Ply thickness on teardrops

[andrew]

G'day all,
Could the people who have done up teardrops please give me
some advise as to the thickness of the ply or masonite that they
used on the walls, roof and internal lining.
For the roof, I was toying with 5.5mm masonite as I need to
cover 1200mm wide by 2900mm long and I can do it in one go
with a 3000mm long sheet of ready primed stuff. ( they tell me it
is tempered) Or do I go the bendy ply and have a join in it?
Outside walls, will 4.5mm ply be ok or should I use 7mm?
Inside I thought would be 4.5mm or lighter.
Shelving in our Franklin is 3mm ply on a 19mmx19mm frame,
should I go thinker than this or would it be overkill?
Look forward to some feed back. Thanks
regards Andrew

[raym]

hi Andrew
Iused 3mm tempered Masonite externaly and 3mm ply internaly. There are three things to consider when building a van 1weight 2strength and durability3cost,Ply is about half the weight of hardboard [Masonite] Hardboard gives a better paint finish it does not develop surface cracks as dose ply.As there are many grades of ply avaliable and therfore various costs for external use you should use marine ply if you wish to use ply this is expensive,internaly you can use a good quality interia grade ply or standard hardboard. Ray

[raym]

Hi Andrew,
I forgot to say you can view the construction of my tear drop under "Members' Photo Album" page 14, titled 1950s replica tear drop,
ray

[Deleted]

Hi Andrew.

I used 5 ply walls and 3 ply roof on my replica TD..
Given my time over again i would use masonite on the roof.
As already stated by raym ply tends to open up the grain in the wood on the top layer of the ply laminate when bent.
Masonite has a smooth finish and can be protected with good quality oil based undercoats, primers and top coats.
The 5 ply walls are single thickness only. There is no internal lining in "The Splinter Hilton"

Also the original circa 1948 Td i rescued from Lockhardt near wagga was constructed the same way. single skin external walls - 5 ply. Masonite roof.
No internal lining apart from the fronts of cupboards etc..

Plywood is an excellent insulator and there really is no need for internal lining apart from the appearance factor.
Any internal framing that was needed was 25mm square section.


Try to keep in mind when working on your project that TDs are meant to be light and manouverable. They where designed for carting up the scrub on weekend shooting trips. along the beach to the favourite fishing haunt. Short term holidays and light to tow.

Use heaps of tubes of liquid nails to glue and screw everything together with good qaulity cad plated, galv or better still brass screws.
backed up with plenty of fine "cleat " nails..especially on tight raduises. the nails are the ones with ridges in the side of them so they dont work thier way out with movement or vibration.. There is a fancy name for them .. i cant think of it.. something like "braids" or "brads???

So only other advice i can give

"Keep it light .. keep it simple ... most of all .....keep at it. "
When shes done you will take pride in being a part of the "TD restorer /constructor"" family here on the forum.

Once you achieve that status you can then set to work on "How to get dressed horizontally" ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Reddo
P.S: refer "Members photo album - "Reddos TD the 20 year plan" for info on the replica and its build
also
"Reddos Real TD" and an original TD.

[andrew]

G'day Ray and Reddo,
Thanks for the good oil blokes. When affixing the sheets of ply or masonite, did you glue and
nail or screw. If screws were used, did you countersink then or did you use ferrels and have
them exposed. With the roof Ray, did you just attach it on the edges or did you affix it in the middle too.
My td has an angle iron frame but I did put timber on the edges of these to make it easier
to attach things to.
Does liquid nails stick to steel?
Regards Andrew

[raym]

Hi Andrew,
I used Urea Formaldehyde glue as this is what my father used when he built caravans. If I was doing it today I would use something else. I suggest you check with a wooden boat builder for a suitable glue. I bought a pin gun from Super Cheap about $30 and bought 16mm stainless steel pins. You will have to get these from a professional supplier, not Super Cheap. 5,000 pins cost $64. You will have to adjust the pin gun so as it only drives the pins in just below the surface as the standard factory setting will drive the pin almost completely through 3mm material. This setting is easy to do, just loosen the two alan key bolts on the front of the gun and slide it down and then tighten alan keys. Make sure this does not slip. I installed a piece of wire between the plate and the body of the gun to stop this from slipping. I filled the pin holes with bog and sanded. I put 32 x 19 aussie oak rails at 400 centres accross the roof. Check out my tear drop as detailed above. Liquid nails is suppose to stick to timber and steel, however I did have one failure sticking the hard board at the bottom along the chassis.
Ray

[andrew]

Thanks Ray,
I will go with the liquid nails and since i'm on a budget I will just use my old hammer. And I
mean "old", it is an 1860's coachmans trimming hammer. Still the best thing for driving brads
that I have. Also bought a new jigsaw. Ryobi 650watt job. Gee, things have changed alot
since my 1978 black and decker jigsaw that gave up the ghost a couple of months ago.
Thanks again for the help.
Regards Andrew