46
General Discussion Area / Re: Caravan ?
« on: 11 July 2014, 13:17:27 »Been looking around for caravans .. thoughts on this one anyone and what to look out for ?We had a 4-berth version of that model for many years, luxurious for the time,fully insulated double glazed and winterised, sprung interior upholstery, real oak for the cupboard frames and doors etc.
Lunar clubman
It would be about the last year to have an aluminium chassis which is great for keeping the weight down but have a good look around the tow hitch and axle attachments for signs of corrosion where steel meets aluminium. They had rubber or plastic material to keep the two metals apart so you shouldnt see any significant corrosion.
The roof is a one-piece fibreglass moulding which was unusual for the time, result is very unlikely to have leaked from above. Any leaks and rot would be below windows.
The rear push/pull/curse_swimbo handles are missing, this would suggest some dampness and rot behind the rear panel, quite common in a 'van of this age but easy to fix with basic woodworking skills and modern polyurathane glues.
The floors on these were some of the very first laminated ply/polyurethane foam/fibre board construction and early ones suffered from delamination just inside the doorway and by the sink. Can be fixed by drilling holes and injecting resin but best avoided.
Axles were by Knott but usually had Alko hubs and brakes so spares readily available.
Budget for new (reinforced) tyres.