Building the "Heart of Gold" - Done 3/9/2014

[Gunguy05]

Completely random, but where did you get you rims and hubcaps?

[drewh1]

No worries - got them through Vintagecampers.com. The hub caps are nice, actually pretty solid, not the super thin ones. The wheels are just basic but the powder coat is nice. they have them in 15" too, but I really wanted 14's.

[drewh1]

Took the teardrop out for the first overnight. I went up to my favorite hotsprings. It was a fun tow up there with just about every possible road type: highway, urban, hilly, steep, curves. It tows easily, I had no issue with braking at all, and was even able to pass a few cars on the way up. My gas mileage wasn't even too bad. I have a few small bugs to work out and really need an additional table of some sort when there is not a picnic table near by but other than that, it was perfect!

here are some highlights in pictures:

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Made a cup of tea!

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Beautiful starry night

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[jonw]

Very nice teardrop. Let the camping fun begin...

[drewh1]

Thanks Jon - just checked out your super-light build. Great project and I love your TV!

drew

[PKCSPT]

Lookin good out there

[drewh1]

thanks Karen - I probably already told you this but I love you TV/TD combo. Looks like a lot of fun!

drew.

[drewh1]

2d outing - a weekend at Ocean Cove in Sonoma California. Picked up my new tow vehicle on Friday and trashed on Saturday with 2 dogs and three wet divers. Speared some nice LingCod and had a great time with the dogs. I really like camping in my teardrop!

Camp with the new Tow Vehicle!

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my buddy Eric with the two LingCod we speared. He also got some Abalone freediving.

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[PKCSPT]

Thanks Drew, I do love my Beetle Tear combo. Never buy or recommend the Beetle but since I have it I am enjoying the heck out of it.

[drewh1]

Well after measuring and fretting and researching and measuring again, I decided to just get the jigsaw out and cut some off of these fenders. I think they are going to look fine now!

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[drewh1]

Put the fenders on today! I used SS Carriage bolts, fender washers with rubber washers and nyloc nuts. Made a template and used someones idea of double stick tape to hold the fender welting in place. It all worked great!

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[RandyG]

Good work! How tight can you get those carrage bolts in the wood before it spins, are you using anything on the square to grip it?

[drewh1]

I am still not totally happy with the fit, but they look pretty good and great from certain angles. If I really start off-roading alot I will change axles and go to a 15" wheel. When I do that, I'll move things around so the wheel is more centered.

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[drewh1]

Good work! How tight can you get those carrage bolts in the wood before it spins, are you using anything on the square to grip it?

I only had one spin and it was because it was drilled slightly crooked. I tap them into the wood with a hammer and as long as the hole is tight, they tighten just fine. I sharpened the ends of my vise grip and used that to grab it. I personally like the look better than the elevator bolts I found. The heads were quite large and they were not rust proof.

[S. Heisley]

Congratulations on a successful build of a very nice teardrop! The newly added fenders look great!
...Beautiful pictures. Glad you're having fun with your new teardrop.
Thanks for sharing!