Grizz-Pod Teardrop Trailer - New tow truck - 66 Chevy

[grizz]

Been a bit busy with the day job this week.

However, it did not stop me from popping into my secret council tip on the way home tonight, and what a score it was. !!!!

I got a 2200w, 230mm Angle grinder with steel blade attached at the tip, some steel which was the main reason for going there. I also got an old oil jug, a tin full of galvanised nuts and bolts, a leaf rake head and a seperate handle for Nicola, and lastly a really nice solid old steel trunk/tool box.

CHUFFED ?? YOU BETCHA !!




Hardly used. Not the same league as a Makita, but hey at a cost of FREE, I am not complaining.



PS: I also bought us an electric coolerbox. £29.00 at LIDL's this will be as an add on for the trailer, but also to be used in the VW touran for picnics and in my Taunus Transit when we use it on its own.




I have given Nicola Saturday to do whatever she wants with me..... Payback I think it is called.

I think she had a picnic and movie planned.

Tonight I got home just after 5pm, so decided to do a bit more prep to the "flat pack" part of te build.

I am going to use the fillets I cut out of the steel I brought home on the inside of the trailer next to the ply, and also another one on the outside, next to the glass fibre of the mudguards and then sandwich them with recycled nuts and bolts from the original trailer, so that the mudguards are attached to the body, rather than onto a pair of supports. Every layer and the nuts and bolts will also get silicone sealant to help waterproof and absorb all the vibration. Hope that makes sense.

If anyone has opnions on my method of attachment please do feel free to raise them and comment on here.

The basic templates cut out for one side.




Drilled, welded on the joins and ground down, nuts and bolts still need to be threaded with tap and die set, to clear threads.

Next update Sunday or Monday.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Hey, Grizz, great finds you have there!

Please be careful with that grinder. It does not have a safety cowl, and you look pretty good now with all 10 fingers! Let's keep it that way!

[grizz]

Hey, Grizz, great finds you have tehre!

Please be careful with that grinder. It does not have a safety cowl, and you look pretty good now with all 10 fingers! Let's keep it that way!

Seriously Cliff, I did not realise it, but interestingly, when I tested it, it did feel weirdly dangerous.

I will look out for a spare cowl from a dead one wherever I go.

[eamarquardt]

I my big grinder didn't come with a cowl either. It is a little scary at times. But, you can't be an innocent bystander when using POWER tools.

Cheers,

Gus

[grizz]

I my big grinder didn't come with a cowl either. It is a little scary at times. But, you can't be an innocent bystander when using POWER tools.

Cheers,

Gus

Hey Gus, that is true.

However, I will look out for some cover as it is deffo in the weirdly dangerous feeling category.


PS: The grinder has been bannished to the shed till I get to find a cowl from somewhere. Guess it will be a challenge, but hey, my eyes are wide open......

[grizz]

Today was Nicola's day, so we went to Dover for most of the day, shopping and lunch, then to Ashford Factory outlet on the way home.

Back home by 5.30pm , she had her newspaper, and I sneaked off into the garage to paint the strips I made yesterday and to cut the threads on the bolts I have recycled from the original trailer.... weird how it is so easy to pop into the hardware store and buy what you need, but cleaning up and stripping back a bit of rust on the threads with tap and die set gives me a bigger kick.


I got onto one of the jobs I have been dreading in a way..... cutting the old caravan window I bought last week to make a pair of porthole glasses for the caravan. Measured and marked out, I took the angle grinder to it, and finished it off with the beltsander.

Et Voila !!

Measured and prepped.




Cut out and trial fitted.

[Rigsby]

Top banana there mate, where did you ger the rubbers from for the windows? The caravan i have just aquired has loads of usable plastic on the windows, and im thinking of having a small one at the front
steve

[grizz]

Top banana there mate, where did you ger the rubbers from for the windows? The caravan i have just aquired has loads of usable plastic on the windows, and im thinking of having a small one at the front
steve

GOTCHA !!

Not rubbers mate, they are wall clock frames.
Cost £1 each at a shop opening, I tossed the faces, kept the clock mechanisms, but really just wanted the pre-cut out wooden fames.
Hope they work in the longterm. I am screwing them to the caravan sides, and then some silicone/Sikaflex and paint over it all.

I could not make them as nicely at a pound each.

