Off-road Teardrop Design/Build

[kokomoto]

Nice build! Looking forward to seeing it all ready to go.

Thanks! I'm hoping to have it ready to roll by Independence Day. The galley will get finishing touches after we use it a few times.

[ryan112ryan]

Curious you've mentioned you deviated from the shop manual some and in the end it was more difficult, what specifically?


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[kokomoto]

Curious you've mentioned you deviated from the shop manual some and in the end it was more difficult, what specifically?


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On the wall I didn't make the skeleton large enough to extend all the way out to the edge of the wall pattern in some places. I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time, but if I had though far enough ahead, I would have realized why this is a bad idea. It left some flat spots on the 1x4s where the skeleton was too small instead of a nice curve matching the outline of the teardrop pattern. If left alone, the 1 5/8" cut around the roof that is later used as blocking between the roof spars would not be flush with the outer roof plywood in some places. I patched it up by cutting some narrow strips of 1x4 and gluing them in place. I then had to go back and trim them down to the proper curve with the pattern router bit. It was a lot of extra work that could have been easily avoided. I hope you can picture what I'm trying to describe. Not sure if I have a picture that illustrates it.

In another stroke of genius, got the order of cutting the top of the galley roof down 2" out of order requiring pattern routing the inner panel instead of an easy, single cut operation.

Now that I've been through the process, I have a clearer understanding of how it all goes together.

The biggest time sponge I have is building DIY doors. I'm still glad that I did at this point, but it is very time consuming. I used a pattern for them, but the wall cut-outs didn't turn out to be identical for some reason. I would use a more fool-proof method if I could do that over again to ensure they are identical.

I also didn't realize in my first glue ups of the walls how critical it is to get a bunch of weight all the way around the edge of the plywood being glued together. The are some small, narrow gaps that I had to fill and fix. PL Premium is kind of thick, and apparently needs a lot of pressure to squish it down. Spreading it with a trowel first seems to help, but a lot of pressure is still required.

Over all, I'm very pleased with the TD as it is. I would, however, consider using 3/4" plywood for the skeleton and floor if I were to build it again. I would also use 2x2 tubing for the frame instead of 2x3 as a weight saving measure. Not sure if I would buy the factory built doors though.

Hope this is helpful.

[ryan112ryan]

Curious you've mentioned you deviated from the shop manual some and in the end it was more difficult, what specifically?


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On the wall I didn't make the skeleton large enough to extend all the way out to the edge of the wall pattern in some places. I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time, but if I had though far enough ahead, I would have realized why this is a bad idea. It left some flat spots on the 1x4s where the skeleton was too small instead of a nice curve matching the outline of the teardrop pattern. If left alone, the 1 5/8" cut around the roof that is later used as blocking between the roof spars would not be flush with the outer roof plywood in some places. I patched it up by cutting some narrow strips of 1x4 and gluing them in place. I then had to go back and trim them down to the proper curve with the pattern router bit. It was a lot of extra work that could have been easily avoided. I hope you can picture what I'm trying to describe. Not sure if I have a picture that illustrates it.

In another stroke of genius, got the order of cutting the top of the galley roof down 2" out of order requiring pattern routing the inner panel instead of an easy, single cut operation.

Now that I've been through the process, I have a clearer understanding of how it all goes together.

The biggest time sponge I have is building DIY doors. I'm still glad that I did at this point, but it is very time consuming. I used a pattern for them, but the wall cut-outs didn't turn out to be identical for some reason. I would use a more fool-proof method if I could do that over again to ensure they are identical.

I also didn't realize in my first glue ups of the walls how critical it is to get a bunch of weight all the way around the edge of the plywood being glued together. The are some small, narrow gaps that I had to fill and fix. PL Premium is kind of thick, and apparently needs a lot of pressure to squish it down. Spreading it with a trowel first seems to help, but a lot of pressure is still required.

Over all, I'm very pleased with the TD as it is. I would, however, consider using 3/4" plywood for the skeleton and floor if I were to build it again. I would also use 2x2 tubing for the frame instead of 2x3 as a weight saving measure. Not sure if I would buy the factory built doors though.

Hope this is helpful.

