Old vans can still hack it - with a little TLC!
I have been discussing the travels with my old caravan with my father and remembering the days when I was young. He has just emailed me with this amazing balck and white photo he took of his outfit in June 1959! Yes, that's me standing there! We are apparently on our way back from touring Scotland.
He had bought the A30 van and cut and fitted the windows to convert it to a 'car' himself. The benefit of purchasing the van over the car version was that it avoided purchase tax, as the van was classed as a commercial vehicle! Another benefit was that the van had a lower ratio 1st gear than the car version, he tells me. That came in very useful when we were touring the hills of Wales during those times!
I am guessing it was from a time before 85% was the recommended ratio! However, the plate weight (I still have the original plate) states the basic weight as 10cwt, although I would question that. It is somewhat more than that now, what with the fridge, electrics, battery, and a few other items. However, It still tows well, as long as I have the towball height adjusted correctly, and of course good weight distribution and noreweight.
To bring the tale of the same van uo to date I have also added a photo I took (with my phone hence the quality, or lack of) during 2011 while at Warwick Folk Festival. I will at some point post a more detailed story of the rebuild and subsequent work and TLC done to keep the old girl going!
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An update from my dad:
Apparently he had a 'slip of the finger' when typing the email, it should be 1958, in fact he wrote further notes about the photo - as you can see he kept alog of all travels with the caravan, and indeed still does with their current one! I am afraid I am
not so fastidious:"Sorry, I meant 1958 of course. The date was 28 June, 8.45 am, at Naburn Grange Farm. We had arrived from Crawford, in Scotland, 171 miles, at 7.40 the previous evening. On the morning of 28 we went into York, had lunch there, and returned to the
caravan. Left at 3.10 pm, arrived home, 119 miles, at 9.03 pm. Enough details?! That's all I have! (Not quite - we stopped for tea at a layby near Nottingham at 5.30). No motorways then, and max. 30 mph for caravans."0 -
My father converted an Austin A50 van the same way with windows from a scrapyard. WRF 640 was its registration. Happy memories.
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