Re-build and re-purpose of 1978 Solifer Artic 45T

[Rahe]

Hello dear caravaneers,

So i recently bought an all most half a century old caravan for the purpose of rebuilding as a burger trailer. At some point in its life it got some water in it so there was plenty of mold and a lot of the wood inside the outer walls had already composed into dirt. It felt very flimsy and stank so i decided to strip all the internal walls out and left about half of the foam insulation that still looked all good. During dismantling i saw that the frame had cracked around the wheels and the outer frame parts were bent downwards. So the first thing towards repair i welded the fractures of the frame on both sides. Other than the cracks near wheels the rest of the frame looks all right. Now the shocks look old and rusty but they seem to be working all right and theres no play or noise on wheel bearings so i decided i let the axle stay as it is for now.

Now comes the tricky part that i dont know much about. Im thinking i should start with the outside of the caravan to make it waterproof again. I believe i can use the old windows and a roof hatch but all the outer slats need to be replaced. The ones that join the side walls and the ceiling + front/rear wall. New ones would have to be a bit wider than the originals as the aluminum sheets have corroded a liddle bit and the original size doesnt quite cover the corrosion.

The front window has been removed by the previous owner and the new aluminum sheet was fitted with silicone and rivets. I need to remove the rivets and add a proper connection to make it water proof.
Now i plan on going through the build with you guys in this thread but before we dig any further i need some help with the outside shell of the caravan. As english is not my first language i may call certain items by wrong names, sorry for that. So first thing im looking for is the 90 degree trim to make a waterproof joint between the side walls and the front to rear ceiling panel. Also i need couple 180 degree trims for the front side where the front window was removed. So any ideas as to where/how to source the right size trims for the caravan would be greatly appreciated. I live in Eastern Europe.

Another question is whether i should start by repainting the caravan or should i get the outside into one piece first? it would be easier to get everywhere with my paint gun without the trims added but at the same time i would probably damage the paint again during adding the trims and windows and etc.

Now im adding some pictures of the inside of the caravan as well. I do realise that the internal walls and furniture played important role in the structural strength but i used to be a scaffolder for over 5 years so im confident i can restore the structural strength of the caravan.


Now the flooring plywood has a very strong bond with the floor insulation so removing the floor is quite difficult and to be honest it doesnt feel soft either so im hoping the water damage somehow hasnt reached the floor. Even if the floor is damaged theres still a strong metal frame underneath so i was just thinking of adding another layer of OSB or plywood to the floor and call it a day. What do you guys think of that?
Im located in Estonia, Europe and the laws here are that 1 axle trailer cannot exceed 750kg. So i need to be very conservative with adding plywood as the kitchen equipment at the end will all ready be around 200kg.
I know theres going to be few people reading it thinking why bother just buy a caravan thats in a bit better condition then i´ll save you some time. At the time of purchase i did not realise that some of the slats inside the external wall had decomposed into dirt and i was just hoping this to be a quick build of repainting and adding the kitchen but in the process i realised this way its not going to have too many years left so i decided to go through with the build to cut my losses because as a scrap its probably worth only couple hundred €€. Also buying another one theres no quarantee of the condition of the caravan. At least re-building it myself i can rest easy knowing my burger trailer is not going to collapse anytime soon.

Thank you for reading this long post . Any information and suggestions are welcome.
Ray

 

[Buckman]

I am not sure but for insurance purposed you may need a Certificate of Conformity also it may need to be approved for road use as the internals will no longer be in place. It is the internals that make a caravan rigid.
Before spending any more money inquire about insurance as whether it is never going to move or not , insurance will probably be required for use as a business.

 

[Rahe]

i was thinking how do they know what the internal used to be like? basically there was a little closet and a little bathroom. Across the bathroom there was a little cupboard with a sink and a stove on top. at the front there was a larger bed and at the rear there was a table with sofas that you could turn into a bed. Now i believe the beds added a little bit to the riggity and the main strength was added by the closet and bathroom along with the sink cupboard. i intend to rebuild the closet roughly to the original size and add a counter accross to the other side. But thanks for the idea. i´ll email the local dmv right away to make sure everything will be all right.

 

[Jcloughie]

A hell of a lot of work. Also the need to add heavy commercial kitchen equipment, and all within 750 kg. Will this be possible? Best of luck. but think about the weight limits before spending too much.


John

 

[Rahe]

As the door is quite small then the larger equipment would need to be installed through the window. Now instead of a heavy stove i was thinking a gas hotplate that can be removed from the trailer for the duration of transport. Considering the weight limit a lot of the equipment will need to be removable. Probably the heaviest fixed piece is going to be the fridge.

 

[Buckman]

As the door is quite small then the larger equipment would need to be installed through the window. Now instead of a heavy stove i was thinking a gas hotplate that can be removed from the trailer for the duration of transport. Considering the weight limit a lot of the equipment will need to be removable. Probably the heaviest fixed piece is going to be the fridge.

However if trailer is limited to 750kg that may pose another issue as that is the total weight that the axle can handle. Also need to consider loading on the tyres. Good luck with your project.