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Topic: Abi Monza 1400ct rebuild

briggsi

05/12/2016 at 4:51pm
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Hi guys newbie here (sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place)
I recently acquired a 1970's/80's Abu monza 1400ct and I knew it would be a complete strip out and overhaul job.

I bought it for £70 which I thought was a steal and still do 😊 and have been trawling through posts since trying to get the just of how to tackle this and here is my plan.
1) get a cover over her

2)strip out to the bare shell (timbert frame - what's left of it)

3) repair / replace where necessary ( again I think there will be repairs throughout as all corners have been affected by damp)

4) reseal all windows and awning rails

5) re-board, I am thinking of using just 3.6mm ply to save costs and then just painting this with a quality paint / primer. I know wall board is preferred but is there any real reason not to use ordinary ply? the boards will be connected with the plastic D strip things

6) make new furniture, same layout as original

7 ) go get my pension 😂 ( I am currently 23)

my main questions are,
when doing the frame I won't be taking the sides off so everything will be done from the inside and bonding this to the ally body using sikaflex is this right?

I am wanting to save costs so will standard ply be OK for the sides?

the current wall insulation is thin polystyrene, will try his suffice when rebuilding.

what's the best way to tackle it, sections at a time I'm thinking so the van doesn't collapse

I will be modifying it to electric only and having a sparky look over it before I commission her

I'm sure I will have more and more questions on this journey and hope you can all follow me.

Also I'm looking at keeping my spend below £800 (will be tackling it all myself) and i know it may not be worth it but me and my Mrs are getting married in April and this is will be my gift to her

sorry for the large post but I would be very great full for your help and support on this epic build

thanks

Grampian91

05/12/2016 at 9:38pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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1, get a cover. If ots leaking them it will help prevent further damage. But you wont have it covered in use and it often rains when in use.

2, strip out the shell. If you take out several supporting strips the shell can sag and it wont go back together properly. Before stripping out you need to support it.

3, Repair all corners. You mayb find its actually worse than you think. Check the fixed it threads. Quite often a small damp spot turns into a complete rebuild.

4, reaseal all windows and rails. Check the cost of this and probably having to relace the timber frames also.
£12 per roll of sealant or £8 per tube of sealant? It can get costly.

5, 3.6mm boarding. The only issue is the extra weight. Your going to add wuite a bit of extra weight to the van. The original boarding is fairly light in comparison.

6, make new furniture, comes down to weight again. I took the kitchen unit out of an old van a long time back and it was so light it surprised me.
Like picking a kettle up that appears to be full but its empty.

Caravans are build inside to out. Your cupboards for example will be fixed from the outside/Removing a wall cupboard for example will usually require a good tug which rips it out messily. Or you slide a saw blade in and cut through the fixing.

Save costs on the ply but increase the weight.

Modify to electric only, what if the site you need to goto only has non electric pitches?
Or you goto a site where the power fluctuates as other users switch items on and off?

I would keep the battery and gas just in case.

I think £800 is optimistic unless you can get a lot of those materials really cheaply.

briggsi

05/12/2016 at 10:29pm
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thanks for you very detailed reply.

I am expecting to redo all of the the framing and from what I can see it is all 2x1 except for some contoured plywood in the corners where the roof is, I can get 4.8m of 2x1 for £2

and from my research the 3.6mm ply weighs the same as the wall board (7kg)

with regards to the interior i do not intend to keep any of the existing furniture and the wood i would be using to make the furniture is lighter than existing and there will be less cupboards and more shelf.

also with the gas I would prefer not to have to re-plumb it all as it seems in previous years it has been capped in places and it's peace of mind more than anything, we only go to electric pitches as my Mrs is a bit of a diva!

definitely food for thought though!

thanks for your advice

Greg M

06/12/2016 at 7:17am
Location: South Wales
Outfit: Elddis Majestic 155

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Hi,
This is quite an undertaking for you.
I think Grampian has covered most points,
Certainly the extra weight issue would have to be addressed.
The only thing I would add is take lots of photographs and measurements before touching anything.
Although it won't be easy try and remove pieces
intact so you have a template for the replacement.
If I were attempting a build of this scale I would certainly reinstate the gas along the way.
Good luck on your project.
Regards,
Greg

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Growing old is not for sissies

Grampian91

06/12/2016 at 7:18am
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Dont forget some of those cupboards and other furniture add structural integrity to the shell.

They are a lightweight form of an angle bracket.

The only thing i find with that 2x1 is as you get lower down the pile everyone has cherry picked the straighest and least knot ridden pieces.

Need to get the new batch.

briggsi

06/12/2016 at 9:28am
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Thanks guys I really appreciate your feedback.

Unfortunately most of the cupboards are already stripped out of the van,

And with regards to weight I will definitely further research the weights etc. as I design overhead lines for trains I will be modelling all my furniture and sizing up length,widths and weights prior to purchashing the materials.

keeping the gas appliances would be great I just wouldn't attemp re installing the gas and am worried getting a gas safe plumber along with a sparky will eat massively into my budget as I want everything doing right.
What cost do you think I am looking at?

Thanks
Briggsi

Greg M

06/12/2016 at 9:42am
Location: South Wales
Outfit: Elddis Majestic 155

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Hi,
If you can rebuild a caravan you can run gas lines.
To keep the cost down when you have it fitted just try and tap up a gas fitter visiting nearby to just put his manometer and sniffer on it. I have done similar in the past when I suspected a leak on my previous m/home.
Cost me a tenner.
As regards furniture ,you might find buying used a cheaper alternative.I have enclosed a link to a breakers near me to give you an idea.Many more listed on the companies page on this site.

Regards
Greg

http://www.caravanbreakers.net/index.php/9

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Growing old is not for sissies

briggsi

06/12/2016 at 2:05pm
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thanks again Greg and gas is something I will look into for sure now,

With regards to furniture I was thinking of making all the overhead cupboards as timber frames clad with ply and then ply again for the seat supports and kitchen units, looking at weights this seems the lightest and cheapest option.

the existing timber is just chipboard and is pretty heavy so I am confident ply will be lighter and as it's a 30 year old + van I am not looking for perfection just a solid and DRY van that I can add to over the years.

thanks for the links to the breakers, didn't think that was even a thing for caravans.

briggsi

Greg M

06/12/2016 at 3:48pm
Location: South Wales
Outfit: Elddis Majestic 155

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Hi,
Well good luck, I enclosed the breakers in case you needed vents ,windows etc.
As I said ,I would take lots of photos and if you hit a snag you can post your photos as other people on here have carried out rebuilds.
I wish you all the best and what a wonderful wedding present it will be.
Please keep us up to date on your progress.
I suppose with your job you will put a pantograph on the roof.
Good luck.
Regards,
Greg

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Growing old is not for sissies

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