1969 caravels

[Stefrobrts]

I don't know what the insulation was composed of, but I also used a respirator when dealing with it. It was nasty and moldy. Handle with care.

I have a friend who has replaced the floors in many '68 models (I believe that's when they started using the blown in insulation) and he blames it for the rotted floors. He says that the floor gets wet and the insulation holds the water in so it can't dry out.

On mine as well the metal that was covered by the insulation still had original grey paint on it.

As for the POR-15, I always have to mail order it from the net. I can't find it locally either.

[Julison]

Hi,

So I took the day off work today to get some real work done on the Caravel.

I dropped the belly pan to get a look at the "soft spot" around the battery compartment. Sure enough the wood was very rotten in the whole back 3 feet of the trailer. The frame has some perforation in it as well in this area....bring on the welder.

To make the repair "easier???" I removed the back couch, and bathroom - VERY difficult getting the shower / toilet unhooked form the pipes!!!!
Thought I was stuck when I tried to get the shower out of the trailer door - I had to fight to get in out; I was beginning to think that perhpas they built the AS AROUND the shower! However, patience and a past summer job with a moving company allowed me to get in out eventually.

Had to rent a U-haul to bring the AS to the weld shop as I don't think my tow vehicle is up to the challenge (Hyunda Tuscon - V6). The owner's manual say's that the gross combination weight is 6600lbs, while the max towable weight is 2000lbs - with e-break. The clincher was that the tongue weight is stated as 150lbs. I tried to meaure the tongue weight with our "human" weigh scale....it stopped moving (crushed) at 370lbs...mmmm

At any rate, the Caravel is at the shop and the tech said that he wasn't sure how he would fix it - but that he would get creative an make it as good as if not better than before - for my sake, I hope he's is right and cheap

Last thought..... WIth the shower out of the back end, the trailer looks so much bigger. I hate the thought of changing anything with the trailer - seeing that it is virtually unchanged inside and out since manufacture, but I thinking of the options, because let's face it, that shower is almost too small for humans.

I'll keep you updated,

Julison

[Stefrobrts]

There are options for the shower. You could setup to use an outdoor shower if you're going to camp in the boonies a lot. New AS have outdoor showers for use hosing off the dog or feet before entering the trailer.

If you're going to camp in parks a lot, most of them have showers, and I'm starting to find it really is easier to go drop a few coins in the public shower and not mess up the caravel. I think a shower is one thing you could really work around, considering how little time it gets used, and it takes up a good amount of space.

I would generally advise keeping a really perfect interior original, as I think it helps with resale value down the line. But if you make changes to make it more useful to you, then that's what's important. The next owner might agree with your changes! If you do leave out the shower, be sure to save the pan. They are like gold - hard to find and hard to replace.

[Julison]

Originally Posted by Julison

Hi,

So I took the day off work today to get some real work done on the Caravel.

I dropped the belly pan to get a look at the "soft spot" around the battery compartment. Sure enough the wood was very rotten in the whole back 3 feet of the trailer. The frame has some perforation in it as well in this area....bring on the welder.

To make the repair "easier???" I removed the back couch, and bathroom - VERY difficult getting the shower / toilet unhooked form the pipes!!!!
Thought I was stuck when I tried to get the shower out of the trailer door - I had to fight to get in out; I was beginning to think that perhpas they built the AS AROUND the shower! However, patience and a past summer job with a moving company allowed me to get in out eventually.

Had to rent a U-haul to bring the AS to the weld shop as I don't think my tow vehicle is up to the challenge (Hyunda Tuscon - V6). The owner's manual say's that the gross combination weight is 6600lbs, while the max towable weight is 2000lbs - with e-break. The clincher was that the tongue weight is stated as 150lbs. I tried to meaure the tongue weight with our "human" weigh scale....it stopped moving (crushed) at 370lbs...mmmm

At any rate, the Caravel is at the shop and the tech said that he wasn't sure how he would fix it - but that he would get creative an make it as good as if not better than before - for my sake, I hope he's is right and cheap

Last thought..... WIth the shower out of the back end, the trailer looks so much bigger. I hate the thought of changing anything with the trailer - seeing that it is virtually unchanged inside and out since manufacture, but I thinking of the options, because let's face it, that shower is almost too small for humans.

I'll keep you updated,

Julison

Hi,

I just got the quote to have my frame repaired.
The welding / fabrication shop quotes $200 for the steel (C Channel) and $900 for the labour!!!! Basically they are estimating 10 hours to remove the rusty frame from the wheel wells back and then use it to template a new back end...fabricate new and install back in place.

It seems rather steep to me...I was hoping for half that. Doea any body have experience with this type of repair? Is that what it should cost?

I don't want to sound cheap....but I could by my own equipment for that cash and do it myself....if I had the time - of course I don't though .

thanks in advance,

Julison (- $1100 cdn)

[85MH325]

The question in my mind is: Do you trust your welder? If you do, and it's done right when he's finished, then it's worth the money. If you don't, go find someone you trust to do it for you.

Roger