CARLIGHT RESTORATION

19. What’s In A Badge?

2011-01-17T07:23:00.004Z

A number of finishing details now required attention; the Carlight badge on the rear of the caravan being one of them. Still available from Classic Caravans, the correct badge for the Casetta is a varnish decal, and in the process of experimenting with applying the decal an embarrassing number were ruined; indeed all of the ones obtained from Classic Caravans were used! Tim, a local Carlight enthusiast came to the rescue and supplied the decal that would finally be applied to the caravan.

The method for applying the decal is to apply some varnish to the back of the decal, when the varnish begins to dry out it is termed green and this is when the decal should be applied to the caravan before being left to dry out fully. After that the paper on which the decal was mounted can be soaked off and once dry, sealed with varnish again. The problem with conventional varnishes is that they are not totally clear and therefore cause a yellowing of the decal and the adjacent caravan body, not to mention a step from the caravan paint to the varnish.

If clear lacquer could be sprayed over the decal to seal it, many of the aforementioned problems would be resolved but it was discovered that lacquer caused the gold of the decal to pickle. The solution to this was found by using Liquitex’s Gloss Medium and Varnish to both apply and then seal the decal. The product was translucent when wet but dried totally transparent and was simple to apply using a small high quality flat brush. Once dry, numerous coats of Simoniz Clear Acrylic Lacquer were applied over the whole of the raised area of the fibreglass panel and once cured were polished flat with wet ‘n’ dry paper and compound. The finished effect was extremely rewarding and certainly made up for the time taken to achieve the result.

Transfer applied with no unsightly edges

The original serial number plate had suffered considerable weathering and really needed replacing. Unfortunately, Classic Caravans no longer had any of the original plates but Mandy believed she could get a replacement made up; and the original stamping dies were with Classic Caravans. Carlight originally used a line drawing of a Caribbean but it soon transpired that Classic Caravans did not have a useable line drawing. After some discussions with Robert Hodgson, who owned the Carlight name, a line drawing of a Mark II Casetta was released!

A Concours d’Elegance purist might disapprove of such a change but much of the caravan had been rebuilt, there were numerous modifications and, the line drawing had been offered from a true Carlight source; it was a chance not to be missed. Mandy was therefore able to procure a unique item; resplendent in black and silver, which was a great match to the caravan’s trims and looked fantastic.

A unique serial number plate

18. A Sort of Homecoming

2010-12-16T21:17:00.009Z

There still remained one major job; the fitting of the awning, skirt and waist rails, and various other rails and cappings. The condition of the removed items left much to be desired; corrosion had set in such that most pieces would need to be replaced. It was also felt that attaching the long pieces was certainly a two-man job and so with very little debate Neil was again contacted at Classic Caravans with a view to having the work completed during the summer. Neil’s initial quotation caused some considerable alarm but after some negotiation a revised figure of £2,500 to fit all new parts was agreed.

The first task was to raise the funds but some other more pressing commitments came along so it was well into the autumn by the time that Classic Caravans were again contacted. The familiar voice of another Carlight legend, Percy, explained down the phone that Mandy was now at the helm. After various email exchanges and conversations explaining my circumstances, Mandy, very obligingly, indeed sympathetically, agreed to honour Neil’s quotation.

In early November the caravan was delivered to Classic Caravans where various aspects of the works to be undertaken were discussed. Although the original mouldings would not be used they did serve as valuable patterns. More importantly though, not all of the original aluminium mouldings could be replaced like for like, and in particular the wide D-section moulding, as used on the waist rails was no longer available. Instead, a much squarer section moulding, as used on the Commanders, would have to be fitted. This was not very welcome news but on further consideration it was realised that the original window capping rail was of the same style. Similarly, other detail changes would have to be made resulting in an awning rail on both sides of the caravan along with matching lower skirts. In early December, Mandy was able to supply some photographs of the completed work. The Casetta was ready for collection!

it takes a keen eye to spot the difference between this and the original

17. Soft Furnishings

2010-05-06T23:52:00.007+01:00

When this Casetta had been purchased in 2007 it was felt that the safest place for the soft furnishings was in a skip, so it was fortuitous that the complete set of bed/settee cushions had been rescued from the first Casetta. Back in 2005 they had been professionally reupholstered and following the accident required no more than a steam clean. There had also been a set of matching curtains but sadly some of these were now missing. The curtains had actually been made from the material of two huge Ikea curtains by a local friend who had a curtain making business.

The material was a heavy cotton in plain navy blue and I had searched through hundreds of rolls of fabrics in the hunt for such a material and colour. It had been quite depressing to learn during the autumn of 2007 that Ikea had discontinued this line but by sheer luck my friend had liked the material so much that she had kept the surplus with a plan to make curtains for her son’s bedroom. Fortunately, she never got around to the task and was more than happy to use the material to complete my set.

A small problem was that the original curtains had faded slightly, no doubt after the accident during the months that the wreckage had sat outside. This issue was though solved by using some navy Marabu Fashion Color (sic) fabric dye, although as expected, this did create a slightly darker shade of navy.

Another problem to solve was that of the lamp shades for the 240volts wall lights. A pair of John Lewis faux suede shades had been used in the previous caravan and whilst they had been rescued they were no longer in the best condition. Unfortunately John Lewis had discontinued the shades; it then became apparent that they were of a non-standard size having a generous diameter yet a shallow height, perfect for the required position in the caravan. Anything with a smaller diameter would create an unwelcome bright circle of light on the ceiling above the shade. Finally it was decided to have the shades recovered and this was done by Lampshades UK of Wrexham using a navy silk with matching navy and gold braiding and gold tassels. Having considered various samples, the gold was considered the best match and it would complement the brass of the lamps. It would however create a problem with the cream tasseled curtain ties but this was solved by dying them gold using a mixture of tan and lemon yellow Rit Liquid Dyes.

Navy blue soft furnishings contrast with the lighter wood pannellng

In the washroom the shower curtain track was replaced with a Streamline plastic track from Speedy Products

16. Screens

2010-05-03T21:58:00.005+01:00

With the windows back in attention turned during March to the flyscreens. Both Casettas had been fitted with flyscreens on the three main windows but not the V-front windows, indeed I had for some reason a notion that flyscreens on these windows were only ever offered on the glass windowed Casettas. The Casetta in Somerset had yielded these V-front flyscreens and there appeared no reason why they should not be made to fit this Casetta. Flyscreens had also been salvaged from the Commander in Cheshire; so why not also put flyscreens in the washroom?

A needle and grey thread was used to repair a couple of edges and then after painting the wooden surfaces the three main window flyscreens went in. For the washroom it was necessary to make up a couple of small blinds from the various surplus bits and pieces. Two rollers were cut to the correct width and so too the aluminium roller supports, albeit with a little cutting and bending to replicate the correct style. The actual netting was cut to size with scissors using strips of masking tape as a cutting guideline for otherwise the fine grid made visual concentration almost impossible!

Beneath the shelf over the rear washroom window there was now a light and a flyscreen roller; a pelmet was constructed to hide these additions in a similar style to that above the kitchen window and this facilitated the lowering of the curtain wire to avoid the new obstructions.

A pelmet was fitted to screen the additional light and flyscreen roller. The catch for the sink had to be repositioned to accomodate the flyscreen track.

Focusing on the V-front windows, the aluminium roller supports were attached without any trouble but the width of the nets were measured to be about an inch too wide Additionally, the netting was in poor condition so two new pieces were cut to the correct width and stapled to the rollers. The design of the Bonocar window frames are of course very different to the earlier Casetta glass window frames, so new flyscreen tracks had to be made for which Andrew again stepped to the fore with some lengths of Jelutong wood. The grooves, or in this case kerfs, were quite easily made using an industrial circular saw and then finished by using a flat file, with its handle removed, held in a vice. It was interesting to note three different sets of dimensions used for the wooden tracks and guides between various models; the mark 1 and 2 Casettas, and the Commander; attention to detail in this area was essential to guarantee a gapless fitting.

There had also been lantern window flyscreens in the original Casetta but two of the six had been destroyed in the accident. Using bits retrieved from various sources two replacements were constructed so that this caravan could now be fitted for the first time with lantern window flyscreens; thus, every opening window now had a flyscreen.

15. The Lantern Windows

2010-05-01T20:02:00.008+01:00

The lantern roof is a distinctive feature of Carlights, always attracting attention from observers; however the lantern windows are in a very exposed position and do not weather particularly well, so a considerable amount of work had to be done in this area. The opening pieces of Perspex were stripped of all their attachments. All the aluminium handles had corroded and even those rescued from the first Casetta carried numerous blemishes; anodising exacerbated the problem so chrome paint was used to give a better finished look. As for the hinges, these were mirror movements which seemed now to be obsolete and replacements could not be found; there was nothing else for it, the originals would have to be overhauled.

Total dismantling of the actual movements was ruled out because of their method of construction but an overnight soaking in light oil was sufficient to free them up. However, because they could not be dismantled it was not possible to have them plated, so once some wire wool had been used to remove any corrosion, and they had been cleaned up with an acid cleaner, they too were sprayed with chrome paint. The same was not for the v-shaped brass holders, these could be sent away for chroming.

With all the fittings attended to the actual Perspex needed to be considered. Weathering had caused some crazing of the Perspex, whilst drilling out the original rivets and re-riveting the restored fittings would only cause more weakening and probably some cracking of the Perspex. New Perspex was therefore sought and Ashley, a signwriting friend who happens to restore horse drawn caravans came to the rescue. His signwriting work has often involved making Perspex signs and so cutting new lantern windows for me was no trouble for him.

New Perspex made a tremendous difference and with a little care all four main lantern windows operated faultlessly

Ashley demonstrated how the tip of a drill bit should be modified so that the drill scrapes out rather than cuts a hole into the Perspex and I was then able to put all the correct holes in the new Perspex. Stainless steel nuts and bolts were also used rather than rivets and the edges of each window were fettled so that each window made a perfect fit. Once the four square windows were installed into the lantern roof their operation was perfect but the same could not be said for the rear trapezium windows, above the door and in the washroom. Closed, these two windows did fit extremely well but the mirror movements resisted full opening, in hindsight it seemed that the holes in the original Perspex were incorrectly positioned. At some time in the future Ashley will be asked for two more pieces of Perspex and a fresh attempt will be made!

The rear lantern windows look great but their geometry presents a problem yet to be resolved

14. Window Dressing

2010-04-26T21:50:00.011+01:00

One of the last remaining major tasks was to re-fit the windows but before this could be completed there was considerable preparatory work to be done. Each window frame was totally stripped; essentially this meant disconnecting the window stay so that the actual window could be hinged upwards so far that it easily separated from the frame. The upper hinge rail could then also be removed by drilling out the rivets and this allowed the hinge assemblies to be sent away for re-anodising. The hinge rail on the window simply slides off after pushing out a small locating peg.

Minus the window, the frames were stripped of their rubbers, cleaned and re-coloured. The process of re-colouring was quite straightforward and simply involved applying a smear of dark brown shoe polish! Attention then turned to the actual windows, many of the original brown plastic catches were broken and most, if not all showed signs of ultra-violet light degradation. As has been done on the first Casetta, all of the catches and stays would be replaced; although the brown style catches were totally unavailable so the later black plastic catches and stays would be used. That said, even the black fittings have become hard to come by but with some salvage from the original Casetta, my stock of spares and a lucky purchase, sufficient new or as new quantity was amassed.

