Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[gigirl]

Hi ,we have just joined and have recently been lucky enough to come across a Thomson Dart, which we purchased and are now in the process of restoring . We were very pleased with our find as we make retro teardrop caravans ,so have a passion for old caravans and trailers .
It would be great if any of you out there know any additional info on the 'Dart 'other than that which is on the Thomson site . Which dosn't tell us much at all, we know it was built between 1934 and 1949 but it would be great to actually find out its true age .


Regards Sue and Chris

[Bayliss Thomas]

Can't help with the info' your looking for but would say - Great looking caravan. Please keep us posted with your resto progress.

[gresham flyer]

Hello,What a great find.
How did you come across it. Do you know when it was last used and any history.
I do like these small vans,it would look nice behind a small engined classic car,my Hillman Minx Californian for example.

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Or even this Finished in Black and Charcoal Grey.

[gigirl]

[quote="gresham flyer"]Hello,What a great find.
How did you come across it. Do you know when it was last used and any history.

We were lucky enough to find the 'Dart ' whilst out looking for an old caravan driving through the country lanes here in Cornwall. We approached its owner left a note asking if he was interested in selling it to us ,and he did all for the pricely sum of £100. It was our intention to use the chassis of an old derelict caravan to build a Teardrop for ourselves but our fortune changed when we found the Dart as it was almost teardrop shape but a bit bigger .
We only know about the history of the Dart from the.
Thomson site and I have contacted Graham Thompson but alas still no reply as of yet .
The former owner bought it at a local auction 3 yrs previous and we are trying to trace where it came from as they were originally built in Falkirk Scotland so its travelled the length of the country to end up here in Penzance.
We hope to hear from Graham and he may be able to give us some more information. Fingers crossed . Ive added some pics of when we first found it .
Sue and Chris

[old van man]

Hi, if you join the the Historic caravan club and then contact the club historian i am sure he can help , to my knowledge there is two restored dart`s and one unrestored out there OVM

[gresham flyer]

Hello Sue and Chris,
Thank you for the story about your caravan.

I think you ought to leave it as is and restore what you have.

If you would like to build a new teardrop caravan there are plenty of aftermarket chassis`s out there,then your skills would come into there own building the body.
I too am looking for a small caravan like a teardrop to add to my collection.Perhaps I will resort to building my own from scratch,a lot quicker in a lot of cases,and modern running gear to boot.
Regards
Mark.

[gigirl]

[gigirl]

Just thought Id update you on our progress with the restoration of our Thomson Dart .
Chris has filled and primed the mudguards

the Dart has been re riveted as the rivets were ground down, we have replaced them with dome headed rivets

The chassis has been primed and the tow hitch cleaned up


The axle has been removed and widened to fill the arches better
before
after .
All the hubs have been stripped and cleaned .
Regards chris and sue

[T-line H&I]

Hi Sue and Chris, love the pics, sorry I did not reply to e-mail as soon as expected but have to admit that sometimes I get snowed under with mail and with my poor health it is not always easy to use the PC. Thanks for the latest pics which have been added to your Out and About Album, will also add these new ones as well.

All the best

Graham
_________________
http://www.thomson-caravans.co.uk
Thomson Caravans History and Information

Graham P Thompson