, and I thank them for it.
2 1/2 years ago I decided to buy a Haffie, something which I have lusted over for 50 years, and I have just completed a complete overhaul from the ground up to and including the platform. I will start on the cabin in a couple of weeks and should have the vehicle finished and on the road within about 10 months.
I wish you good luck in the work on your Haffie, but I have just 1 question for you. In the photo that you posted it looks like that your Haffie is inside your house.My question is how did you get the OK to do that? I have been trying to get mine inside since I have owned it but The Leader of the Opposition has always had a very firm reply of "NO" to my attempts.
Regards Rick.

[Adam]

Not sure if the right answer Rick but the trick for me is to not have to ask the question to anyone! However you do have to go through a divorce for that advantage?? My dad and mum took the movies to South Africa as they thought they would go down well as they had no Rv at the time, however the racial apartheid didn't help with all the footage of the aboriginal culture!! They owned a house in Darwin which got severely damaged by Tracy while they were in Africa. I worked with Malcolm for a while and also lived in Broome for 10 years up until about 10 years ago, so still have the Kimberley in my blood, both my girls born there. Mate has a 60ft ex cray boat in Broome that we plan to put the haf on and explore once again. Stoked to hear these stories and makes the purchase of the haf so much more special. Mum will cry when she reads all this, thanks for your interest, will definitely keep everyone posted with progress!!!

[Adam]

Tv, not Rv sorry

[Julian B]

Across the Top https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PRv7Z0JjdM&t=436s
Follow the Sun Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYvsbt1OP-U&t=33s
Follow the Sun Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tlbr8qFH6g

Just watched all 3 - simply fascinating viewing. I take my hat off to both of them!

For witnessing some serious Haflinger driving, the third video wins!

Thanks for sharing..

[AustHaflinger]

Yes I can understand driving the old army landrover through that puddle and even as deep as it was they should have got through with a bit of preparation - hand winding a PTO winch is not a lot of fun and highlights the main disadvantage of PTO winches - no engine power, no winch.

The Haflinger is different - it was never going to get through that puddle and to just drive it in was a bit reckless - maybe some raft build would have been better, however as the monsoon was on its way I can under stand their urgency.

Another old video with major Haflinger involvement made by other film makers is "Call of the Wild" not to be confused the the American film of the same name. The first half of this video deals with adventures in a Haflinger around Cape York in north east Australia and efforts to drive down the west coast of the Cape - they carried a punt on the roof of the Haf to ford the various rivers. The second half is not related to the Haflinger as they leave it behind and travel through the wilds of New Guinea. Well worth watching as well but it is not on Youtube. I have a copy and might put it up on Youtube sometime.

Garry

[Julian B]

Adam, at the risk of showing my ignorance and/or being nonPC, how did your father communicate with the Aborigines? Did they speak English (seems unlikely in the most remote areas?), or did he speak their language?