Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Today I started gluing things together!

Decide to start with the long sides first. Decided the fastest way was to clamp both sides at the same time, keeping them separate using some plastic.


Kept going with the smaller rails, but kept these separate with parchment paper.


The plastic seems to have kept the Great Stuff from setting up, but the parchment paper didn't have the same problem.



I figured out that the scrap cutouts from the wheel wells were the exact shape as the front curve. Decided recycling them was the best thing, so I cut the three I had in half, and cut out a couple more.



After the GS residue dried, I tried again, but this time without the plastic. Definitely worked better this time!

Maybe I missed something , but are you going to put some kind of rubber seal on the floor-wall join where it’s removable ? … It is a Cool idea … the foam Cabins are usually pretty Light by themselves …

GPW wrote:Maybe I missed something , but are you going to put some kind of rubber seal on the floor-wall join where it’s removable ? … It is a Cool idea … the foam Cabins are usually pretty Light by themselves …

No, the whole cabin will be able to come off the trailer, floor and all.

Glued the rails to the floor today! I glued the rails down, then pinned them, so didn't need to clamp it. I did need two clamps to glue the side rails to the front rail.


I remembered to put a piece of plastic down on the trailer bed before I glued the rails, so I was able to glue the floor pieces together, without worrying about gluing it all to the trailer. I did need a little weight to make sure the foam flooring was even with each other.


After letting it cure for about 5 hours, I had my brother help me test it out. I pulled the pins out of the side rails, and each of us got on one side, and the camper came right up off the trailer! It went back in with no trouble, either.
While the camper part isn't completely finished, I have to call this a successful proof of concept!

Since I'll need to work on the underside next, I had him help me pull it back up one more time, and rest on the rails. You should be able to see light coming through between the trailer floor and the foam. Having it halfway out like this will let me flip it over to apply the canvas by myself, or maybe with the kids to help.

Apropos of nothing. I see where Home Depot is carrying thick cardboard rolls (35 " by 60 feet} , Was remembering some testing that said the thicker cardboard paper (chipboard) really added strength to the walls of the build they were working on. Just a thought1
charliel

I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do about the cutout for the wheel well. I was going to glue in a piece of 1/4 thick foam there, and just wrap the canvas up and around. Looking at it though, I don't know if I will be able to fit foam in there.
I'll have to think on this for a minute while I get the front curve started.

Wow, very cool. Can't wait to see your continued progress!

Thanks, Bill

ZZZ, how about a foam “wall” on the inside of the wheel well ??? Forming an enclosed niche for the well to fit into .

GPW wrote:ZZZ, how about a foam “wall” on the inside of the wheel well ??? Forming an enclosed niche for the well to fit into .

I was planning on having the interior wall being luan board. I've considered gluing a sheet of 1/2 inch foam on the inside, but that may give me problems with installing the doors. I don't know that I could get a trim ring of 2 3/4.

Maybe I'll just have the interior door trim recessed into the wall and have the 1/2 foam and luan sticking out a bit. I'd hate to lose 1.5 inches inside though.

I could also just use 1/2 foam at the wheel well, and cut the luan around that foam. I would only lose 1/2 inch between the wheels, which wouldn't be terrible, and would make life a whole lot easier.
I'll have to think about what that would look like for a while.

Got the front curve started. I wanted this lower part done, so I can canvas this once with the underside canvas, then a second time when I canvas the roof, for extra durability from thrown objects.



Started lightly sanding the underside in preparation for canvas. The sander and shop-vac combination has been working really well, and leaving very little dust. I also hook the shop vac up to the jigsaw whenever I make cuts, and it gets almost everything.
After sanding everything, I wiped it down really well with denatured alcohol.




Then, I put on a coat of Gripper.



Next step will be to canvas the cutouts where the trailer hinges are, followed by canvassing the whole bottom.

That’s coming along Nicely !!!

GPW wrote:That’s coming along Nicely !!!

Thank you! I'm pretty excited about it all. Just put in my order for two doors and a stargazer window yesterday.

Nothing too exciting. I used lint-free shop rags to line the inside of the hinge cutouts. Glued them in with full-strength TBII.



After letting the glue dry overnight, I trimmed the extra cloth, and then coated them with a second coat of full-strength glue.



The canvas will be folded over the edges and glued down for a fully waterproof underside. Not sure the best way to have the canvas go around the side-rail posts though. Might just have to glue the canvas down in small sections to minimize any potential shrinkage, and cut out holes for the posts.

Looking good.

Just some more little stuff. Working here and there, trying to get the bottom canvassed so I can flip it over and start work on the top.

I grippered the interior.



Then glued down bedsheet to the floor.



I want to make absolutely sure that this is completely waterproofed from both sides. Especially since there is the chance that there could be moisture sitting between the bottom of the camper pod and the floor of the trailer.

Tonight I started gluing plastic drywall corner bead onto the edges using gripper.





I used corsage pins to hold it in place while it dries. I got this idea from ghcoe, and definitely think it will make the corners look much nicer. It will also give the corners some more support, as that will be where it gets lifted from to put on and take off.