My first teardrop - the Kampster, Final Posting

[bbarry]

Well, we leave for Table Rock on Monday and I'm busy tomorrow so today was my last day for finishing up projects before taking off.

We got the gas springs in (they work fine, like everybody assured me!).




Also finished the 110v wiring with an outlet in the galley.
Skinned the back wall of the galley.



Roughed in the right side cabinet.

Installed hubcaps.



Brad

[bbarry]

We just got back from Table Rock Lake today. We had another 600 miles of trouble free towing. The Kampster now has 1200 miles on it! Here's a few pics from our trip:




The quilt and curtains were in for the trip:



A small fawn in the campground:


Even got a chance to sharpen up the irons a little bit at the Don Gardner Par 3 course. Try to ignore the swing form...


We had a great time and learned a few things about what we want and need from the galley cabinets which is the only major item left.

Brad

[Miriam C.]

Hey Brad, glad you had a good time. Couldn't have asked for better camping weather.

I just noticed that your electrical is under your air so I am gonna suggest you put a pan under the air just to keep any collected water contained...........

Sure looks beautiful!

[bbarry]

Hey Brad, glad you had a good time. Couldn't have asked for better camping weather.

I just noticed that your electrical is under your air so I am gonna suggest you put a pan under the air just to keep any collected water contained...........

Sure looks beautiful!

The weather really was great with the exception of some rain on Thursday. As to the a/c condensate, 1/2" hose will drain through the bottom of the floor. This particular unit has a small pan inside under the coils and the fan runs through this collected water, slinging it back up onto the hot fins. This evaporates a good amount of the condensate (and cools the fins at the same time). There is an outlet for overflow that my drain hose fits on to.

Brad

[CJflyer]

Brad, looks like a fun time! Hope to have ours campable by the September gathering. Been in Brazil for a week now. No teardrops spotted yet. Like your ammo box set up. Did you get the box at The Yard?

[bbarry]

Like your ammo box set up. Did you get the box at The Yard?

As a matter of fact, yes. We did have two other ammo boxes laying around, but they were a little too narrow to fit all of that cable into. The .50 caliber box is just about right.

Brad

[2bits]

We got the gas springs in (they work fine, like everybody assured me!).


Brad

Hi Brad, I am totally stealing your design on this, a teardorp within a teardrop, very cool! What did you do to locate the struts on the wall? Your build looks awesome!

[chorizon]

Hi Brad, I am totally stealing your design on this(<edit> the gas strut mounts) , a teardorp within a teardrop, very cool! What did you do to locate the struts on the wall? Your build looks awesome!

And I really dig how you did the front bulkhead! Yoink!

Looks like you guys have made a great TD!

Thanks for the cool pics!

[bbarry]

Hi Brad, I am totally stealing your design on this, a teardrop within a teardrop, very cool! What did you do to locate the struts on the wall? Your build looks awesome!

Thanks! Steal away! I needed a small block to position the gas springs correctly, so I figured it might as well be ornamental. I'll eventually fill the screwheads and paint it white to match the cabinets.

The placement was a little bit of engineering, a little bit of magic. Basically, I took the extended and compressed lengths and kept measuring and remeasuring until I found a spot on both the body and hatch that worked well.

Brad

[bbarry]

And I really dig how you did the front bulkhead! Yoink!

Wow, thanks for the Yoink! We didn't have enough curve or space for a true storage area, so we just made a small shelf. It's great for those little things like glasses, books, flashlights, etc. I'm glad you thought it deserving of a Yoink!

Brad

[bbarry]

Progress since last post: zero
Excuses for lack of progress: many

Well, you see, the teardrop needs a nice place to spend the winter. So, work on the barn is needed, right? Siding, painting, new concrete, interior boxing, stairs. Boy, I hope the little trailer appreciates this!



I'm hoping to get a bit of good weather around Christmas and drag it out to get the galley cabinets roughed in. We'll see how that goes. Mom's Christmas present this year is some cabinet work in her kitchen so that could take precedence. I know, I know: my priorities are all jacked up.

Brad

[S. Heisley]

That's a really pretty barn! Built in 1898? You did a nice job of preserving it. Of course, your teardrop will appreciate being in it and out of the weather and both will last a lot longer because of your efforts.

...You do a good job of mastering many trades, "Jack".

[bbarry]

That's a really pretty barn! Built in 1898? You did a nice job of preserving it. Of course, your teardrop will appreciate being in it and out of the weather and both will last a lot longer because of your efforts.

Yep, it was built in 1898 by a Mennonite community (along with the house my mother lives in). Grandpa and the rest of the family have put a lot of work into it over the 20 years we've owned it and I agree...it's looking pretty good. I need to get a picture of the whole thing, that shot cuts off the lower half.

Brad

[Gage]

Well, we leave for Table Rock on Monday and I'm busy tomorrow so today was my last day for finishing up projects before taking off.

We got the gas springs in (they work fine, like everybody assured me!).


Brad

Brad, tear looks good. But I recommend that you flip your shocks over with the cylinder being up. They'll last longer. The fluid in the cylinder will lube the rubber seal and prevent it from drying up and blowing out. Just a suggestion.

[bbarry]

Well, we leave for Table Rock on Monday and I'm busy tomorrow so today was my last day for finishing up projects before taking off.

We got the gas springs in (they work fine, like everybody assured me!).


Brad

Brad, tear looks good. But I recommend that you flip your shocks over with the cylinder being up. They'll last longer. The fluid in the cylinder will lube the rubber seal and prevent it from drying up and blowing out. Just a suggestion.

Actually, they are mounted as you suggest (hard to tell in the picture). When closed, the cylinder is on the top and the piston is on the bottom. When the hatch is open, it is the opposite. Though I found out that poplar is not hard enough to take the force of these shocks without reinforcement and I will need to attach them with metal hardware.

Brad