Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So with the snowkiting season winding down and the temps crawling back into the 30's I'm finally thinking about dragging the tear out of the corner I crammed it in and finishing the doors.

After checking many stores in the area I can't find anything that could be used for t-molding and I really don't want to deal with ordering it online since I'm not worried about it looking nice as much as it working and keeping water out. I thought about adding an inner lip on the door frame for water channeling but think that would be a shin buster. So I've spent some time in the Hall of Fame and found a picture of I believe Doug's?



He must have used a special hinge or something to allow the hinge side to not hit the side of the tear? I've got some gate hinges I planned on using so wouldn't have the clearance. Is it possible to just pack the hinge side with weather stripping to stop water? I'd think the compression from the door closing would keep it pretty tight and the trim could just be run to the edge?

Does anyone have any experience with this or can tell me if it definatly won't work? Thanks in advance.

A.

Doug used the offset hinges that Grant sells. I used them also. Sorry, but you'll have to order them.

http://www.teardrops.net/LilBear/parts.html

Grant’s hinges have an offset to allow the door to open without having the trim hit. The hinges also have a 90 degree bend in them to help stiffen the door and wall, well worth the bucks.
Regards, Dan

I have all-wood doors and all-wood frames. I simply used a 10 dollar piano hinge on a lipped door jamb. This design is carried out all around the door. No problem at the bottom, as my door is only 2" higher than the floor. There is stick-on weather stripping on the top and lock edges, none on the hinge or at the bottom. This woody door effort has survived 2 trips to the Shasta Dam Gathering. (rain, rain, rain) and no water has entered through the doors, (or side windows for that matter, which have the same design flaw.....er, oops I mean feature).

Now the front curved window is another matter. I can't seem to get the plexiglass bent in my kitchen oven, to fit the curved frame correctly. Also, the piano hinge leaks slightly on the hatch lid but a strip of red duct tape over the hinge solves that problem when it rains.

See my wooden doors in my webpage below.

Roly, oh my God, isn't wood a marvelous medium? Well, I think it is anyway

Now the front curved window is another matter. I can't seem to get the plexiglass bent in my kitchen oven, to fit the curved frame correctly.

Roly... You may want to try Lexan type polycarbonite instead of Plexiglass. It bends easier and holds up better to UV rays too (to say nothing flying of rocks). You could probably bend it around your slight curve without heat at all. Just a friendly suggestion.

friend ~ Brick

I used Grants hinges and to aid in water penetration at the knuckle, I installed a narrow strip of rip stop nylon with some 2x sticky tape on the inside of the hinge. Any water hitting the knuckle can't get through...just not enough room in there to put in much of the way of weatherstrip... Doug

Ahh yes..

I see it here:



Looks like a decent way to build up the opening to keep the water out. I might give that a shot. Thanks for the pictures to help me visualize it! Since I had to add a piece of trim for my springy hatch I feel a new design scheme coming on with lots of wood trim everywhere. I'd like to say I planned it that way!

A.