teardrop home build

[greedy53]

I have been thinking about building a teardrop for a few years now,and friend gave me an old trailer that had been build in the 60's,Now this trailer was a 5x3.5 light build and a bit of strengthening and a tear down.so let the blood letting begin,the trailer was dragged out and I began to dismember it fearfully with as mall Axe and a tiny 14 pound hammer, ;D
after 2 black fingers and a small gash from knee to ankle it was nude
s54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/greedy53/trailer%20build/?action=view¤t=trailerapart.jpg
it really was a light built trailer and needed a lot of extra steel welded onto it lucky for me I'm a hoarder and had a few angles from a bed that i had squirreled away
s54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/greedy53/trailer%20build/?action=view¤t=underthetrailer.jpg
Up to point took me 2 weeks I know slack but there is a reason the boss wanted me to do stuff for her part of the conditions for using her yard,I know it's mine o but I have found over that if I wanted Peace was better to comply.
All the sides and bits and pieces were carefully tossed into a heap near by,the wheels were abit of a mystery as the center hole was bloody huge so finding suitable replacements was going to be a struggle,after an inspection they were found to be in good nick
s54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/greedy53/trailer%20build/?action=view¤t=oldtrailerwhiles.jpg
now that Had the trailer down to it's bones i took stock of what was reusable and what was not now most people would have given up but nooo not stupid here.
and themisses came out to see if there was more blood spraying around,iassured her that it was only flowing down my leg and would not make the house dirty and also not kill her plants
s54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/greedy53/trailer%20build/?action=view¤t=trailerextensions.jpg
so untill the next update,stay tuned

[Geoff & Jude]

hi greedy

looks like you have a bit of a task in front of you.

keep the bandaids handy.

geoff.

by the way - if you copy the "img code" from photobucket into your post, the photos will appear in the post instead of being a link to photobucket.

[DC3Td]

Hi Greedy. Is the Austy nosed Vee Dub gonna be your teardrops tow car? cheers gordon

[greedy53]

no the little rod has been sold i had it for 4 years and just tryed everything on it i supercharged it using a toyota 12 and it just had to uch grunt nearly had a few bad tangles ,the rod was so light and the motor was very torquie it just had to go mind you the thing with just a 1641 was no sloutch.
well back to the build so far i still have 2-3 fingers that work,just well i moved ontothe extra steel to beef it up using old bed rails and bits and pices that i had laying around


while this was going on i had a good look at the axel who ever built it sure new his stuff ,it looks like ordinary stubs were welded into a pipe and the bearings still spun freely after all the years and some of them in the bush behind my mates place

So moving on i asked my suffering wife could i have some money to buy stuff,the glaring look and and snickering kinda left me wondering if i had asked wrongly,although the deal was i could have a few bucks if all else failed ,i wanted to paint the trailer in cold gal but no money so i scrounged around and found my old red lead paint , i'm not sure if it's legal or not but i'll plead insanity if asked due to the red lead fumes should work,
anyway i painted it and than asked for oney again so i could buy some timber to bolt to the frame ready for the floor ,
dam kids need me stay tuned

[DC3Td]

Coming along alright eh Greedy. Did you save the spring mesh from the bed rails? Nice soft suspension!Just kidding. What size is the teardrop now going to be as the frame looks longer than the original 5' x 5'3". cheers gordon

[greedy53]

well a bit more done and it looks like being a 3 ft 8 inch wide and 7ft 6 inches long,i used decking timber because i had it under the house my wife reminded me it's treated so should be ok,and i sealed and oiled before bolting it to the frame on top of that is a tar based paint just a bit more protection.
at this point i moved it to a small covered place between two sheds not much room,who am i kedding there is no bloody room but i have learnt to walk sideways like a crab

when i priced the hard wood ply i wanted i had a stroke, so back to the drawing board and a few phone calls later i found a used timber and other stuff but they had the hard wood ply that was taken from a indoor gocart track so it was well seasoned and compacted,cost $20 each so i went away with 3 one went on the floor and i spent the time making sure it was square,

so thats it for now i will be back starting to get into it now wish the darling wife she reads this would release more funds but i'm doing ok so won't complin so far the cost is $62.00
stay tuned

[greedy53]

Back up to this point it's been pretty basic weld ,brush ,paint ,now we get to the part that i like the most,making the shape .Now i didn't know that there were so many shapes to copy, my needs kinda made some useless for me as i needed 1 to store all the things that my wife declared a must have the stand alone anex for the kombi van was a no boner but the folding cubords wash stand microwave lcd telly dvd player,pots,pans; bbq ect,oh and the base matting for under the tent bit, table for inside and another for outside,there was a stage when i started thinking that a b double mite be the go.
A shape was decided on and it would let me use it as a sleeper for when thee grand kids come along




using a very fine blade in the jigsaw made it easy to use the cutout the door hole and use the cutout as the door,i cut the door the same shape as the van a mild slope at the back and both front corners rounded,this was going to leave a flat section between the top and bottom corners and i knew that this was going to cause me a bit of bending trouble

I was going to use a a bit of ply of cut to shape and fit when it came time to put the roof on.
stay tuned

[DC3Td]

Hi Greedy. Geez, you`re doing a good job there. Don`t forget all joints need a good glue as well as screwing together to seal. Likewise all raw timber edges need to be painted or sealed to avoid attracting moisture. What sort of material do you intend using to cover from front right over to back? Do you also intend fitting up a kitchenette in rear? cheers gordon