Very helpful! I'm considering buying doors because of how tricky and time consuming they can be. I'm dreading the galley hatch. So many variables


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[tony.latham]

That's really coming together. A nice solid teardrop.

Tony

p.s.

I'm dreading the galley hatch.

Ryan: I have a sense you are going to use Fredrick's Shop Manual? His hatch building method is straightforward. Just draw out your gusset and counters on your template–to ensure you have room for both.

[Louisd75]

Now that I've been through the process, I have a clearer understanding of how it all goes together.

I think this statement is exactly why so many get sucked into building a second trailer I've been keeping a notebook of things that I would do differently if (when) I build another trailer

[kokomoto]

That's really coming together. A nice solid teardrop.

Tony

p.s.

I'm dreading the galley hatch.

Ryan: I have a sense you are going to use Fredrick's Shop Manual? His hatch building method is straightforward. Just draw out your gusset and counters on your template–to ensure you have room for both.

Thanks Tony!

Tonight I clamped the hatch sides with gussets onto the back of the TD. The starboard side pretty much fell right into place with the 1/8" spacers. Woo Hoo! The port side was a different story. It seems there is a slight warp or twist in it. About 1/8". Had to enlist the help of Mrs. Kokomoto to hold the shims in place while I twisted myself into pretzels trying to clamp it in place. I'd think I had it right, then discover the 1/4" gap (to allow for the aluminum molding) was off on one end or the other. I felt like one of those guys that spin China plates in the tops of poles. It turns out that my troublesome hatch side not only has a warp, but also a slightly inconsistent gap. Also about 1/8" larger. I finally averaged out all the errors, called it good, and proceeded to mark the lengths of each spar since they will probably not be identical. I only hope that once they are all fastened in place that they will hold the sides exactly where they need to be, and stay there. I plan to use 2 kreg screws in the end of each spar with TB3. That should cancel out the warp. with fingers crossed.

The dry fit of the cabin-to-galley window went well, and I got the tail lights bolted on to the fenders.

[kokomoto]

Hatch side

image.jpeg (137.05 KiB) Viewed 2089 times

Hatch side glued

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Starboard hatch side clamped in place

image.jpeg (137.47 KiB) Viewed 2089 times

[kokomoto]

Hatch side 1

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Hatch side 3

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Hatch side 2

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[kokomoto]

Window open

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Window closed

image.jpeg (117.11 KiB) Viewed 2086 times

Tail light

image.jpeg (159.57 KiB) Viewed 2086 times

[kokomoto]

Very helpful! I'm considering buying doors because of how tricky and time consuming they can be. I'm dreading the galley hatch. So many variables


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If you have some really cool design or purpose for your door, go for it. It's not rocket surgery, just time consuming.

I have been dreading the hatch as well. Since Day 1. Steve's hatch design is solid. Any problems I have with it will be of my own making. I'll try to post as much of the process as I can so that folks can learn from my experience.

Tony is absolutely right. Follow the manual as best as you can, and I'm sure your hatch will turn out just fine.

[tony.latham]

should cancel out the warp. with fingers crossed.

If we didn't stress over these builds, it wouldn't be fun.

I think you're hatch is coming along great too.

T

[KCStudly]

I finally averaged out all the errors...

I like this phrase. Might make a good name for someone's TD.

Average Out The Errors = AOTA

[working on it]

I finally averaged out all the errors...

I like this phrase. Might make a good name for someone's TD.

Average Out The Errors = AOTA

That's a good one, just like KC's TLAR-That Looks About Right. I'll add my unofficial mottoes, which apply to my working ethic, and directly affect my projects, whether on vehicles, home repairs, and my TTT build, of course: 1)WIT (Whatever It Takes)- I'll do whatever it takes to make something work, and 2)GOOT (Going Off On Tangents)-how I begin with a logical plan, then it takes off into a new direction. And, of course, my under-the-breath catch phrase: DIATH (Darn It All To Hell)-whenever I'm in between GOOT and WIT stages.

[kokomoto]

Installed outer skin on hatch. I used Popsicle sticks to keep the spacing between the gussets and galley wall, and glued the plywood in place.

Hatch outer

image.jpeg (121.42 KiB) Viewed 1930 times

Hatch inside

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Improvised strap anchor

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