The replacement window catches and fittings were in black

Converting the Bonocar windows from brown to black fittings did restore total functionality but aesthetically was not so successful. It was not so much the change from brown to black, indeed after a total colour change the black did not seem unusual in the slightest, rather the problem lay with the process of changeover The black catches affixed in a manner quite different to that of the brown catches; with the black catches a plastic retaining plate needed to be pressed into position from the outside of the window and herein was the problem. The windows being double glazed have an internal spacer to provide structural support for the attachment of the catches; the spacer is brown although this fact is masked by the colour of the Perspex window but it is glued in position and its internal diameter needs to be enlarged to accept the legs of the retaining plate. Invariably the glue had become very weak since it was applied in the late 1970’s and simply did not hold the spacer as the hole was drilled out. The spacer then spun so the drill needed to push the spacer against the second piece of Perspex. Heat then built up which melted the glue and in some cases even part of the spacer. A cotton wool bud was used to clean up some of the resulting mess which conveniently solidified on cooling but on close inspection this was not totally successful. Nonetheless, the benefits of new catches throughout the caravan far outweighed this unsightliness which in truth would be largely shrouded by both the catch and its retaining plate.

The condition of seals between the windows and frames was very good except that, as is usually found with old rubbers, they had shrunk so that when refitted without being stretched there was a gap of three or four inches to fill. With seals from two caravans to hand it was though, a simple process to cut and fit a small additional length to fill the gap. As for the seals that went between the frames and the body of the caravan, these were in very poor condition and no doubt had in places been responsible for much of the water ingress. A new solution was sought and research brought up a number of options. After discussing the matter with Davies Tapes of Letchworth, EPDM sealing tape was chosen; a self adhesive, closed cell synthetic rubber tape. Davies supplied some samples and 30metres of 15mm x 4mm tape was finally specified.

It was particularly satisfying and in truth slightly relieving to fit the windows, especially those at the front of the caravan where the frames had been totally reconstructed. Thankfully though, they all went in without any dramas, the caravan was now beginning to look finished!

With the windows back in the caravan began to look finished - never judge a book by its cover!

13. An Open Door

2010-04-15T18:36:00.009+01:00

The exterior of the caravan now painted, it was possible to re-fit the aluminium door frame extrusions but as they went on something looked amiss. This sense of discontent continued as the edging frames went onto the doors themselves; there was nothing else for it, the aluminium extrusions would have to be re-anodised.

Where an annodised surface shows corrosion re-annodising is not a straightforward process. Anodising will highlight any imperfections and furthermore acid is used to prepare the aluminium for the process but the acid actually eats into any corrosion. Moreover, there is only a certain amount of preparation that can be done once the aluminium has corroded to the extent of becoming pitted. Hence the process of re-anodising old surfaces is often a process of compromise. Nonetheless, compared with the fresh paintwork, the original anodisng now looked markedly scruffy and so all the edgings were again removed and this time sent to the anodisers along with a number of other items from around the caravan.

At the same time thought was given to the door hinges for these also appeared to be anodised; closer inspection though suggested they were die-cast items but significantly they carried the name West Alloy Ltd and the part number 3170. An internet search showed that the company was still in existence and more astonishingly still listed the part number as a current product! Surprise and excitement grew further to discover that the complete door lock assembly, a Caraloc 400 is also still manufactured albeit now with a vaguely more sculptured look. West Alloy does not sell directly to the public but Leisure Shop Direct of Ilfracombe proved to be a most helpful supplier.

By late February the hinges and lock assembly had arrived, the anodised items and so to re-chromed items from Derby Platers had also all come back and so the door could finally be put back together. The re-anodised items were much as expected with the door items looking so much cleaner but still showing a certain weathered look.

There is a small aluminium panel which covers the cill below the door and this was re-fitted in conjunction with the door frame, a difficult and delicate process, though much easier than some of the door edgings proved to be! Indeed, it was only after some minor alterations would the lower door, bottom edging actually fit. The doors could now be hung and with much relief, for there had been considerable work in this area, the doors filled the frame correctly. However, the situation was not quite so straightforward. Even though everything was square, the door catch would not secure properly on the striker plate. I remembered from my first Casetta that behind the door frame surround on the lock side there had been a slither of wood to force the striker plate closer to the door lock; I now used the same technique and this problem was solved.

There still remained another issue to deal with. Whilst repairing the door frame it had been noted that on the hinge side the frame bowed outwards from the caravan so that the top and bottom hinges would be in one plane and the middle two hinges in another. My amateur set-up did not provide me with much scope to investigate the reasons or consequences of this but I could see that the effect would be to help force shut the top and bottom outer corners of the door. Now with everything re-assembled this was indeed the case and to good effect. Clearly though the bow was too great; essentially it was the construction of the dresser forcing the middle of the door frame out but nothing looked amiss, certainly there had been no evidence of distortion to the caravan so perhaps Carlight had intended some bowing. The problem it presented though was that as the stable door was opened, the gap between the upper and lower doors increased on the none hinge side to a maximum with the doors perpendicular to the caravan before closing up again as the doors opened fully against the caravan side. Indeed, the gap opened up so much that a standard barrel bolt would not keep the two doors fastened together; in truth this was an alarming problem.

With the caravan now painted it would be a difficult and unwelcome task to plane some of the bow out of the frame. Also, just how much wood to shave off would be guess work and afterwards there would then be an issue with how the aluminium door frame extrusion would fit; an alteration would have to be made to the dresser’s top corner! Putting some small wedges beneath the top and bottom hinges was one option but this would be unsightly and would prevent the door corners closing as snuggly as they were currently doing. The most expedient solution seemed to be to source a longer barrel bolt! That proved to be a task easier said than done if I wanted to have something discrete but eventually the ideal product was found, a BS-90 stainless steel long barrel bolt from Sugatsune-Kogyo Limited in Henley-on-Thames.

Fully closed everything looks in order; indeed the new hinges and lock assembly, and re-anodised extrusions complement the restoration but mystery still surrounds the door frame construction.

12. Lighting Up Time

2010-04-09T21:08:00.011+01:00

The first job undertaken in 2010 was to fit the remaining road lights. All of the original lights were in a very sorry state so the decision had been made to replace the whole lot and add both rear fog and reversing lights. The front marker lights, which had been fitted at the end of 2009, were originally made by Hella and remarkably were still available, the only difference being that the base plate was now manufactured from plastic rather than metal but the grey colour had not altered; a new pair was therefore obtained from a local motor factor.

The rear light cluster was not quite so easy to solve but a little luck fell my way. During the restoration of the original Casetta it had been discovered that the rear light cluster was the same as fitted to the Aston Martin V8 Series 1, the Lucas part had long since become obsolete and any rare new old stock commanded exorbitantly high prices. However, the same light unit was also fitted to the Commer Spacevan, usually with a black but sometimes a chrome surround. A Commer van specialist was found who had the units in stock for £25.00 each. At the time, for a reason that now escapes me, I stripped the new units of the lamp holders, lens and gaskets to use the original chrome bodies. The chrome bodies are marked as left and right hand and have different part numbers, although in truth they are absolutely identical in all but the L and R markings; however, there were many inexplicable happenings associated with the Lucas “Prince of Darkness”, so one should not be too surprised by this discovery! I still had the unused chrome bodies, although both were marked L. Now though I required new lamp holders, lens and gaskets so a call was made to the same supplier – they had just two left in stock which needless to say were swiftly purchased. Low and behold, when opened up both were marked R! As for the mounting rubber that sits between the lamp unit and caravan body, there is still stock available from Carlight, now trading as Classic Caravans Limited in Sleaford.

The original number plate lights were way beyond saving and the only markings on them showed them to be of Australian origin. However, as they were chrome plastic it was decided to replace them with identical looking chrome on brass versions which are commonly available from various stockists of classic car accessories. It is worth noting that two versions are now available; one has a single bulb on a plastic backplate, the other has twin bulbs on a metal backplate and rubber gasket. The latter was selected as it replicates the original more closely.
Whilst the rear fiberglass panel was off the caravan the wiring for both rear fog lights and reversing lights was installed. For both applications new old stock of period accessories were tracked down. The fog lights were now fitted and these were Unipart surface mount items which located very neatly on either side of the number plate lights. As for the reversing lights, an all chrome rear mount Lucas model was chosen and these would be mounted on custom made stainless steel brackets hanging from the rear lower flange by means of chrome bumper bolts. However, this task would have to wait until the decorative trims had been attached so as to achieve correct alignment.

Associated with the road lights are the red reflective triangles; mold was present beneath the actual reflectors and no amount of soaking would remove it. Initially it seemed that none of the reflectors currently on the market were of the correct shape to fit snuggly in the rear panel moulding. Eventually though, the Durite version was discovered and their product is almost identical to the original Hella reflectors which are no longer available.

Period accessory fog lights are in keeping with the overall look

11. A Transformation

2010-03-26T20:56:00.007Z

The caravan was collected from the paint shop in mid November and it had in short been transformed, it truly gave a sense that the restoration was well on its way to being finished to a very high standard. When the original caravan had been painted, Peter White of the Carlight Owners’ Club had recommended a particular paint colour, Nissan White 963 and this had again been chosen. This off-white almost cream colour gave a much softer appearance than Carlight’s original stark white and the finish achieved by Pete and his team at the paint shop was top class, there was real depth to the paint and its shine. I still had some of the painted aluminium from the first Casetta for comparison and this second job was far superior.

As previously mentioned, the fiberglass panels had previously been brush painted but there had also been considerable blistering on the rear panel, now though there was no evidence whatsoever of these former issues. On the side panels there had been a huge number of small dents not to mention a number of unwelcome holes; after initial filling and self etch priming, three applications of high build primer, each then flatted back, had been required before the paint coats could be applied. The result was remarkable, far better in truth than I could have hoped for.

Back from the paint shop and not a blemish in sight

Where I did have criticism was in what I perceived as some very poor masking of the underside of the caravan, particularly some of the freshly powder coated items and some short sections of wiring. The paint shop offered to take the caravan back and make good the problems, even sending items to be powder coated a second time if necessary. However, this was my restoration; it was one thing to out source the painting, quite another to have someone else attending to other areas!

The corner steadies were removed first and it was soon discovered that all traces of overspray could be removed with rubbing compound. Cellulose thinners were used to clean up the various stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers and likewise, sparing amounts of the same restored the affected wires. It took a huge amount of time to remove and clean up the hitch head, touch up various areas of bitumen black and replace various cable clips but by the end of 2009 most had been made good again.

Before the year end there was even time to start the re-fitting process; the front marker lights and exterior locker doors were attended to first. Also completed were both water filling points. The Thetford toilet water filler door was straightforward but much thought was given over to the original Carlight water tank filler point, the problem being that the original was not locking. The fiberglass recess is large enough to accommodate a small flip filler cap but not one that incorporates a locking cap. Additionally, it was not just the cap to address but also the filler neck; eventually though, a Triumph Spitfire/TR5/TR6/GT6 I/II cap and filler neck were selected. Then by using a rubber pipe reducer it was possible to make a connection to some B&Q sourced 22mm Speedfit rigid pipe which through a series of elbows were routed to the water tank with the final connection being made by via a short piece of reinforced PVC clear hose.

