More than likely the problem will have been caused by the (horrid) mastic used by the caravan industry has dried out and cracked which in turn can result in the cheap screws they use to attach the aluminium panels to the wooden frame rusting through.
If you are any good at diy, then it you can quite easily working from the inside, carefull take/rip off the inner panelling as well as all the eye level cupboards etc..
You have to do that to get to the very low quality and now rotten and generally horrid wood that Swift (in your case) used in their original build.
Then very carefully, section by section you remove the rotten wood and replace it with new timber. When I have done this I have always used tantalised roofing laths that you can buy from any builders merchants or wood yard.
Personally, I would never use screws to attach the frame to the body but a good quality adhesive such as STIXALL (never use cheap adhesives or ones that set solid as it is imperative that a certain amount of flex remains).
It is a long and painstaking job, but it is also very satisfying.
Then when you have replaced all the frame sections you need to replace the insulation, personally I would only ever use Celotex or similar, then you have to attach the facings you had previously removed. If they had been damaged then you can use as an alternative either thin oak faced plywood (which you then give 2 coats of satin varnish) or possibly even some vinyl faced plywood as manufactured by the likes of Morland.
It's a long slow task, but if you do it well you will end up with a caravan which could very easily out last you!
Good luck
------------- There is a great World to be found out there, but by the very day, to find where it is becomes more of a challenge!
Swift ? not on a 1976 Eccles back then it was made by CI and it was a very good well built van back then, I would say that as its around 42 yrs old its been repaired before and that is where the cheap mastic came from.
My first van was Eccles Topaz and from memory it was also a 1976 I got it around 1990 and plenty were to be seen about then
------------- its our imperfections that makes us perfect
Thank you for your replies!
We are really looking forward to transforming this little beauty into our home away from home. Obviously we don't want to pour money into her, but we're aware that she will need a fair bit to begin with.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Our 1976 Eccles Topaz nèeds help!!
