Three Texas Teardrop Trailers

77. Another Amarillo TX Teardrop

2007-06-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a long time. Haven't had the trailer out in a long time either.

Here's a picture of another teardrop trailer being built by Ken & Noel in Amarillo. They also have a blog showing their progress. They seem to be getting it together pretty rapidly so far, and I really like the classic traditional style of this trailer.

This makes about 6 of these trailers in the Amarillo area that I know of. Soon, we'll all get together and have a teardrop trailer race. Or something.

76.Ron and Laine’s Conejos River Trip

2006-08-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

My daughter Laine and I took a trip to the Conejos River to do a little fishing and camping. The weather was nice and cool. We were glad to escape the HOT!! drought that is presently going on in the Texas Panhandle. Laine camped in an original canvas Hilary tent that I bought back in college. I think the tent is an antique by now. The Bravo trailer is insulated on the bottom, top, and sides. I believe that our teardrop design will make a good four season camp trailer.

We stopped by The Conejos River Anglers to buy fishing licensing and advice on fishing the river. The owner was very friendly and took a good picture of Laine and me.

Laine was the best fisherman on the trip. I hope she will remember this trip for ever….I will.

75. Texas Prairie Road Trip

2006-07-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

Rodney is crossing the Texas Prairie like his relatives did back in the old covered wagon days. I’m sure that his pioneer kinfolk did not travel with air conditioning and a CD player.

Rodney is enjoying the cool of the Texas Panhandle morning.

74. Lake Meredith

2006-07-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ron & Laine set up camp overlooking the lake.

73. Rodney Dreams

2006-07-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

After a hard day of Teardrop camping Rodney needs a little nap. Let’s see what he might be dreaming about.

72. Second trip to Palo Duro Canyon

2006-07-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

For the first time, we got all four trailers together. Along with some good brisket, Joan brought deer corn and milo, so we had lots of company over for supper.

71. Air Conditioner field tests

2006-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

We did some operational tests of the removable air conditioning doors at Palo Duro Canyon where the afternoon temperature was in the upper 90's. It took me 4 minutes to change doors and install the air conditioner. Joe did his in TWO minutes. (But he's had practice, and he used good tools.)

It appears that our system works really well. We built a flange onto the air conditioner with aluminum angle channel, and simply bolt the assembly into the door opening. I was worried that the AC weight might cause the door to sag, but that's not the case. The torpedo hinges are quite strong. Joe says he wouldn't be afraid to pull the trailer nor to open and close the door normally with the AC installed. He went ahead and installed an exterior door latch on his. I believe he is right.

The 5000 btu AC unit cools the trailer down to walk-in beer cooler temperature in about 15 minutes. I pulled up the covers and slept good in mine.

70. Torpedo hinges and air conditioning

2006-07-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

No posts on this blog in a long, long time. Know why? Because it's been too hot, that's why.

Here are pictures of Joe's trailer with his air conditioning unit. Our torpedo hinges allow for quick and easy removal of the door, so for each of our trailers, we made an extra door with an air conditioner mount. This allows us to leave the AC (and door) at home if not needed, or to carry it in the truck if its going to be hot.

It is your typical chain store 5000 btu AC window unit, weighs about 40 pounds.

69. More Palo Duro

2006-05-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

68. Palo Duro Canyon

2006-05-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

More Palo Duro pictures:

67. Palo Duro Canyon

2006-05-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

We made our first shakedown cruise this weekend and camped at Palo Duro Canyon. Had a great time and met some new friends, Ed and Ruby Evans who are building a trailer of their own in Amarillo, and Kevin Sparks of Burkburnett who brought his impressively precision built "Yoder Toter" from Burkburnett.

66. Class picture

2006-05-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

We rolled out all three trailers for a photo. We hope to go camping in a few days.

J.T. and Karin were on hand for the big event as well.

65. Back to the Future

2006-05-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today we got the tail lights and cabin lights wired up. It was pretty exciting to roll the trailer out to get good look at it from a distance after only seeing it up close for so long.
Look closely, maybe you will notice that there is something strangely familiar about this trailer. It wasn't intentional, but once we got it outside, I was able to step back and get the full view. Now I realize that what I have created here is more than just a teardrop trailer...