[greedy53]

nearly forgot to puti n a pic of the tow van, i found this in a front yard and after a good look and finding nearly no rust or dents i offered him $500 and a deal was done,trailered it home and found that it just would not start ,so a call to the seller who told me that the motor was not very old and the reason it was under the tree was that when they finally got it started it only run on 2 pots but thats another story as to why

[greedy53]

Well moving along i started to put the sides up i must say doing things alone has it's good points but sometimes an extra hand would come in handy,so asked wife my project end of story,so bits of timber a few cans for insparation a few more when nothing came to me ,more thinking another can at last an idea another can but i did do a bit


oh well box empty watch telly until the world stops so i can get off ,note to self 4 cans only and less thinking
stay tuned

[greedy53]

well moving along with few problems a few more pics

[veedubnut]

Hello greedy53,

I like your Teardrop build... It epitomises the spirit in which they were originally built decades ago. I know mine was built sometime around the late 40's early 50's and the builder used what materials he could scrounge including masonite sheeting which still had 'Bar' sign written on it! Great to see more and more VW guys getting involved in the vintage caravan scene.

Greg

[sharon]

hi guys
sorry for gate crashing this thread . i am new to this forum and trying to find my way !
btw love what you are doing .with your home made van very cool ..
i. look forward to seeing the end result ..
i am wanting to buy a 12 foot vintage HAPPY DAYS bubble van .. DON... I THINK IT IS CALLED ?or similar !
sorry not up to speed with the names as such . i have cycled solo across the kimberley recently and saw several vintage vans along the way and felt i would like one too so here i am now typing to this forum in the hope being pointed in the right direction by some friendly folk on the best ways to find one .

[greedy53]

thanks folks a bit of good on ya helps to motevate me, and i will keep it up dated as i go I have made a small alteration on the front of the body no pic yet but coming i used a small bit of ply to make it more rounded looks better and helps to make a easyer fit for the 2.5 ply going on the top ben away with the vw club to old bar bloody rained every day so we all gathered in the clubs big cover and knocked a few ales back told stories and generally had a great time.It as the annual gathering of the kombi to try and beat the world record of kombs in one place,it will never happen but it a good excuese to get away with friends

[greedy53]

just a quick pic of my mates just finished and first run to old bar

[greedy53]

well i have been busy with a bit of lining and as my brother inlaw is a insulation for a living i helped myself to 1 and did the roof with it while i was at it,i was asked what colors it was going to be so now i have to see what colors i have in the shed,talk about stingy,
i'm not complaning as it has cost me to this point.let me see chassis free 3 sheets of hard wood ply $60.00 stapels had them, nail gun and nails had them,tyers had them fitting $10.00,lining sheets 2 $15.90 ,timber genera $18.00 so here is a pic

[greedy53]

oh and a few changers to the tow wagon mainly mechanical

[DC3Td]

Hi Greedy. Hey your lil vans coming along quite nicely. Always wondered whatever happened to those drawers i threw out! Ya can`t beat a brick instead of a nut & bolt to keep a tread step in place eh! Hope you glued it in place. cheers gordon

[humpyboy]

Hi there greedy, I've been watching this thread from the start and for a budget build I think this is going to come up a treat when finished, as for being stingy I'm with you, not all of us are rolling in the folding stuff and if you are able to save something from the tip and give it another chance at life then why not, here's a link to my resto vintagecaravans.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photo&action=display&thread=6044 new ply for the floor cost me nix and I also got a heap of cover ply that I'm using for the lining and exterior skin, have the option of going back if I need more and I'm also into using what ever might be laying around the yard doing nothing, that's why I hoard sorry COLLECT things you just never know when it may come in handy ;D

[greedy53]

those 4 words that save us from those that do not under stand the sickness I MITE NEED IT the black is a wafer of aluminum and resin i pick up a sheet from a building site was given it not light fingered and at the same a 10ft x 3.8 ft of 5 mm of mdf same price none. i got the window from a garage sale $5 and it's the one from the back window from a f100 so it slides same garage sale had a sheet of perspect 3 ft x 6 ft $5 again i'm on a roll i'll keep you informed
just had a look at your project very interesting keep going

[DC3Td]

Hi Greedy. Ever thought of putting a porthole window in the door of your teardrop? Cheap version: One window removed from the door of a front loading washing machine. One length of piping ala vee dub guard or from beside door card. Measure twice/cut your hole out,bit of sealant around opening,fit piping (can even staple into place),fit glass in & another bead of sealant around glass. cheers gordon

[greedy53]

a port hole now there is an idea, i will be keeping my eyes open for a donar washer more handy stuff, my wife may want your address i will stay strong and keep your name out of any yelling

[greedy53]

ben doing a bit on the trailer first i painted the kitchen so i could get a better picture of what i wanted

i needed plenty of storage so i have been told by the baby bride and we all know the folly of not doing what we were told

next i turned to and slapped paint around the sleeper white of cause for the her majesty
now i took a look at my handy work and on the seventh day i made a shelf


well until next time

[RollyDog]

Greedy
Certainly an entertaining read of your build. Wish I had thought about the front loader washer window before I sold my teardrop. Maybe the scrap steel pile at the local tip or a washing machine repair centre could get you that window.
I look forward to the next installment of your build in progress.
Rollydog

[veedubnut]

Looking good Greedy, wish I could have got along to Old Bar. I'm really surpised how many Teardrop Trailers are now popping up. You are inspiring me to possibly building another... Just looking out my window and can see a 6x4 box trailer which is getting a little rusty and close to needing replacement hmmm damn you!

Greg