Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Cowboy , I used to do this kind of painting on Vans , years ago (when it was in fashion) Did pretty good then , even won some awards for paint ... made a few bucks too ...
I always thought of just taking off and traveling from place to place , decorating things ... Sorta' like a traveling paint show ... I've done the same thing for many years , teaching Art , and giving demonstrations ... Great Fun , and you get to meet a lot of nice people ...

All about how we choose to entertain ourselves , eh !!!!

Thrifty is GOOD !!! As I recall, the original TDs and TTs were built for people to travel from place to place to find work ... so were built from what they had...

People who don't like my stuff , can just take a leap from all I care ... I'm the one that has to use it .. People who constantly criticize others , just aren't happy with themselves...

[GPW]

One consideration with this type of Foamie' construction , might be applying the cloth to the inside ... I can't imagine the walls as being much trouble , but the ceiling could be more er ...difficult ... Maybe an alternative is to cover the bottom of the ceiling panels , and then glue them to the sides ... Maybe even easier, would be to cover the whole insides of all panels , etc. before assembly , then add the reinforcing strips later... top and bottom ... much easier than trying to glue fabric to a ceiling in the usual manner ...

Pretty much this http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=69599

[GPW]

Been looking at different foams available ... So many kinds... some even have finished aluminum skins... come in 4'X 10' sheets ... Bet it's Not thrifty though ... Many choices , many sizes/densities, somewhat confusing ( time for the Engineers to weigh in ) Even comes in Pink too ... (Owens-Corning)

Experimenting with glues ... the T3 does have a much quicker "grab" and seems to be the better choice for gluing the cloth on in troublesome places... once it sticks , it stays ...quicker than anything else we tried ... I was using common pushpins to "hold" the cloth ..
Thought of using water based contact cement , but felt it didn't offer the waterproofing qualities the glue did... Just FYI...

[GPW]

Cowboy , Yep , art is how you live it ... Whether you choose to ride the High Lonesome , or travel around in a TD ... It's about living Free and unrestricted. All just an expression of our lives.. and what makes us, and others Happy !!!
"Found " materials is a great thing ... from making Art to TDs ... It's the most basic Thrifty Alternative ... and with our disposable society , one only has to look around to find most anything they need ... and as we found , that can be as much Fun as the build ...

After seeing the Trailers folks make here , especially compared to the dull and uninspired commercial offerings .. I think most of these are Very Creative and artistic... Raising the level of TD building to an Art form !!!

[urban5]

Slow Cowboy, just so you know, your the reason my offroad tear is built from a harbor freight trailer. Still need to finish the upgrades that yours has but I am working on it. I guess we are the only guys in the know.

[GPW]

Guys , I have a question ... Suppose we build a shell (as described) and it turns out LIGHT ... really light ... Would we need to go with a lighter weight trailer/suspension so it wouldn't bounce all over the place , or do we just load it (the trailer) up with our gear and let that be part of the overall weight ??? Somewhat confusing ...

I've studied those trailers at the Harbor freight store ... They look fine for something light , and easily modified as Cowboy has shown .. certainly inexpensive with a coupon ...
Around here, there are still many boat trailers left over from Katrina , when the boats blew away and the trailers stayed... Many good finds to be had .... I bought a good one for 50 bucks , hadn't been flooded ... still in my yard awaiting a build ... Thrifty ...

[bobhenry]

Really really stupid thought ......

What would keep you from mounting a full width torsion axle on your leaf springs for a soft ride with the flex and reserved back up in the springs themselves for those really bad pot holes rocks ect......



I didn't get much sleep last night thats my only excuse !!!

[GPW]

Bob , I think that's a Cool idea !! Just thinking you'd have to use lighter springs with a lighter TA to get a good ride with a lighter trailer ... maybe add shocks too like Cowboy did ... I dunno' ! Sounds workable eh !!!

[eaglesdare]

so any ideas on how to build the hatch? i am not coming up with anything in my mind.

[GPW]

Eagle , you know I never planned for a hatch , just for the better structural integrity of the build ... but seems it'd be easy to add one done in the same style as regular hatches , skin over ribs , foam ribs, and then covered inside and out with the fabric .... I'd add a small attachment board to the hatch and shell where it hinges... Reinforcement... Cover everything with the fabric and paint , and as we've recently seen Laursand's trailer came out really NICE with the canvas covering and paint ... what a Great finish !!!

Just an afterthought , building one of those Weekenders or Grasshoppers should be Pretty EASY like this ... all straight surfaces , so you could use the thicker foam all around , like building blocks ... well sorta '

And I must mention repairs ... If you happen in some way to get a puncture in the outer skin and it makes a dent in the foam ... simply shoot in some of that expanding canned foam , let dry , sand flush and apply another piece of fabric (patch) over it , the n paint ... Simple

[Wolffarmer]

I am wondering if anybody has found a method to make an accurate smooth ( glue able ) cut in a big block of foam? To make joints, turn corners and such. Also how about drilling? If this weather warms up here or I get real excited i might try a forstner bit on the 1/2 blue I have here. I doubt if twist or spade bits will do any good.

Randy

[Ageless]

For the hatch; bend thin ply to the needed radius, lay down a layer of plastic sheet . . . .lay-up the outer skin . . .add foam . . .lay-up inner skin


BTW, coating the plastic with rubbed in Murphy's Oil Soap allows for release

[GPW]

Wolf , If it's under 2" a jigsaw/saber saw works fine , for really Big blocks , a Hot wire is nice ... easy to make a hot wire bow to make large cuts ...
In between Holidays , the electric carving knife works too ... Just don't let the wife catch you using her kitchen tools ...
Spade bit should work for drilling ... or a hot poker ...

[GPW]

Last night at band rehearsal , one of the guys was really admiring the Foamie' model trailer , wanted to know all about it .... I explained the concept , and he really liked the idea... He was going to tell his son , who needs a really inexpensive hunting trailer ... Once I showed him Mad Jack's Camo covered trailer he got really excited ... Looks like there will be a new build down the block ...( right after Hunting season )

He'd already seen my 12' Camo TD and liked that ... and was sorry his son didn't buy that when he had a chance ... I told him this would be MUCH Cheaper ... He liked that idea too !!!

[GPW]

Found this at Loews ... http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?par ... &cId=PDIO1 Thinner foam too ...