I would recommend, once the process is finished, carrying a tarp, bungies and some sort of sealant/tape for if leaks do appear while you are on the road. I am a long time RV camper, and we always carry duct tape and bailing wire when we camp.. its a must. I also use plumbers putty for temporary leak solutions (Great for temporarily plugging the leak in the rain..) and Eternabond for permanent. I doubt you would want to use eternabond if you are making your teardrop a woody.. it would ruin the wood finish and need redone. That stuff STICKS.
The spars are in, as stated.. Today, I framed in the bulkhead with 2x2 furring strips, and framed the counter surface for the back.
Yes, I know my rear profile is a bit... Blocky right now... I have plans for this section, you'll see them soon.
Here is the rear of the trailer, framed in. I'll be doing some insulating and trim work. This is a quick and dirty build to get me on the road, and when I have more funds and time I will start a new slow build project. Teardrop time? I don't need teardrop time for THIS build.
I also got the first interior section of roof skinned. The hard part. Did it myself. Glued and screwed in place. It helps to be a former Defensive End with the added cushioning from the IT Physique (AKA I am a fat former football player. )
One thing you will see is that I have panel gaps on the ceiling skin on the edges. This was NOT intentional... Everything is glued and solid for the spars and side walls, but without solid bar clamps, I was unable to pull the sides together the way I wanted. I will attempt to remedy this when I can drive 80 miles and borrow some from a friend.. The joys of not having enough tools. This thing is VERY rigid with the ceiling skin glued and screwed into place. All of my flex, which was very minimal to begin with, is gone entirely.
Here are the angle brackets I am using for my roof spars. I do not have them all installed yet, as I have deck screws in the ends of the spars, and the metal brackets are specifically for brace-work. They may not be needed at this time. I will install them anyway.
And, my favorite new tool.. This little guy makes placing and holding bulkhead frames a BREEZE... Align, tack a nail in on either side, reinforce with screws.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 05-03-2011).]
Update... No photos, but I finished framing in the rear galley "arch" on the side walls. I got the inner wall skins for the galley installed, glued and nailed into place.
I got the second sheet of ceiling skin installed. Had some minor fitment issues, but will be covering the seam anyway with a trim board, so no big deal to me.
And, I cut the 3/4" birch plywood "counter" to fit the galley. I then lopped off three inches on one edge of it, attached that to the galley framework with adhesive and screws, and then attached the piano hinge for the counter lid.
I am currently three sheets of plywood short of my goal to have this campable..
I have one 4x8 sheet of plywood for the roof skin, but this will not be enough for the roof. I need two more sheets to complete the roof, and one sheet to complete the galley bulkhead (cabin side)..
No finances for it, and not looking good for the rest of the month. We'll see what happens.
In the meantime, I can insulate the side walls and roof, attach the side-wall skins and attach the first roof section.
Once the side walls are on, I can treat them with Spar Urethane.
While I know this teardrop is not as pretty or detailed as some of the ones I have seen on here, I am quite happy with it.
I am pushing to get this done, as I want and need a functional camper that I can use immediately.
I grew up building cabinetry and remodeling homes with my family. I consider myself to be fairly skilled when it comes to wood working, but do not have the tools to complement that skill.
This is a budget build with a need for speed, as I need it ready for this year.
When I get more time/tools/money, I fully intend to build something a little more "quality".
On with the pictures. The rear arch for the galley. Now you see the real profile.
I know that is difficult for you, (I have read the story. ) but it is necessary. The courts can be unreasonable, and I believe that with some patience, you WILL get through this. The camper will only help. It looks great, and I wish that I could be there to help you.
Very nice job! Thanks for posting the pictures. Maybe I'm missing something( I don't know much about teardrops, except I want to build one to drag up the Alaskan Highway), but I'm curious as to why the counter top is hinged? I know what you mean by the lack of proper tools limiting the quality of what you can do.