The A-frame fairing and locker doors added and the exterior begins to hint at a fine example of a Casetta

10. Seeing the Light

2010-03-24T17:25:00.010Z

Much of the second half of 2009 was spent preparing the caravan to be painted. The styrene insulation was added to the sides, the front and rear and then all the panels were re-attached, although before the side panels were attached the cills were painted with bitumen black. With the front and rear fibreglass panels, numerous dry fits were required until fettling of the new framework produced a snug fit; the final fit was then made with Hodgson Seamseal CV. Considering the amount of work that had been undertaken, the re-fit was extremely rewarding, especially at the rear of the caravan where everything was totally new – it was just a shame that all the work was now covered up! The experience gained from the restoration highlighted the damaging effects of water ingress, not so much between the roof and the side panels but certainly between the end and side panels; to help combat this a minimal skim of two pack epoxy filler, covered with a very narrow strip of glass fibre cloth was used to seal the joins in this area.

The front and rear readied for the fitting of the fibreglass panels

The new edging strips for toilet cassette and gas lockers, which had been fabricated by Foxhall, were now cut and shaped, and screw holes were drilled in preparation for fitting after painting. The rain guards over the lantern windows were removed and also prepared for painting. Their removal allowed comfortable access to the inner edges of the lantern window frames and these were brush painted, along with the underside of the exterior fairings on the front and rear end panels, specifically the canopy over the end windows and the cosmetic fairings at the bottom of both panels.

Whilst it would add to the cost of painting, virtually no body preparation work had been undertaken for the task of painting; with extensive first hand knowledge of the industry, I knew that this was how sprayers much preferred to be presented with a job and moreover, in such circumstances would take full responsibility for the quality of the finished article. All that remained then was to find a painter. There was no question over the method of painting, I wanted a heat cured two-pack application, this would certainly necessitate a paint oven which immediately ruled out the possibility of using not just the paint shop within Eton but also many of those in the country; a caravan requires a high entrance.

The painters of the original Casetta had done a first class job and so were contacted first of all and invited to quote. At £2500.00 I felt their price was extortionate and politely declined them, even when they dropped the price to £2000.00. I then phoned Carlight and spoke with Julie who put me in touch with a company near Lincoln who had just painted a Casetta for Carlight. An ensuing phone conversation with them confirmed that the price would be in the region of £1000.00 despite the fact that the fibreglass panels had at some point been brush painted and also that there was considerable preparation work to do on some of the aluminium panels – excellent! The immediate issue was the distance, I would not attempt anything more than 40mph with no windows installed and would also want to cover all the openings with strong plastic for such a long journey, neither would it be convenient to drop in as might be required.

The matter was discussed with a number of painters I knew in the industry, we even explored ways of painting the caravan in a couple of local places, including where the caravan was standing but nothing was really viable. Much surprise was expressed at both prices and I received a number of lessons in paint technology. Contrary to what some people seem to believe, there is no paint more suitable for bus, lorry or caravan application. It is true that often in these applications the quality being sought is inferior to that of a car or racing boat and so cheaper paints might be specified; the primary downside to such cheaper paint is a reduced depth to the finish which becomes exacerbated by the paint’s lower resistance to long term degrading from UV light and airborne pollution when compared to higher quality paints. As for the flexibility of the paint, this is always controlled by the amount of flex agent added to the paint when it is mixed and this is usually specified by the painter. A further interesting point, specifically relating to Carlights, was to do with the material of the painted surface. With fibreglass a very flat prepared surface can be obtained and furthermore once painted, especially if the paint application has good depth the paint finish benefits from being flattened and polished, that is basically having the orange peel effect removed, something which can indeed be partially controlled by the paint gun itself; the flat and polish process is labour intensive and is generally only used in the exotic and classic car areas of the automotive industry. On the other hand, the side panels presented a completely different scenario because they are aluminium sheets and as such display a wavy nature along their surface, a characteristic worsened on Carlights because the panels are cut for various apertures. The approach therefore is to again make the prepared surface as flat as possible and again apply paint to show good depth but the orange peel effect is beneficial and indeed encouraged as it is found to disguise the wavy nature of the aluminium. It was these considerations and indeed comments about the cost and quality of primers and high build primers which led to me being advised to be cautious about a seemingly attractive price.

Put bluntly, both work colleagues and acquaintances suggested I look elsewhere and one mentioned an independent paint shop in nearby Maidenhead which was attached to the Cordwallis Volkswagen and MAN dealership. The paint shop owner cum manager of Palmer & Son, Pete, came to quote for the work and pretty much repeated everything I had recently learnt. With the intention of using the highest quality products available to his paint shop we agreed a price of £1700.00

Admittedly this was considerably higher than I had originally expected but the proximity of the paint shop was a big attraction as were the assurances over products and quality of finish. I was impressed with the examples I saw of the paint shop’s work and ultimately, having got this far I now had to trust someone to effectively ice the cake. Rightly or wrongly the restoration would be judged by the first impression gleamed from the outside; I trusted Pete.

The weather forecast was now closely watched and a dry morning in October was chosen; for the first time in two and a half years the Casetta emerged from its mole like existence into the light of day; within an hour it was again under cover, now at the paint shop.

9. Wired

2010-03-22T19:35:00.022Z

The installation of the caravan’s electrics was not a five minute job; many new ideas had been established in the first Casetta but effectively there was now a complete rewiring task to attend to. The second Casetta came with an already cut opening on the offside for a 240volts plug-in point; this would not be changed but would influence a number of other decisions in an attempt to reduce the amount of crisscrossing of wires and to keep runs to a minimum. Generally, Carlights were originally wired by routing and attaching cables as much as possible along the under floor wooden supports and this principle would again be followed. The 240volts entry point was into the offside under bed compartment, close to the wardrobe and so this was nominated as the spot to site both the 240volts and the 12volts consumer units. Using some of the left over wooden veneers a small box was constructed to house both consumer units and hide all of the wiring. The other major decision was where to site the leisure battery; its weight was one consideration as was the distance from the towing car battery. As had been done on the first Casetta, a 120ampère battery was installed into a purchased purpose built plastic battery box This had under floor ventilation facility and was sited between the gas bottle locker and the side of the under bed compartment.

Comment has already been made about the high quality of installation of the existing 12volt wiring for the internal fluorescent lighting. The installation uses black and red twin core rigid wire in a grey outer sleeve, some of this type of cabling was rescued from the first Casetta and would now be used to add to the installation. The main junction box for the 12volt internal lighting was fixed to the underside of the caravan, below the offside bed. This was renewed and now fed from the 12volt distribution unit almost above. An additional feed was taken from the main junction box to provide an electrical source for the new washroom and kitchen lamps, and the wiring for an exterior door lamp; it being decided against installing a solely designated awning lamp.

Addressing the 240volts lighting system it was decided to simply remove the one spot light attached to the offside over-bed cabinet and just start afresh. A pair of brass traditional looking Christopher Wray wall light fittings were rescued from the first Casetta and fitted to the sides of the over-bed cabinets, close to the front of the caravan. Individual pull string switches were fitted on the underside of the respective cabinets and the wiring attended to. As Carlight had used in both Casettas, I too chose to use white sleeved twin core (black and red) plus earth cabling for the 240volts installations. This did however contravene two EU directives, the first that such cable should now be blue and brown and sleeved in grey and the second, that anyway, such cabling should not be used in caravans at all; rather installations should be made using a flexible, not rigid cable. On consideration I decided my installation would be well enough secured that any lack of flexibility and any brittleness within the copper wire would be of no consequence! It was no problem to route the wiring of the offside lamp, this followed Carlight’s original path, along the inside of the over-bed cabinet and then into and down the inside of the wardrobe before passing through to the consumer unit. The nearside lamp was not quite so simple to wire in, the cabling was also routed through the inside of its over-bed cabinet and then through the crockery cabinet from where it travelled alongside the wiring for the 12volt lamp fitted underneath the crockery cabinet. The two sets of cable then emerged for a short while along the inside of the door post before passing into the rear of the dresser and eventually routing to the underside of the caravan. The appearance of wiring along the doorpost would be most unwelcome, however covering the door post there is a full length anodised aluminium finishing piece which is constructed in such a manner that when in place it also covers from sight the otherwise visible wiring. Indeed it would be questionable if this could be achieved with a flexible cable, being flat and extremely malleable, the old style cable requires minimal additional space to change direction through 90 degrees.

One of a pair of 240volts Christopher Wray light fittings

As for electrical sockets, there was already a double socket on the right hand side of the dresser but this would be replaced, along with the socket for the fridge, with a double pole version to cover any eventuality in Europe. The wiring for these two sockets came from the consumer unit via a junction box located inside the right hand side cupboard of the dresser, close to the floor. An further double pole socket, with independent wiring, was installed in the front right hand side corner of the caravan. The one remaining 240 volts electrical task was to route the earth bonding cable via the chassis to the mains consumer unit.

By far the most time consuming aspect to the rewiring were the remaining elements of the 12volts system. A most significant decision, as had been the case on the first Casetta, was to bring the caravan 12volts electrics up to post 1999 European standard so that if ever required the caravan would be compatible with the electrics of a modern tow car. Thus starting at the A-frame both 12N and 12S connections would be made. There are many benefits to using the curly wire connection leads and so a double socket mounting plate was attached to the A-Frame and 12N and 12S female sockets fitted. The male/male curly leads would later plug in and when not in use would rest in the plug holders that had been fitted to the A-frame cover of the previous Casetta. From the double socket mounting plate the wiring went back to two junction boxes underneath the most forward part of the caravan. For the 12N road lighting circuit the feeds for the front marker lights were taken from here in identical fashion to the original. The main cable was then routed, again in identical fashion to the original, to the rear of the caravan and into another junction box. Close to this junction box was another 12N female socket; this would serve two purposes, to allow a trailer board to be plugged in when the caravan needed towing to and from the paint shop and then beyond the restoration provide a plug in point at the rear of the caravan should any problem occur.

Turning to the 12S system, various quantities of the modern Thinwall wiring in specified colours and thicknesses were obtained from Vehicle Wiring Products of Ilkeston. In particular 33amps cable was specified for the charge to the fridge and to the leisure battery to reduce the effect of voltage drop. Also, the cable lengths in these applications was kept to a bare minimum for the same reason. The post 1999 European standard uses two relays to automatically switch off the caravan’s 12volts system being supplied from the distribution unit whenever the towing car is supplying a charge, except for the charge to the leisure battery and the fridge. The relays were located with the distribution unit and therefore to simplify the wiring layout an additional 12S junction box was installed underneath the middle of the caravan.

The chosen 12volts distribution unit came from the first Casetta, it was a CEC Plug-In-Systems model and along with having a battery charge indicator allows four fused circuits which can all be switched independently of each other. One circuit was chosen to cover the original 12volts lighting, another the additional lighting in the washroom and kitchen areas. The third circuit was for the kitchen water pump, the low water indicator and the toilet flush whilst the final circuit covered an external power socket that would be used to supply a portable submersible pump which would be used to fill the on board water tank from an Aquaroll.

240volts consumer unit and 12volts distribution unit housed in purpose built box

Carlights originally had one fuse on a fuse board also inside the offside under bed compartment; this was retained and the fuse used to cover the leisure battery supply to the distribution unit. Two additionally fuses were also added here, one for a direct supply to a 12volts accessory socket, and the second, which was switched, to supply the water tank heating elements.

