Carapark 16.2 advice

[Cara]

Hi, I am new to this and in the process of buying a Carapark 16.2 (~1964) that's in need of restoration both inside and out.  Is anyone able to give me an idea how much restoration would cost (ballpark fine)?  Does anyone know who could assist with this work in Perth?  And importantly, what the approx weight might be?  We have a Subaru Outback 3 litre, would this tow it?

Any thoughts welcome.  Thanks

[Don Ricardo]

G'day Cara,

Welcome to the world of vintage caravans, and good luck with your purchase of the Sixteen-Two.

One question which may assist us to answer your question about weight: Is your van a Carapark "toaster" style model or a Zestliner or Astronaut model?

The "toaster" models look a bit like an aluminium toaster (without the slots in the roof for the toast!! ) with rounded corners at the roofline. The Zestliner/Astronaut models are a squarer, more angular shape with fins. If your van is a "toaster" it is almost certainly older than 1964.

If the above sounds like gobbledegook, you can check out the various models on the Carapark thread in the Down History Lane section which you will find by clicking here. There are a few pages to the thread, so just keep working your way through it until you find a van that looks like yours.

Regarding the cost of restoration, it will depend on how much work is required.  I guess that's fairly obvious, but we may be able to tell you more when we see some pics of the van.  There are instructions on how to post pics via one of the online photo storage websites such as Photobucket in the 'Forum Guidelines & Helpful Hints' section of the forum.

Don Ricardo

[Cara]

Thanks Don, I will try and post a couple of pictures. Looking at the Down History thread, it looks the same as the 10.9 Carapark posted by Franklin1 in Nov & Dec 2007 and similar in shape/look to the Carapark Hunter that Franklin also posted before and after restoration. It is definitely not looking like the Zestliner/Astronaut models (and no fins).

[DC3Td]

Gday Cara.This might help:

www.subaru.com.au/car-advice/knowing-your-towing-capacity

[Cara]

Thanks True Blue, the old specification table for the Carapark notes the 16.2 as having a weight of 19. Does anyone know what this equates to in kgs!!

[JBJ]

Hi,

If that weight is 19 hundredweight(cwt), (which was the old system measurement used for weight), then the van will be about 970 Kg.

1 cwt = 112 pounds.
1 pound = 0.454 Kg (2.2 kg = 1 pound)

So 19 x 112 = 2128 pounds
2128 x 0.454 = 966 Kg.

That's about what most vans that vintage, in that length, would weigh unloaded.

If the van was fitted with brakes, your Subaru should be within limits with a fully laden van. I believe it probably would weigh
around 1400Kg fully loaded, depending on how much you put in it.

Hope that helps

JBJ

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Cara,

Well done on posting the photos of your van!

You're correct - it is what we affectionately call on the forum a "toaster" model. According to our current info, Carapark stopped producing the "toaster" version of the Sixteen-Two around 1960, before introducing the Zestliner Sixteen-Two a year or two later. In addition up until some point between 1957 and 1959, Carapark referred to the model you are looking at as the Hunter (as you mentioned). So I think what that means is that if your van is labelled as a 'Sixteen-Two' it was most likely built sometime between 1957 and 1960.

The information DC3Td has provided you with will help you with towing weights. As indicated on the website he pointed you to, there are two things that you need to take account of: (1) The weight of the van (966 kgs) plus whatever you pack in it, and (2) the tow ball weight. That is often assumed to be 10% of the van's weight. However, that is not always the case and you need to get that checked out. Our van (not a Carapark) weighs in at 18 hundredweight (ie 914 kgs), but the tow ball weight is 150 kgs.

The reason I thought I'd mention that is because we considered buying a 3.6l Subaru Liberty when we bought our last two vehicle. However, in the end we had to go for something else, because although the weight of the van was OK for the Liberty, the tow ball weight was too close to the limit once the van was loaded with full water tanks, etc.

The Carapark might be fine, but better to check it out.

Don Ricardo

[Cara]

Thanks Don and JBJ for you excellent help. Unfortunately I lost touch with the seller and it looks like he has either sold it to someone else or decided to keep it. Very disappointing as he said he would hold it for a few days whilst I sorted a few things out. Anyway back to the searching. The options in WA aren't so great!

Cara