I have to agree it looks great. I assume you will paint it to match the car
Tho its already done, if it was me there is one thing id change in procedure: instead of manhandling the skinning of the curved sections, i think id build the 'frame' then use a ratchet strap of some sort to gently ease the wood down to the curve, then calmly attach it with screws to keep it down. Let the tools do the work, not my arms ( and i would wet/heat it first to reduce its tendency to go back straight.. its what i have seen done when they build guitar bodies )..
I wanted access to the foot well of the sleeping area for loading/unload/maintenance purposes.
With it hinged, I can slide a twin mattress through the opening and into the cabin of the teardrop without having to fight it.
quote
Originally posted by User00013170:
I have to agree it looks great. I assume you will paint it to match the car
Tho its already done, if it was me there is one thing id change in procedure: instead of manhandling the skinning of the curved sections, i think id build the 'frame' then use a ratchet strap of some sort to gently ease the wood down to the curve, then calmly attach it with screws to keep it down. Let the tools do the work, not my arms ( and i would wet/heat it first to reduce its tendency to go back straight.. its what i have seen done when they build guitar bodies )..
Actually, I am going with a natural wood finish with several coats of high gloss Spar Urethane.
I am still debating what to do with the roof skin, whether I will leave it a wood finish, or wrap it in aluminum or even just an RV rubber roof style design.
I got one side skin attached today. I insulated the camper walls, and then ran adhesive all over the wall studs/foam board. I aligned the skin, and then firmly attached it using the finish nailer with 1.25" finishing nails. Had some minor issues, but nothing an epoxy wood filler can't take care of.
The side walls have received four coats of Urethane, three thinned and one straight. I plan to add another one to two coats after the epoxy filler has cured. It looks GREAT!
It coming along real nice,good job. I am partial to the aluminum skin because it has the classic look of the old time teardrops,and it looks great and not too awfully expensive, also easy to install. Seems the aluminum will last the longest with minimal maintenance and you can polish to shine as shiny as want or just leave it dull.
Not much progress in the last week, the weather has been horrible.
Did some today though with the weather as nice as it was.. I had to haul it in it's current condition down to the local Fleet Farm to pick up some stuff today that I could not haul in the car.. LOTS of looks, several Thumbs Up, and more than an hour of conversation with at least four different people about it when I finally got out of the store.
The right hand side skin, I attached it approximately a week ago. Urethane adhesive, panel, 1.25" 15g finishing nails. (I LOVE MY NAIL GUN)
Side profile of the car and camper... It is a bit taller than the car, but not by much.
First front skin attached. Several boo-boos as I tried to find the roof spars... I even had them marked and still missed them... WTF.. LOTS of screws holding it on. Nothing else seemed to have the holding power.
Down the side to show the glossy finish. I still have two coats of Urethane to put on after the nail holes have been filled with Epoxy filler.
The rear Galley area counter, showing the high gloss Urethane finish... Loving the way this is turning out so far.
Shot of the sanding work on the right side of the trailer. Almost into the wood, but not quite. This will be 2 more coats of straight urethane now that the filler has been sanded down.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 05-15-2011).]
Thats looking pretty awsome ... after much research mine will be a Reversed Teardrop because I do not want the kitchen part and more aerodynamic .. dont want to pull a brick along specially with a gas guzzling V8 ... It will be inside storage and the access door will be in the back with a window on each side and a top vent with fan .... Keep going there Synth its really looking good !!!!
Here's a video of the shape mine will be ...
[This message has been edited by Danyel (edited 05-15-2011).]
This one? I was considering it after this summer/winter, possibly next summer building another one with the proceeds from this one.
I might if the price were right. There is a LOT of labor involved, and I still don't have Windows or Trim for the corners and the roof hinge.
The starting price for a "store bought" trailer from a builder starts around 5,000 for the very very basic model with no extras. While nicely built, they don't seem to take the time to really make it a family heirloom quality, with proper sealing etc.. They last, but you really have to stay on top of them maintenance wise.