That's right. I have built Rosie, the Jetson's domestic robot.

64. Trashcans into tail light housings

2006-05-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

I got these small stainless steel trash cans at Walmart.

It turns out that the bottom of the can is a perfect fit for my round tail lights.

I made a mock up of the lights on the cans on the trailer. This is a bit extreme.

But once the cans were cut and trimmed to fit the curve of the trailer shell, they look pretty good.

63. Charlie new wheels

2006-04-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

I ordered wheels and tires from Coker Tire Co. and I'm really happy with the way they look and fit. These are 14" x 6" Smoothie wheels.

Now I need me some tail lights.

62. Tail light study

2006-04-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

I was wondering what these round tail lights would look like, so I did this photoshop analysis. I was worried that these 4" tail lights wouldn't be as bright as the oval lights on A&B, but they have the same number of LED lamps, so I guess they'll be the same. I'll probably go with these on Charlie just to be different. I've got my bid in on a pair on Ebay.

61. Guest artist

2006-04-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

My son J.T. showed up to help slap a coat of varnish on the table & galley.

60. Charlie galley

2006-04-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

The galley is taking shape and the table & counter are being finished.

I was hoping to put a pair of Smoothie wheels under the trailer, but can't find any 15" x 5" wheels. Anything wider won't fit in the fenders.

I'm playing with the idea of ceramic tile trim above the table for a Mexican kitchen kind of look.

59. Bravo is ready to go

2006-04-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here's the galley of the Bravo trailer. This trailer is packed and ready to go camping. Ron is already using the trailer to store his camping stuff. We are all really looking forward to hitting the road & trying these things out.

58. Tailgate & hatch latches

2006-04-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is the left side of the tailgate. You can see the thumb latch which locks to a piece of angle steel. The round flange with the hole is where the hatch pin seats. This is Charlie, and it is the same as Bravo.

57.Charlie gets fenders

2006-04-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

A lot has been done on the Charlie trailer lately, mostly by Joe & Ron.* Here you see the doors, hatch and fenders are in place.

*I've been away on business.
*I've been sick.
*I've been helping out at the orphanage.
*I was robbed.
*I forgot my wallet.
*My dog chewed up my drivers license.
*etc.

56. The 60 Day Texas Teardrop

2006-04-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Delta teardrop trailer was completed last weekend. Stan was able to complete his project in 60 days. The craftsmanship is superb too. The Three Texas Teardrops project was started in August of 2005. I’m glad that Stan decided to join the project with the fourth teardrop. There is always room for another Teardrop in Texas. The Alpha trailer was completed in about 5 months. The Bravo has taken about 8 months and the Charlie trailer will be finished this weekend. Stan is thinking about starting another teardrop project. Maybe this one will be the 30 day teardrop. We have talk about starting our own cable show about teardrop construction.

55. Shade Canopies

2006-04-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Joe’s and Ron’s teardrop trailers are complete. They pushed the trailers outside early one morning and setup the shade canopies. Joe has a 12’x12’ easy up awning. Ron has a Kelty type L Carport Canopy.

The Charlie trailer is just about complete. Rodney is getting help from Joe and Ron to get the Charlie model ready. All three teardrops will make a trial camping trip to Palo Duro Canyon in early May. www.palodurocanyon.com/

Palo Duro Canyon is located about 30 miles from our back door. This will be a great place to use the Texas Teardrops. If anyone of our fellow TD campers are passing through the Texas Panhandle and would like to camp in the canyon just drop us an email and we will stop by and say Howdy.

54. More Bravo photos

2006-03-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

53. Bravo almost done

2006-03-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Ron is almost done with his trailer. You gotta love the purple fenders.

52. Rodney Hard at work.

2006-03-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

Rodney is working hard to finish his teardrop trailer for this season of camping. When he is not working on the trailer he is brushing up his guitar repertoire.

