San Antonio, Texas Tear Build #1

[SATEAR]

I did a little more work the past few days and painted up the sides with oil based paint to thoroughly seal the wood. A friend gave me some mahogany wood that I will be using for the spars. I will need to replace the pine spars I had already installed though. No problem as my measurement was a little off for the top and front. Needed to be exactly at 48" to use the old aluminum so I was needing to cut my spars down anyway. Glad I wasn't fully complete with the interior roof and exterior roof yet.

Here are the pics:

Spars


Side 4


Side 3


Side 2


Side 1

[SATEAR]

Did a little more work this week with a slow work week! Got a few things done. See pics:

Dry Fit Hatch-This was the old hatch that I will be re-using the old aluminum after a clean up and buff!


Dry Fit Hatch 2


Dry Fit Hatch 3


Spars Complete-Mahogany Spars all the way now!


Spars Complete 2


Dry Fit Inside

[prohandyman]

Good looking progress! Are your 215 tires going to fit underneath the fiberglass fenders? Also, if you are going to use the camper after finishing it, you might consider turning the 1st and 2nd spars 90 deg. so that the long side touches the roof. It allows a bit more room for your head. Them spars are hard on the noggin when bumped in the night. IMHO

[SATEAR]

I have some steel fenders in mind that are 9" wide by 32" across. Should fit over the wheel okay. Wheel itself measures 8 1/2" from the wall and 28" across. How does that sound?

Which spars are you referring? The bottom of the bulkhead when I lay down of the top ones when I stand (crouch) in the TD? Just let me know and I can turn those longway!

Thanks,

Gabe

[SATEAR]

My son and I did a little more work this weekend! Measured the hatch spar about 20 times with the dry fit and the cut my spar about 3 times just to make sure I am still not sure if it is the right distance from the floor to give me 1/4" on the bottom and 1/4" between the hatch spar on the TD and the spar on the hatch. Only time will tell when I go to install the hatch. Anyway, here are the pics from this weekend!

I am using 1/8" birch plywood for the top and holding it down with lashings. It is bending into shape over the last 2 days without any breaks or cracks so far.

Does anyone know if I attach the roof directly on the hatch spar or leave a little space to attach my hurricane hinge????????

The original TD had a roof but it was dry rotted and I was not able to tell where it was attached when I demo'd it, it just fell apart

Chime in if you see a problem anywhere, please..............


11-29-09

Roof Pic #1


Roof Pic #2


Roof Pic #3


Roof Pic #4


Hatch Spar #1


Hatch Spar #2

[prohandyman]

Gabe
The 2 spars down near the front. Those are the ones I was referring to.
I run my roofs as you have yours now, all the way to the back edge of the hatch spar, along with the aluminum. The hinge will sit nicely on top of both, but requires a gap of about 1/4" between the hatch and the spar. I will see if I can find the post where someone had drawn this view.
Also, where did you find 1/8" birch long enough to go all the way from the tongue to the hatch?

[bobhenry]

Gabe
Also, where did you find 1/8" birch long enough to go all the way from the tongue to the hatch?

The one pic of the front looks as if it will fall 6 to 8 inches short !

When I butted my hatch skin to my roof I put ice dam tape under the skins sticky side up to adhere to the underside of the roof and hatch skin.
I bloused it a bit to give some extra material for the flex. This is my second line of defense ! After hinges were installed I covered with rubber shelf liner and an aluminum trim strip.



Never a drop inside !

[SATEAR]

I was thinking of doing something similar with the rubber covering the hinge area. I was not sure what to buy but you cleared that up for me. Thanks for the input.

Prohandyman:

My Birch Ply is only 4' x 8' and won't cover the entire roof area. Luckily I have another 4' x 8' piece that I got from a friend who is a building contractor. Actually I got all my wood from him! Free is great!

I plan to cut the second piece at about 9 inches and make the cutouts for the tongue. It will fasten to one of the spars in the front and the floor frame.

I have had the birch held in place with straps and it is nice and tight around the roof area and taking the shape of the TD now. I let is loose a little and it is staying put right on the roof.

When the weather clears up here, (we should be getting some snow in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday), I will be back at work painting the interior walls and attaching the roof ply.

Thanks for the input.

[SATEAR]

Hello everyone. Well its been a muggy, wet, humid off-season here in San Antonio and we are ready to get back to the build. I finally got the coupler repair kit in place and took her out for a test tow. It held together and did not fall apart so something was done right! I have a carpenter friend of mine working on the galley now and I will be picking up the aluminum sometime next week for the sides and hatch. Still haven't gotten to the hatch though. Those ribs are daunting:-). I'll have pics next week and more questions, questions, questions! Any chance of getting some of you to come on down to SA to complete this thing?

Gabe

[SATEAR]

Here is what I've done so far....not much but slow but sure. (measure twice, cut once.........polish on, polish off grasshopper):-)


This sheet of aluminum was the original for the top of the TD. That's 63 years old. (Older than I am!) Think it can be salvaged? Any recommendations for further cleaning?

I used a scotchbrite pad and some Bon Ami and some elbow grease to get about 90% of the grime off. It looks worse than it is in the pic. The finish on it is almost like a mirror in 95% of the sheet.

[SATEAR]

Hey Guys, Well I've finally had the time to get back to building my tear. It will be 1 year since I started 9/7/09. I plan to make her campable by 9/6/10. Too bad that when I finally got the time it is over 100 degrees in the shade here in sunny SA.

Here are a few more pics, the hatch is next to be completed.

[2bits]

I just read through your build and it looks good! Keep on truckin!

[Aggiebuiild]

Just read your build, and it is amazing how similar our stories are. I was interested in your build because I live in Austin. I had been looking for a teardrop for a couple of years. Mostly because my son is a scout and we are scout leaders. So I decieded that I needed my own tear so I could have "my heavenly" bed for sleeping (Dad & Scout can still have their "heavenly" tent! I just got my "47 Kenskill this weekend and am planning a restoration over the fall/winter. ( a whole family project)

Good luck with your build -- sounds like you will be ready for Fall/Winter camping!

Jana

[SATEAR]

Well, here we are over 1 year (My tear was brought home one year ago on Labor Day of 2009). I have done a little more with her and she is almost "campable". Not quite but getting there. Hope to get her ready by October for our boyscout Galveston Goose Island campout on my birthday.

Door 1



Door 2


Primer 1



Primer 2



Hatch 1



Hatch 2

[SATEAR]

I have finally got my doors hung and bought my fenders this afternoon, ready to paint and attach. I also need to install the trailer lights tomorrow night. I'll post pics in a few days. This tear has got to be campable by Friday, 9/16 at 12:00 noon. By boy and I are going to Canyon Lake with the scouts. Wish us luck! Picks to follow! Gabe