Have a word: Vintage Caravans

[Alexg]

3 years of Allegro estate ownership has been inexpensive and quite frankly ace. However, deteriorating pudding filled rear arches and various other niggles are at a point where decisions need to be made. Do I sink my cash into a set of rear quarters, therefore nudging me towards a full on de-wob and paint job plus mechanical overhaul etc etc... or do I pass to a more willing enthusiast and collate this reward with some savings to purchase something less needy. My throb stick is causing a stir when ever a series 1 wedgy Princess or preferably, to stay on theme, a VPD 1500/Rolls Royce Allegro comes into sight. Dreams beyond this involve a caravan, something small, retro and choddy like, proper 60s or 70s with character but a reasonable price tag.

 

However I literally know zip, nothing, bugger-all about caravanning, caravans, towing, dos and do not dos etc etc.... So Shitemasters, what to pick, be aware of, know, so on an so forth.... ?

 

Here's a pic' from Triggers flickr account to send out the vibe... although something half this size would be more my bag.

 

[Rocket88]

I would just go and buy some velcro fronted slippers, and have done with it.............................................................................

[dollywobbler]

Small caravans are quite pricey, as more stuff can tow them. We had a little Eriba Puck a few years back, to tow behind the 2CV. It hated it. 

 

We got sold a dud too. "New floor," the advert stated. What it hadn't stated was that the new plywood floor has just been put on top of the rotten old one. Nice. Also towed it with a Volvo 740 and a Merc W123 300D. They barely noticed it was there. 

 

Main issue with caravans is damp. Ok, there's image as well, but we're less worried about such matters here on Autoshite.

[mercrocker]

We use this....

 

 

 

folds up like so...

 

 

 

.. 

 

 

 

plenty of room for shite........

 

 

 

..

 

 

 Portafold.   It goes in a normal garage, all wobbly fibreglass and bendy metal catches.   Glad we don't live in it but great fun.

Single skin, so no damp, all storage is weatherproofed.  No dodgy laminations, just sits on a steel A frame.   Proper brakes, too.....

[Cavcraft]

I reckon with any caravan your biggest worry would be damp. Other than that, I would suppose they're worth whatever you'd like to pay for one. I know that's a cop out, but older ones seem to vary enormously in price and (thankfully for buyers) I think late seventies-eighties caravans are usually really cheap.

Marty is our resident caravan expert, hopefully he'll be long soon.

 

#Preston Guild @Blackpoolisnicer Yolo Black pudding not bog seat round neck gurning 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: Get one like Mercrocker's, that's the best interior I've ever seen.

[vulgalour]

There's the other obvious issue of storage.  They can take up quite a chunk of space.  I'd vote for a folding 'van to tow behind the Allegro, it should cope with it admirably.  That said, with Allegro prices continuing to rise like so much damp it may be the best time to sell your estate so you don't have to wade into the cost and heartache of a full resto.

 

Alternatively, buy Phil's Princess, a tow bar and a similarly shabby looking caravan and see how many caravan sites you can get turned away from.

[oman5]

If you are thinking of passing on the all aggro let me know

[Richard]

Caravans can be in a dreadful state with damp and, as with old cars, an expensive caravan isn't necessarily less buggered than a cheap one.

 

The main giveaway that damp has got to a caravan is a foosty smell, although all caravans smell a bit when they've been parked up for a while. The simple test for damp is to poke the walls with your finger, especially under the windows and near lights and other exterior fittings- any softness is bad news. As with rust on a car you'll probably have to accept a certain amount but be aware that it won't get better on its own. Check the floor for softness too.

 

Mechanically caravans suffer from not moving around much. Tyres rarely wear out so they can be very old and at risk of blowing out. You're supposed to use commercial tyres on them but not everybody does. Brakes work on the overrun and are likely to have a manual reversing mechanism at the age you're considering.

 

It's mostly a case of keeping an eye out for something you can live with and making sure it's not too buggered.