51. Delta Update

2006-02-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

Stan has the walls up on the Delta Teardrop. Stan is a great craftsman. The work on the trailer is superb. But it helps to have a shop full of the perfect tools. You could say that Stan is quite the tool hound.

50. Hatch Trim

2006-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

The Bravo trailer is having the hatch trimmed with some insert trim. The trim has a ¼” lip that will hang over the outside wall of the teardrop when the hatch is closed. We decided to use flush rivets from the bottom side of the hatch. The rivets were left over from the RV4 airplane project that was built in 1985 by Joe. Joe is shown in both of these pictures. The copper colored clecos shown in the picture are used to hold the trim in place while the rivet were expanded with a pneumatic rivet gun.

49. Alpha interior

2006-02-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

Joe has installed the queen-sized closed-cell foam mattress in the Alpha trailer. I layed down in it and it's amazing how comfortable, quiet and solid it feels in here.

48. Bravo hatch

2006-02-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ron skinned and installed the hatch on the Bravo trailer. He used adhesive to attach the aluminum to the hatch, and put some silicone under the hurricane hinge. This is a big step in the process and he's glad to have it out of the way.

47. Charlie galley and doors

2006-02-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

I got some help from Joe who trimmed up the galley walls and floor for me while I was away. Yesterday, I cut out the holes in the doors for windows and glued the birch ply skin to the interior of the doors. You'll notice that my trailer will have elliptical windows or ports.

46.Spin Around Town

2006-02-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Joe takes the Alpha trailer for a spin around town. The Alpha trailer was the first of the Three Texas Tear Drop trailers to be finished. The progress on the Bravo trailer has been slow but Ron plans to ramp up the project so his Tear Drop will be ready for the road by mid March. The Charlie Tear Drop trailer seems to behind but the progress is always quicker because we know what to do, or not what to do, when Rodney works on the Charlie trailer. Rodney’s motto is “Get It Right the Third Time”

45. (A) Utility box

2006-01-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

Joe found this utility box on sale at Gebo's for $99. He thought about painting it silver or blue, but we all kind of like the way it matches the black trailer frame and shell trim.

44. (B) Hatch

2006-01-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

Ron fabricated and installed the hatch on Bravo. He'd been dreading this part of the project but made pretty short work of it. He used hardwood for the rails and birch ply for the skin, and will cover the exterior w/aluminum.

43. (C) Top

2006-01-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

I got the top installed on the Charlie Model. It was cut oversized 2" on each side to allow for error in alignment, then trimmed with snips.

42.Fourth Texas Tear Drop started.

2006-01-20T15:14:00.000-08:00

Fourth Texas Tear Drop started

Stan, a friend of Joe’s, has started the fourth teardrop. Stan has been watching Rodney’s Blog and decided that he wanted to join in on the fun. Stan has a great shop for the project. He was bitten by the Teardrop Bug and could not wait to get started on the construction of the frame. He and Joe purchased the metal and axel just a few days ago. Stan has started framing the trailer.

Stan was showing us around the shop and gave us a lesson with a plasma cutter. “WOW, that is one great tool” said Joe. He was going to have to get a little more milk out of the cows before he can afford a new plasma cutter.

41. Alpha Trailer test drive

2006-01-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

Joe is pretty much finished with this project. Yesterday, he hooked it up and pulled it around the block for a test spin. This is a beautiful trailer.

40. Charlie gets skinned

2006-01-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty big day for my trailer (the Charlie Model). With Ron & Joe's help, I got the interior hull liner finished out, I got the insulation shaved down smooth, and cut and installed the aluminum skin to the trailer front and top. Here, Ron is welding lugs to the bottom of my trailer for the skin brackets to bolt to.

We are using the same innovative skin attachment system that Ron developed for the Bravo Model. (see post #34). Today, his system finally made sense to me.

39. Antique tin snips

2006-01-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Today Joe & Ron introduced me to an old family heirloom. Some time ago they inherited Grandpa's tin snips, which are highly prized as they have been in the family for generations. Joe brushed off some rust and found some Egyptian heiroglyphics which we couldn't decipher. They worked pretty good, and I was able to get the aluminum cut, but by the time we were done, my hands and knees felt like antiques.