8. Not Quite a Wheel of Fortune

2010-03-20T21:51:00.013Z

The underside of both wheel arches was brush painted using some of the remaining two pack exterior body paint from the first Carlight. The same colour would in due course be applied to this caravan’s exterior. From various Casettas I now had a good collection of wheels to choose from and selected three matching ones. There was also a pair of Tyron Bands that could be reused. Considerable time was spent rubbing down the wheels but it was still decided to brush paint them in the same fashion as the wheel arches. Anything better was considered a fruitless exercise; the fitting of the wheel trims causes pronounced marking to the wheels which are then almost totally covered by the trims themselves. Now, some tyres were required. Goodyear Cargo Vector 185R15's had been fitted to the previous Casetta but unfortunately these were found to be no longer available. At this point I decided to start at the beginning again; in truth I had forgotten most of what I had learnt the last time this issue had arisen! Browsing the internet I soon discovered that as is the case with many aspects of towing and indeed caravanning there are a great number of people writing an awful lot of useless information; many may consider this very piece to fall into the same category! A number of telephone calls were then made to various people involved within the industry. It was all too easy to look at the 1978 specification and get stuck in a mindset; crossply tyres are fine in a museum, on the road they are menacing. Having first hand experience of many classic car purchases shod with crossplies and converting them to radials, and experiencing the dramatic improvement in directional stability I am staggered that in this age of excessive health and safety legislation crossply tyres are still permitted where a realistic and viable alternative is available. Furthermore, whilst I for one do appreciate the joys of experiencing motoring as it was in a long gone era, there is a point where the safety of other road users must be considered to be more important; likewise, Tyron bands should also be mandatory on single axle trailers.

That aside, it also had to be appreciated that due to technical advances 30 year old specifications bore no comparison for the current industry. Essentially then, laden, here was a 1120Kg caravan, effectively a glorified box trailer, on a single axle, rarely taken to speeds as high as 65mph using 15inch wheels. The load would often be quite fragile, bone china and glass crystal but then with torsion bar suspension and dampers it was really quite well sprung – what did the industry recommend? Radials in standard 82 profile would maintain the suspension qualities of the tyre. It was also pointed out that if the tyre was to be operated at a sub-maximal tyre pressure, a greater speed rating than that actually required should be factored in. In many respects the ply rating was irrelevant because it was merely one of many factors involved in designating the load carrying capacity of a given tyre at a particular pressure. Furthermore, particularly with the higher ply ratings, it referred to the tread, not necessarily the side wall and therefore gave no real guide to the sidewall rigidity. Generally though, on single axle caravans, 8 ply tyres tended to be noted because they accompanied a sufficiently high load carrying capacity. Most important though was the overall weight of the caravan, during normal usage, even with a blow out, it was improbable that one wheel was going to leave the ground. However, cornering at speed, perhaps over bumpy terrain might regularly load one wheel significantly more than the other, maybe such that one wheel could frequently be loaded with 2/3rds of the overall weight. Also to consider was that the relationship between tyre pressure and load capacity is linear, a tyre inflated to 90% of its maximum pressure would be expected to carry also 90% of its maximum load capacity, and the recommendation of the British Tyre Manufacturers' Association is that the 90% barrier should not be broken. 2/3rds of the laden weight of the caravan is 747Kg, therefore a tyre with a load capacity of 838Kg or greater would provide an appropriate match. Finally, there was tyre width to consider, wider tyres have a larger footprint and this might be considered advantageous; certainly the Carlight wheelbox would accomodate a 185 tyre. Armed with all this information, the market was perused, and considering both price and manufacturers’ reputations the Avon AV4 185/82 R15C was selected. This 8 ply tyre has a 95mph speed rating and a maximum load carrying capacity of 875Kg at 65psi, thus, to accommodate 747Kg, 55psi was calculated as the operational pressure for the Casetta; interestingly this compared with 50psi obtained from a Caravan World Magazine tyre pressure calculator. (Incidentally, 55psi would permit a maximum speed of 81mph (130kph), the towing speed limit for some French motorways!) My local fitting centre for Tyron Bands could not obtain the Avon AV4 tyre from their own wholesalers but did confirm it to be an appropriate choice, at the nominated pressure for the intended application and were therefore happy to fit, with Tyron Bands, the tyres if I purchased them through the internet from Camskill Performance and Tyres.

7. Going Under with some Braking News!

2010-03-20T19:04:00.023Z

It was not until the autumn of 2008 that the underneath of the caravan was properly started; although as part of the main caravan restoration the cills had been replaced and also a small section of floor beneath the door. Now though, with the caravan on axle stands the underside would be partially stripped. The process was actually straightforward, rather time consuming and at first very messy. The tow hitch components, steady legs, pullout step and step guard, once removed were all sent away to be powder coated in the same colour that the caravan body would be painted. Undoing the nuts on the underside of the corner steadies was a particularly difficult job, some had to be removed using a nut splitter; considerable time was then taken cleaning the threads with a wire brush and then running a die up and down the threads before checking that a stainless steel nut would spin on and off by hand. Most of the electrical wiring was stripped; all that was kept was the 12volt wiring for the internal fluorescent lighting, it being deemed that this was of a high quality and well very well installed throughout the caravan, although its underside attachments were released for the time being. The gas pipes were removed to be checked for integrity and cleaned up, also so that the joints could later be remade in the knowledge that the correct sealing compound was used. The water tank was removed, so too all the axle components and then lastly the plumbing was removed and discarded. The surface corrosion on the axle outer casing, the steel chassis sections and the A-frame was removed and then the front of the A-frame was painted in silver Hammerite whilst the whole underside of the caravan was painted in bitumen black – a very messy job indeed!

Underside view looking forward at the powder coated corner steadies and jockey wheel

Touring through the Alps with the original Casetta had shown up some limitations with the water storage capacity of an eight gallon tank and so when presented with both this caravan’s water tank and the salvaged tank from the first Casetta the notion to double the water carrying capacity was born. Measuring the gaps between the under floor supports revealed there was sufficient space to make the idea work; the second tank could be installed immediately alongside the original tank, between it and the nearside wheel. As insurance against something untoward occurring with the plan, the installation would be made in such a manner that would allow the original set up to be returned if required. As had been done on the original Casetta, a large hole was drilled into the top of the tank to allow the installation of a water tight hatch fitting. This in turn would allow internal access to the tank so that an automatic tank de-frost element could be installed should cold weather caravanning occur. Thus, both tanks had heating elements which would switch on when the water temperature dropped to 5°C and would then switch off when 10°C was reached. To the first tank was also fitted a simple modern plastic low water level indicator sender unit, this allowed the workings within the unit in the kitchen to be dispensed with so that it served as no more than a warning light, thereby simplifying the whole arrangement.

Also, on the second tank a new nut in bulkhead was fitted on the rear side close to the top, this would become the ventilation opening for the combined tanks. Examining the woodwork underneath the caravan it had been noted that although there were two metal straps attached, the rearmost strap was in addition to the tank being supported within the woodwork; the overflow pipe partially sits through a drilled hole whilst the filler neck sits into a cut-out semicircle over which is then screwed another length of wood also with a cut-out semicircle; this same method could be used to support the second tank. Using screw in brass plugs the overflow pipes on both tanks were blocked up and then slightly shortened. The filler neck of the second tank was plugged with a silicone stopper of food industry grade, and then also slightly reduced in length. The second tank was then supported in the same manner as the first tank; a small blind hole in the wooden caravan framework, to a depth of ½ an inch provided support for the former overflow pipe whilst the former filler neck was support by mimicking the method used on the original tank; essentially by screwing on an identically shaped piece of wood and then drilling a blind hole to a depth of half the width of the wood. In reality this blind hole was overlapped by the existing hole of the first tank’s former overflow pipe but that was of no consequence. The new central support would also assist in providing a solution to the fact that the installation of the second tank appeared to prevent the routing and securing of much of the cabling which had to pass from one end of the caravan to the other. The simple solution here was to use a length a 1 inch diameter plastic pipe screwed onto the new central support to act as a cable conduit.

Two water tanks fitted side by side

At the front of each tank, there were two identical spouts; one for water outlet, the other for tank drainage. The proximity of the caravan’s suspension, in particular the shock absorber, dictated that the nearside spout of the second tank should become the drainage point but not with a tap, rather a space saving screw in plug, whilst the offside spout of the first tank would be the water take-off point. In the middle, a connection would be made between the two aligning spouts using some 1 inch internal diameter food grade hose, a pair of jubilee clips and some Fernox LS-X sealing paste. The tanks were covered with an insulating material and then put into their final position with, and it took several attempts to achieve, the interconnecting pipe being fitted simultaneously. The modified tank installation was completed by developing the original design of metal straps. Some ½ inch square lengths of aluminium box section tubing, together with some nuts and bolts, were used to construct front and rear supports spanning under both tanks in a near identical fashion to the original design with a length of aluminium also being used as a midsection support. Some right angled brackets were used to attach the aluminium supports to the woodwork in the middle and on the nearside, whereas on the offside screws were used in the same manner as the original design. Once the water tank had been installed it was connected to a Shurflo Trailking electric pump and a back up Whale Tiptoe foot pump. The kitchen plumbing was then completed whilst incorporating a Shurflo Pressure Accumulator.

The waste water drainage was installed using the Easy Flow push fit waste pipe system supplied by C.A.K. Tanks; from both the kitchen and the washroom sink C.A.K. Supaflex hose was used to provide a waste water route to the underneath of the caravan at which point the Supaflex hose was connected to the Easy Flow push fit rigid pipework for which a common waste outlet point was established beneath the rear offside.

The replacement plumbing in the cupboard below the kitchen sink. The pressure accumulator is visible but the electric pump is beneath a new removable false floor at the bottom of the cupboard

Another installation was that of a spare wheel carrier. Indeed, the cradle for this had actually been rescued from the first Casetta where it had proven to be a very successful addition. In a not too dissimilar style to the new water tank bearers, 1 x 1½ inch aluminium box tubing had been used for the construction. Two short vertical sections were bolted to rearmost full width steel cross member of the chassis. To these hangers were attached parallel bearers for the spare wheel itself. At the rear they were held a set distance apart by a cross brace which also served as a beam to hold whilst raising or lowering the spare wheel bearers to meet with, and bolt to, an additional pair of vertical hangers attached to part of the wooden lattice floor frame directly above.

The spare wheel carrier beneath the rear of the caravan

Early 2009 saw most of the underneath of the caravan complete. The corner steady legs had been attached, so too the pullout step complete with new wooden step and rubber covering. On the original Casetta, the almost total lack of wear to both the brake drums and the actual 50mm hitch indicated that prior to my ownership minimal mileage had been covered. In addition, during the restoration of the first Casetta a new hitch damper had been fitted and on the braking side, new brake shoes and back plate rubber dust seals, it being discovered for the latter that those from the BMC 11/1300 range were the correct fit! The shock absorbers had also been replaced and so save powder coating or otherwise applying fresh paint, most of the running gear was simply transferred from one caravan to the other. Not all though, for in the accident there had been impact to the nearside wheel which had in turn bent the stub axle; naturally then, this was discarded. A new brake rod strap was fixed into place and then incorporating from the original Casetta a fully functioning Marsden Automatic Reverse Master, the brake linkages were all reassembled in preparation for adjustment. For a while everything went to plan but this was all soon to be disturbed by an alarming discovery. During the process of adjusting the brakes, the Marsden Automatic Reverse Master failed; what was most alarming though was the manner of failure. Without any electric current it was behaving as though it was being energised – its failing mode was to effectively prevent the brakes of the caravan being applied! I was thankful the failure had occurred now and not out on the road; and with no hesitation the whole system was removed and the longer one piece brake rod that came with this caravan was fitted. Thereafter the brakes were successfully adjusted and I would simply have to learn the art of operating the manual reverse switch lever in the future!