 

I have a copy of this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Trailer-Caravans-Andrew-Jenkinson/dp/1901295532Since it's Christmas I'm willing to send it to you FOC if you PM me your address. It's not the most exciting read but it gives you an idea of what features you'll find at a particular age.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Back in the olden days when I was a kid going on caravan holidays,you rarely saw an Allegro towing anything. Lots of Landcrabs and Princesses even Maxis, although I remember my dad lending our 14' Europa to his mate for his annual family holiday. He hooked on the back of his 1750 Maxi and got about 10 miles away,when he phoned to ask if he could borrow the Viscount too. Apparently the Maxi wouldn't pull above 3rd and the front wheels kept leaving the road on bumps!

[UltraWomble]

Caravans (especially older ally bodied wood framed ones with glass windows) are a piece of wee to strip and refurbish as long as you have some basic DIY capabilities and a few tools.

Convert gas lighting to 12v SMD LED lighting, strip back to the bare bones and replace rotten (and they will be) framework wood with either green or red grade battening before insulating (40mm jablite) and then thin ply covering which you can paint or paper to your taste.

The HBOL caravan maintaining book gives you some good tips for most vans, but doesnt specifically cover older vans. Sprites are plentiful and have an enthusiast following and back up, you can paint the outside to match your car if you are that way inclined and hald the fun is finding period trim to match the van.

 

Joints are your main water ingress point but removal, cleaning and sikaflex is the best way to treat them. Dont be put off by a wonky floor these too are easy enough to replace if you are gutting the van.

 

Think about the layout if you are gutting it and think "outside of the box" if there are just two of you, why not have a fixed bed at one end instead of the double dinette option... Flat screen TV mounting point, lay in a TV aerial hook up too... Think, plan, approach methodically.

 

240v and gas fittings have to be to the appropriate regs, but you can get away with very minimal 240v and run a van on 12v if you think.

 

Gas hob and grill cooking too.

[scruff]

Small caravans have what my wife and I call "George Clarke tax" and fetch silly money. 

 

We have a 4 berth 1975 Thomson Glenelg, I say we but it's SWMBO's really.

 

We got it for £100 on Preloved minus cushions, complete with awning, water barrel, chemical bog etc. Got some cushions from a van breaker near Rugby for about £20 and she recovered them as well as repainting the inside and making up some new cupboards. Still got to redo the gas piping for the cooker and lots of little jobs but we used it all summer and it was GR8, much better than fucking around with tents.

 

 

 

 

 

Damp/leaks - we have had a couple fixed successfully with silicone and/or "Captain Tolley's Creepin Crack Cure" but a persistant one from the front window has not yet been foiled. For the winter I got a proper breathable cover which was £80 but well worth it as it's cocooned in it's own little tent and bone dry.

 

Storage, we have space at home, but for the winter it is at a local storage site for a tenner a week, freeing up another parking space here.

 

 

 

[Richard]

Back in the olden days when I was a kid going on caravan holidays,you rarely saw an Allegro towing anything. Lots of Landcrabs and Princesses even Maxis, although I remember my dad lending our 14' Europa to his mate for his annual family holiday. He hooked on the back of his 1750 Maxi and got about 10 miles away,when he phoned to ask if he could borrow the Viscount too. Apparently the Maxi wouldn't pull above 3rd and the front wheels kept leaving the road on bumps!

 

That's true, Marina/Avenger was about as small as you got tow cars- although people didn't go out and buy a Range Rover either. Proper caravanning nuts might get a 2 litre Cortina or similar. The Allegro would probably manage a Sprite Alpine ok

[barefoot]

Small caravans have what my wife and I call "George Clarke tax" and fetch silly money. 

Plus eleventy on this, crappy old small caravans used to be about fifty quid in the local paper, since that twats been on the telly and camping has become cool you can't get a poxy old van for less than about a millionty pounds, and have you seen the price of folding vans/ trailer tents ?

[HH-R]

As any fule kno, the Renault 5 is the perfect companion for your caravan.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kl3ErZpjj8

[UltraWomble]

Oh yes, older vans wont have a galvo chassis and will probably be suffering a little bit of grot, check around the A frame and mount to the chassis carefully, again, nothing is beyond redemption. Ive just luzzed £22,000 on a new caravan and that only has a painted chassis so will be getting some waxoil/gloop treatment.

Wont be towable by an Allegro though...

[Richard]

I've moved one that size with a 1.6 Sierra. There was quite a lot of smoke from the clutch.

[Cavcraft]

We want a static but the fees involved are scandalous.

 

Anyhow, what's needed here is an Austin 2200 towing a Sprite Major.

