Lil' Nugget build

[kenafp]

Backing up a bit.
after gluing the 1/4 inch birch veneer to the sides, I used some large headed washer screws to secure it to the base plywood.
I may leave them in. If not, I'll just remove and fill with wood putty before sealing.

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Also installed the spars and framed out the Fantastic Fan.

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[kenafp]

Installed the foot panel.
The bedding area nows has some type of definition...if that's what you want to call it.

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[kenafp]

This bending process sure takes some patience...

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I kept wetting it down with water, giving it about 15 minutes between sprays, then ever so slightly adjusting the tension to bend it.

[kenafp]

Built the frame for the foot cabinets and TV cubby.

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This is just sitting here. It is not installed yet.
I will be staining and sealing it before installation.


*

[kenafp]

Notes on the tongue design.
Before assembling the walls onto the frame, I brought this over to another friend who owns an auto shop. He told me I could do the bulk of my build before redesigning the tongue section.
He will be cutting off the triangular area, reinforcing the one cross beam, then reworking the design to give the front more vertical support.
I decided on rebuilding the tongue rather than adding supports.
While it may be more bothersome to do this after the body is mostly built, at least it will coincide with my cash flow and give me more motivation seeing the progress of the build.

[S. Heisley]

You're making good progress. Thanks for sharing your build.

[kenafp]

Thanks, Sharon.

Now for today's progress.
I tried to bend the 1/4 inch interior birch panel, assuming the bend would stay. When I released the pressure, it just went back to a straight board after being bent and moistened for three days.

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So, I decided to do a progressive bend, removing the higher spars, placing a pressure point on the opposite side of each spar as I moved up.
Frankly, this got tougher as I moved towards the end of the panel. It took 2.5 of us to get this thing to bend right!
I first used Titebond III as the glue, but found it wasn't what I needed. I ended up using Gorilla glue after moistening the panel to ease the bending process. This one panel took about 5 hours to get right. A lot of patience!!!

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[kenafp]

Setting the interior pressure points made it easier to bend for the next spar to be installed.
I ended up using screws to hold the panel in place at the spar.
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Where two inside skins will meet, I used a 2x3 as a spar to give me better adhesion

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This was a tough one!

[grant whipp]

Hey, Ken!

A friend of mine just alerted me to your frame problems, and I just finished looking through your build thread ... I wish you had called me when you first realized that you had issues with the chassis!

First, let's be perfectly clear about one very important thing: your frame is-not/was-not built to the specs & guidelines that I sent you ... had it been (and despite what all the "experts" have-and-are told/telling you), it would be perfectly strong enough for its intended purpose and safe. I spec'd rectangular tubing and your fabricator used channel ... I spec'd gussets and fish-plates where there are none on your frame. Basically, you went "off book" without consulting me, and I take issue with anyone claiming that my chassis design "simply isn't safe."

I have 39 teardrops on the road since 1984 that have accumulated hundreds of thousands of miles, most all of them with the same frame design (the other version has a removable tongue, of which I've only built six or eight), and none of them have had any problems (well, O.K. ... one had a problem when the owner decided to be the official beer hauler for his club and proceeded to fill the entire cabin with kegs & cases of been, resulting in a 600#+ tongue weight which eventually caused some fracturing under the front of the body!). I've had no fewer than four certified welders who have built my frames over the years (a couple of which happen to hold degrees in engineering), and all of them have put their stamp of approval on the design, and continue to stand behind their fabrication skills and my reliance on them.

And, if anyone might be concerned about any perceived legal or liability issues, any counselor worthy of you giving him/her your money will tell you that once you go off-book, you're completely on your own ... which is actually the case on virtually all homebuilt parts on all homebuilt trailers (or anything else, for that matter).

I wish you good luck with your frame fix ... ... but next time you (or anyone else) decide to complain about a particular design, I hope you make damn sure you've built it to the author's original specs and consulted with them first!

CHEERS!

Note! Ken & I have spoken about his frame problems, and all is good between us and he is on the way to a good fix! He's edited his original post,and I have removed his quote from this response, as well as editing my remarks to reflect as much. Even though I offered to remove it entirely, Ken did want me to leave my post up, as he felt there is valuable info here. All in the interest of all-around better teardropping! CHEERS!

[kenafp]

Grant, thanks for your reply. I understand what you said, now.
Sorry for coming across as a complaint. Mea culpa.
I just didn't know any better. It's on me.
I'm wishing I had contacted you also. But the frame was built by someone else.
All I gave him was the diagram on the template. He told me he worked from that, and that alone.
BTW, there are gussets throughout the frame. At each of the right angles.

[kenafp]

Any suggestions on what I can do now? I'm all ears.

[kenafp]

Grant has been incredibly helpful! Thanks, Grant!

[kenafp]

Update on the build.
I stop by the storage unit after work for a few hours and work on the TD.
So far, I've been able to get the interior cabin enclosed.
Soon, I'll be able to work on the galley.
Now that I picked up a trailer dolly, I'll be able to move it easily outside the unit to take better pictures.
Right now, the space is a little cramped.

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[kenafp]

I'm considering foregoing the 12V system and using battery operated lighting for the inside reading lights and porch lights.
Also, since I am completely boggled by the electrical system plans, I'm thinking about simply doing a simplified AC system for the galley, with power strips, rather than outlets. It should make things a little easier to get on the road and camped in.

Comments would be appreciated.

[Vedette]

Wiring a Teardrop is a piece of cake.
Just spend some down time doing your homework.
Now is the time to do it!.........as it is a pain to add later????
Go to the Electrical section here on the Forum ........everything you need to know is there!!!
If you are having a problem understanding something, just ask a question.
But wait for the answer before you dive in ????
And my suggestion is "over do" the electrical system. You will use it all!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi