Long Beach, CA anyone?

[cuyeda]

Hello All! Great forum, great info, great responses, and I know where to find suggestions for my first build.

Anyone from Long Beach, CA? It would be great to meet some locals! Could you use an extra hand, call me. I can't tell you how to build it, but can hold, paint, drill, and screw etc... Your knowledge, my help will get your rig done faster.

I just bought this vintage 1951 Aljoa trailer, and still deciding whether to go forward, or let someone else have fun with this project (see picture link). I am not sure that these forums will allow questions in this category. I will look later.


click for more pictures
http://salsaholics.com/aljoa

Which leads me to building a teardrop instead. I can do a new build from the ground up faster. Well, maybe not faster. I think it is easier to go forward, instead of backward then forward again. ha ha.

I will be able to go camping sooner, and it is easier on the gas mileage! Any comments welcome. If I do the restoration, I will try to get it back to original, which means using replacement twist nails instead of new screws. The entire inside will have to be gutted. I am just not sure I want to do so much work. Decisions, decisions, I will probably end doing both.

Cliff

[jimqpublic]

Very nice lines! I like the size and lines. Not so much the prospect of a "correct" restoration.

Anyway I'm in Long Beach too. I enjoy the academic study of tiny trailers and teardrops but for now I camp in a Chalet folding trailer.

I'm sure you're aware of some of the local restoration resources- but if not there's Iowa Boys in the 818 and Vintage Vacations in the 714.

[jimqpublic]

PS-

Good thing you didn't buy this "Aljo":
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/rvs/210024206.html

[Nick Taylor]

Welcome Cliff,

Nick here from San Diego and also of the oldtrailer.net board. I checked out your Aljoa. Very cool trailer and looks pretty solid. Of course you never know what you're going to find under that paneling. A teardrop is a good place to start. You can certainly use many of the techniques for constructing a teardrop on a restoration project like that.

Nick.

[cuyeda]

Thanks for the replies. I wondered how the Chalet trailer tows with a high peak after seeing at an RV show. NIck, yes I have been to the www.oldtrailer.net. I placed a couple posts. It seems that some Ajoa owners, don't know the history of the manufacturer, but I have a good list of facts that I pieced together from other vintage trailer enthusiasts. A grade school friend of mine runs www.funkyjunkfarms.com so I hope to get a few tips from Steve.

If anyone lives in Long Beach, CA and has a teardrop. I would love to check it out. Especially if you built it yourself.

Cliff

[Nick Taylor]

Cliff,

The Chalet is a folding trailer, you don't tow it with the peaked roof. The sides fold down and then the front and back fold down. Looks very similar to a tent trailer when it's folded.

Nick.

[Juli n Bill]

We don't live in Long Beach but we're just up the road in West LA. We built our Teardrop from the ground up. Someday we may even finish it. There are photos in our album if you're interested.
Welcome!
Juli n Bill

[cuyeda]

Nice job on your trailer! Looks like you are putting it to use already! I like the kayaks also! I've been wanting to learn how to kayak, but these darn projects keep gettin' in the way. ha ha. I like the window additions in one of the pics, and will be sweet when you finish it. Exellent job on the galley also. I look forward to seeing some of these teardrops up close.

From your pictures, it looks like the panels are double thick. Did you build a frame between the outside and inside skin? Viewing other project build photos, some opt to use just one solid piece for each side wall. A framed installation on the side walls allow for insulation. I am trying to decide what most people do, and if insulation makes a big difference.

Now that you have executed your design plan, are there any tips you can share with me that you would do over, or avoid? Don't take it the wrong way, you did a great job! Everyone makes mistakes, and I know I will make a few more than I want to. I just want to make less while learning to do it right the first time.

Cliff

[Gage]

Aw, you know John. No wonder your into vintage trailers. Say Cliff, I don't know if I told you but I'm up here in Palmdale. Won't be home the next two weekends and maybe not the following. Busy month for me coming up. Taking the Dalton to Cottonwood this coming weekend then the following weekend we'll be taking the teardrop up to Bishop to the Fall Colors Car Show with the '56 and the last weekend of Oct. we'll be taking the Dalton to Kernville (Rivernook). Any ways, if you want to come up to the High Desert some weekend, give me a call. PM me and I'll give you my phone number.

Oh, the secret to building a teardrop with the lease amount of mistakes is to take your time and think things out. Remember, your not in a race to get it done. You'll be on 'Teardrop Time' .

Have a good day.

http://www.gages-56.com/tear.html (The build)

[Archer_1]

Cliff,

While not in Long Beach, I'm also fairly local (Ontario). My wife and I have a Camp-Inn 550 which you're more than welcome to come and see. SoCal Teardrops is located just a couple of miles from us and they're pretty good about showing off their shop as well, given notice. Might make for a good day trip.

Good luck on your build!

[cuyeda]

Gage,
I made reservations for Rivernook, and if my schedule permits, I will see you there. My dad lives in Palmdale, off of Ave. N. Thanks for the invite, and wish I could go to Cottonwood. Maybe next year I will have a rig by then. I don't think the 51' Aljoa will be in any shape to bring to Rivernook, but you never know what will happen between now and then. I might be able to get some pointers if I tow it up there.

I will be easy to spot! The guy with the green tent. ha ha.

Archer, thanks for the invite. I have seen the Camp Inn teardrops and look at the pictures with envy. SoCal does a nice job also. Building something from the ground up will be me satisfaction. It will either be a success, or a failure. With all the info being shared here, I am leaning toward the success side!

I had a 25' 5th wheel for a short while, but sold it due to the tow vehicle being a tad underpowered (Dodge Ram 1500). The salesman saw me comin' on to the sales lot! Sure miss camping, can't wait to back out there again.

[Juli n Bill]

I highly recommend insulating your tear, we did it mostly for sound and it works great, our little egg is very quiet even in the noisiest campgrounds.

If you'd like to take a look at our tear, you're welcome to come by. We're freeway friendly just off the 10 fwy where it crosses the 405 fwy near the Santa Monica airport. Send me an email.

As far as what we would have done differently, one thing would have been to have more time to build. We built ours on a tight timeline, 2 months. We had a trip planned to Washington and it had to be done by then. the last week was really stressful. Other than that we're pretty happy with the way it turned out, we built it 5 x 10 and it works just fine for us. We still need to get gas shocks for the hatch and finish skinning the inside of the hatch. I still need to poly the inside woodwork and put up some moulding. The top shelf in the gallery needs to have the counter top material attached. Bill wants to build a bigger tongue box, the stabilizers on the sides need to be heavier and longer. Minor things really.

We didn't have any formal plans, just an outline for the shape. We just looked at all the great ideas on the forum and came up with our own design that worked for us. We had the tow vehicle so we knew what size we could go to be aerodynamic. It pulls great and we've taken it down some roads that most folks wouldn't dare go with a trailer.

[Gage]

Cliff, bring it up if you can. Nothing like your first night in an old trailer. I went all the way up to South Lake Tahoe for my first night with the original tires on it (bad mistake).



Have a good day and we'll see you there.

[AlaskaBound]

I'm in Ontario CA. Just starting my TD. Is that a Shiba, I have one.

Bob

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Cliff, I lived in Long Beach for 28 years and am now retired in Wildomar, just off of the I-15 fwy, north of Temecula. I have a little woody that I built 3 years ago and another that is shorter and lighter about 90% finished. If you are wanting to talk teardrops and want to see a couple, swing on by and I'll be happy to share what info I have to help with your build. You can reach me at: [email protected]

Roly