1947 Tourette Teardrop: I've finally got her home!

[burlesot]

Hello all,

I finally got my Tourette home.

I've been keeping a blog about all the planning I've done and if you would like to see it, you can go here: http://toddsteardropblog.blogspot.com/

As all of you who have tried your hand at restoration know, it's a lot of work!

Today I was able to remove the wooden frames for the windows and the wooden door frames. Except for the floor (which had already been replaced with green lumber) this is the only part of the trailer that is wooden. It was all but destroyed. Luckily I was very careful with it and I will be able to create a pattern for the other side as well.

The aluminum skin is in pretty good shape, no major dents, scratches or holes.

The trailer currently has no 12 v or 120 v system. I have been lurking for a long time and have begun to design a 12 v system for when I am off grid. I don't usually camp at powered sites, but will put in a basic 120 v. system for when I am.

I'm on spring break so I've been able to put some elbow grease into cleaning and planning.

Sincerely,
Todd

[Mary C]

Wow!!! What a memorable trip, your luck with the tires and hatch sound like what would typically happen to me. I am glad you made it home. I know you will enjoy the refurbishing. You will have a real beauty when you are finished. That is of the era that made me want a teardrop to begin with. I know you will enjoy it and will be watching for updates on the rebuild.

Mary C.

[burlesot]

Mary C,
Thank you kindly for your words. She is a classic that's for sure! I am planning to remove the original galley and put in wooden cabinetry; however, one major challenge at a time! My first challenge is to rebuild the windows and the door frames.

Sincerely,
Todd

[Roo Dog]

Todd,

Great project.

I shall follow your progress with some interest.

Take it easy.

RD

[mary and bob]

About 5 years ago we did a restoration on our 46 Modernistic teardrop. It is put together with aircraft type rivets, and we had to do a lot of riveting to make repairs and fill screw holes done by a previous owners. I had an air gun, but needed the rivet tools. Bought a few different sizes and a dolly on eBay, got various size rivets from McMaster Carr. I also had a wheel and tire problem, ended up with narrow 15" wheels and tires installed with hub adapters. I had to replace the wood ribs in the hatch, some aluminum, and strip paint off the outside and the inside. We brought our teardrop home in a Ryder truck, free use of the truck as I worked for Ryder.

[burlesot]

Mary and Bob,
Thanks for sharing your journey!
I was able to order a lot of the replacement parts today and that makes me happy!
I am learning about rivets and am truly looking forward to getting started on the restoration process.
Of course I'm anxious to get her on the road, but I have a lot of work left to do to get moving on it!

Todd

[Larry & Jill]

I just read about your journey. Glad you made it home OK.
Just a thought, I flipped the axle on our trailer to below the springs. Gave me a couple more inches of tire room and the trailer doesn't sit so low to the ground.
I had to rebuild our windows also.

[burlesot]

Larry,
As always, thank you so much for all your kind input and advice. I think I'm 'done' with the axle and wheels for a while! That was enough of an adventure getting her ready for the road. However, I'll keep it in mind for when I have nothing else to do on her

Your tourette is beautiful and I will keep coming back to your work to inspire me.

Particularly when I'm doing mundane things like completely rebuilding the windows!

Todd

[mary and bob]

Todd: We bought our teardrop in mid September 2007, worked on it in spare time all winter, almost every day, had it ready by early June for it's first trip out. The worst task was stripping off all the old paint. Good luck on your trailer, you'll have a neat camper when it's done. Bob

[burlesot]

Thanks! No paint for me. However I have my hands full working with aluminum.

[mary and bob]

Aluminum can be difficult to work with regarding dents or bending. Our teardrop has aluminum fenders that had dents, I never did get them pounded out perfectly smooth, and since we weren't going to paint them I couldn't use any body filler. Also had a couple dents in the front that were most likely jacknife damage backing up. We just refer to that stuff as "character". We ended up using Mothers Mag Polish for our final finish. The trailer is shiny, but not a mirror finish. Bright enough to blind other drivers on the road on a sunny day.

[bobhav]

Aluminum can be difficult to work with regarding dents or bending. Our teardrop has aluminum fenders that had dents, I never did get them pounded out perfectly smooth, and since we weren't going to paint them I couldn't use any body filler. Also had a couple dents in the front that were most likely jacknife damage backing up. We just refer to that stuff as "character". We ended up using Mothers Mag Polish for our final finish. The trailer is shiny, but not a mirror finish. Bright enough to blind other drivers on the road on a sunny day.

Bob & Mary,

I have a passion for British and Spanish motorcycles of the sixties and seventies. About 10 years ago, I taught myself how to make aluminum motorcycle fenders and how to repair them. An English wheel is a very handy tool for dent removal. The wheel raise a dent, but it will not refinish an area where metal has been scraped away. Perhaps an automobile restoration shop would be able to repair the damage. There is a lot of information available now days on English wheels if you chose to persue it yourselves.

Bob H

[mary and bob]

Bob H: I'm familiar with what an English wheel is, however I have never used one or seen one used except on TV. I know a real good auto body guy, but just haven't yet felt the need to pay for repair. I have 2 BSA cycles, but before you get too excited, I have to clarify that they are bicycles. One is old enough that it actually was made by BSA, the other was made after Raleigh took over bike production from BSA. Only motorcycles that I own are a few old Yamahas. also Bob H

[daleroller]

I brought my own 1940's era Touretter home about two weeks ago . I am not sure how to tell what the exact year is. Mine seems to be in pretty much the same shape as yours is. It is at my friends auto repair shop right now getting the bearings packed and adding new LED lights and `1v accessories.
I look forward to reading your blog thoroughly. The first big task I would like to tackle is to remove the shell from the frame and replace the floorboard and add linoleum. We just aren't sure how to pull the shell off yet.

3F53Mb3H15N35H45M6d3ie20a6f7eeea61688.jpg (24.33 KiB) Viewed 441 times

[Larry & Jill]

We had to replace the floor in our Tourette. I used a portable engine hoist and a couple of straps. It worked fine. Photos are in our profile here. Seems quite a few of these vintage teardrops have survived.