The Escape Pod: AC installed 07/25/2011 Pg 4

[Synthesis]

Ok, so maybe not so tearful... BUT, it will be the bringer of many happy memories, so maybe a joyful tear will be shed..

Greetings all. I am your charming, witty and unabashedly good-looking host, Synthesis, here to bring you an exciting episode in the project known as "The Escape Pod".

I am a relative new-comer to the world of Teardrops, but have always been a fan of unique and interesting vehicles.

I am a rabid Pontiac Fiero enthusiast, and wanted something equally unique and head-turning to pull behind my little two-seat nightma... I mean, bundle of joy..

Being in Wisconsin, and regularly visiting Northern Minnesota, I wanted to build a trailer that would be more than capable of handling the extreme environment that these places can provide.
No stranger to camping, including cold-weather in -30 temperatures, I decided I wanted a little more comfort.

My daily driver is a 1986 Pontiac Fiero, lovingly dubbed Franken-car. It even says it on the license plates (FRNKNCR)...
Raised from the dead using parts from every year Fiero ever produced, this car is literally a patchwork project.

The trailer for the Pod is a used Harbor Freight special, 4x8 folding trailer, currently with 8 inch wheels on it.
Newly installed LED lamps all the way around, and a fresh coat of black enamel (not done with that yet)..

I picked the trailer up a week ago, and towed it home. A friend of mine offered me his trailer for $100 dollars, and I could not refuse. So I drove over and picked it up, but sadly he was not home.

Calling him, he described the trailer to me and told me where it was in the apartment parking lot. I drove up, found the one matching the description and towed it home after stopping at Home Depot.





I received a phone call from him on Friday asking me if I was ever going to pick the trailer up, and when I told him I did, he responded "No you didn't. It's right here..."
Panic ensued.. Turns out, I had stolen someone else's trailer, and the friend's was around the corner.

I was able to find the owner, and we are in negotiations to swap his trailer for hers, since she didn't use this one all that often.
Fortunately, she was in good spirits when she found out what happened.

On with the project...

The floor of the trailer is constructed using 1/4" lauan attached to a 2x2 frame. All joints on the frame and the paneling are glued using a urethane construction adhesive.

After the frame was assembled and squared, I laid it down on the trailer base and marked all of the mounting holes.

I pre-drilled all of the holes to 1/4", and then using a spade bit, I counter-sunk them into the 2x2 frame.

After this was done, I attached the lauan to the frame, and then turned it panel side up to give it a smooth coat of roof sealer. This stuff is a mess to work with, but when it dries, it dries hard and non-tacky.

I also coated the sides of the 2x2 frame. After it cured, I laid it back on the trailer and used 2 1/2" length 5/16 carriage bolts with Nylock nuts and flat washers.




I hammered the bolts into place and then crawled underneath to tighten them down.

I used 1 1/2" foam insulation to fill the places between the boards, and then applied urethane adhesive to all of the floor 2x2 beams, paying extra care to fill in the holes where the carriage bolts were.



I laid the 1/2" plywood on top, and attached it using 1 1/4" coated drywall screws.



The walls will be constructed in much the same way as the floor.
The outers will be 1/4" Birch plywood, with 2x2 framework and insulation in between, and the inners will be 1/4" "Sandeply" from Home-Depot.

While this may be overkill to some, I wanted this trailer to be capable of cold weather camping, while being extremely lightweight and easy to pull with the car.

I am also building this project on a very tight budget and hoping to have it "campable" by the end of May. It won't be finished, but it should be weather tight and ready to go.

[Trackstriper]

Welcome home....sounds like you'll fit right in here. Hope everything gets worked out on the ownership issue before she has a completed teardrop! Think I'd have to nominate this episode for the Murphy's Law Award for April....carry on.

[GuyllFyre]

Welcome aboard.
The Fiero was interesting, the V6 used to burst into flames. Too much heat, too little space.

You fixed that, um, "feature", right?

[Synthesis]

Welcome aboard.
The Fiero was interesting, the V6 used to burst into flames. Too much heat, too little space.

You fixed that, um, "feature", right?

At the risk of coming across as a know-it-all... You are completely wrong in that regard.

The V6 never had engine fire issues..

The 1984 Fiero was the first year produced. It came with the 2.5l "Iron Duke" 4 cylinder engine, equipped with a paltry 3.5 quart oil pan.
Add to that a penchant for throwing connecting rods with an inherent casting weakness from the factory, and you enter the realm of fire hazard.

The car was sold as a commuter car, but looked like a sports car. People drove it like one.
With a 3.5qt oil pan and no room for error, if the engine got even a little low, you lost lubrication. The weak connecting rods would snap, punching a hole in the block and dumping hot oil everywhere.

GM recalled every Fiero for this and replaced engines.
Out of 370,168 Fieros produced through the entire run from 84-88, only about 260 ever had fire issues. That is .07%.

