New to Dandy's and need advice

Hi Everyone
We have just bought a Dandy I think it is a 5, 1980. We knew it needed some things doing and din't pay very much for it but have now discovered it needs some welding on the frame that has legs attached. It has numerous other things like it needs a new bed floor but my husband can replace that. We just want to be able to use it. Any advice greatly received. My sister has had her Dandy for years and loves it so we thought we'd give it a try and I would like to be as good as new if that's possible without costing a fortune.
Thanks Everyone
Gina

Hi Gina, welcome to the forum.

Do you mean the frame that pulls out and supports the beds. It should be easy to weld that as it is easily accessible and the heat should not damage anything. After you can paint it with hammerite smooth silver and make it look really smart as well as protect it.

But do you mean the little square brackets attached to the trailer chassis that the frame slides through.

Yes it is the little square brackets attached to the trailer chassis that the frame slides through. They are very corroded, it needs other things inside sorting but I think we can do that I would just like it to be as good as we can make it, its super apart from that. Would you also know what it should have as standard? We have the cooker and sink and the cupboards which have all been painted black and look awful, we are not sure what if anything else there should be, we have the skirts but no awning.
Thank you for getting back to me.

Hi and welcome gina, congratulations on your new Dandy.

Any question as to whether a Dandy can be made as good as new is well answered by these photos of a restoration carried out by one of our esteemed members -



Almost all repairs can be carried out using commonly available materials. A rivet gun is an essential tool for any Dandy owner but no other special equipment is needed.

It sounds like you have everything that should be in the camper. Have you any photos that can help us advise further? You can post photos yourself after seven days but if you've any in the meantime you can email them to chefellwood(at)gmail.com and I'll pop them on the thread (replace the (at) with the usual symbol).

There are plenty of options for third-party awnings, many of which will be easier to erect than the Dandy PVC one. See here - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]