The hitch head re-installed after powder coating but without the fail unsafe Marsden Automatic Reverse Master

6. Attention to Detail

2010-03-20T17:00:00.017Z

The interior of the caravan now became the centre of focus. The original wooden beadings around the rear lantern windows, like the others in the caravan, were in perfect order. They had been successfully removed with minimal damage to themselves to facilitate the panel replacement and could now be reattached with any necessary repairs being made with wood filler. Between the original Casetta, and the Commander in Cheshire, enough of the beading to sit between the wall panels and ceiling areas had been amassed and these areas were easily finished. A shortage that did exist was of beading to sit across the flat joins of veneered wooden panels. As previously mentioned, this beading is painted and so it is of little consequence from which wood it is made, however, nowhere on the internet nor anywhere in any of the local suppliers, despite seeing hundreds of profiles could I find the required cross section. Using the planner thicknesser , even with Andrew’s help failed to produce anything thin enough. Perhaps the secret is that Carlight had used a far more robust wood, namely oak, than was readily available in sufficient lengths now. But when I spoke to a specialist beading manufacturer they informed me that much as they would want to produce a whole range of beading thinner than the industry minimum standard of 5mm, modern manufacturing techniques meant they could not produce anything as thin as 1/8th of an inch. Eventually, feeling like the proverbial bad penny, yet another phone call was made to Neil. As usual, he patiently listened to my tales of woe and without divulging any secrets informed me Carlight could still manufacture as many straight lengths as I required! I consulted Neil as well about the curved pieces above the washroom window and above the door and he advised that now, whenever they have to be replaced at the factory, they are a bespoke fit using steam to curve the wood. Although a simpler method had been employed to produce the curved sections of the caravan’s outline frame, the use of steam to curve wood had been mentioned, so at the time Andrew had explained to me the method, and so I was able to make some seemingly knowledgeable noises back down the phone to Neil. In truth, these issues concerning the beading had actually been addressed at the same time that the veneers had been cut. This is important to note because the curvature of the cut veneered panel edge was traced onto a large flat board and with a series of protruding nails hammered in along the line, a simple jig was produced to facilitate the steaming process.

It was now time to use the jig. The thinness of the oak beading from Carlight negated the need to soak the wood beforehand; apparently during the construction of traditional wooden boats the soaking process can be as long as a week with substantial cross sections of wood. In this instance and under Andrew’s guidance, hot water from the kettle was poured over the beading which at this stage had not been cut to fit. It was then clamped flat on the board but up against the nails at one end and slightly bent towards the nails at the other end. More hot water was poured over the bead and then it was moved and clamped a little closer to the line of nails. Gradually, over a protracted period the bead was clamped totally flat onto the board but was also following the curved line of nails. Left in this position, all was thoroughly dry after a couple of days. Andrew warned that the beading would straighten somewhat when it was released but would also have sufficient spring to return with pinning to the curved shape it had now been subjected to. When I enquired about the terminology I was informed that there are indeed contraptions which do produce a continual supply of steam; though in this instance, with such a thin bead, hot water was sufficient. The beading responded exactly as predicted and once cut and tacked into position allowed the various abutting straight sections to also be fitted. There remained just two pieces that would have to wait until the caravan shell had been painted, both in the washroom, one would abut to the rear window frame the other to the toilet which would clamp against the caravan wall when the external fresh water filler cover was attached.

The vertical bead is not as per the original but is in the same style and hides where a replacement panel had to be let in

There is considerable bright work inside a Casetta and all this would need replacing. Much had been learnt from the restoration of the old Casetta and this knowledge would be used again, along with some parts from either that caravan, the Commander or even the Casetta in Somerset. The long hinges used extensively on Carlights are an important feature; almost by accident I had found the company who had manufactured the originals for Carlight, Cooke Brothers of Walsall. For my previous restoration they had supplied the exact same hinges, which are actually termed piano hinges and are manufactured to various set specifications. This time I contacted them to be told that the original tooling was no longer usable, not even for a one-off production run. New tooling had been commissioned and the product now met a metric specification. I ordered sufficient quantity for the Casetta (6 of the standard 2m lengths!), again with a chrome finish, a less bright stainless steel version was available. It is also worth noting that in the Casetta the quality of the chroming is important not just on the knuckle of the hinge but also on the securing face for this is on show every time a cupboard is opened; Cooke Brothers were most obliging with this requirement, checking each hinge before dispatch. In the hand the difference between the old and new tooling was obvious, the weight and hence rigidity of the hinge was reduced but thankfully the knuckle dimensions appeared to be unchanged. The securing plate dimensions appeared slightly altered requiring new drillings for the screw holes, although perhaps that was actually a positive thing, and once fitted the appearance and performance was unchanged. For these hinges, Carlight had originally used chromed screws, now stainless steel would be employed. Indeed, throughout the whole interior of the caravan, the chrome plated screws, the cup washers and even with the retaining chains found in various locations were all replaced with the equivalent in stainless steel.

The bowed draw handles had suffered tremendously; they are manufactured from mazac, an alloy that cannot be re-plated and consequently required replacement. With the previous restoration I had spent hours searching for them on the internet but all to no avail. I remembered being amazed to see them for sale in a local independent hardware store in Windsor; that amazement was repeated when I again found them still for sale in the same shop. What I cannot get a handle on though, is the again die-cast, chrome bezel which surrounds the mesh covering the ventilation aperture midway along the lantern roof; perhaps they are automotive, maybe a letter box surround; however Derby Plating Services can fill most pitting from corrosion and then re-plate. Other bright work includes the various cupboard catches; the square chrome plastic catches and the long sprung catches which appear to be made from stainless steel. Both have a brass adjustable internal piece; the exteriors polished up as new and with patience were adjusted to give perfect, as new operation.

The interior cleaned up well and benefited from new handles, hinges and stainless steel screws

In conjunction with going through the interior of the caravan to address matters of bright work, every individual section of painted surface, as has previously been mentioned, was masked and keyed up before being given a fresh coat of paint. The colour had been matched to replicate the original and the choice of paint was now a standard domestic brush on eggshell. In original production Carlight had often applied tiny a dab of colour over the heads of panel pins and tacks and this had successfully blended in with the grain pattern. Now though, there were areas where the rust from such a fixing had stained the wood. The general use of a household cleaner, one containing both limescale remover and bleach, was found to be highly efficient at not just removing these marks but also cleaning all of the wooden surfaces. A dab of the eggshell paint could now cover the fixing heads and so too it could hide any wood filler hiding small holes. It was also found that where there was a small patch of damp staining, usually in an obscure location such as the underside of the top of the crockery cupboard, where veneer replacement was out of the question, a very slight application of paint could be made to hide the worst of the staining and produce a cleaner effect that looked like the original grain. Indeed, it had been this technique that had been used on the blemishes of the interior front panels either side of the cocktail cabinet.

Whilst going through the caravan in this fashion the internals of the crockery cabinet had to be repaired. The pockets for the plates had been made from the same material as that used for the kitchen roof; it was further evidence that the kitchen ceiling had been replaced but this time the hardboard would go! The Casetta in Somerset had yielded some of the pockets, although of the wrong material. However I was able to cut pockets from various veneers and reuse the small shaped dividers; and by measuring the crockery set I had gradually acquired through eBay, fix the dividers in the correct place on the pockets – the one feat that evidence suggests had eluded the Carlight workers! The other matter to address inside the crockery cabinet was the front veneered face of the tea set holder box, however this was a minor operation compared with the job inside the cutlery drawer.

The re-built internals of the crockery cupboard

It had always amazed me that Carlights came with bone china and cut glass crystal but no cutlery. This time around it was something I wanted to address and some research into cutlery styles showed there would be a number which would sit very well alongside the Tuscan crockery. Even for a Carlight, solid silver would be excessive, but silver plated 18/10 stainless steel would be in keeping with the standards of quality. Eventually, again on Bay, I happened upon an out of production 80 piece set of new old stock Wedgwood cutlery in the Art Deco Harley style; it was a perfect match, a conservative silver plated style that perhaps Carlight may have even selected themselves in the day. Once in possession of the cutlery I set about redesigning the internal compartments of the cutlery drawer to house the different items, and that done, built the sections using plywood dividers and navy blue felt to cover the internals. The same navy blue felt had also been used to replace the green felt covering the top half of the gas bottle locker; navy blue being chosen to match what would be the colour of the restored Casetta’s soft furnishings.

Why didn't Carlight do this?

With most of the internal details attended to there remained one missing show piece to address. The gas lamp had been removed and worse still the pipe cut and blocked at the wall inside the overhead locker. Nothing remained of the gas lamp from the previous Casetta, except strangely, the shaped aluminium heat deflection plate. With the lower aluminium side panel removed from the exterior of the caravan it was just possible to feed from inside the caravan a new piece of copper gas pipe, whilst with regards to the lamp itself, one with the correct rectangular shaped frosted glass shade was found on eBay; it was in perfect condition but having been removed from a static caravan was lacking a heat deflection plate – perhaps fate was again acting out in a positive manner towards this restoration! The final remaining gas appliance to attend to now was a very shabby looking heater sporting a visibly broken thermostat. Yet again though, the old Casetta would rescue the situation; its heater and thermostat had survived suffering only some minor denting to the cover and top grill. Furthermore, the local mobile caravan gas man had replaced both of the internal copper pipes, the burner and igniter just over a year prior to the accident. The heater body and thermostat were swapped between the two, and a coat of paint applied to the cover and top grill restored an as new look.

5. Kitchen and Washroom

2010-03-18T20:34:00.018Z

As the rear sides were completed, attention turned to the kitchen appliances. The fridge was removed, overhauled and following a recommendation from Neil when my previous Casetta had some work done to it at the Carlight factory, the thin bottom corner spy glass for the gas light was replaced with the much larger diameter version of the later Electrolux fridges; a part obtained following considerable internet research from Leisure Spares Limited in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. Whilst the fridge was out a new kitchen floor covering was laid; Homebase being used as the supplier of some mock granite tiles. Next the cooker was taken apart and renovated, with particular attention being paid to the burner control valves which were re-lapped with automotive valve grinding paste. There was also the water heater to renovate. It was a pleasant surprise to find the burners totally rust free, however something seemed amiss when blowing into the gas pipe. My first Casetta had come with all the original manufacturers’ paperwork supplied with a new Carlight, I had used the various manuals to help overhaul both the cooker and fridge and now I was using one to dismantle the Nymph water heater. Eventually I discovered that the seal had been incorrectly fitted and consequently damaged beyond repair. To make this water heater work again I would need a new seal, and so I began to search the internet, Main had been the original manufacturer but they had long since been absorbed by Baxi Group, and they were now totally disinterested in my quest. As I chased lead after lead I listened to so many people who simply laughed, or told me that I would never find the spare part. Again though, my classic car ownership had taught me to never give up in the search of elusive parts, and so it proved with an obscure company in Derby rescuing the situation. With the new seal the water heater was reassembled and under blown pressure the valve appeared to function correctly; a full test would have to wait until gas and water were connected.

