1974 Viscount Royal - 25ft

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What have I got myself into? A lady I know was going to pay to have this caravan removed. I took if off her hands instead. It needs a lot of work. I'm definitely not a carpenter, but I have a lot of spare time.  I was also recently given a 1973 Viscount Ambassador. Now I have two projects.












I'm going to strip the interior completely. Most of the walls have had some sort of damage to them. Also, I cannot imagine the electrical wires being any good, and the current insulation has gone to powder. Both doors are damaged. The windows need resealing. The window winders surprisingly still work. The back half of the roof has been covered with corrugated iron. The current hatch is not the original and is broken. I think I'll just cover the hatch up completely with aluminium. The front and back windows have chipboard sills. What in the world were they thinking?

Regards,

Koshy

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[ForumMod]

G'day koshy, and welcome to the forum!

It's not everyday you are given two caravans for nix, so somebody up there is looking after you!

Now the dilemma...what to do with them?!

I guess you could always think about making one good van out of two, using all the good bits you can find between them. Trouble is, you'd spend all day flipping a coin trying to decide which one to make good.

cheers,
Al.

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Hi koshy, a couple of months ago those pics would have scared me and now I see potential in them I'm the proud owner of a Viscount Supreme that I'm rebuilding. I paid more than $2k for mine in a similar state to yours, they saw me coming! I'm by no means a carpenter either and I'm a girl so despite the odds being stacked against me I'm giving this my best shot and really enjoying the process, even if it hurts my brain sometimes. I've relined the damaged walls, painted the interior (which I stripped apart from the wardrobe and one side and a ceiling high shelf on the other as they were in ok condition and I thought they were probably stabilising the whole van) and at the moment I am rebuilding the framing for the dinette seating. This is a great forum and there are lots of great people on here to ask for help from, I probably would have chucked my van by now if it wasn't for the support on here

Cheers
Karen

[Sharky]

Hi Koshy nice pick up. If you find you don't want to have a go at it. I'm more than happy to take that off ya hands lol

Mmmmm I love a good project Ha Ha

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Hi Koshy,

Nice project, great potential, how long is the van? I did similar about 18 months ago, worth the challenge.

Paul

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Thanks Everyone.

I'm quite excited about having a go at this. The chassis is in great condition, with only light surface rust. Both doors need new perspex/glass. Anyone know where to get that?

It's going to be such a shame to rip out some of the interior cupboards. I'll leave some of the overhead cupboards in, because the ceiling goes around them. The other stuff will unfortunately have to come out. Some of the floor seems to be a bit spongy. It could be the old carpet. I'll have to see. Would anybody be able to give me the link of a website that sells glazing wedge for sealing the windows?

Karen, where did you source the materials for relining your caravan? Where did you buy the 'bendy' ply for the front and back? Were your front and back windows leaking? Mine are, and I'll have to replace the sills and seal the window.

How do the gas pipes hold up on these old caravans? Are they safe to use without replacement?

Paul, I measured the caravan from the beginning of the green strip to the end of it. It measured 25ft.

Thanks
Koshy