Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm ready to put on the aluminum skin, the teardrop is 5 x 8. My aluminum is only 3 foot wide, what could I use to cover the seam where it meets? I plan on putting the seam down the middle of the roof. I'm using a textured look, .010", 3' x 100' roll, from work. It's an aluminum wrap they use on chemical reactors, I think it's ideal for this, very easy to work with. Thought I might get a few suggestions. Great site!!! Terry

Terry,
I'm doing about the same thing you are.
My tear is 6'-2" wide and my aluminum is 3'-0" wide leaving me a 2" gab between my sheets. I am planning on cutting a strip 4-5" wide and glueing over my seam an screwing it down every 2-3 inches.
When I skinned the sides of my tear I overlapped my sheets 2 1/2" and screwed them every 2" and it came out pretty nice.

Try using a 1" or 1 1/2" (even 2") wide by 1/16" or 1/8" flat aluminum and just us a bead of polyurethene cauld close to each edge, then screw it down every 4" to 6". I think that it would look fine and should be totally weather proof.

Just my Opinion!

Kerry

As thin as that is I think you could do a nice 1/2 inch flat fold on both pieces and seal the unterlocking piece without a problem foolowing the contour of the tear.

I've seen at least one commerically manufactured teardrop that had the aluminum skin on the top going sideways with rolled seams. You might consider doing it that way.

Cut your pieces extra long, a foot or so, take to furnace duct work shop, tell them want you want to do, they have a machine that rolls an interlocking seam in sheet metal that they use to form ducts out of flat sheet metal, should only cost a few bucks, when you assemble, fill with your choice of sealer first, it will lock the two togeather.

i agree with gman, that is the best way to go. they do that on some travel trailer. one thing to remenber if you do this is that one sheet will be the fold that the othe sheet will lock into. the sheet with the fold shut be placed where the water will hit the back of the fold. this will stop the possible of a leak. and put your sealeant in the slote and snap it together

Thanks for the help guys. Looks like it'll be alittle while before i can work on it again. Sunday while ripping plywood for the galley,the plywood came back hit the blade then boomeranged back into my left index finger,. Broke it, now I have to have surgery saturday to rebreak & realign it. Just my luck... Terry