If you take on the job of repairing the van yourself,you will need lots of spare time,lots of patience and in some instances you'll need lots of cash.I suppose you've got to take into account how much the van owes you and how attatched you are to your van.
------------- Those that danced were thought to be quite insane to those who could not hear the music. Angela Monet
Quote: Originally posted by dhemmings79 on 07/2/2010
After much investigation, I have now discovered that every panel in my 1988 van is suffering from damp! Is it worth repairing or scrapping???
Hi, first van i bought was an old ACE caravan dont know the model, got it home pushed it up driveway and all the body shook from side to side,investigated and found it rotten top to bottom,by that time i had stripped the van down to chissis, total rebuild including the boat shaped roof, only indication i had of the sizes was the black marks left by the rotted wood,took about nine months in between work going to work, storage was a problem no garage at time, just a hut and a greenhouse,all the pannels built in sections and stored there till ready to be assembled. would only do that now if it was a very rare van, this may be the extreme end of your damp, then you've got to think have i the time,effort,cash or the inclonation do start that kind of project. best of luck what ever your decision.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
If its got a fridge, a cassette loo, Alko chassis and 12 / 240 electrics - its worth breaking it and selling the bits on Ebay. I did that to my old waterbucket and got £800 for the bits I sold. That doesn't include the chassis - I kep that for a trailer project.
If you do decide to scrap it get hold of one of us Teardrop guys, we could recycle it by building a totally new body on the chassis, whilst reusing 70-80% of the fittings. The environmentally sound way of caravanning!
If all the internal panels are soft when you press them with your fingers it probably isn't worth repairing , soft panels mean the water has been there for some time and i would expect the timbers behind to have rotted some what .
even if they are not soft you may have to remove the panels to replace the timbers.when i did my daughters coachman i had to replace all internal panels becauase as i removed trims to reseal i discovered most wooden battens were shot and the only way to replace was to take the wall boards off.i was lucky got a job lot of decorated boards off ebay for 2 quid a sheet.
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: Scrap or repair
