Hello from the UK!

[jayare]

Hi all - I'm John - I've been lurking for a few months now and thought it was about time I registered and introduced myself!

I have been looking at alternatives to tent camping - one being a teardrop type camping trailer. I know most of you guys are US based and so 'small tow car' to you guys means something like a Ford Focus or similar 4-cylinder, front wheel drive car, but my tow car is small on another scale! I have a classic Mini Clubman Estate, which is a variant of the original Mini, manufactured from 1970 to 1981. The maximum towing weight for my car is 300kg, or just under 650lb - here it is:



As a result of this, I am particularly interested in the very light-weight builds like Roly's 1/4 Nelson Stacker, mikeschn's ultralight and kennyrayanderson's proposed uber ultra light, and am thinking about building a TD using these as inspiration.

My current thinking is that I would like to build a fully insulated TD using a foam insulated torsion box floor 2" deep with lightweight plywood skins, foam cored sandwich sides with a GRP outer skin colour coded to my tow-car with auto paint, wood framing/reinforcing and thin ply inner skin and a roof made with an aluminium outer skin, foam insulation and a thin ply inner skin.

Profile-wise I like the shape of the Cub/Modernistic, shortened to suit an 8'x4' sheet (10' ply is almost impossible to find in the UK!) - Mike's Ultralight profile looks to be almost exactly what I am looking for.

I am planning to use 10" wheels with the same offset and 4x4" PCD as the Mini - torsion half-axles are easily available in this configuration here and it would mean a spare wheel/tyre is not needed, cutting down on weight even more!

For the chassis I am thinking along the lines of either Angib's superlight chassis or separate 'axle' and 'drawbar (tongue)' as planned for Mike's Ultralight and Kenny's uber-ultra.

All of this depends on me restoring the Mini (5 years of daily use have taken their toll, especially the last 2 winters) and finding a way of integrating a removable towbar into the car, so actual build progress is going to be a way off yet! In the meantime I will be doing lots of research and most likely asking lots of questions to make sure when I start the build I'll be able to get on with it and complete it reasonably quickly!

John.

[BillandMarijo]

Welcome from the USA from one Newbie to another.
Enjoy the build,
Bill and Marijo

[Roly Nelson]

Good thinking, John, planning on what you need in your build, and keeping it light in the process. If I can help you in any way, just send me a PM and we'll talk. However, there are plenty of folks that can share their experiences with you as well. Good luck, and remember, we love pics.
Roly

[angib]

Welcome, John. Believe it or not, you're not the first UK teardrop builder on this forum with a Clubman estate tow car. Here is Mini Renegade's:



Andrew

[mikeschn]

Welcome to the forum John... Keep us in the loop. I'd love to see an Ultralight built!!!



Mike...

[jackdaw]

Hi John, Welcome to the forum,

I look forward to seeing your build take shape. Don't forget to take loads of photos

We're hoping to have another get together this year, but we haven't sorted out when and where yet

Have fun building

Dave

[dandan]

Hello from rainy Towcester.
must admit, im with you on the tent way of thinking.
canvas for the awning, thats about it!

Best of British luck with the build.
best rgds dan.

[jayare]

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

I'm quite surprised there's another Clubman Estate owner building a teardrop - they aren't that common any more!

I'll not be able to start the actual build for a year or two as I need to do some work on the Mini and I only have a single garage to work in

Dandan - I've just read through your Roswell build thread that is one seriously amazing bit of kit! I'd like to come and take a look when it's done - you are only about 10 miles away!

John

[Mini Renegade]

Hi there fellow clubby estate fan! Welcome to the forum there is loads of info on here as you already know. Why not pop onto tearjerkers and visit the thriving UK chapter. we have a growing number of members over here as well as suppliers lists etc.


What`s stopping you building in a single garage with your mini? A bit tight yes but is possible.....



I built my tear using the Benroy profile from the top of this page with a very simple chassis and lightweight materials, it has a galley area etc and can easily be lifted clear of the ground by 2 people, around 2-250Kg I reckon. I called it the Mini Camper!

[jayare]

My single garage looks WAY smaller than yours! Mine is 8' wide and about 18' long, so not enough room to work on both at the same time.

Are you going to the IMM or MITP over the next few weeks? If so it would be great to have look round your teardrop!

I'll have a look at the tearjerkers site,

Cheers,

John.

[dandan]

no probs.
may take it down cosgrove for a weekend or 2.
been meaning to take my rc crackerbox there for a zip around !
will have to check their season dates.

best rgds dan.

[Mini Renegade]

My single garage looks WAY smaller than yours! Mine is 8' wide and about 18' long, so not enough room to work on both at the same time.

Are you going to the IMM or MITP over the next few weeks? If so it would be great to have look round your teardrop!

I'll have a look at the tearjerkers site,

Cheers,

John.

Mine is 18`x10` internal.

Won`t be making it to IMM or MITP, unfortunately at the moment I have other priorities that need cash so all unessentials are on hold. If ever you are up this way feel free to look me up and pop in.

The trailer is up for sale shortley, build number 2 is on the way. ( like I said, all non important stuff on hold )