In the washroom, the on board water tank fed Thetford Cassette toilet was removed to be replaced with the model I had installed in the first Casetta, a C200CWE which has its own integral, electrically operated, flushing water tank. The plastic Thetford toilet access door was also removed and the opening squared out and framed in the same fashion as the gas bottle locker opening. The work to this area also include fitting a latch lock and once this had been completed it was possible to finish the cill work on the rear offside. The sheet aluminium that had been rescued from the first Casetta was used by a local engineering company, Foxhall, to manufacturer in identical style to the gas locker door, a second door for access to the toilet cassette. Foxhall also fabricated from the aluminium sheet some lengths of edging to be cut and fitted at a later date. It was interesting to note that Foxhall’s first impression was that this exact gauge of aluminium was no longer available; certainly if it could be found it was no longer in common usage.

It is quite amazing how the Thetford Cassette toilets do fit in the Casetta, they have a swivel basin that literally could not protrude another 1/16th inch and still fit correctly, the fit might just as well be bespoke. The Thetford toilet is only available in white plastic and using industrial acid cleaner, the shower tray was brought back to its matching original white colour. The green of the sink and vanity unit may have been the height of fashion in 1978; my wife and I simply saw it as tasteless. I remembered seeing in the first Casetta a label on the back of the green sink when I had wanted to replace that. It had led me to the original manufacturer, Cirencester Plastics who still manufacturer this model of sink; though thankfully now in white! Recently though, I have learnt that Cirencester Plastics have been taken over by AAC Cyroma of Banbury. Equally remarkable is the fact that C.A.K. Tanks of Kenilworth supply the exact vanity unit as fitted to the Casetta, also thankfully in white. Modern caravans almost exclusively rely upon a mains’ water feed and so utilise standard domestic taps and spouts. The narrow ½inch gauge water taps and spouts of the classic Carlight caravans are an expedient method for increasing water pressure where there is limited supply, such as from an on board water tank. I had kept the originals on my first Casetta but on this caravan they needed to be replaced, however it was soon discovered that in the caravan industry today they were found to be no longer available. There were some manufacturing stamps on the old taps and they led me to a German company whom I contacted. Whilst they wanted and tried to help, it transpired to their great embarrassment that they now had absolutely no records whatsoever of anything they manufactured in previous eras! My association with the river directed me to consider the marine recreational industry and after considerable research I came across an English supplier, Aquafax of Luton. This company carries thousands of lines amongst which is an extensive range of taps and spouts, now manufactured in Italy, of near identical design to those originally fitted to the Casetta. Moreover, they even had a choice of trigger operated shower heads! The original shower head had been manufactured by Whale but now it only appeared to be available in North America. Seeing that Aquafax had a good looking and compatible option it was felt this would be a wiser choice.

A fresh look had been given to the washroom which was further enhanced by fitting an identical light under the rear shelf as was fitted to the vanity unit. These lamps are still available from Labcraft of Saffron Waldon as their Nordic Series and likewise the opportunity would be taken to improve the kitchen lighting by fitting one below the sliding door cabinet and another under the crockery cabinet. A modern shower curtain rail would be little trouble to fit to facilitate hanging the rescued shower curtain from the first Casetta. This had been specially made by a friend from a cream coloured heavy weight polyester cotton shower curtain obtained from Showerail in Ventnor; it wrapped around all four sides and had a zip opening slit to reach the taps and shower head. A final touch was a removable pine slatted grid to cover the shower tray floor – in place of the truly awful piece of cut lino that Carlight had originally supplied. The idea for the grid had actually come from seeing two different caravan manufacturers displaying the same type of product at the 2004 Caravanning and Camping Show in Earls Court and then asking Andrew if he would make the same product to fit the Casetta. Even though the rear of the old Casetta had been sliced off, this grid, along with the toilet, had somehow remained unscathed and could now be used again.

White fittings give the washroom a fresh and modern look

Perhaps because of the very Formica, the kitchen surfaces were totally free of any damp damage but sadly at some time in the past, the underside of the cooker’s wooden flip top had been burnt and so a repair was required; some of the Formica surfaced veneer taken from the Commander in Cheshire could be put to good use. So in the same manner that the compartment door on the side of the dresser had been repaired, here too the layers of plywood of the whole underside surface, to a depth of 3/16th of an inch were removed, and then a new cut piece was fixed in place using two pack epoxy resin glue. The edges were filed flat very carefully to avoid any fracturing of the brittle formica and then finished by applying a coat of paint as had been done on the original.

The end kitchen with the appliances restored , additional lighting, new taps and a replacement piece on the underside of the cooker flip top

Progress was generally slow, often deliberate so that nothing would be missed. New braided water pipes and earth bonding were installed from the washroom passing behind the kitchen units. A false wooden painted floor was fixed around the toilet base and electrical wires hidden out of sight. By the summer of 2008, a painted sheet of 5mm plywood had been attached to the rear of the caravan. The rear window frames for both the kitchen and the washroom had been made as one piece and then fitted, and as had been the case with the front windows, had been checked for geometric uniformity in all three planes with minor modifications being achieved by the use of a mini plain that Andrew had acquired in a toy set as a child!

The rear panel of the caravan was constructed using a sheet of 5mm ply

The rear of the caravan was now once again intact and the cabinet with sliding doors could be rebuilt; its outline frame, essentially being the door channels, appeared to be made of routed oak and required a little rebuilding in one corner. This was achieved by using a filling powder mixed with two pack epoxy resin; the mixture’s consistency could be infinitely varied between a runny paste and an almost solid putty. The later actually serving to provide a fillet between the caravan roof and both the front and rear window frames. Once set, certainly within twenty four hours, the product was not only incredibly strong and solid but could also be easily sanded as required. New sliding doors were constructed for the cupboard and the repaired frame reassembled around them. It was a particularly rewarding moment to see this framework fit so squarely in its correct location. Contrary to the situation at purchase, the partition between the kitchen and the washroom was now fixed correctly, so once the cupboard framework was attached in its proper place the ceiling also assumed a uniform curvature and at its lower edge could be secured to the inside of the window frame – all was as it should be!

4. Resurrecting Frame after Frame

2010-03-18T16:38:00.019Z

With the transplant finished, the front window frames could now be constructed; as had been the case with the upper portions meticulous measuring, cutting and planning was required. To guard against future leaks the window aperture must not just be square but also have its front face lying in just one plane. When the original windows had been removed from this caravan it did seem as though this had not been so and if true would certainly have been the primary cause of so much water ingress. Whether the original frames had been built badly will forever remain unknown; the more I have seen of Carlight construction the more I have seen perfection; even on the door frame where there appears to be some misalignment I have concluded it is deliberate as it forces both the upper and lower doors to shut with a perfect seal. More likely the window frames had distorted over the 25 years or more since manufacture. If the corner steadies have been used to jack the caravan, especially in the damp climate of Western Scotland from where this Carlight was rescued, then such a scenario is more than likely. Certainly some excessive force had been applied to the original front nearside corner steady as it was quite badly misaligned.

The front panel transplant was a resounding success and was followed by the construction of new front window frames

Once the front woodwork was complete attention moved to the sides. The first job was to build the doors. After the aluminium edging was removed from the lower door it was obvious that none of the wood could be reused, even with the upper door, it was only the uppermost curved section of the frame that would survive. The original construction of the doors was replicated and then covered in Cuprinol before the wooden veneer was attached. However, during a subsequent telephone conversation with Neil at Carlight, when I outlined what I had done, he advised me that Carlight themselves had discovered that over time Cuprinol reacts with aluminium; needless to say, I went back and covered all the framework and the outer side panelling in bitumen black.

Having finished the doors, the rear fibreglass section of the caravan was removed so that the offside lower aluminium side panel could be taken off to gain access to the offside cill. The exposed rear of the caravan looked just as bad as had been expected but this would be addressed later. For now, the rotten plywood of both front cills was replaced with new lengths, whilst the rotten wood around the wheel arches was also replaced using double thickness plywood. Modern plywood has far greater structural integrity than that used 25 years ago, the glues are far superior and likewise I was able to use a commercial two pack resin, sometimes with an added thickening agent where something more substantial than just glue and screws was required. Equally, where steel screws or steel coach bolts had previously been employed, I was able to use stainless steel. In reality most of the steel fixings in the cill areas had rusted away, simply adding to the general decay, despite this most of the cill replacement was straightforward; however there was to be one major problem area.

As more of the pannelling was removed it was discovered that the outer framework had long since been reduced to a crumbling powder!

Following the removal of the aluminium panel between the door frame and the rear of the caravan, access was gained to the rotten cill below the door, but it was not until this was removed did it become clear just how bad the situation was; rot had extended into the load bearing sections beneath the floor and the bottom of the door frame on both sides was in a very poor state. It seemed that only with the miraculously still solid kitchen units, along with the central sections of some panels, was this rear quarter of the caravan still held together. This was now a very low emotional point; an enormous amount of effort had already been expended, had that all been in vain, could this area of the caravan really be resurrected? The answer of course was that to climb any giant staircase, one small step at a time had to be taken. It was a philosophy that had served well so far and indeed would continue to do so.

Finding this rot was quite depressing

The basic construction method of a Carlight has already been written about, however it is significant to realise that beneath the hardboard floor there is a substantial wooden frame essentially comprising of load bearing pieces running the length of the caravan, these are tied together at each end with another wooden length and in some key locations cross pieces give a local lattice effect. The whole structure then sits on cross members of the steel chassis. Whilst the steel chassis ends a short distance rearward of the axle with a full width steel cross member, the strength of the rearmost wooden frame is greatly enhanced by the sheet hardboard floor. It was this inter-complexity of construction, together with, perhaps more crucially, the bracing provided by the attached cabinets, which on the plus side had meant the caravan had not lost its geometrical shape. Also significant was the fact that whilst there was considerable rot on the offside at the rear of the caravan, none of the load bearing sections of the floor had been affected. Indeed, good solid wood remained all the way across to the nearside rear corner steady, so it was only beneath the doorway and along that outside edge that there was a problem.

Support was placed beneath the caravan to ensure the floor remained level and the rotten sections below the floor were then cut out, including the main outer structural member which was also the door threshold and from which hung the door step. At this stage just the very lowest sections of the rotten door frame and outer panels were removed. Repairs could now be made to the under floor lattice with an additional outward running cross support constructed immediately beneath the doorway. Next, for the outer most member, a solid length of oak, a hardwood far stiffer than anything which had been used in the original construction, was inserted. It rested on the edge of the last steel cross member of the chassis and with the aid of a jack on the ground, and again meticulous use of levels and a pitch gauge, was positioned so that perfect geometrical alignment was made with the main caravan body. Attachment to the new additional cross member and to the rearmost cross member was made by way of slotted joints. At this point it was essential to remember to insert through the length of oak, four stainless steel coach bolts positioned so that the fold out step could be re-hung in its correct position when required. Gradually the whole area was reconstructed and thus support and total rigidity was, to much relief, returned to the floor area.

Now it was possible to focus attention a little higher; looking at the door frame it was felt better to simply replace in one piece the rearmost vertical section. However, the lintel was in good condition and so too much of the forward vertical section, therefore to avoid disruption to the panelling at the rear of the crockery cabinet, only the lower half of this side of the door frame was removed, and just the bottom 2/3rds of the rear panel of only the left hand cupboard of the dresser; the cuts being carefully made exactly behind sections of framework so that the subsequent repairs would remain hidden from sight. Whilst considering the condition of the door lintel it was also noted that on both sides of the caravan the lantern window framework had also remained solid.

