reduce, recycle, reuse: ideas for inexpensive trailer shells

[Gage]

A fellow teardroper here in socal is building a teardrop from a '57 Chevy and if I might say, it doesn't look all that bad.

[cwm]

A fellow teardroper here in socal is building a teardrop from a '57 Chevy and if I might say, it doesn't look all that bad.

Gage, That sounds like it would be pretty neat.

[bledsoe3]

A fellow teardroper here in socal is building a teardrop from a '57 Chevy and if I might say, it doesn't look all that bad.

Got any

[Gage]

Got any

Pictures not allowed yet. Only a few have seen it or pictures of it. He's been working on it for a couple of years now and may have it finished this year. Plans are to pull it with his '57 Chevy.

[type82e]

what about something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DOG-TRAILER-FABU ... dZViewItem

the hatch is already done
marcel

[ALAN GEDDES]

I have seen it twice on the road. 6 foot diameter drain/culvert pipe converted to trailer. Door in the back and boxed in around the wheels. I always seem to be going in the wrong direction to catch it.

[Gambam]

I have an Astro van I am going to use as a tow, so I am kicking around the idea of using an old astro van we have just sitting around with a blown motor to make a trailer to match my van.

here is a quick mock up I made in Paint

[jagular7]

I have an Astro van I am going to use as a tow, so I am kicking around the idea of using an old astro van we have just sitting around with a blown motor to make a trailer to match my van.

here is a quick mock up I made in Paint

Biggest obstacle would be weight. The weight of the frame, axle, and suspension.

Turn it around. Make the engine bay your kitchen. Box it in and seal it. The grille can swing open or split and drop for table tops. Cut in front of the rear wheel well and slice in the rear doors to that point just to keep it a 'van'. Darken the front windshield so that you can see out and get pull down 'to fit' curtains, like in the TABs, for all the windows. Use your headlights as brake lights with red bulbs. Keep the turning lights as turning though this will require some work on the tow vehicle since the turning and brake lights are on the same circuit. Take the rear axle from a front wheel drive van and use it for yours. I had thoughts of something like this for a long time but using a Dodge Caravan due to the unibody design. This keeps it light for the frame is part of the floor. Not sure if your style GM van has a separate floor and frame.

Biggest thing to configure is the weight distribution with the wheels so far back.

Here KC metro area, there is an airport taxi service that travels to the other cities around KC (ie Topeka) to pick up customers. They have a full size van pulling a chopped Caravan trailer similar to your cut.

[Gambam]

Astro tips the scales @ 4000lbs. So loosing the whole front clip, drive tran, mufflers, gas tank, and stripping the insides of all the seats and such should drop the weight problem alot. My van has a tow cap of 5000lbs, but from what I've read I want to keep my max towing around the 3500lb mark.

The whole idea is still a pipe dream, I guess I better watch what I put in that pipe from now on.

[Gambam]

here it is a little shorter to lighten up the hitch weight and using the front windshield to make it a little more shapely.

[bledsoe3]

I like the first one. You still have the sliding door and rear access. It would be heavy though.

[Cruiser]

There was a guy on one of the jeep forums that used a jeep front for a towable BBQ, and a guy that used the back 1/2 as an off-road utility trailer. Way cool. How bout some of those aluminium military radio stations? I saw some on some surplus site. They were dropped by plane into the jungle or something?? The DNCR ranger station has 6-7 of these as storage units. Look to be 6ft wide by 8ft long?
Or how about a 5ft diameter pipe, the plastic or steel corragated type. I've seen these used as Forts by local kids. Plywood each end,, door in the front(or side) and a hatch in the back for the kitchen.
Steve

[Cruiser]

Sorry Alan,,
Didnt get to the 2nd page or I would have seen you post on the pipe. There was a trailer like this in the St Pattys parade in my town. Lots of woodwork, green paint, drawn by horses.
I'll see If I can find a pic..
Steve

[Cruiser]

If you search for gypsy trailers you will get an idea on how the irish pipe trailer looked, kinda like a connastoga wagon thing, but with one axle, and made of steel, and painted green,, and,,
How about using a fiberglass tank for liquid storage?
Steve

[tjdale]

I have thought about this sort of thing for a couple of years now, as I would like a small camper I can put on and off of my 5X10 utility trailer. I have looked at water tanks, horse trailers, sheds, etc. One thing I was thinking of was a sleeper from an old tractor trailer unit. I have seen some on ebay. Add a little cabin to one or hook 2 together.......