Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm interested in hearing how everyone is adhering their aluminum sheets to their 'drops. I've done a lot of work with contact adhesive on countertops and I work rather comfortablely with it. But I want to see how others have completed this task. Or even pros and cons of my idea.

I just used contact cement to temporarily spot the panel in place. Made 2 blocks with saw kerfs in them to support the sheet at the bottom, painted a line of contact at the top edge on the trailer & the sheet & then aligned everything so I could spot the top edge. Mine is floated & held in place by windows, doors & trim. The aluminum will expand & contract with heat & cold (about 1/8" here in Tucson for the length), so I didn't want to create too much stress between the aluminum & the plywood under it.

The dissimilar materials won't work too well with the temperature changes we have here in the desert. We've had nights in the 20's this winter and daytime temps about 110 in the shade. Add some sunshine & you get a range of about 130 degrees difference. This adds up to quite a bit of movement as the seasons change.

Tim now you've got me thinking. I live in the Sacramento area and with most of my camping being done up in Tahoe temp changes can be rather drastic not nearly as bad as Tuscon but still enough to cause issues. So did you just seal around the perimeter and call it a day? Do you think there will be issues with oil canning?

Only my roof and front is aluminium but i did the same as Tim.
The edge trim is all that holds mine on plus the sheet joins are screwed and glued together with sikaflex but arn glued to the drop itself

Thank you sir that's what I was looking for I just couldn't find it.

James, I do get some "oil canning" when it's hot outside, but it shrinks back up when night temps drop in the summer. My sides & roof were done at about 90f outside in the summer, so I figured it's about half way between hot & cold. Not really a big deal for me. I could have trimmed the sheet a bit at the edges, but figure with the butyl rubber tape & fasteners in the trim it will be good enough over time. So far, not a drop of water gets inside, except for condensation on cold nights on the inside window glass.

I used 3M water based contact complete adhesion sealed waterproof and not a single issue or oil canning ever on 2 builds.

I used OSI Quad sealant at the edge, no glue. It is held in place by the trim. I do have some old canning on the top in the summer, but I have a window, a fan, and an attachment to s spar at a seam on the top. No issues on the sides whatsoever

Reading about one CT maker, the builder said they saw better results in the skins done in hot weather.
Railroad track is heated to over 100 degrees and then fused together, leaving it in tension.
Try skinning on a hot day / in a hot shop.

Grant Whipp advised us to use automotive vinyl roof contact cement. It works as a water barrier, glues the aluminum tight and yet allows for expansion. It's been two years of camping in the Sierra range and dessert with no issues at all.

All the Best,

Dave

The sides of large truck trailers are often held on with 3M VHB tape and allowed to float some to keep it from oil caning.