In 1985, GM introduced the FieroGT (same body style as mine), with a 2.8V6, the same exact engine that came in the Chevy S10 series of trucks, including the S10 blazer and Camaro as well as many many other models.
The V6 in 85 was the high output model with the high flow cast-iron heads and long runner intake.
The issue with the 85 V6 was small crank journals and poor oil galley drainage. This resulted in spun bearings and rod knock.
The Fiero was NOT the only car with that particular issue with this V6.

They resolved the poor oiling issues in 86 with larger crank journals and oiling ports, and better oil drainage from the galley. This was a production wide change for all 2.8 V6 engines in 86, whether it was in a Fiero or not.

The Media made a huge stink about the engine fires because the car was new, and at the time, a huge leap forward in technology.. Both in manufacturing and design.

Many of today's modern cars utilize the same techniques that the Fiero pioneered for production and assembly. Space frame technology (think NASCAR roll cage in a commuter car), bolt on body panels allowing quick change of body styles throughout the production life of the car, etc..

I don't want to chew you out for quoting misinformation, I just want to correct that misinformation and leave you with a little more knowledge about the Fiero than you may have had.

I know these cars like the back of my hand. I have owned a total of 8 of them, if you count this one twice because I sold it and bought it back 18 months later. These are my passion.

[eamarquardt]

I received a phone call from him on Friday asking me if I was ever going to pick the trailer up, and when I told him I did, he responded "No you didn't. It's right here..."
Panic ensued.. Turns out, I had stolen someone else's trailer, and the friend's was around the corner.

My brother borrowed my car once and I was driving his '66 VW. Went out to dinner and afterwards went to the parking lot, found a blue VW the same year as his, opened the door with his key, started it up, and THEN noticed the car had a sunroof (his didn't), the ashtray was full of ashes (none of us smoke), the car wasn't quite as clean, the gearshift knob was different, and the engine sounded different. About that time a fellow bigger than I approached and asked "wtf do you think you're doing in my car". I hastely explained the situation, we found my brother's car, and the fellow opened it up and started it with HIS key. Whew. There are only so many keys, too many blue VWs and a disaster nearly occured, ha!

Glad you didn't get "busted".

Good luck.

Cheers,

Gus

[DMcCam]

Interesting history lesson there Synthesis. I was wondering what are the tow ratings for the Fiero?

Best,

Dave

[Synthesis]

Interesting history lesson there Synthesis. I was wondering what are the tow ratings for the Fiero?

Best,

Dave

Believe it or not, the Fiero doesn't actually have any tow ratings. It never came with a factory hitch, and the total weight limit of the car capacity-wise is only like 700 lbs. I can't remember the exact specs, but could find them quickly.

I am a big guy, 6'4 1/2" tall and 350 lbs. My fiero hauls me everywhere.

I custom built the hitch. It is a 1 1/4" receiver tube welded to a 2x2 square tube. The 2x2 is 30 inches long, give or take, and fits snugly into the rear bumper corrugation (looks like a section of corrugated cardboard)...
The 2x2 is welded to 3/8" steel plate that runs from side to side on the vehicle.
The ends have "U" brackets made out of 3/8" plate and fit behind the bumper flange mounts. The bumper is then fitted over the hitch assembly, and new grade 8 bolt hardware is installed with 2 inch x 1/4" thick flange washers.

I can stand on the ball hitch and the hitch doesn't move. The car drops, but the hitch doesn't do anything.

I pulled the trailer home with the entire load of supplies at 70MPH and only lost 1-2 miles to the gallon.. (60 miles home from Home Depot)..

[GuyllFyre]

More input is always appreciated.

Thanks for the Fiero lesson.

[Synthesis]

I laid the sides out today and marked my profile out.

Since my saw is brand new (needed it cause my other one is 45 years old and wearing out), I laid my measurements and attached both the inner and outer skins together.

My forward radius from front wall to roof is a 24" curve. This is due to my car being so low to the ground, I wanted as much curve as low as possible to help with aerodynamics. Lower than 24" from the bottom edge and I'd be cramped.

The rear curve was taken from the center line at the bottom of the eight foot sheet, and is a full 48" radius from there to the top.
This leaves me with a two foot flat section on the roof and a nice low sleek profile for the body.

Total interior height, once the spars and interior paneling is complete will be 44 inches.

I plan to use the Galley as storage for now, and won't be doing much in the way of cabinetry back there.. at least, not right now. Simply stow and go storage.

I am debating whether I want to install a 12v system with battery, or just use 120v AC and a large 12vDC power supply. I'd love to have both a deep cycle and 120v, and my wire for both, but again, this is a budget build and a "get'r done as quickly as possible" build.

One of my side-line jobs for the Fiero community is building electrical wiring harnesses for the cars, as well as battery cables for relocating batteries..
I also know my AC wiring as I grew up remodeling homes.
Should be a breeze to get the features I want. I am sure I have most, if not all of the supplies to completely wire this thing in already.