The next task, whilst exposed and accessible was to replace the outermost frame section of the dresser. It was fascinating to see that even this simple box frame had been constructed using mortise and tennon joints; true to the original, this method of construction was replicated for the necessary repairs. At the same time repairs to the floor were completed with in particular a new section of hardboard being placed over the additional outward running cross support that had been deliberately constructed immediately beneath the doorway. A steep learning curve was required to address the side panel of the dresser for not only was this a part of furniture highly visible on entry to the caravan but also the tip opening storage compartment door was cut, like so many other areas of a Carlight, from the same surrounding piece of veneer to produce an exact grain match. In order to maintain a match, the undamaged veneer on the compartment door would have to be replaced along with the side panel. The very structure of the plywood was thus exploited by carefully removing, with a sharp chisel, first the actual wood veneer and then the individual layers of plywood to an exact depth of 3/16th of an inch so that a panel matching new door piece could be glued and clamped into position. The whole process went without glitch, the outer panel piece was fitted, serving as the rear part of the cupboard, and using a lap joint the door frame here was repaired along with other adjoining frame sections as required.

Lower door frame and dresser corner

A temporary support was now placed between the kitchen work surface and the roof of the caravan and removal of the rear portion of the door frame and attached panels, and the entire caravan rear panel proceeded. As for the outline vertical curved frame, on both sides this was virtually non-existent, such was the extent of wood rot most of this part of the caravan had been reduced to little more than powder! With the cupboard underneath the sink now totally exposed a repair similar to that of the dresser could be fashioned and as had been done at the front of the caravan, and indeed at the bottom of the dresser cupboard, a varnished cork base was laid. The same would also be done at the very base of the caravan’s wardrobe.

2008 had now arrived and it was time to address the outline vertical curved frame. Both Andrew and I were unsure about what had been the original construction technique, we had seen the front but that wasn’t conclusive, the bottom radius and the length of the arc at the rear of the Casetta is substantial by any standards. Initially Andrew suggested some of the elaborate techniques used for an upward curving keel at the bow of a traditional boat by either obtaining bowed oak or steaming oak, thankfully though, we came up with the far simpler idea of cutting the correct shape from a sheet of inch thick marine plywood. Again I sought Neil’s opinion and he concurred that such ply with its modern resin glue would have such a multi-directional stiffness as to considerably out perform the original wood. It is interesting to note that when attached with the veneered plywood the caravan wall thickness is one inch, therefore using a planer thicknesser the marine plywood first needed to be reduced to 13/16ths of an inch thickness before being cut to shape. The edge of the aluminium panel between the door frame and the rear of the caravan was used as a template and so the rear outline vertical curved framework was produced for both sides.

Back in November 2007, there had been advertised on eBay an early double axle Carlight Commander which had been sold for the purpose of breaking. I managed to make contact with the new owner who confirmed he would be breaking the caravan to supply his Sherpa van motor home project with parts. Having already been to Somerset to see a late glass windowed Casetta also being scrapped and finding it to not have the same internal veneers as my caravan, it was exciting to see a posted sample from the Commander for it had a veneered finish that did appear to match my Casetta. By arrangement, my wife and I headed up to Cheshire to see what we could scavenge from the Commander. My first impression was that if my Casetta could be restored then why not this potentially more valuable Commander? No matter, the issue was not really my concern. I looked at the internal panelling of the Commander but wasn’t convinced, it certainly had the same colour and grain pattern of my Casetta’s veneer but something looked wrong. It had been hoped to bring back some panelling large enough to re-panel the rear of the Casetta but even though the Commander was a much larger caravan, with two external doors, a patterned Formica finished washroom and a far more cluttered furniture layout, large areas of plain panelling simply did not exist. In the end, a small number of pieces of panelling were brought back to Eton along with some beading and various small items such as hinges and other fasteners. Once able to properly compare the panels between the two caravans it became clear that the Casetta used a genuine wood veneer on all but the table, the dresser top and the kitchen surfaces. These other areas had a Formica finish of identical colour and grain and it was this exact material that had been used throughout the Commander.

The experience with the Commander led to a state of resignation that both the rear panel and the side panel inside the cupboard under the sink would have to be something other than the correct wooden veneer. It would be possible to use the Commander’s Formica finished veneer but any examination would only show up as a poor mismatch. A preferred option was to have a complimentary finish and so 5mm sheet plywood was purchased to be painted in the same paint that was being used to re-paint the rest of the caravan’s factory painted internal surfaces, such as the underneath of the window pelmets or various cupboard door edges and general beading. The nearside rear quarter preparatory work was now complete; work could now progress towards installing the outer framework in conjunction with the panels.

At some point in the past this Casetta appeared to have been given a new ceiling over the kitchen and washroom areas. The mind boggled at how this had been achieved; now it was only possible to observe what existed. With so much of the rear of the caravan disassembled, the actual ceiling board was beginning to hang down in the rear corner, but whilst it looked like hardboard with an imitation pine finish it was thankfully, totally solid and so too the frame around the roof light opening. The ceiling lining, whilst faultlessly attached did not exactly match in pattern the rest of the caravan; it is hard to believe but maybe that’s how Casettas were built, for the same situation was true of the previous Casetta, and that had no evidence whatsoever of having a replacement ceiling. Once a coat of paint had been applied to the whole ceiling it was hardly noticeable that there wasn’t a correct pattern match; no doubt the whole ceiling material would have to be replaced to address this minor issue, so the decision was easily taken to leave well alone. Further evidence that this Casetta had previously been worked upon was that the cupboard over the rear window did not sit square with the ceiling and the sliding doors would not operate properly – the solution here was to remove it completely with a view to later re-building it. The beadings that covered the meeting of the wall panels and ceiling had clearly been disturbed at some time; that their fit was now poor was no worry, they would have to be removed to replace the damp stained wall panels. The upper portion of the rear window frame was most strange; that was a roughly finished piece of timber attached to the fibreglass roof with black rubberised mastic. Ironically, it was the only part of the window frame to not be rotten; nonetheless, it was taken out and disposed of! The final issue, which was part of the cupboard problem, was that the dividing partition between the kitchen and washroom was not square with any of the caravan. Now that the structure of the floor had been re-established and the edge of the cabinet beneath the sink also repaired, a scissor jack on blocks of wood resting on the kitchen surface could be used to raise the currently temporarily supported rear corner of the roof into its correct position. This allowed the misaligned partition to be corrected, although not before the damp stained lintel over the washroom door had been replaced with the surviving one from the previous Casetta. The alignment of the dividing partition was completed to exacting standards not just for cosmetic reasons but also because its edge was the only original piece of solid wood above waist height remaining at the rear of the caravan and would therefore act, in conjunction with the kitchen units, as the primary reference point for all the rear end main frame reconstruction.

Almost simultaneously now, construction of the rear outline vertical curved frame, the door frame and other frame sections in this area progressed; apart from the curved plywood sections, pine was used exclusively with all the joints replicating those of the original. The side panel of the cupboard under the sink also had to be fitted at this stage but the painted 5mm ply was only used up to the edges of the cupboard outline. Outside of the cupboard the wooden veneered panels were fitted as required in conjunction with the developing framework and in such a fashion as to disguise the repairs. Due to the panel size availability it was necessary to shift the original horizontal panel join that had been a couple of inches above the kitchen sink to a higher position behind where the water heater would be attached. After the door frame had been completed it was also possible to loosely attach from time to time the outer aluminium side panel to help with the frame alignment. In turn, the rear nearside cill work was completed after the lower frame had been secured.

Once all of the nearside framework was complete, the offside rear frame was also repaired and in due course it was also possible to complete the replacement of all the veneered panels. A final note here is to recognise that throughout the caravan this particular task required considerable patience. Each piece had to be precisely measured, with some margin for alteration accommodated on particular edges, such as for example, where the outline frame was overlapped, or where the door frame was overlapped. The veneered plywood was cut using a very sharp knife and a clamped steel straight edge, scoring first on the veneered side. The old adage of, “measure twice cut once” was dogmatically followed; a wrong cut could quite easily lead to a catastrophic situation with regards to veneer availability. Where edges did overlap, they were carefully filed in the same fashion as had been adopted whilst repairing the front of the caravan, ensuring that the filing direction never once lifted the actual veneer.

Much to address here

3. An Unlikely Transplant

2010-03-18T15:13:00.014Z

The repatriation of the damaged Casetta to Britain had been on the back of a lorry and the need for secure lashing had caused considerable additional damage, indeed without its rear the whole caravan had begun to collapse. Fortunately, the cocktail cabinet was in perfect order and the adjacent front panels untouched, the only blemishes being of some minor and very old damp staining from a time before my ownership. As the damaged Casetta was further examined it became apparent that the largest single sheet veneered panels were these front panels; either they would have to be re-used or a completely different material would have to be found for the newly acquired Casetta; something I wanted to avoid at all costs. As I pondered these matters I began to disassemble other parts of the caravan. It was both fascinating and highly educational to see how the Carlight had been constructed, so much that one takes for granted on the finished product was now being exposed. It’s one thing to read about the construction techniques on the original factory website, to even see the drawings and photographs but quite another to have hands on experience whilst deconstructing the product.

Carlights are essentially constructed as a wooden frame on a hardboard floor supported by cross braces sitting on a steel A-frame and parallel chassis members to which is attached the running gear. The wooden frame is then internally clad with sheet veneer by means of a little glue and steel tacks before other construction takes place. Where two veneers abut the join is covered with a thin painted oak bead which is merely attached with panel pins. Removing the beads intact was a very difficult and often impossible task. As for the sheet veneer, to preserve the integrity of the edges it was always better where possible to actually remove it with the immediate frame still attached; this realisation was to be of great significance, as was the one that it was impossible to remove any internal structure without creating damage to the adjoining panels.

Inevitably then, the biggest and perhaps bravest decision of the impending restoration was reached, and that was to undertake a complete transplant of the whole cocktail cabinet along with its attached front panels and window sill from the original caravan into the new one! Removing this section from the first Casetta was reasonably straight forward and with much of the framework still attached the structural integrity was maintained. As for the other parts of the wreckage, apart from the fibreglass roof and front panel very little was disposed of, even some of the sheet aluminium sides were kept as I knew the metal would be useful for certain things I had in mind. Gradually the old Casetta was reduced to a flat pack, even the running gear was disassembled until all that remained was the A-frame and chassis, and even this was kept. Years of classic car ownership had taught me that you never know when you might need such obscure unavailable parts!

Attention now returned to the front of the newly acquired Casetta where the first course of action was to carefully remove all of the rotten wood; everything was kept and carefully labelled, even the smallest pieces of crumbling wood might prove to be essential patterns in the re-build. By the end of August 2007 the front of the caravan was ready to start having its frame work re-built although at this stage it is worth noting that my woodworking skills were practically non-existent. The last time I had constructed something of any significance from wood was whilst I had been at school 25 years prior. Nonetheless, I was not to be deterred and set about measuring my rotten pieces of wood and purchased numerous 2m lengths of pine of cross sectional dimensions specified to the local wood supplier.

The framework at the sides had first to be repaired and then the front corners could be attached. Looking at the donor cocktail cabinet and front panels the attached outline curved framework was going to have to be removed. This was a very slow process so as not to cause any damage but with care was achieved. A phone call to Carlight confirmed that no patterns existed for these outline vertical curved frame sections and so I decided to re-use them. I had recognised that the outer shell framework was always in a precise location which was the same on both of my Casettas. The framework would outline an opening such as a window, or trace the edge of a panel or provide reinforcement for the internal furniture. Thus I deduced that if I could precisely match up with the existing frame where the outline vertical curved frame sections should fit, then the front panels and window sill complete with cocktail cabinet would fall into place like a huge jigsaw puzzle! Time would tell, before then there was much preparation to do.