When I am done with this one, I expect to have to inspect it yearly, and make sure things are sealed and clean.. The drawbacks to "woody" style teardrops.
Aluminum cladding helps a lot, but hides water leaks and damage, where-as the woody exposes it before it gets to be too late and allows you to repair or catch anything that may be an issue.
Today I gave the walls their final Urethane coat, laid out the rubber roofing and trimmed it, and then glued it in place.
Tomorrow I hope to be able to begin mounting the roof edge trim and sealing the roof in. I will have to cut the hatch framing and get the hatch started. Should have the hinge by Friday so I can get the hatch hinged and mounted. SOON!
I sanded the roof seam down after hitting it with some filler this weekend.
I also sanded both sides again, gave a light wipe-down with mineral spirits, and gave them their final coat of Urethane.
After cleaning everything off and giving it a once over, I then rolled the RV EPDM rubber roof out over the main roof.
Since my hatch is not installed yet, I ran three screws into the wall framing about 7 inches below the rear edge of the roof, below where the hurricane hinge will be located. This held the rear of the skin in place while I laid it out where it needed to go.
Once I got the roof aligned, I flipped the front back up and over the back so I could apply the EPDM Latex adhesive. This adhesive allows two forms of application. Dual surface contact, or single surface pressure.
Since I was doing this myself, I opted for the latter, where you coat the wood surface, immediately lay the EPDM down, and smooth it. After approximately 30 minutes you brush the roof firmly with a push broom to press everything into place.
I applied putty tape along the very edge of the roof before laying the edge of the EPDM over the side. I pressed the EPDM into place over the putty tape, and then began measuring the front radius for the roof edge molding.
My front radius is 24 inches, and since my walls sit flush with the top of the trailer, I have an idea in mind for the lower trim along the trailer. I have some T6061 1/4" thick by 3 inches wide that will go side to side across the trailer just below the edge of the plywood. The EPDM roof will come down below the wall line and overlap the front of the trailer frame with putty tape underneath it. Then, there will also be putty tape over this behind the T6061. This will be attached using self-tapping screws into the trailer frame and provide a weather tight seal for the very lower front edge of the trailer.
Back to the topic of the radius... The roof edge molding is powder coated extruded aluminum, and since I want to overlap the T6061 at the front lower edge, I measured 27 inches from the end of the roof molding, and began marking every 1 inch. A total of 36 cuts were made. This allowed the roof edge molding to contour to the frame. It overlapped the EPDM flap sticking off the side as well.
I applied another strip of putty tape immediately between the EPDM and the roof edge molding, and then ran some lathe screws through the molding, the first layers of putty tape, the EPDM and the second layer of putty tape. Why Lathe screws? They have a flat, wide head, rather than a tall head.
Then, I trimmed the majority of the rubber back (as seen in the picture of the cuts above, and the following picture.
After the EPDM is trimmed back, I will mask the wood and roof and touch up the cuts with some white "Appliance" enamel, then I will run some clear "50 year" silicone caulk into the cracks as well as under the edge of the trim against the wood.
The roof is officially done, except for the roof vent. I may wait on the vent for a few weeks, as funding is very tight.
The trim strip along the lower front. The rubber roof lays over the front of the trailer frame with putty tape sealing the roof to the frame, then the aluminum bar stock with putty tape behind it sealing the screw holes and the aluminum to the roof.
The side roof edge trim has the two layers of tape, one above and one below the EPDM sealing the ends as it overlaps the aluminum strip.
Gratuitous roof shots:
Installing the first of the bulkhead panels. I laid the rubber roof flap between the frame and the bulkhead panel. The hurricane hinge will cover the top edge, the EPDM will help trim out the hardwood spar that supports the hinge and hatch.
Shot of the galley counter with hinge.
