Post by jrmatthews on Jun 18, 2014 18:24:10 GMT
Hi guys, we are Steve and Jane and this is our first posting.
We are not new to caravaning having owned a couple of modern units in the past, but we have not been caravaning for a many years.
Our reason for buying an old Safari is three fold. We fancied the idea of a restoration project, wanted to get several vintage caravans on our land to rent out, and also want to have one to tour and use ourselves.
So we have just purchased our first, a 1969 (we think its a 13/2 but the serial plate is gone) for £200.
Until recently we knew not a lot about vintage caravans and nothing about the Safari, but we just fell in love with the Safari shape and charm, so decided we would look out for them.
Our plan is to have one caravan we can use as a tourer, but also have several other vintage vans of varying ages, dating through the decades, to be kept here at our farm and let them out at a modest rate. The idea of caravans through the age’s and not all the same appeals, as Jane is looking forward to buying matching vintage items, so she can dress and fit out the caravans to their period, and it will give customers a choice as to what age they wish to enjoy.
This one needs a lot of work, but we have the skills and undercover facilities to it, we just lack time really. At the moment it is all ideas and planning, so we are open to any suggestions.
Jane is a fantastic seamstress; she does everything in fabrics, from proper old fashioned metal boned corsets, silk wedding dresses, curtains and even dabbles in upholstery, and Steve is a master carpenter/joiner and traditional cabinet maker with a well-appointed workshop. No task will be too daunting.
We will let you know when we start stripping this safari, post pics etc, but first we need to research exactly how these units were built. We know it’s not just a matter of running some silicone here and there, and we shall need to get back to the bones of this sad thing to make it dry and desirable again.
We are also missing some internal fittings, there is no basin, no seat cushions, it has the wrong heater, the cooker is useless and rusty, the kitchen sink is cracked, and what cupboards there are, are tired and scratched.
With that in mind as nice at it would be to restore it to original factory specification, we feel that we may as well bring it up to a more modern specification internally. that way we can also use it as our personal tourer. We will have a toilet and shower facilities on site here at our farm, so with the other vintage caravans we can stick to as factory made.
But getting back to this one, possibly we could use a modern donor caravan for supplying the heater, water pump, and electrical controls, wc sinc etc. We will retain the layout, and as much as possible of the original cupboards, but as they need to be repaired and sanded, we may as well paint rather than try re stain. Externally we will be re-spraying to the original colour.
If we modernize it internally we know we will have to include hook up points and even a door for a cassette wc. This will probably alarm the traditionalists among you, but as we said, it’s only an idea. If restoring to original spec, and getting genuine fixtures is feasible, then we may still be very open to that.
Thank you Steve and Jane
We are not new to caravaning having owned a couple of modern units in the past, but we have not been caravaning for a many years.
Our reason for buying an old Safari is three fold. We fancied the idea of a restoration project, wanted to get several vintage caravans on our land to rent out, and also want to have one to tour and use ourselves.
So we have just purchased our first, a 1969 (we think its a 13/2 but the serial plate is gone) for £200.
Until recently we knew not a lot about vintage caravans and nothing about the Safari, but we just fell in love with the Safari shape and charm, so decided we would look out for them.
Our plan is to have one caravan we can use as a tourer, but also have several other vintage vans of varying ages, dating through the decades, to be kept here at our farm and let them out at a modest rate. The idea of caravans through the age’s and not all the same appeals, as Jane is looking forward to buying matching vintage items, so she can dress and fit out the caravans to their period, and it will give customers a choice as to what age they wish to enjoy.
This one needs a lot of work, but we have the skills and undercover facilities to it, we just lack time really. At the moment it is all ideas and planning, so we are open to any suggestions.
Jane is a fantastic seamstress; she does everything in fabrics, from proper old fashioned metal boned corsets, silk wedding dresses, curtains and even dabbles in upholstery, and Steve is a master carpenter/joiner and traditional cabinet maker with a well-appointed workshop. No task will be too daunting.
We will let you know when we start stripping this safari, post pics etc, but first we need to research exactly how these units were built. We know it’s not just a matter of running some silicone here and there, and we shall need to get back to the bones of this sad thing to make it dry and desirable again.
We are also missing some internal fittings, there is no basin, no seat cushions, it has the wrong heater, the cooker is useless and rusty, the kitchen sink is cracked, and what cupboards there are, are tired and scratched.
With that in mind as nice at it would be to restore it to original factory specification, we feel that we may as well bring it up to a more modern specification internally. that way we can also use it as our personal tourer. We will have a toilet and shower facilities on site here at our farm, so with the other vintage caravans we can stick to as factory made.
But getting back to this one, possibly we could use a modern donor caravan for supplying the heater, water pump, and electrical controls, wc sinc etc. We will retain the layout, and as much as possible of the original cupboards, but as they need to be repaired and sanded, we may as well paint rather than try re stain. Externally we will be re-spraying to the original colour.
If we modernize it internally we know we will have to include hook up points and even a door for a cassette wc. This will probably alarm the traditionalists among you, but as we said, it’s only an idea. If restoring to original spec, and getting genuine fixtures is feasible, then we may still be very open to that.
Thank you Steve and Jane
