Our first Dandy.

Bought our first Dandy this weekend> It's a 70's Orange Dandy four which has been in the family for years. It's been dry stored in my Uncles garage for the last eight years after my Aunt died but he was happy. Unfortunately he appears to have given it a bit of a paint job which doesn't agree with my tastes but we'll see what we can be done to make it more to our taste.

Started this weekend stripping and painting the legs, A frame and hitch.

Congratulations, looking forward to seeing some pictures and Welcome to the Dandy Campers ..... hope you make many happy memories with your new Dandy

And Bassbones.
The Orange clan.

bassbones

Phoenix is having a modesty attack it's through him we have so much detail on Dandy renovation see:

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and

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If your Dad painted the sides how are the bottom edges? The specialist Phenolic Ply used on the Dandys is fantastically resiliant but more than 40 years takes its toll. The bottom corners of My Green Un are just beginning to go and I think Cazz and Wayne have some issues. You might not like the colour (Phenolic ply is no oil painting anyway) but if the bottom edges are solid you should be thanking your Uncle.

Cazz and Wayne's

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The green Un

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That hitch looks similar to ours, but is slightly different. Mr Itch is going to get excited.

Phoenix wrote:That hitch looks similar to ours, but is slightly different. Mr Itch is going to get excited.

That is a Bradley hitch the same as mine. The unit is later as it has the aluminium bed frames mine are wooden.
Do both U section roof bars telescope as the cover doesn't have a "lump" in it on the offside.
Yes the sides are a bit uniform sick dog brown (yes that was meant to read sick dog not dog sick. N.B. I'm not saying what item pertaining to the sick dog it is the colour of!) but remember there was never a grain on the ply surface I think it was topped in a thin paper or cloth veneer. Might just be tempted to paint over. Blackboard paint with a couple of coats of lacquer on top does a good deep black. Saw a re built Dandy with ply painted fawn like the early alloy sides and with suitable decals. If those sides are solid it either lived in a garage permanently or your v lucky.
New wheels and mudguards at some point. You don't still have the Mini wheels do you?

The hole in the Bradly hitch can be opened out to 10.5mm or 11mm to insert a substantial padlock. Bradley spares may be available if necessary.

The B & B hitch used on Phoenix's Dandy was manufactured by a Messrs Bird & Billington.

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good to see the old ones prove they still have loads of life in them can't wait for more pictures

I've just realised from reading through this and the spare parts thread that we know very little about the orange dandy we bought my dad, it has wooden sides but it also has telescopic u bars on both sides
I've been trying to figure out what lump people are referring to I think from reading I understand a bit better, when we first opened the orange dandy we thought we had a massive problem until we realised the poles extended. That's the only thing I can distinctly remember because having always had a 90's dandy and no experience of how the older Dandy's are erected ..... we panicked when we saw how short the bars appeared.

I don't know what we're going to do with the Dandy yet, it's had some work done but my dads lost interest now.
Looks like we're going to have to do a bit more reading.

Your Dandy looks great I know the paint's probably going to go but I'm with your uncle on the colour ....... looks good with orange

If you look on the offside you will see a bulge in the cover.
The nearside u roof pole doesn't telescope. The offside one needs to as that folds under the nearside bed.

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Thanks Kevin, having only opened it up twice it's difficult to remember and at the moment I'm stuck so can't go and look but at least when I can I know what to look for without erecting it

Hello Bassbones, I see Mr Itch has already introduced you too Milo

Our hitch is the same as yours, and our seat bar has been replaced from the wooden ones to the metal thing.

Tow Itch wrote: If you look on the offside you will see a bulge in the cover.
The nearside u roof pole doesn't telescope. The offside one needs to as that folds under the nearside bed.

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Our u frame that doesn't collapse doesn't bulge out like yours Mr Itch.
Are you sure you haven't left your wallet in there?

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Had a look and the orange one Helen's been on about doesn't bulge

If Mr Itch's bulging roof bar were lifted up, I wonder if it would not bulge so much. It looks very low and could raise up to the top of the cover.