The whole front end was rotten and had to be removed until only good wood remained. Fortunately the central part of the window frame could remain in position and would prove to be a valuable reference point. In front of the caravan it is possible to identify the right hand side of the donor front structure before fitment.

A very important job was to identify exactly how much sheet veneer I had and to establish my exact requirements. In reality there weren’t really any sheets; rather there were pieces, already cut to shape and often with cut outs, or with marks from construction or simply damage from either the accident or damp. A further constraint was that this was wood; it had a distinctive grain that ran in a linear direction and that would determine whether a piece could or could not be used. So what was required beyond the already identified and now taken care of front panels? Well it seemed logical to address the largest areas first and perhaps an even larger area than the front was the rear panel behind the kitchen units which extended into the washroom. This would be impossible to replace as one piece, also much of it was out of sight so perhaps just two sections could be replaced; in the washroom and under the sink for it was here that there was extensive rot, the remainder seemed okay. This would be put on hold, under the washroom sink and inside the kitchen cupboard under the sink it would be no disaster to use an alternative material if necessary; for now there were more important matters to consider such as the upper and lower doors. I had nothing long enough to be able to cut both door pieces from one sheet but after studying various areas of grain two pieces were chosen that when put end to end had an excellent grain match. The door was therefore taken care of and in a similar fashion I selected pieces for the front sides, both upper and lower. At the rear of the caravan, on each side, there were huge areas suffering from either rot or damp staining. On both sides there was a problem around the lantern window; on the door side this extended around the whole of the door frame, also behind and around the water heater, inside the cupboard below the sink and even the end of the lower part of the dresser, both inside and outside. In the washroom the problems extended rearwards from the lantern window, across to the shelf above the window, and in the corner all the way to the floor. Also, the cupboard with sliding doors over the rear kitchen window looked to be in a very sorry state but eventually every problem area, apart from the actual rear panel and inside the cupboard under the sink had a replacement piece allocated, although for the area around the Thetford Casette toilet imaginative planning was required because there simply weren’t enough pieces of veneer to go around!

Work could now progress at the front; dampness had travelled upwards but fortunately not too far, there was no way that any attempt to remove the roof was going to be made but by removing the tightly wedged in and screwed front window pelmet, sufficient access was gained to repair the upper portion of the window frame and also successfully attach the new upper side panels. By late September the front side frames were completed, replacement panels attached and the plastic edging beading stapled on. With the front of the caravan totally exposed it was also possible to address any problems with the floor and around the corner steadies. Fortunately the offside was fine and on the nearside there were no structural problems. A small amount of rot was cut out and made good and then the opportunity was taken to cover the whole area, including under the fixed bed with cork tiles which were then given several coats of varnish.

My work as a rowing coach aided greatly to the restoration, not only did I have somewhere to keep my project but I was able to frequently ask the advice of the College’s Head Boatman, a Master boat builder by the name of Andrew who, just like Neil at Carlight has so much experience one can save hours of heartache by listening to their often very simple advice. Every day I would get up at 5.00am and living just a short distance away would be able to spend a good couple of hours on the caravan before work. Rowing often takes up much of my weekend but usually by special arrangement with my wife, it had been her idea after all, I also found some other times during the week or weekend to make good progress.

So it was then that by early October the envisaged transplant of the cocktail cabinet et al. could take place. Early one morning, and in complete secrecy just in case there would be any embarrassment, I offered up the structure. The support beneath the cocktail cabinet rested on the caravan floor and then against minimal resistance the window sill pushed into place. With the nearside aluminium side panel long since removed and the offside one lifting I could see locating holes through the curved corner frame lining up with the transplanted structure. It was in and with a few screws here and there the transplant was well on the way to success. Using various levels and a pitch gauge I carefully selected my screw tightening sequence until I felt I had perfectly aligned the structure and screwed everything up tightly. It was quite a joyous moment and for me signalled that anything was possible, that this once totally rotten caravan could really be restored to its former glory.

2. A Rotten Re-start

2010-03-17T19:41:00.032Z

For one reason and another half a year elapsed before the Triumph and the caravan remains were repatriated to Britain and during that time my wife and I discussed numerous options. In the end my wife persuaded me that we should purchase another Casetta and that I would embark upon my second restoration as required. Having resolved to find a replacement Casetta, it took months before we came across one for sale. When we did it was on eBay and located west of Glasgow. It was described as being completely water tight and dry, ready to tow away and use, and for a winning bid of £1,200 became our second Casetta. In July 2007 we headed north to collect our caravan. What we found wasn’t exactly as we had hoped. Our new caravan was in a very sorry state. It was not as had been advertised and it was quite clear that an extensive restoration would be required; quite how extensive was at that stage unknown.

The second Casetta on collection from Scotland

Once back at Eton I was able to make a more thorough examination of the Casetta. What I found was depressing; merely judging from the inside I was fast reaching the conclusion that all four corners of the caravan were rotten. Matching vinyl self adhesive sheeting had been used extensively to mask rotten veneers; this was why the eBay photographs supported the assertion that all was in good order. The inside of the lower door had not been pictured but this was covered by one sheet of white plastic sackcloth and the same material had also been used in the washroom below the sink. I consoled myself with two things, firstly that most of the damage had been caused by damp; the fittings were all still very much original and little was missing. Secondly, I had the remains of the crash damaged Casetta and this had large quantities of the original interior wood veneer. Consultation with Neil at Carlight confirmed that this was an oak veneer from Italy which had long been out of production; moreover, all the wood suppliers I spoke to informed me that such a thin veneered ply was now totally unavailable in any form! The situation required careful consideration; even though the first Casetta had appeared to be in show condition it carried some faults attributable to previous water ingress; whatever caravan I bought now, there would surely be restorative work required to bring the caravan up to show standard. Late Casettas were becoming increasingly difficult to find in any condition, I had one here and more importantly, the resources with the old caravan to effect a restoration; the situation virtually decided itself, I would indeed embark on my second restoration.

White plastic sackcloth covering the lower door and washroom corner

Another phone call to Neil at Carlight confirmed that to affect proper interior front panel repairs I would need to remove the fibreglass front panel. Once the exterior front panel was off, the extent of the wood rot started to become apparent and my earlier disappointment was fast turning into anger towards the vendor in Scotland. This caravan was not worth anything like what I had paid. The eBay posting and sale had actually been managed through an intermediary family friend of the vendor. This friend sounded sympathetic to my complaints but seemed to get no helpful response from the true vendor. Finally, in exasperation the intermediary furnished me with the vendor’s contact details. I studied various Scottish websites, in particular that of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and discovered various sections of law pertinent to internet auctions. After various correspondences and not really wishing to attend a Scottish court I accepted an out of court compensatory settlement of £200. I now felt a sense of closure and was able to focus my efforts on the restoration.

Having removed the front windows and the fibreglass front end panel it was evident that most of the wood at the front of the caravan was virtually falling off. The actual veneered front panels were in very poor condition, so too the window frames and much of the outline vertical curved frame was simply crumbling away. Damp had also caused damage to the interior side panels in the front corners whilst inside the cocktail cabinet the mirrored tiles were also showing signs of damp damage. I felt that I now had to some critical choices over how to proceed; choices that would impact on the whole nature of this restoration. My primary desire was to attempt to achieve a factory finished look but whilst the framework was relatively easy to replace I needed a plentiful supply of sheet veneer to make proper repairs. Attention was thus focused upon the remains of the original Casetta, which anyway needed disposing of as it was taking up considerable space in another indoor location.

The removed interior front panels from alongside and behind the cocktail cabinet

1. A Carlight brings Triumph and Disaster

2010-03-14T21:35:00.044Z

People enter the world of caravanning for so many different reasons and in my case it was both a common rebound from wet camping experiences and an extension of a passion for classic cars. In the autumn of 2001 a decision was finally made to find a classic caravan and initial research brought up Andrew Jenkinson's book entitled, “Caravans: The Story Of British Trailer Caravans & Their Manufacturers From 1960”. The book was soon to become highly influential and resulted in a short list of marques being drawn up. One of those marques was colloquially referred to as the Rolls Royce of caravans but this label merely served to promote prejudice: surely the caravans would be rare, so too parts and no doubt command exorbitant prices.

Whilst Cheltenhams and Safaris seemed plentiful on the internet market none were forthcoming in first class condition. At the time eBay was still in its infancy and so finding an appropriate caravan relied upon success with a search engine. One such search brought up the original Carlight factory website; what a treasure chest that turned out to be! There was one picture in particular that captivated me, and from that moment on I simply wanted no other caravan than a late Carlight Casetta with smoked plastic windows.

The original Carlight Casetta sales picture - I wanted one!

At the time the Ad Trader website was carrying a surprisingly large number of Carlight adverts and one such advert was for a 1978 Casetta in excellent condition for only £1,100 ono. This caravan was little over an hour’s drive away and on inspection was indeed found to be in great condition; it was very original, undamaged but perhaps slightly tired. A few days later, following the handover of £1,000 I had become the very proud owner of a Carlight; my adventures were only just about to begin!

My then main car was a concourse 1968 MG 1300 saloon. It actually had a highly tuned 1380cc engine and along with many other subtle modifications was in performance terms easily capable of towing my new acquisition. My insurance company confirmed that with regards to towing weights they could only insist upon whatever the manufacturer had stipulated in 1968 – nowhere in my extensive library of 11/1300 books or manufacturer’s manuals could I find a BMC 11/1300 towing weight limit; these did not appear to exist until British Leyland had become the parent company and my insurance company, classic car specialists could not supply contradictory information. As for DVLA, they have no upper weight limit for a trailer being towed by a vehicle in the B+E category. Thus, with my extensive experience of towing rowing boats, often with outfits approaching 18m in length I thought nothing of using the MG to bring the caravan home. The journey from Southampton to Eton didn’t exactly fill me with confidence though; the caravan wallowed about on its old shock absorbers and crossply tyres whilst the MG’s hydrolastic suspension, narrow track and short wheelbase hardly felt commanding. I didn’t venture above 40mph and knew this would be the last time the MG would tow the caravan any distance.

The 1968 performance modified MG 1300 saloon; plenty of poke but lacking stability

There was only one viable solution; I would have to buy another classic car! I set about compiling a short list and as I investigated and studied my classic car books, and browsed various internet websites my first choice became the Triumph 2.5 PI Estate. I realised there would be a small problem, I had only ever seen one of these cars, and that had been at a classic car show some years beforehand. In mark 1 guise Triumph had only built 223 petrol injected estates and 4,250 mark 2’s! The very day I realised these issues I also found on the Triumph World website an advertisement for an almost complete, no expense spared, restored 1972 model. Within the week I was in possession of my chosen tow car; its condition was far superior to anything I could possibly have imagined and this merely galvanised my resolve to restore the Carlight to its former glory.

The newly restored Carlight behind the Triumph 2.5 PI Estate whilst on honeymoon in Scotland

With the total luxury of indoor storage I spent an unhurried four years restoring my first Casetta. Although most of the wood required little more than a good clean and fresh edging paint, there was still much to do such as re-wiring and stripping the body of everything including removing all the windows for a re-spray. My impending marriage hastened its completion and my wife and I honeymooned in Skye for its maiden voyage. We then took the caravan to Exmoor and the following year on a tour through the Swiss Alps. A trip soon after to France ended in disaster with the rear of the caravan being quite literally sliced off by a French truck; the Carlight experience looked to be over.

Carlight with outside toilet!