38. License plate recess

2006-01-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

We thought it would be a nice detail to recess the license plate holder into the body. All three trailers will get this treatment.

37. Tailgates

2006-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Took advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday and worked outdoors, building tailgates and license plate recesses until way past dark.

36. Happy New Year

2006-01-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a comparison between the Charlie and Alpha interiors. I just got the side walls up on the Charlie model, and Alpha is almost completed.

Our good friend Gary Guinn stopped by and kicked the tires and gave a brief guitar lesson.

35.The Alpha Trailer is Nearly Finished

2005-12-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

Joe has led the way on the Texas Teardrop Project.

Joe has completed the final fitting of the fenders on the Alpha trailer. I must say that this has not been an easy project. This Blog makes it look simple but we have had to over come some obstacles from time to time. I’m very proud of Joe being the guinea pig on this project. He has set the pace from the beginning. I must admit that I have taken advantage of Joe’s leadership on the project. He has advised us of all the problems that we were going to have and we adjusted to avoid the pitfalls that the Alpha trailer encountered. I know that he did not mind this because he is my Pop. I’m very lucky to have a Dad like him.

Since the holidays are behind me now I plan on trying to complete the Bravo trailer soon. Rodney lives about 30 miles away from the shop and it has been difficult for him to find time to work on the Charlie trailer. We plan to help him on the Charlie trailer and have it ready before spring.

34.Tuning a Teardrop Top

2005-12-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

You can tune a Teardrop but you can not tune a fish.

Ron devised a tensioning system for skinning the top of the Bravo teardrop trailer. He can adjust the tension on the roof skin in just a few minutes with a 1/2 inch wrench. If the teardrop top is damaged at anytime or by Texas hail storms it will be easy to replace. If the summer heat expands the aluminum skin the roof tension system can be adjusted in a few seconds. The tensioning device is attached to a piece of stainless steel that is folded over the front edge of the aluminum skin. The tensioning bolt is passed through a hole in a bracket that is welded to the bottom of the trailer.

33. Shih Tzus

2005-12-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ron is a wrangler for a sizeable Shih Tzu operation nearby. Today he let them run amuck in my trailer.

32. Hinges and hull liner

2005-12-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Today I sprayed the contact adhesive and attached my hull liner material to the interior of the cabin, while Joe replaced the hinges on his doors.

We've had second thoughts about the piano type hinges on these doors. Joe has tried two different types of piano hinges and although they look good, they just seem flimsy. The three of us have decided to go with the heavier exterior "torpedo" hinges. We were afraid they might look clunky, but now that they are on Joe's trailer, we like the look. They feel a lot more solid too.

31.Alpha Trailer Fitted With Doors

2005-12-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

Joe is moving way ahead with the Alpha teardrop trailer. He has installed the doors and windows on his trailer. He has starting to install the final trim pieces to the outer edge of the teardrop.

30. Shop safety tip no. 2

2005-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's just like your high school shop teacher told you: alcohol, power tools, and photo editing software just don't mix.

Actually, the real butchery with the jigsaw happened yesterday on my interior wall panels. I'm afraid they were measured badly and cut worse. Looks like I'm going to have to get new plywood panels and try again.

29. Rodney Builds a Tailgate

2005-12-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

After studying the hatch designs the Bravo and Charlie teardrop trailers will be fitted with tailgates. The first step was to make a pattern for the ribs to be used in the construction of the tailgate. Rodney then cut out five ribs out of ¾” poplar hardwood. The ribs were attached to a ½” piece of plywood that is the width of the tailgate. The ribs were then covered with three layers of 1/8” plywood. The first and second layers were secured to the ribs with screws and the last layer was glued on and held in place with every clamp we could find.

The Bravo trailer has had the tailgate attached with a 3”wide continuous hinge. The tailgate will swing under the rear of the trailer and allow easier access to the kitchenette area.

