First Portafold in Sweden.

[minicab]

Hello everyone.

If hope that you have read my presentation on "Introduce Yourself".
Here is a part of my presentation:

I'm a man from Sweden and live on the west coast 30 km south of Gothenburg.
I always liked English cars since I was very young.
Mostly, I have owned Mini, MG and Rover.
Today I own a Mini Convertible from 1975, which I exhibit at car shows.
I work as a computer technician.

According to vehicle registration office, I am the first owner of a Portafold in Sweden.

The Portafold is imported from Netherlands by a man who imports vintage caravans in Sweden.

I will return with pictures of the Mini and Portafold together.

Here is the first pictures of my new owned Portafold:

More pictures are available at:

http://s955.photobucket.com/albums/ae36 ... Portafold/

[triumphtone]

Anders

Looks like a nice unit

Anth

[txfsealord]

Hi Anders,

Very tidy-looking caravan you have there! Although one thing caught my eye......

In your first picture, of the van folded, I noticed how close the tyre is to the top of the wheel arch. Were there a lot of heavy things inside at the time? If not, when you load it up for use you will find the tyres rubbing on the fibreglass. Unlike a car, there is no recess above the wheel to permit suspension travel, so the clearance you can see above the tyre is the available suspension travel! Unloaded, the wheel should be concentric with the wheelarch.

My Ansfold had exactly the same issue when I acquired it, which is why I noticed it on yours. On the Ansfold, the axle is mounted on heavy steel plates which form the rear end of the A-frame. Inside the double-skinning of the hull is a large piece of 3/4" thick plywood, to further spread the load. In my case the ply had become wet & rotted; the steel plate had then punched its way through the hull floor & allowed the axle to twist round, effectively "lowering" the suspension.

I dealt with the fault by removing the axle & A frame, then welding angle-irons to the steel plates to move the suspension loads into the corners of the wheelarches. The hull is much stronger here because the wheelarches' vertical face stiffens the floor structure.

Steve Lord

[minicab]

Dear Anth.

Thanks.

Anders

Looks like a nice unit

Anth

[minicab]

Hello Steve.

Thanks for your message.

The Portafold was not heavily loaded in the picture.
The tyres is not rubbing on the fiberglass om my Portafold.

Hi Anders,

Very tidy-looking caravan you have there! Although one thing caught my eye......

In your first picture, of the van folded, I noticed how close the tyre is to the top of the wheel arch. Were there a lot of heavy things inside at the time? If not, when you load it up for use you will find the tyres rubbing on the fibreglass. Unlike a car, there is no recess above the wheel to permit suspension travel, so the clearance you can see above the tyre is the available suspension travel! Unloaded, the wheel should be concentric with the wheelarch.

My Ansfold had exactly the same issue when I acquired it, which is why I noticed it on yours. On the Ansfold, the axle is mounted on heavy steel plates which form the rear end of the A-frame. Inside the double-skinning of the hull is a large piece of 3/4" thick plywood, to further spread the load. In my case the ply had become wet & rotted; the steel plate had then punched its way through the hull floor & allowed the axle to twist round, effectively "lowering" the suspension.

I dealt with the fault by removing the axle & A frame, then welding angle-irons to the steel plates to move the suspension loads into the corners of the wheelarches. The hull is much stronger here because the wheelarches' vertical face stiffens the floor structure.

Steve Lord

[minicab]

After leaving the chassis number to Matthew / Admin. He found information on the Portafold is manufactured in 1974.

[Misty Meg]

Hi Steve -

Just a thought - this is a Portafold, rather than an Ansfold, so it won't have the double skin will it?

I've been playing with mine this weekend and went out to check this. Without the double skin I doubt there is plywood involved - fingers crossed.

Best wishes - Jenny
(Either my arms will drop off or I will end up looking like Popeye - who's great idea was it to polish the Portafold!?!)

[txfsealord]

Hi Jen,

The "double-skin" which Ansfolds have & Portafolds don't, is in the roof - if it has fins it's single-skin, if not it's double, & even heavier.

What I was referring to in the case of Anders' van, was the plywood 'slab' which stiffens the floor & axle mounts. All vans with flat floors to their footwells have this. If the floor is ribbed, the upper hull moulding is different, & these vans may not have structural plywood - I don't know. It's a question I hope to answer at the August rally, as I've wondered about it for some time now.

On the flat-floored vans, the existence of the plywood has to be inferred from the 'step' in the locker-bases between the wheelarches & the method of attachment of the corner steadies' inboard ends. There is nowhere you can see actual wood, without cutting fibreglass away.

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer you - I didn't see your question.

(I hope you didn't end up looking like Popeye!)

Steve Lord