[Pizzaguy]

I pulled the trailer home with the entire load of supplies at 70MPH and only lost 1-2 miles to the gallon.. (60 miles home from Home Depot)..

Was the HD in Hudson?

I too have an '84 Fiero sitting in my driveway with a brand new factory motor with less than 2K miles on it. The car only has 70,000 on it.

Bruce

[Synthesis]

I pulled the trailer home with the entire load of supplies at 70MPH and only lost 1-2 miles to the gallon.. (60 miles home from Home Depot)..

Was the HD in Hudson?

I too have an '84 Fiero sitting in my driveway with a brand new factory motor with less than 2K miles on it. The car only has 70,000 on it.

Bruce

Fantastic to meet a fellow Fiero owner on here.

The Home Depot was West St Paul, as I picked the trailer up a mile from there.

It was easier to just hop over there and load it up, then drive it home.

Planning to camp at Eau Galle this weekend, or will you be running to CNTL?

If not, you should join the Minnesota Fieros Forever group as we cruise from Hudson to Chippewa Falls to the Leinenkugel Brewery on Saturday.
PM me for more information if you have any questions.

Our fall cruise last year was gorgeous as we followed the river down to the Toy and Car museum.

[Synthesis]

Update on the Escape Pod...

Tomorrow night I will be acquiring this trailer through legal methods (AKA the owner is signing it over to me), and it will be mine...

Mistakes happen, she and I both laughed about it, and lessons learned... Don't pick a trailer up from a friend who lives in an apartment complex unless he or she is there to physically point out which one belongs to them.

A little distraction, one of the products I manufacture for the Pontiac Fiero is a headlight replacement kit. Get rid of the old 80's style rectangular headlamps, and instead, install modern lighting technology.. Hella 90MM DOT approved racing headlamps...
The old style lights are visible in the background, the new design is visible up front...


So, tonight while working on the teardrop, I painted up a set of the brackets for a local club member, and will be installing them in his car this weekend.


On with the project!

Visible in the following two images, you can see the side profile I chose.
These are actually the inner skins. Note the skin below the door opening. This is exactly 1.5 inches wide. This is to accommodate the lower "sill" beam that will tie the wall structure to the floor.
The outer skins have this, plus an extra 2 1/4" of material to overlap the edge of the deck. The wall will attach through the 2x2 sill plate from the top using 3.5 inch coated deck screws, and where the outer skin overlaps, this will get two inch coated deck screws as well.
Over-built? Yes. Will it last me practically forever? Yes.

Side profile with door opening.. Click for larger view.


This next image shows what my galley area will look like.

The "counter top" line will actually be an insulated shelf that will be able to swing up allowing access to the foot of the bed. The lower section on the bottom right will be a hidden compartment housing all of the electrical for the trailer, both the 120vac and the 12vdc circuits. When/If I decide to power the 12vdc side of the system with a battery, it will be a tongue mounted battery, with a 5,000 BTU AC in a storage box. I plan to duct the AC outlet into the cabin, and use a dual "return" inlet for the AC to allow some outside air to mix with the cabin air. This should prevent icing of the coils, and allow me to crank the AC way down to freeze the cabin out.


Again, I have noone to impress with this except myself, and I want it functional as soon as possible...
It make be in an unfinished state for a very long time, but as long as it is weathered in and water proof, I will be using it.

[Synthesis]

Well, great news! I now officially own the trailer I inadvertently stole...

She signed it over to me with a bill of sale and the original registration paperwork.

So my project can safely continue.

No other progress last night, but plan to make some tonight.

My walls will have a 2x2 frame in the "sandwich", but I have decided to slim the galley section of the walls out to a 3/4" sandwich. This will allow me to trim and gasket the galley section easier, and the switch to 3/4" structure between the panels will not weaken the structure of the walls at all.

This is still up in the air, but I am thinking it is going to be a good decision.

[DMcCam]

Congrats on the trailer chassis Synthesis! I understand how rewarding it is to have the plan in full size. You can really get the feel for the space you're making, well done.

Dave

[Synthesis]

Tonight I made the cuts to the inside wall panel to "isolate" the galley area from the sleeping area.. Basically, in the photo above showing the lines for the shelf and bulkhead, I cut along those lines.

Why you might ask? Because the galley outer walls will only be 1.25 inches thick, while the rest of the side walls will be 2 inches thick.

The galley doesn't need the same amount of insulation that the main part does, and since I will be insulating the bulkhead walls anyway, the thinner galley walls on the sides will make it easier to cap and trim the edges and gasket it where the hatch closes...

I also have the frame built for one wall. Today I picked up a 2x4 foot piece of 3/4" birch plywood to use for the main galley counter, and some 2x8" board to use for the rounded sections of the wall frames. I can place a larger board in place, and then just trim it round to make it contoured for attaching the roof skin.