28. Visitor from Hollywood

2005-11-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

We had a distinguished guest in the shop today. Sheri Galloway stopped by to measure our progress. Sheri is a big-shot movie mogul in L.A., currently working as an editor on the upcoming animated movie "Curious George". She was in town for the Thanksgiving weekend, and we showed her the cultural high points of the Texas Panhandle which include these trailers, and the black velvet bullfighter painting on the shop wall.

We asked her to use her contacts to arrange for us to get our own teardrop-trailer-building cable TV show. She said she'd take it under advisement, but for us not to call her, she'll call us.

27. Alpha hatch fitup

2005-11-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

Joe continues to set the pace with the Alpha Model. Last night we test fitted the hatch onto the body. It looks terrific.

Ron experiments with buffing out the aluminum skin, while I finished up the interior insulation on the Charlie Model.

26. Portlights

2005-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

This is a pair of brand new portlights that I bought on eBay. They came in yesterday. They have tinted glass with screens and they open and close. They come with the trim rings. They are overall 20" x 9 3/4" and the hole size required is 17 7/8" x 7 3/4". They have never been installed. I gave $119 for the pair. These are very similar to the Bomer portlight like Ron used on his trailer. They are Italian made by Stampaggio E Costruzioni Meccaniche and appear to be pretty high quality.

Ron used one portlight in the back wall of his trailer. I'm going to put these on the doors of mine instead of the sliding RV style windows.

25a. Alpha

2005-11-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Joe has the roof pinned on the Alpha Model. The interior walls and ceiling are done and his galley and hatch are almost finished.

25b. Bravo

2005-11-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Ron has almost finished his galley. He used birch plywood on the walls and hardwood floors. The table is "Aqua Boomerang Formica", and looks pretty classy with the chrome and stainless stuff that he's using throughout the trailer. The oval portlight is from a marine supplier and looks really nautical and swings open and has "dog" closures like on a ship. We finished laying up the hull liner on the roof and back wall inside. We're all using this hull liner for the interior. It's like a lightweight carpet material, and it's just like the stuff found in boat and yacht interiors.

We are thinking about starting a new age bluegrass band called "Aqua Boomerang Formica".

25c. Charlie

2005-11-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Today I got the interior frame strips installed, and Ron helped me put the fender bolts and blind nuts in. I'm still way behind Alpha and Bravo.

24. Nice jugs

2005-11-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Somebody sent me some pictures of this trailer from the internet. I think this was on eBay. We don't have anything to do with this trailer. I don't know anything about it, and I'm not really an OU fan or anything, but it appeals to me somehow so I thought I'd go ahead and post these pictures here.

Oh yeah, also here is a picture of two really cool vintage thermos jugs that Ron got on eBay. Pretty nice, huh?

23. Fall cleaning

2005-11-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

The shop was getting very dusty, so this morning Ron and Joe pulled the teardrops out and used a leaf blower to clean out the shop. They cleared out all the construction materials and found time to play a little pinball.

22. Roof vent

2005-11-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

I'm at the point where I have to decide whether to install the roof vent fan or not. I may leave it off of the Charlie Model if I can get opening door windows because I like the clean look without the vent fan assembly. Also, it would be one less thing to leak. On the other hand, more ventilation might be a good thing after an evening of dutch oven chili, beans and beer. What do you think?

21a. Shop safety tip no.1

2005-10-31T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Ron was trimming the glue from his window opening and the utility knife slipped and he cut a chunk out of his hand. It bled a lot, but fortunately he didn't hit a tendon or any expensive bionics.

Actually this isn't the first blood shed on these trailers. A couple of weeks ago, I ran a screwdriver bit into my finger trying to attach the walls to the frame. It hurt like hell, but didn't bleed nearly as much as Ron's utility knife accident, even before the extensive Photoshopping.

21. Ron's purple fenders

2005-10-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ron got his fenders back from the paint shop today. The picture doesn't do justice to the metalflake paint job which really looks good out in the sunlight. Joe painted his fenders metallic blue, and he has one mounted on the trailer but I didn't have my camera with me today. Joe's fenders look great too, kind of a medium translucent blue with a gray or silver undercoat.

