Hello from Pittsburg California!

[609gold]

Hi all, So after years of wanting a teardrop trailer my search finally ended last summer with the purchase of an 1947 Aluminum Trailer Co model V serial #177. I have so many questions! First of all it's in great condition for its age. I can't find to much info on the company I think they only built trailers in 1947. It's built like an airplane with thick gauge aluminum and rivits,probably WW2 surplus. Since it has no frame it has no interior,so my first question is does anybody camp in theirs like this? and if you put insulation and paneling in how do you attach it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[QueticoBill]

Welcome from the east coast.

Are you saying this is just single thickness of aluminum? A metal box? If so, I think I'd look at glueing foam and fabric on interior, like the
Chesapeake Light Craft teardrop.

Would love to see photos.

[609gold]

Yes it's single thickness aluminum,think ww2 aircraft. Built like a tank including 6 lug hubs! would love to post pics but can't figure out how to get them from my chromebook yet. thought about gluing in a simple wood frame,just not sure it would hold up to the heat. Had not considered foam. Thanks

[mary and bob]

About 15 years ago we bought a similar teardrop, a 1946 or '47 Modernistic camper, made in L A, made of .040 aluminum, put together with aircraft type rivets, and roughly in the shape of a section of an airplane wing. It is 4 feet wide, 10 feet long, and about 5 feet tall from ground to top. It has one door on the right (curb) side. Like many old trailers it had some modifications over the years, including wood framework and paneling on the inside. We stripped off a couple layers of paint on the outside, removed the interior paneling to find two more layers of brushed on paint which we stripped off. We had to make a new rear hatch and lower rear pan. Installed all new lights, new tires, and over a 9 month period got it back to original as much as we could and ready to camp in. My guess is after WW2 ended, military airplane production all but ended and there was surplus aluminum available and plenty of workers that knew how to build with it. I found markings on the interior from both Reynolds and and Alcoa[img][img][album][/album][/img][/img]. Our teardrop has a steel frame but it doesn't extend all the way to the rear. It has a torsion axle that uses coiled springs rather than rubber inserts. Teardrops almost identical to ours were manufactured under other names, and Modernistic offered theirs either assembled or in kit form. We camped in ours for a couple years, then bought a 13 foot Uhaul fiberglass camper, then a 17 foot Casita fiberglass camper. The Uhaul got sold, the teardrop sets in our barn, and prior to covid only went to a couple car shows behind our '76 Ford pickup. photo is before completion.