My 6 pot Carawagon.. again!
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:32 pm
Or "speed buggy" as it was known as by the previous owner's children!
Here she is, my 1967 Carawagon 6-cylinder. One owner from new, still in contact and hoping to meet soon to exchange photos and stories etc (they even have cinefilm with the vehicle on throughout their many holidays). Has travelled a lot around Europe, all through the alps in all seasons. They used to ski a lot, so it did a lot of alpine winter driving, and a lot of summer driving too. Coins inside found from England (both pre and post decimalisation), France, Netherlands and Germany, though it did also travel to Austria, Andorra, Spain and probably others. When it was new the owner was stationed in Germany with the forces, so the vehicle and (rapdily growing) family took the carawagon out there with them for a couple of years. Got a lovely history too it, and hopefully I can soon start to compile a proper file on it.
Anyway, having been unused for around 20 years I managed to save it (just in time, with the crusher in its sights!). The family were heartbroken that it was to be scrapped, so were very happy indeed that I stepped in at the right moment, and as such a deal was struck that if I could save and restore it, the vehicle was mine. Lots of rot, but most of all around 99% complete - only things I could see missing are the tap for the sink, and the fuel pump. All fittings in the back intact and in pretty good shape - it's let in a surprisingly little amount of water when it has been sat, with the bulkhead taking in most of that water and seemingly trapping it....
Where it languished for quite a while. Tax ran out the end of 1989; so this vehicle has been off the road all the time I have been alive
How I found it at the council impound. Gas bottle bracket obviously taken a knock and the old ally rivets holding it to the chassis have dropped out!
Pretty straight vehicle - the panel gaps were all spot on, even with a decaying chassis and rotten door frames. Quite impressive! (door top was ripped off to gain access before I got the keys - the wheels were at an angle which proved troublesome when putting it onto the low loader!)
Lots of pics of (slow) progress here on my facebook album - this should be a public link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 42c5056fa8
Cheers!
Calum
Here she is, my 1967 Carawagon 6-cylinder. One owner from new, still in contact and hoping to meet soon to exchange photos and stories etc (they even have cinefilm with the vehicle on throughout their many holidays). Has travelled a lot around Europe, all through the alps in all seasons. They used to ski a lot, so it did a lot of alpine winter driving, and a lot of summer driving too. Coins inside found from England (both pre and post decimalisation), France, Netherlands and Germany, though it did also travel to Austria, Andorra, Spain and probably others. When it was new the owner was stationed in Germany with the forces, so the vehicle and (rapdily growing) family took the carawagon out there with them for a couple of years. Got a lovely history too it, and hopefully I can soon start to compile a proper file on it.
Anyway, having been unused for around 20 years I managed to save it (just in time, with the crusher in its sights!). The family were heartbroken that it was to be scrapped, so were very happy indeed that I stepped in at the right moment, and as such a deal was struck that if I could save and restore it, the vehicle was mine. Lots of rot, but most of all around 99% complete - only things I could see missing are the tap for the sink, and the fuel pump. All fittings in the back intact and in pretty good shape - it's let in a surprisingly little amount of water when it has been sat, with the bulkhead taking in most of that water and seemingly trapping it....
Where it languished for quite a while. Tax ran out the end of 1989; so this vehicle has been off the road all the time I have been alive
How I found it at the council impound. Gas bottle bracket obviously taken a knock and the old ally rivets holding it to the chassis have dropped out!
Pretty straight vehicle - the panel gaps were all spot on, even with a decaying chassis and rotten door frames. Quite impressive! (door top was ripped off to gain access before I got the keys - the wheels were at an angle which proved troublesome when putting it onto the low loader!)
Lots of pics of (slow) progress here on my facebook album - this should be a public link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 42c5056fa8
Cheers!
Calum
. I notice you mentioned LPG; my Dormobile currently has a tank in the back, which is right in the way. Out of interest, how are you planning to fit tanks into your vehicle, and what sort of capacity can you fit?