I appreciate any and all feedback. This is my first Teardrop build, and my first major non-car project that I have ever taken on by myself.
I helped a roofer friend build a camper and cover the whole thing in rubber. I don't remember why, but we found out we had to drill some holes into the outside walls and insert these little vent things that were about the size of a quarter. I think becouse with the insulation and airtight rubber, the whole thing would start sweating? I don't remember. I do remember that the rubber would not let anything breath...........even people, when the windows, doors, and roofvent was closed. At first it was very dangerous when working inside. Have to always leave something open, or maybe permanatly vent it slightly, somehow.
I don't quite remember, been 25 years or so.....
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-24-2011).]
I helped a roofer friend build a camper and cover the whole thing in rubber. I don't remember why, but we found out we had to drill some holes into the outside walls and insert these little vent things that were about the size of a quarter. I think becouse with the insulation and airtight rubber, the whole thing would start sweating? I don't remember. I do remember that the rubber would not let anything breath...........even people, when the windows, doors, and roofvent was closed. At first it was very dangerous when working inside. Have to always leave something open, or maybe permanatly vent it slightly, somehow.
I don't quite remember, been 25 years or so.....
The EPDM is only over the roof. The walls are finished, as you currently see them.
An air tight camper can kill you. This camper will have a permanent vent installed in the foot well area, and the windows will always be open when camping anyway.
The EPDM is only over the roof. The walls are finished, as you currently see them.
An air tight camper can kill you. This camper will have a permanent vent installed in the foot well area, and the windows will always be open when camping anyway.
Cool. Just relaying stuff I didn't know about campers before I knew those things. I knew about carbon monoxide, but not about.........carbon dioxide.............breathing in breath?
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-24-2011).]
The hatch is built with the exception of a small strip of plywood at the very top front edge (intentionally left off for now, until the hinge comes in)...
Note the curve of the hatch matches the curve of the side perfectly. The bottom is moved out 1/4". Knocking it back into place lines it up spot on.
The hatch will actually ride about 1/4" further from the side than it is now, to make room for the gasket seal.
The top edge shown up close. It is intentionally lower than the main roof line. Disregard the rough cut on the trim. It will be cleaned up when the hinge arrives and I can mount it to the roof.
The hatch will be raised up to roof level when the hinge arrives and the last strip of plywood is attached and glued. Once I get the hinge lined up and attached to the hatch and everything is hunky dory, I will remove the hatch entirely.
Here is the underside of the hatch. Yes, the screws are sticking through. These will be sanded off smooth, and then whenever I get around to it, I will be attaching a canvas liner to the hatch to cover the roof spars and provide some nice trim. I did not need or want to double the roof spars up to 2x2, when a 1x2 oak spar will work fine. The hatch is VERY rigid.
The edges of the hatch. This plywood will receive a very thick coat of fiberglass resin on the underside of the lip. This will stiffen the edge and reinforce it enough that I should not need to worry about breaking a corner somewhere.
The hatch will get the same edge treatment that the main roof has, the hard molding. Since I am only going through fiberglass reinforced 1/4" plywood, the trim will be attached via countersunk style machine screws with nuts and Loctite. The screws will stick up through the plywood from the bottom side, the nuts will go on with a healthy dose of blue loctite for serviceability. Excess screw length will be trimmed so the plastic insert can cover the nuts. The side leg will be notched as the front radius is to provide a smooth curve, and consistency with the rest of the trim.
The galley wall edges will be capped with 1.25" dead soft aluminum "L" trim. The short leg overlaps the plywood on the side. The long leg fits the galley wall edge.
And, the radius fillers for the door frames. These will be trimmed to match the plywood. They were installed last night with adhesive, and screws to hold them in. Out come the screws and then they get a healthy trim.
)
) but it is necessary. The courts can be unreasonable, and I believe that with some patience, you WILL get through this. The camper will only help. It looks great, and I wish that I could be there to help you. 