[Rigsby]

Anyway, you not been to the car boot this morning?. Ive been to the one here in Donny and picked up 4 clamps for £3. I just love the sellers that get there late and just want to get rid of everything as soon as they get there. Also picked up a wire wheel for the bench grinder for 50p

[grizz]

Anyway, you not been to the car boot this morning?. Ive been to the one here in Donny and picked up 4 clamps for £3. I just love the sellers that get there late and just want to get rid of everything as soon as they get there. Also picked up a wire wheel for the bench grinder for 50p

Went out to bootfair at 06.55am, back home by 08.50am, first one shut, and 2nd one had less than 1/3 of the usual area covered, bought £10.00 worth of chicken breasts, 2 packs of Cumberland sausage and a pack of bacon from the regular butcher in the back of a 7 ton truck. Bargain meat, and NEVER been disappointed yet.

Welt to Wilco and got a nice set of small stainless tea,coffee,sugar containers with rubber seals and wooden tops, perfect for the galley.

Just about to start cutting the masking tape on the portholes back to seal them in, will leave the masking tape in till the paint has been done externally, and then peel it back.

This rain is massively frustrating , as it has poured and my build is outside altogether.

[grizz]

Well, what a long weekend !!

Saturday was great, spending a day out with Nicola.

Sunday..... Rain, Rain, Rain and more rain, so very little done.

Monday, which of course was a public holiday..... Rain, Wind, Rain, Wind, Rain and more Wind... !!

Inbetween all the crappy weather I managed to redo the internal cabinets frontage, and will be adding a shelf inside the cabinet, making the closed in area smaller, but also allowing for these open bits, which always looks great on ther people's trailers. It included new frames, and floors to be added to what was there.



Between the rain coming and going I prepped the sides with holes and countersinking them, to be screwed into the floor frame, and also sealed with silicone when it happens.
The screws for the roof battens are in place, and will be screwed down with wood glue added to the mix.... that should work.
I also finally cut the porthole into the road side of the trailer side.




Another biggie job I got on with was to put the wheels back on the chassis, and to get it off the axle stands without a jack... not that clever, and then to turn it around in the back yard, so that it now faces inward, as the most of the work once the sides are up should be done from the rear and the galley.
At this point I tried to fit the side by myself but quickly realised the gusts of wind that were blasing through were going to put paid to that plan.



I remembered last years attempt at building a shed singlehandedly in the wind.... it ended up in tears for me, with Nicola lauging uncontrolably while scolding me for being impatient.

Build thread of that here:

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/ind ... read=58490




Anyway, the wind got the better of me today, so my weekend has not been as productive as planned, and I have packed away the lot, under a car cover , hopefully only till next weekend.

I had really wanted to see the sides up today, but there was no extra hands, as Nicola was sorting out her own place and kids.




Thanks for looking in.


Different size letters chosen on purpose.

[S. Heisley]

Don't fret about it, Grizz. You've got a lot done already. It's looking good!

[grizz]

AT LAST !!!!!



Sides are up.

My mate Derryn and Neil who works with him came down from London tonight, 30 miles to get here, but hey, what are friends for.
They came to hold the sides up for me so that I could get on with them and the battens/ribs/spars.

Nicola came around as well, to do supervision and photographic duties. Oh,and to go fetch us a family pack kebab dinner at 8pm when we were done working.

Mainly photos tonight, and possibly more than what is needed, but then I am very chuffed to have the sides up at last.

First one being set up.



Typical Nicola style photo, she always looks for a nice angle or weird perception.




2nd side getting positioned.



CHUFFED ! ! !

Both sides up, and happily standing by themselves.



Ribs/Spars/Battens going up.



This was Nicola insisting the space was not long enough, so I had to climb in and show her I fitted up to the Bulkhead. I am 6 foot tall.




Derryn also wanted to get his ass into the teardrop, and seemed pretty impressed with the whole thing as it came together from the "flatpack" store that I have .




The ugly sisters.

Derryn (left) and Neil the Welshman whose help tonight was absolutely invaluable.

Thanks guys.



Most of the ribs in place, only the load bearing Oak ones still to be fitted in place, hope to get to them over the weekend if the weather holds out.



View from the galley.

Fridge will fit into the left side, and there is a space for the Mahogany skip find worktop to fit in.




Lastly, view into the Boudoir..... long way to go, but I am really pleased the sides are up.
I have to say the structure is very sturdy too.

Hope you all sigh a sigh of relief now, as it has been a while to get this far.

[Rigsby]

Top Job there mate Doing it the flatpack way has mad the build really jump ahead

[grizz]

Remember these Potatochops ??

I am still prefering the checkered flag design, but the other with the scallops also does it for me, think of the 63 being on the porthole windows, and scallops running back.....
Sides will deffo be painted in colour, as I want them painted to set off the polished ally roof.


What design would you think will go with the final look of the bus ??