I'm thinking of painting my fenders either red or black. I'm still a long way from that stage though.

Today I put the rigid foam insulation on the front and roof of the Charlie Model. I was able to grind off all the excess Gorilla glue and so it looks pretty good now.

20. Tinted windows

2005-10-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Ron got this pair of RV windows on eBay. They are 21"x21" radiused crank-out windows, black with tinted glass. We hope we can find some more of these. We figure the crank-out type to be preferable to the sliding type in case you need ventilation during a rain shower.

19. Guerilla Glue

2005-10-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

A. Joe has brought the Alpha Model way ahead of the other two. He's got his cabinets in the galley, the rear hatch put together, and his headliner installed. He's taken his fenders off to the painter for a metallic blue paint job.

B. Ron's Bravo Model is running a close second toward completion, with his galley assembled and headliner installed. Notice the birch ply panels and the hardwood decking he's installing. It's really looking good.

C. Rodney's Charlie Model is way behind. I'm sure hoping that the Gorilla Glue mess can be corrected and/or hidden. The inner front/ceiling liner is made of 1/8" luan panel which is glued to the frame spars with Gorilla Glue. This glue expands for a tight weatherproof fit if it doesn't run all the way down to the floor. I owe Ron a big bottle of this stuff. He tells me that his glue job looked like this too, and he was able to clean it up and cover it with the pink rigid foam insulation panels. I will also have to chisel the pools of this stuff off of Joe's garage floor.

18. Move to garage

2005-10-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Joe & Ron moved Alpha and Bravo to the garage next door to escape mosquitos in the shop. The garage is more convenient to the refrigerator and pinball machines. They've started installing the interior roof skin and insulation in the top.

Joe test fits the fender on Bravo. Looks great doesn't it?

17. Kittens

2005-09-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

We worked hard over the weekend on all three trailers, and Ron helped me out a lot trying to get Charlie caught up with Bravo. I got my doors cut out, the sides affixed and the spars attached. Joe has built the rear end and is already boxing in his doors and interior.

That's me with the draw knife, shaping my nose piece which is the bottom of the front of the trailer. This piece is a 2x6 shaped to match the lower front curve of the teardrop.

Ron has built a really cool lower "tailgate" structure for his trailer that is unlike anything I've seen on teardrop trailers, and I hope to be able to copy it on mine. All three of us have abandoned the idea of the "wrap under" hatch assembly shown in previous sketches (post #6). We predicted problems with the size & shape of the curved hatch, both with the freedom of movement at the bottom, and with the weight and wind characteristics it would have when opened. We are all going with more of a "clamshell" hatch & tail piece. It will be stronger, too.

The trailers are beginning to look very sharp with the aluminum skins on the sides, but they are all in pretty tight in the shop so we don't have a good photo yet. We've got wheels & tires on all of them, so pretty soon we will wheel them outside for a better view.

In other news, the resident rodent control officer, a bluegray cat with no name, showed up with 6 kittens on Sunday. They don't seem to be bothered by the sound of power tools and hammering.

16. Axles are in.

2005-09-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

We got the other two axles in this week. Got the final Dexter torsion axle installed on the Charlie model last night, and insulated the bottom of the trailer. Joe waits patiently while the other two trailers try to catch up with his progress.

15. Concept sketch w/'48 Ford

2005-09-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here's another sketch. I made this to visualize size, colors and some details. None of us have a '48 Ford, but if we did it might look like this. I like the way the shape of the teardrop echoes the shape of the Ford.

14. The aluminum is here

2005-09-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

We got the .032 aluminum for the sides this week. Ron & Joe have already glued it onto the side panels of Alpha and Bravo. Rodney is still working on the spars of Charlie, trying to catch up. But not catch up too much. It's good to be in 3rd place, after the first two guys have figured out the process, made the jig, worked out the kinks...etc.

13. Cutting out the first door

2005-09-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Ron cuts out the starboard door on the Bravo model.

Bravo is turned upside down for insulation and bottom finishing.

