roberthowell's posterous

The Amateur Caravan Restorer

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Ok, we’ve done it.  We’ve fitted the tow bar, searched on EBay and purchased a 1970s CI Cadet caravan.  Now all I have to do is make it as good as new.

The idea for a caravan came from a Robinson Howell Partnership team meeting a few months ago.  A portable meeting room, something to take to conferences, festivals and events, something to raise our profile.  It’s taken a while to bite the bullet but it is now sitting in the courtyard desperately want some TLC.

Personally I’m looking forward to the ‘doing up’ project.  It will take up plenty of evenings and weekends but it’s going to be fun and hopefully I should be able to add value to it. 

We’ve given the project a budget of £1000, (not including time).

Tow Bar: You’ve no idea how hard it is to get quotes for a new tow bar on a Fiat Qubo, granted it’s not a common car but it’s not a specialist job either.  After a search online I got quite a speedy quote of £270 plus VAT. I also emailed a local company and filled in an online form for a Ecartec in Wigan but got no response.  I didn’t want to just go with one quote so called into the local company and was told £350.  I chased up Ecartec and was finally quoted £259 (Inc VAT).  Tow bar fitted in the drive, By a fitter who now hates Fiat Qubos), it was time to get onto Ebay.

EBay:  It’s a fraught business buying something big on EBay without the time or ability to drive around the country looking at things.  There seems to be quite a lot of competition for retro caravans so you need to be there at the last minute.  The one we got in the end had 24 bids which is quite a number.  We decided to go up to £400 and got it for £345. 

The pick up:  Sunday 19th September and a date to pick up the ‘van at 3pm in Nuneaton.  M6 on a Sunday is not a pleasant place but we got there fine and on time.  I’d had a new number plate made which we stuck into the back window and had taken a trailer board just in case the lights didn’t work – they didn’t but we were equipped.  It’s previous owners used it for bike racing events and occasional holidays. On the way back we stopped at Stafford Northbound Services.  They don’t seem to like caravans as they make you park miles away beyond all the HGVs, past a forest of conifers with very little indication of how to find the main building – in the rain.

The 'van: So it’s sat outside.  It’s a CI Catet.  It’s tiny – 10’ long.  It’s been remodelled inside at some point.  The wardrobe has been removed and the kitchen moved to the end.  The seats have been extended and it’s had new overhead cupboards fitted all round.  I think it’s going to need a bit of remodelling again to meet our needs but we still need to plan exactly what.  There seems to be a little bit of damp at the front which still needs a bit of investigation.  There’s an awning which we’ve not investigated yet. I’ve taken lots of photos to record it in its current state.

First jobs:  Investigate the potential damp behind the kitchen and to have a good look at the chassis, the A frame and the towing gear.  

Watch this space and I’ll keep a record of progress

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