Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi,
My wife and I recentky purchased a 1958 WAWA 180 trailer from blegium. It the only one i ever seen here in canada.
We named it WAWARON wich is slang french for Toad

The trailer is in working order but need some work.
the plan is not to do a retoration as documenttation is rare and parts ar impossible to find... instead we will make it our own, fix it make it better while keeping the 50's style of it .

I will document in this thread the work i will do to it.

some pictures.:

how we got it.:



our first trip.:



i'vw worked on it last weekend, i removed a shelve at the back, improves the storage mounting points under the seats.
on saturday night i foud 10 giants sails from sailboats..i tried making an awning out of it!




in the plans.:
This winter.:
-take the seat inside and few thing to fix/reinforce the broken woods.
-rebuild the rear tablet.

for next summer.:
-repaint completely the interior, exterior.
-fix the bad exterior panels
-update interior lighting with LED.
-install electrical system both 12v and 110v
-remove the ugly roof and redo it properly.
-redo all seals between the pop top and lowr part.
-add piston levers for the pop top instead of the boat lifter system
in the long run.:
-redo a new under frame.
-udate the suspension system.

I like it!

How does it tow?
It looks like the axle is awfully far forward...

Looks neat with its little hat!
How about some interior pictures of the top area...

Rob

This will be interesting to follow.

Best of luck with your efforts.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

48Rob wrote:How does it tow?
It looks like the axle is awfully far forward...

Well, it is a European trailer and they always have, by US standards, a low tongue weight of less than 5% of total weight. So they need to be towed with care, and not (much) above the typical European trailer speed limit of 50 or 60mph.

the trailer tows ok, but its "jumpy" when there's bumps.

I have a feeling that it due more to the suspension system than the wheel position. its a pull shock type suspension.
originally it has rubber bands that are being pulled as the wheel go up like this pics(mine has 2 sets of 2 wheels)


of course the rubber bands are dead and dont exist anymore so they have been replaced with pulls spring, therefore the natural damping feature of the rubber are not there anymore wich leads to the "jumpy" feel of the trailer.


so now i'm looking to find someking of pull dampers or re-do the suspension system completely.

sorry i dont have actual pics of the interior roof yet.

Hi tartosuc,

I think I mentioned earlier that I'm a fan of the original and unique, and
the WA-WA definitely fits those descriptions. It was really neat to see that
you still have the original dual wheel independent suspension! [Though
with steel coil extension springs replacing the original rubber springs.]
It'd be nice if you could keep that, but I know you have to balance safety, usability
and practicality etc. Maybe if you keep the steel springs you could fit a shock
to each unit that would help with the tow characteristics?

Just for the heck of it, I Googled 'rubber springs', and a few variations, and
came up with some links you may be able to use for future reference.

This first one is a bit out-of-the-box/off-the-wall, but I came up with some
neoprene rubber spring pads that maybe you could fashion/cut out of them,
something approaching the original rubber band style springs. They're
only 12"x12" and very reasonable in cost if you want to experiment.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ecatal ... Search.y=6
12"x12"x1" [Item # 1MTR3] or 12"x12"x1/2" ]Item # 1 MTR1] Spring Rubber pads - could you cut out springs from it?

If you decide to replace the suspension with a more modern set up,
rubber torsion spring axles would probably be the simplest and easiest
and in spirit with the original rubber springing it had.

Here are some links that may be helpful. 'Not endorsing anything,
just passing along info:

http://www.morryde.com/aftermarket/suspension.html Mor/ryde Independent suspension for TTs
- Probably expensive.

http://www.trailerpart.com/torsionaxles.htm Has Flexride Rubber Torsion Axles

http://www.ucfamerica.com/LITERATURE/Fl ... lfAxle.pdf Flexride Half Axle Literature

http://www.ucfamerica.com/flexiride.htm Main Flexride page.

