[christover1]

Started stripping the trailer down, ready for its Teardrop camper conversion.
For curiosity I weighed all the bits removed.
I was amazed at 40Kg of stuff. I haven't finished stripping it yet.
Original tent top weighed 40kg ish. So I got over 80kg of room to build.
Could finish up lighter than my present set up, if I lucky.

This will be a slow build, making it up as I go.

[VonDecoy]

I'm keen to see what you come up with.

[christover1]

Me too

Rough plan is:
Rear entry, so no climbing through muddy doors.
Small area at rear, so I can sit up.
Storage floor full 2400mm with bed section above at 6ft 6" (something in metric)
Which leaves a 18" area for sitting up on end of the bed.
Head end be low as possible, aid in weight and wind resistance.
Rear possibly full board height, minus a bit.

[christover1]

Rough plan is this, but will change as I go.
First job will be floor, then lengthen the draw bar.

[Jezza86]

So it was a camper trailer with a rooftop tent and now it will become a teardrop?
What was your motivation or for funzies?
Also lol at previous statement

christover1 wrote:

Rear entry, so no climbing through muddy doors

[christover1]

The need for projects is a motivating factor, as is getting older and soft
Planning longer trips, could often be camped alone, a little bit of security.
No worries about packing up in the rain.
All the obvious no canvass advantages.
And funnzies of course.
Been lusting over Track Trailers, Little Guy Teardrops and A-van Weekender for ages.
Been trawling teardrop forums for a year now.
Tattslotto wasn't on my side, so have to build one.
I like rear entry jokes

[christover1]

Almost finished stripping.
Need a new angle grinder for the last bits.
As I expected, stripping it was harder than expected.

The mudguards now need bracing, but plan is to use the bed base as the cross bracing for the guards.

[christover1]

Prinny is never far away

[VonDecoy]

Wow, you're a fast stripper.

[christover1]

VonDecoy wrote:

Wow, you're a fast stripper.

I'm no teaser

[Jezza86]

your dog is smiling while it watches you strip.

[christover1]

She loves me

[Chop]

How do think this will hold upto the ruff stuff chris?
I'm a carpenter and personally would never build one like a teardrop for offroad. Thats why I was questioning the other guys on here about their cape trip as they went qiet with them. And also final weights I reckon were to high for the sierra's thats why they took other tow vehicles.

[christover1]

Chop wrote:

How do think this will hold upto the ruff stuff chris?
I'm a carpenter and personally would never build one like a teardrop for offroad. Thats why I was questioning the other guys on here about their cape trip as they went qiet with them. And also final weights I reckon were to high for the sierra's thats why they took other tow vehicles.

Building it with ruff stuff in mind.
Planning to keep weight down.
No kitchens, sliding draws, cupboards etc.
So far have shed 70kg plus 40kg of tent top.
So got 110kg, plus whatever else I shed, to play with.
Not expecting it to be rock crawler, but will need to cope with hard stuff.
Like my trailer build, will test and develop as I go.
My trailer was 260kg plus a few add ons, so maybe 300kg dry.
I am aiming for that or less,
and will be upping motor size sometime, too (or to a vit with a bigger one)

I noticed they went quiet

[Chop]

Yeah, that and I'm a sceptical bugger when it comes to trailer weights. Especially when mine is only 200kg empty, and you've seen the size of mine. So when I see others put up estimated final weights I always cringe.

[christover1]

I am a cynical old bugger, too.
I'll weigh stuff as I go, so I know when to stop.
The floor sheet of ply weighs less than the present galv sheet.
A good start

[sierrajim]

Teardrop should be fine Offroad. Just brace the corners with alloy angle.

[christover1]

sierrajim wrote:

Teardrop should be fine Offroad. Just brace the corners with alloy angle.

Good idea, added to build list.

[christover1]

Chop wrote:

I'm a carpenter ...

Any woodwork advice appreciated.
Intending on using pine as the "chassis" and framing.
Underneath will be getting bitumen paint.
Should it be treated pine underneath, or for the bracing inside??
And what is a good sealer/glue for wood, that is strong, flexible and weather resistant.
(I forgot the name of the good stuff recommended to me yonks ago.)

Trying to avoid lots of bolts, as already pulled over 2kg of nuts n bolts out of the trailer

[missmyljdaze]

Pine tends to rot if it gets wet- but treated pine solves a lot of those problems.

There are lighter timbers around as well- check with your local supplier- and see if they are available treated with anti-rot/ anti fungal stuff.

Select lengths of timber with straight grain- not angled, and as few knots as possible- all these affect strength.

Look for high stress glues- not your regular pva- there is a better grade of PVA that dries to a yellowish tinge that is much stronger.

Back in the dark ages when I did my apprenticeship, one of the old tradies used to wipe over any surfaces to be glued with a damp rag- to get all the dust off, and at the same time the damp surface allowed the glue to soak in further.

glues:
Exterior grade PVA,
Resoursinol? [not sure of the spelling]
Slow drying epoxies like araldite or similar-[not the fast drying stuff]?

Might even be worth doing some tests with different glues and scraps of timber.

Get some small packs of each glue,
Glue scraps of pine and whatever other types of timber you can find together.
Leave for a few days / week or so to cure.
Try and bust the glued timber apart- if the glue fails before the timber its no good.

Sealing the underneath- something along the lines of slopping on a good amount of sanding sealer- then underbody rubberystuff.
The same sanding sealer would be a good idea for all the exterior and around any doorways, windows, vents or penetrations for cables and hoses etc- seal the timber carefully as these are places that rot will start.

stephen

[christover1]

Thanks, much appreciated.
Sika Flex is the one I was trying to think of.

[missmyljdaze]

I'm not sure if sikaflex make a glue specifically for timber- but their marine adhesive/sealant I used to glue my trailer floor in looks like it will never let go- unless it gets hit with fire!

I would be using button head tek screws for any application where possible as the wider head of the screw will spread the load- while countersunk head screws can pull through.
Only potential hassle though- the button head screws might sit slightly proud of the surface and get in the way if you clad the exterior with ally sheeting.
If you are going to paint the timber its not such a concern.

stephen

[christover1]

I'll use button heads anywhere possible.
Only needed till glue sets anyway.
Glue will mostly be timber to timber, but some metal to timber, too.
It was a chippy mate who recommended sika flex,
will look through their products, soon

I'll be skinning the front and the roof, and paint the rest.

[Chop]

Maybe try and find out what glues the caravan mobs use? It would have to be flexible.

Yeah stay away from untreated pine it will be something that would need replacing again not far down the track. Some good hardwoods out there, but its a cost and weight changer.

[christover1]

Good idea.

Will look into hardier choices for the undercarriage,
but treated pine probably win on cost, for the inside bracings

Finished stripping, next to start building

[sierrajim]

Either sicaflex or toolbox glue. The toolbox glue sticks anything together.

[christover1]

Thanks, liking the name toolbox glue.
Picking up some structural ply on Saturday morning, getting excited now

After a lot of measurings, I have decided on extending draw bar by 600mm, and a rear over hang of 400mm.
This puts axle in a good position, and bed position works well with the mudguards.

[Mike57]

Chris you can borrow my angle grinder for the next few weeks if you want, I won't be using it. PM me if you want to pick it up on the weekend.

[Jezza86]

your picture makes me think you should vinyl wrap it in camo once your done

[christover1]

Jezza86 wrote:

your picture makes me think you should vinyl wrap it in camo once your done

Would need to wrap the Vit, too, so it matched