Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I got to looking at fiberglass camper shells and it looks like it would be easy to use that as the roof and build up the sides to the height you want and then fiberglass the sides.
Just a thought
has anyone ever done this?
I tried to search it and did not see anything listed.
Here is a rough draft of what I have in mind.
The back galley hatch is already done for you by using the rear door.
Thoughts & Opinions

bjp,

Cool! Let's see it. Post photos as you build it please.

Now all I have to do is locate a fiberglass shell which should not be hard to do.

bjp, they're all over Craigslist and Ebay ... also, I've seen 'em on kijiji.com.

Run anywhere from $25 to $500.

Luck -- oh, hey, if you get a colored one are you going to paint match your sides or are you going to leave 'em woody?

Laredo wrote:bjp, they're all over Craigslist and Ebay ... also, I've seen 'em on kijiji.com.

Run anywhere from $25 to $500.

Luck -- oh, hey, if you get a colored one are you going to paint match your sides or are you going to leave 'em woody?

I will fiberglass the bottom and make it smooth on the side where you will not be able to tell they are joined togteher.

The sides normally slope toward the centerline of the vehicle and they have full length side glass. Some thinking will have to go into the doors and windows but it sounds like a neat idea

Jim

A classic from this genre.

Buy two the same (or at least two for the same style truck). Flip one upside down. Mate them together. Slide a frame under it. Voila....homemade egg!!

I'm sure it's not that simple; but it's a thought.

or start with something like this ?

Listed for only $500
Source: http://www.jandbtruckbody.com/

Or check "Truck bodies" in your Yellow Pages.

Carter wrote:The sides normally slope toward the centerline of the vehicle and they have full length side glass. Some thinking will have to go into the doors and windows but it sounds like a neat idea

Jim

I did not think about the sides sloping inward so I guess back to the drawing board.

Sounds like a doable idea. A lot would depend on what you find for one. The full-size or compact truck size caps/toppers would give you a choice as to size also. The structure would be almost half built using that as the upper half of the TD/TT.

As suggested, e-bay, craigslist, local penny savers and such could be good sources for used toppers/caps

Another idea for using a PU topper/cap would be: to hinge the whole top on one side of the base/lower trailer body – the front or highway side would seem to be the most likely – and then build a tilt-up side and tilt-up ends or tilt up end and tilt up sides, as the case may be, to enclose the sides. (You'd have to brace the PU topper/cap opening end side to side, and the bottom of the whole topper/cap with a rigid perimeter, of course. [Corner gussets could help give rigidity.].) This could give you more head room or possibly enough headroom to be considered a 'standy' if that is something you think you might want. This could then let you put the entrance door in the folding side/end and trailer base all hinged together and thus allow the PU topper/cap to just be the roof of the Tear/TT and you then wouldn't have to be concerned about cutting into/up the topper/cap. I'm sure gas struts or springs or a winching mechanism of some sorts could be made to tilt up the topper/cap to suit the situation.

--Or--

Build the base tall enough to get Teardrop doors in it and cap the base with the PU topper/cap – or – build the base as a wedge of sorts that allows doors to be installed and then cap it with the PU topper/cap.

Just a couple/three of ideas on it.

So good luck and show us all how it is done! (Documented with copious amounts of pics of course!)

trying to find a frame with normal size tires.