Rodney's trying to catch up with the other two, and installs the spar supports on the walls of the Charlie model. The spar supports are cut from 3/4" poplar. The spars or ribs separating the walls will be of 7/8" poplar. We liked the strength & stiffness of the hardwood compared to pine.

12. Door studies & profiles

2005-09-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some profiles showing different door possibilities. There's also a blank profile so you can print it out and try your own ideas. I think I like the radiused corners all around, and I also favor the porthole.

We got one of the torsion axles in today, and Ron & Joe fitted it up & it looks like it's going to work, giving us about a 12" ground clearance. Now we'll order 2 more just like it.

11. Sketches

2005-09-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of sketches based on our template.

10. We got our fenders

2005-09-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

Our fenders came in this week. When our axles come in, we can test fit them and size our doors.

9. Sides are fitted up

2005-09-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

All six sides are fitted up. We are blocking them in and fitting the spars or braces. We are still waiting for axles.

Joe's progress is slightly ahead of Ron's, and Ron's is ahead of mine. So, from left to right, you see Joe's (Alpha), Ron's (Bravo), and Rodney's (Charlie). ABC.

8. Painted frames

2005-09-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here are the frames all painted up. Notice that the trailer hitch is at the top of the picture. At the bottom of the picture is the back of the trailer. The "stinger" at the back is a small auxiliary hitch receiver which will be used to mount a bike rack or other device, or even possibly to attach a second trailer behind the first.

7. Work continues

2005-08-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Work continues on the trailers. We have ordered an axle and 3 sets of fenders. We want to test fit one axle before we commit to all three of them.

6. Baby Moons

2005-08-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches showing how the hatches should open. Also, Ron bought some wheels, tires and baby moons.

5. 3/4" Sides

2005-08-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

We are cutting the sides from 3/4" plywood.
Some people use 1/2" or even lighter for the sides, but here in the TX panhandle, we are under constant threat of cold, hail, and indian attack.

That's me in the light shirt, Ron in the blue shirt, and Joe in the overalls.

4. Joe's Shop II

2005-08-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Joe has built and flown two experimental aircraft, an RV-4 and a Piper Cub. He built the planes here in this shop. He's also got a wagon and a carriage that he built. I think he can build anything. Besides the shops behind his house, there is a horse barn and a corral with 3 horses. I think he built at least one of the horses.

3. Coroplast Template

2005-08-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Ron came up with a 5'x10' sheet of 6 mil Coroplast which we cut to shape and are using as a template and plan for all 6 sides of the 3 trailers. Coroplast is a corrogated plastic material used for signs and packaging. It's durable and flexible and is working out real well for us.

2. Joe's Shop

2005-08-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

We are real lucky that Joe shares our enthusiasm for these trailers. Besides being a wealth of knowledge and mechanical skills, Joe has a great facility for our small manufacturing concern. Joe has a lot of experience building all kinds of stuff. See the wagon in the background? It deserves its own webpage. He is also generous to a fault. And his wife Joan is a great cook.

We have fabricated the frames from 1-1/2" square steel tubing. Joe and Ron have put heavy duty class 3 Bulldog hitches on their frames. Mine will get a lighter (cheaper) class 2.

1. Work begins on teardrop trailers

2005-08-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hi, welcome to our site. My name is Rodney and I live in the Texas Panhandle.

Over the past two weeks, a couple of friends and I have begun the construction of three "tear drop" camping trailers. All three trailers are being built simultaneously, one for each of us. I know little of welding or of trailer building, but my friend Ron has built a couple of boat trailers and a custom motorcycle before, so along with Ron's pop Joe, we have immersed ourselves into the project(s). These trailers are to be 10' long x 5' wide and each will contain a queen-size bed and an outdoor kitchenette. And not much more.

We are working from plans which exist mostly in Ron's head. These trailers are pretty much his design, but we are also finding useful info from the internet and plugging it in wherever it fits.

I'm mostly here because Ron and Joe are very generous with their knowledge and resources and also I think they are a little embarrassed about my lack of shop skills, and so have adopted me as a project as well.