Once again, a half-car pseudo-teardrop

[groys02]

Back again. Teardrop survived the winter just fine 'under wraps'.
I'll swap out the torsion axles for softer ones soon---took almost 10 months to get them, with all the supply chain shortages.

But first to fabricate a rear bumper. Couldn't locate a stock one, and had some leftover 1x3x1/8" tubing, soooooo... arced the majority of it's length to match back of car-body... bent up some simple brackets... bolted the bumper in place... split the ends to facilitate heating & curling them around the corner of body... and tack-welded the split ends back together again.
More welding & grinding to come. A little crude, but it should do the job.......

[bdosborn]

Well, isn't this a fun looking project! Glad to see you're back on it.

Bruce

[groys02]

Thanks, Bruce.
It IS a fun project, at least for this old weirdo. At my rate of progress, it could easily be another year or two before I'm actually camping out of it.
I'll be able to just focus on smoothing up the body panels soon, and then I can shoot some paint on it & reinstall the glass. Then the fairly slow and step-by-step process of wiring & 'finishing' the interior spaces.
keepin' on...
Gary

[groys02]

Got the bumper primed, colored & cleared yesterday. Today I lightly scuffed it to kill most of the clear-coat gloss, and then installed brackets & bumper itself.
It's all something of a compromise, but I'm content with how it came out. Sturdy and 'tidy'... it'll do.
Now to get those new & lighter swing axles on it, and then take it for a test drive........

[groys02]

Well, it's been 2 years [almost] since last post.

Life's been upside down... wife passed away in '24, after quicker than normal advancement of dementia. We had 50 yrs together, so I reckon that counts for something.

With spring coming on, I've gotten back to fussing with the pseudo-teardrop project.
Trying to push through sanding & prep for interior surfaces that'll still show when interior's finished [which isn't a lot], and then 'edge' the doors & trunk lid & door & window openings. Just gonna paint them with medium-gray tractor enamel for simplicity's sake... thinking I'll lightly scuff the paint when it's almost fully-hardened with super fine steel wool, to give it a satin finish.
Then I can re-hang the doors & trunk lid, and install the windows. Later I'll paint the exterior a medium-gray metallic... base coat/ clear coat... so it shouldn't clash with the plainer paint inside.
Maybe get this first stage of painting done this weekend. Hope so.

[bdosborn]

Wow, that's a tough year. Hang in there...
Bruce

[Tom&Shelly]

Wow, that's a tough year. Hang in there...
Bruce

+2 from Tom & Shelly

[groys02]

Hey, thanks for the moral support.

It's only been fairly recently that I feel plugged back into some of my old/ongoing projects. 10 months on, it felt like time.
I'm a little worried that I'll get my little teardrop useable, only to find out that it's too weird camping solo. I don't think it'll be tooooo weird, but there is that nagging doubt. But, gonna find out. And if I haven't got it camp-able by the time it starts getting hot & humid here in central Iowa, I guess I'll try hauling it out to Colorado... lots of good memories of various camping trips out there.
And, if the solo thing really doesn't feel good, there are a number of other friends & acquaintences near that I'm confident will be happy to share some camping time with... so my little psuedo-teardrop will get used one way or another.

keepin' on...
Gary