"The X-II" 5-Wide Convertible Teardrop

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Cool deal! Have a great weekend!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Finished up the insulation panels last night. Here you can see the 3/4" pieces of insulation that fit between the spars.



And with the all panels finished and installed.





In all, there are 8 panels for the whole roof, held in with 10 screw. Most of the roof has 1-3/4" of insulation, except where there are spars which only has 1". It takes less than 10 minutes to either install or remove them all. The convertible is ready for fall!!

[KCStudly]

Cake and eat it, too. Good job!

Which way did you end up going with the covering/skin, fabric or paint (tuff to tell from the pics), and/or are you still planning the full headliner?

Came out nice. Way to get 'er done!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Thanks KC... right now that's just the plain side of the insulation panels you see in the pics. Haven't started the headliner yet, but I think I'm going stick with velcro (no pun intended) and fabric.

[wingloader]

I know this build is prolly done and folks aren't posting comments here. I hope I am ok in posting now. I'm a NOOB. My 4X8 HF trailer is still in the back of my SUV

I was planning on building a really small tt but after seeing yours, I'm really torn. You are a damn genius. Your building skills are absolutely professional. I am freakin inspired by you.

I was planning to make a 4 foot wide tt using the same hf trailer you did. Now I want to make it five feet wide since I saw how you built out over the wheels. Besides, a 4 foot wide interior will barely fit me much less two people. (i'm 6'4" and 285# and I'm not fat)

I hope it is ok if I ask a couple of quick questions. FYI, I read EVERY line of every post in this thread so I hope I am not asking something already discussed

1) where did you get the trailer hitch extension
2) is the cabin part of your trailer exactly the length of a queen size air mattress?
3) how much over hang is there at the rear of the trailer (how much does it extend past the end of the trailer)
4) if I put the roof cement on the bottom of my trailer in my attached garage, is it going to get me kicked out of my house because of the stench? LOL

Also, has anyone ever considered using aluminum foil and contact cement to cover the outside of their trailer (kind of like a gold leaf application)? Just wondering.

Thanks for the inspiration but NOT for screwing up my budget now that I want fancy LED lights etc.!!!

Joe

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I know this build is prolly done and folks aren't posting comments here. I hope I am ok in posting now. I'm a NOOB. My 4X8 HF trailer is still in the back of my SUV

I was planning on building a really small tt but after seeing yours, I'm really torn. You are a damn genius. Your building skills are absolutely professional. I am freakin inspired by you.

I was planning to make a 4 foot wide tt using the same hf trailer you did. Now I want to make it five feet wide since I saw how you built out over the wheels. Besides, a 4 foot wide interior will barely fit me much less two people. (i'm 6'4" and 285# and I'm not fat)

I hope it is ok if I ask a couple of quick questions. FYI, I read EVERY line of every post in this thread so I hope I am not asking something already discussed

1) where did you get the trailer hitch extension
2) is the cabin part of your trailer exactly the length of a queen size air mattress?
3) how much over hang is there at the rear of the trailer (how much does it extend past the end of the trailer)
4) if I put the roof cement on the bottom of my trailer in my attached garage, is it going to get me kicked out of my house because of the stench? LOL

Also, has anyone ever considered using aluminum foil and contact cement to cover the outside of their trailer (kind of like a gold leaf application)? Just wondering.

Thanks for the inspiration but NOT for screwing up my budget now that I want fancy LED lights etc.!!!

Joe

Thanks Joe! My building skills could use a little work, but designing everything on the computer first definitely made it a lot easier!

1) The trailer tongue extension is just a piece of 2x2x3/16" x 7' long tube steel. I got it from a local welding/fabricating shop. The material itself was only about $30, but I paid them to drill the necessary holes in it. Total, it was about $60.

2) The main cabin floor is 60.5" wide, by about 78" long. However, the front curve provides a little length in addition to the 78".

3) The main side wall length of the trailer is 10', but the trolley top section sticks out in front an additional 2" beyond that. The rear of the body hangs over the back of the trailer frame about 5", which means the front curve of the body is about 1'-7" beyond the front of the trailer frame. This gave my a higher tongue weight, without needing to relocate the axle. Tongue weight is still less than 100lbs.

4) The Black Beauty Asphalt Fence Post Paint that I used does not have much of an odor at all. The varnish used for the oak roof spars was much more "aromatic".

I'm not sure about the contact cement and aluminum foil... sounds like an interesting idea though! I think it might be difficult to get a smooth finish because the foil will show every little bump.

Hope this helps!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Finally got my 140W solar panel mounted the other week. This is just a mounting position for camp - it won't travel like this. I'll need to do some reinforcing of the bracing before I can drive with it set up. But if I'm driving, I can charge the teardrops batteries from my car, so I wouldn't need the solar power anyway. It does cover some of the convertible top, but it will still be mostly open when the top is off.





But yesterday, I got the Morningstar charge controller hooked up.



And the Turnigy meter wired inline between the charge controller and batteries. The sun was really low in the sky, so I wasn't pulling much power, but it works!



And then I also got to install my new and improved galley dividers. All the thin vertical dividers can be removed as needed. The main section on the left holds my stove in place from sliding all over the place.

[parnold]

Nice work on the galley. I like the removable dividers!

I haven't even thought about a mount for my panel, I usually like to park in the shade, so I have about 30 feet of cable, and move the panel to find the sunshine. It certainly is a pain to find a place to put the panel though.

[Cummins01]

I have read all 32 pages of this build............. very nice! I hope it's okay to steal a few ideas for the one I'm helping my sister build.

[Oldragbaggers]

Zach, your build just gets more and more amazing. Top of the line!!

Will be seeing you out there this season.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Nice work on the galley. I like the removable dividers!

I haven't even thought about a mount for my panel, I usually like to park in the shade, so I have about 30 feet of cable, and move the panel to find the sunshine. It certainly is a pain to find a place to put the panel though.

Thanks Paul! Hopefully the dividers come in useful. I still want to paint my whole galley to match the dividers. I'm tired of the dark stained oak, and wish I would have gone lighter from the beginning.

Regarding the solar panel - I wanted to have some place to attach it to the camper so that it doesn't grow legs and wander off if I leave camp for a little bit. But it does detach, so I could set it off the side if needed.

I have read all 32 pages of this build............. very nice! I hope it's okay to steal a few ideas for the one I'm helping my sister build.

Thanks! Steal away!

Zach, your build just gets more and more amazing. Top of the line!!

Will be seeing you out there this season.

Thanks Becky! Looking forward to seeing the Sagwagon too!!

[Shadow Catcher]

Tis rewarding to see a plan come together. Good choice on the solar.

[Junkboy999]

Nice Zach.

I like the extra insulation idea. I know your camper is special being open, so the extra thick insulation is
probably needed. I’m planning on placing snaps on the inside and top of my teardrop so I can snap on
insulation blankets to the interior. ( only for extreme cold camping ). We used padded insulated blankets
in the Air Force and they worked well.

If you're still around when I get my dream teardrop up and running I’ll have to pick your mind for the solar
setup. I want two batteries and two full size panels on the top of my TD. The solar cells will mount on top
on a luggage rack type of an arrangement. Hopefully I can make it somewhat adjustable to catch the sun for
most of the day.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[GuyllFyre]

I picked a 45 Watt set from HF on sale to start with. I like your removable option. I'm going to attempt a similar setup on my budget build.

[bdosborn]

Zach,

Slick set, now you can camp as long as there's a sun. Where'd you get those supports, I might need some of those.

Bruce