[Justin Case]

Nice caravan there scruff, roomy enough for all the family, but light enough to be towed by even the smallest steam tractor

 For towing, the weight if the laden cravan should be no more than 85% of the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. A few years ago we had an early 80s Bailey Maestro, (in fact the only Maestro that I have ever owned) which I think weighed about 950 kg unladen 1200 kg laden; a Saab 900 barely noticed it, but I think it would have been too much for the Citroen Xsara, so it went.

The mercrocker Portaloo seems the ideal thing for weekends away and as a bonus almost anything will tow it A lot of sites have excellent loos and showers, so any lack of facilities shouldn't be  aproblem

 

Edit,

 

we now have a static one the same as this. Ours is now 11 years old (we've had it for 6) but you are unlikely to find a vintage one; most sites have an age limit of 20 years, after that a lot end up as accomodation for seasonal farm workers and don't last much longer. They can't really be compared with tourers, more like a holiday cottage, but we have  a spare set of everything in it, so we can just empty the fridge contents into the freezer bag, and just over an our later be on holiday proper Site fees can be high for seaside sites with all the facilities, but a rural retreat  like ours compares well with a couple of weeks for a flat or cottage in the high season.

 

 

[Felly Magic]

Folding caravans in reasonable nick seem to be around the £1500 mark on evilbay, the thing is would an All aggro actually be up to the job in hand of towing? I personally don't think it would be

[UltraWomble]

Ive towed a folding camper with an 1100cc Fiesta.

 

No problems.

[scruff]

Austin Allegro 1979 with Eccles Topaz caravan by matthewcameronmckinnon, on Flickr

[michael1703]

I've got an ace diplomat, cost £150 and weighs fuck all

 

Now is the time to buy as they are cheap as chips, if you haven't got one by march you've missed the (cheap) boat until next october

[Cavcraft]

Probably not cheap but some great looking ones on here...

 

http://www.lucyjaynecaravans.com/for-sale.html

[MarvinsMom]

my folks had a Viking fiberline caravan when we were little, and they are the bestest caravans even made, PHAKT!! That is if you can find one, i think they were an expensive van when new, and as such are like rockin' horse doings compared with a Sprite or Buccaneer which were very popular back in olden times.

 

but, they have a chassis made out of bits of bridge girder, and have good quality (ie- heavy) interior fittings so you won't be towing one of those with an allegro. me dad towed it with an 1800 Marina, followed by a mark 1 2 litre Cavalier, and then a 2 litre mark 1 Sierra. The Cav was the best tow car, followed by the Marina, and then the Sierra. That car was a slug with the van on the back, but it was also well down according to the factory figures on the horsepowers and torques compared to the other cars.

[UltraWomble]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/caravan-/391004303828?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item5b09ac31d4

[UltraWomble]

Perfect. Change NOTHING

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Caravan-ACE-PIONEER-4-berth-for-restoration/291327287837?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28111%26meid%3D743ffac1aea4435f83790d54326800ee%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11472%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D391004303828&rt=nc

[Justin Case]

Probably not cheap but some great looking ones on here...

 

http://www.lucyjaynecaravans.com/for-sale.html

 Judging by the one at the top of the page, those will have the 'Cath Kidston scene tax' which will make the George Clarke tax look lke the loose change in your pocket

[mercrocker]

Even a shagged 1100 Legover should pull a Portafold.   The Minor we use is well past its prime mechanically and does the job.  There are regularly over 50 Portafolds at our annual rally, pulled by everything from A35s, Reliants up to 50s Yanks and a Bristol.    They are pretty well sealed up when closed down, you don't get the damp problems that dog older vans usually.   Only trouble is, thanks to that cock on the telly, as has been pointed out there is a sizeable OMG tax to pay these days.   Go and see what a new folding van costs, though, you will wet your trousers....Oh, and another thing.  Whatever you tow or tow with check the back end of the car thoroughly.  I thought mine was sound until a summer of towing was over and ended up needing a boot floor (a service item on Minors, admittedly) and some serious strengthening.  It is not all about the engine!

[MarvinsMom]

The one my folks had was much bigger than that one, it was a 6 berth one more like this-

 

[Timewaster]

The big problem with folding caravans is you can't fold them up and store them if they are wet. British summer anyone?