Suzuki Club UK

Ahh should of bought a defender

haha tom she just doesnt like 4x4's, she wants a civic type R, keep telling her she wont be able to insure one for a while...

okay guys the caravan was dropped off yesterday so i went over to the workshop to check it out, bit of a wreck at first sight but still had high ambitions...

went over today and had a full day cleaning it all out and fixing three of the legs, the two rears were completely bent and snapped the bolts, so after straightening them and fitting new bolts they work as they should again now, pics to follow...
so thats the rough patches om the outside, there are a few war wounds on the outside but things like drap marks and dents arent much of a problem, just matches the zuk then, all holes will be patched up and repaired, i have a pair of white side markers i bought for the zuk but ill use them for the front of the caravan, we have a pair of new LED tail lights for it and 13 pin caravan electrics to wire in, all wiring is a mess so will be stripping it out and re-wiring everything..

for the interior..
list of things to do...

repair holes in bodywork
remove, straighten and refit nearside rear bottom panel
find or make a new front window
find or make a new front nearside window
repair, buy or make a new door
check brakes and suspension
wire in 13 pin electrics and new tail lights
reseal all strips and refit with stainless screws
repair damp corner above kitchen in the rear
make a table that can convert to the bed panel
cover cushions in new material
strip wallpaper off and glue van mat to walls
fit new led interior lights
fit all new electrics
have all gass equipment checked over

will add more as i think of it...

Great stuff, tbh it's in a worse state than I expected, but I'm glad your confident that you will sort it and I'm sure you will, are you going to paint it in a matching red? Have you got any idea of time scales? It's a nice size for zook towing how does it qualify legally? I'm looking forward to seeing some in progress pictures,

Yep it is in quite a state but so was the zuk when I got that and look at it now haha, I'm confident that I can sort it out and get some life into it again, the mrs is in charge of the interior so will see how that turns out, she's got some good ideas so far so will see...

The exterior is going to get a fresh coat of paint when it's all straightened up, it will be white with a red stripe horizontally where it has the handles in, just to make it look a bit different cause it will never look like a compass commodore again lol

Not sure on the weight yet but it is very basic inside and take very little effort to pull so I'll have to take it to a weigh bridge when fully loaded with whatever is needed including the awning etc and see what it weighs, going to hook it on the zuk tomorrow I think and drive it round the storage and see how it is at pulling away...

Hopefully more progress tomorrow...

Have ordered a water inlet, 240v inlet, new door lock and some stainless screws so I can do the rear window seal strip to stop the water getting in, then I will pick up some 3mm ply and some batton and repair the rot in the back wall next to the window...

Make the red stripe match the 410. Get rid of every identifying mark on the thing, and make it obvious that it's a completely custom job designed specifically for your Suzi.

If you can, get alloys for it and make them match your 410's wheels if possible. Maybe even paint a Rhino on it!



Or a big red Suzuki symbol:



I have a little 650kg van that is in great condition except for the paintwork on the outside. I'm going to redo the paint too, but I'm thinking I might paint the lower half the same red as the Yaris.

I'm going to redo the paintwork as standard, then get some "plastidip" made up the same colour as the Yaris, and "dip" the lower section of the van the same red.

I may go the same red with the SJ. We'll see...

Anyhow, good project mate! Plenty to do, but at the same time, the more there is to do, the more proud you can be of the final result! You have it in you to succeed here, so I've got the popcorn ready for this build...

Thanks Anton!

My plan is to use some of the paint from the 410 to do my stripe, all evidence of it being a compass is going to be removed, I might have some new red stickers made for it to say it's a compass comodore again but a completely different style of writing etc, so it will be like a custom compass comodore, will see when I get round to that, I wasn't going to update this thread as there didn't seem to be much interest, but if people are interested in it then I'll keep it updated...

Done the towing electrics today and all works a treat with the new LED tail lights, got the wires on spade connectors onto fuses just to test it when we finished it just until the fuse boxes come in the post...

Pics to follow when I'm next on the laptop...

Looks just about the right size for an SJ.

Bet I could tow that pretty fast down a byway!

Haha dan I think it's had enough damage to it as it is lol think the next job is fitting fuse boxes, fitting and wiring in the 240v inlet and a bit of plumbing for the water inlet I'll be putting on the far side...

Will get my LED side markers on the front to replace the side lights that are broken so it's getting there pretty quick, just need to buy some 3mm ply and get the damp areas repaired

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with writing brand names of caravans on it, rename it something cool and brand it with that instead.

At least, that's what I would do!