Caravan makeover – £5.99 Bailey
This month, Lee Davey discovers what lies beneath the surface on the 1977 Bailey Maru
Few things trump the joy of working with fresh wood and materials. Akin to freshly cut grass, sawing new timber is a sensory overload, and cladding a once weary interior with new wallboards is incredibly satisfying, bringing a ‘newness’ to the Bailey Maru that it hasn’t enjoyed since the Sex Pistols were in the charts. However, such working conditions were unlikely to last forever.
The chassis and hitch are major caravanning components with the former supporting the entire structure and the latter attaching it to your towcar. This is the reason we checked both in the early stages of the project to make sure, structurally, what lies beneath is shipshape and ready for a freshenup. In an ideal world, we’d raise the caravan with a purpose-built lift and work beneath in comfort. In reality, we waited for a dry day before dressing in ‘scruffs’ and crawling underneath…
As caravans have wheels in the middle, it allows us to lift either end by raising or lowering the jockey wheel, bracing the caravan with the corner steadies once the desired angle is achieved. As the gap between a levelled caravan chassis and the ground is considerably less than the width of a middle-aged man (especially with my lockdown weight), I must stress the importance of ensuring all is secure before scurrying underneath. Should you need extra support from axle stands, etc, it’s time well spent. With the hitch pointing skywards, as though ready for take-off, work can begin.
I’ve never been a fan of painting anything by brush, be it skirting board, ceiling, or caravan chassis. Charlie, however, finds it therapeutic, so we devised a cunning plan where I’d prepare the surface and he’d cover it with lashings of Hammerite. Wire brushing neglected metalwork is a messy business; one that requires goggles, dust mask, and the occasional pair of wire-resistant gloves. Power tools were introduced where possible, but the humble handheld wire brush proved surprisingly effective at dealing with flaky paint. With the caravan at a jaunty angle, I was also able to check suspension bushes for wear by wiggling the wheel from side to side and checking for up-and-down
movement with a pry bar. The braking system is also evident, but we’ll deal with that next time.
The underside of our Maru’s floor is protected by an insulated layer, no doubt allowing many a sock-clad foot to walk the garish 1970s carpet in comfort. The downside of this is an external layer which isn’t as durable as plywood and one which requires restraint when wire brushing the adjoining chassis rail. An offcut of wallboard butted against the floor can provide suitable protection, but with one hand brushing while the other held said offcut in place, I seemed to be calling upon muscles I never knew I had. Remember the 1970s Bullworker adverts? I now know how the chap in the advert must’ve felt.
This may seem like a backward step, but now’s the time to grease the hitch and decide if everything is serviceable, or whether it requires a rebuild. Grease and paint don’t mix, but I needed to check for smooth drawbar action, wear in the hitch coupling, and efficiency of the damper. The damper from our previous caravan project – a 1967 Bailey Maestro – had expired, resulting in a ‘clang’ each time the drawbar was pulled forward or pushed backwards. Replacement meant a full hitch rebuild but allowed us to clean, check, and grease all necessary parts. Thankfully, the hitch damper on our current project is good, resisting the initial pull and giving a nice, smooth action through the length of travel. The grease nipples were also clear and allowed pumped grease to emerge from the ends of the drawbar which signalled a service, not a rebuild. With the freshly applied grease removed by rag and brake cleaner, I could wire brush this area ready for Charlie’s paintbrush.
Hammerite is a well-proven product, cheap compared to similar paints, and more importantly, I already had a tin in the garage. Thanks to special thinners, cleaning Hammerite from brushes isn’t so easy so I purchased a 5-pack of Coral ‘No Bristle Loss’ paintbrushes for
£6.97 which proved excellent… and disposable at just £1.39 per brush. Charlie dabbed and brushed to his heart’s content, coating every square inch of accessible area with a shiny black coating. With hindsight, disposable gloves would’ve been a good idea but at least it gave us a good excuse to get him in the bath afterwards. Areas that were difficult to reach were squirted with Eastwood Chassis Black, a product specially designed for automotive restoration, although caravans arguably fall into this category. Thankfully, I also had a tin of this in the garage from another project as it’s quite costly.
Dressed in shabby clothing and crawling underneath an ageing structure isn’t particularly glamorous but protecting the underside of your caravan is surprisingly therapeutic. Out of sight isn’t necessarily out of mind and we’ll be able to tow the Bailey Maru along highways safe in the knowledge that one more piece of the puzzle is as good as the day it left the factory.
I’ve never been a fan of
painting anything by
brush but Charlie finds it therapeutic!