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/6149609/f/pro ... _11-06.pdf Dexter Lit.

http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/c-2 ... rtcom.aspx
http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/c-2 ... axles.aspx
http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/c-2 ... axles.aspx

http://www.al-kousa.com/
http://www.al-kousa.com/prod_rubsus.htm Rubber torsion Axles

http://www.loadrite.com/pdf/loadrite-se ... orsion.pdf Interesting info incl oil bath bearings/hubs & brakes

'Not trying to take over or tell you what to do, 'just thought I'd pass
along some info for future reference if you want to check it out. If you
go the modern route, the Flex-Rides seem to be liked for their ability
to adjust the spindle arm angle.

As I said in an earlier post, it'll be interesting to follow your efforts and
progress over time on the WA-Wonderful Wawaron.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Thanks Mezmo for all the infos.

If i could, I would keep the actual suspension system.

pull shocks are crazy rare to find, i found some locally but they are too long. i will have to figure out a way to mount them to test.

my idea in the long run would be torsion axle for sure as it would help me keep the original look.

Hi all,

I got a good news today!

I've contacted a Rubber company from british columbia, Canada yesterday, explaining my suspension problem and needs for the replacement of my rubber springs .

They are willing and happy to help me with my project!
So i will most likely keep the original suspension system in place!
whohoo!

Crazy looking travel trailer! I like it!!

Congrats on finding a company that will work with you!

Great news tartosuc!

I hope it works out for you. The other WA-WA enthusiasts in Europe will
be interested too I'm sure.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Hi tartosuc,

In case the BC rubber guys can't do the rubber springs [we all hope they can]
here is another link for a rubber independent suspension [made in Canada]
that could be useful for you if needed as it is axleless. 'Don't know their
pricing though.

http://www.timbren.com/axle-less1.htm
http://www.timbren.com/training/Axle-Le ... Mobile.swf
http://www.timbren.com/images/home/Axle ... NSIONS.pdf

I couldn't find this the other day when I posted some info on rubber
torsion axles. Luckily someone else posted about it in another thread
today.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

I almost cringed when I saw the North Sails logo on your awning-to-be. Using sailcloth for an awning my be budget-friendly simply because you already have the sails, but I would suggest a more budget friendly option...

If the sails are in any condition similar to the one in your photo, SELL THEM! Used sails are still worth more than any new canvas work you're likely encounter.

If the sails are from 'popular' boats and are even in moderately good condition you could get hundreds of dollars for them! (New sails can cost over a $1000 each even for "small" boats.)

Heck, even if you get fifty bucks a piece, that's still $500!

Somewhere there's a sailor wishin' he had those sails.

LesterS wrote:I almost cringed when I saw the North Sails logo on your awning-to-be. Using sailcloth for an awning my be budget-friendly simply because you already have the sails, but I would suggest a more budget friendly option...

If the sails are in any condition similar to the one in your photo, SELL THEM! Used sails are still worth more than any new canvas work you're likely encounter.

If the sails are from 'popular' boats and are even in moderately good condition you could get hundreds of dollars for them! (New sails can cost over a $1000 each even for "small" boats.)

Heck, even if you get fifty bucks a piece, that's still $500!

Somewhere there's a sailor wishin' he had those sails.

i must say i dont know much about sailing. so i have no ides if the sails ai have are worth anything. all the sails hav ethe number R22 on them...

all sails looks to be in good/very good condition except for 2 that i've cut to do some testing

Very cool looking trailer, although those small wheels would give me the willies! I hope you keep the boat lift for the roof, that is definitely a part of the original cool of that trailer.

HI all,
long with no post from em here.

winter has been long, coud not work on the camper but the nicer days are back and i've been working on and off on the camper for the last month now.

so far i've completely redone the 120v electrical system(read make safe) added 5 zones LED lighting with a 12v system.(need to buy a battery now)

I also repainted the interior and exterior, exterior still need a second coat. all accents wil be red. fixed some holes, rotten parts.
i need to re-work the counter, add a new rear tablet, re-do the seals around the roof, add bug screens at the front and back...and tons of other little things.
My wife is working on cussions and drapes.

Camping/biking season is starting and our first bike trip is on may 21st so i dont have much time to do it all. i dont tink i will work on the roof this year, neither the suspension, maybe fall or next spring. well see how everything goes.


a few pics.: as i said before my goal is not to have a perfect trailer, i want something that is mine, that work good and is safe.