Seaghan's

Projects

Seaghan's
Teardrop Trailer

Teardrop: Interior Ceiling

Seaghan

Next was the time to start cutting the aluminium. I wanted 0.032″ thick stock (about 1/32″) but it was impossible to find in Canada in the sizes that I wanted… 60″ wide by 120″ long. This would have meant that I could cover the trailer in a single sheet. No seams.

As it was, I could only find 48″ x 60″ sheets in 0.064″ thickness (about 1/16″ or double the thickness). How much more difficult could it be, I thought? Turns out, A LOT!

While these sizes meant that I would have to put two seams in the roof. Not horrible, but not what I’d hoped, what I’d not counted on is the lack of bendability in the material. I could nearly fold in it half and it would spring back to a flat state.

Hmmmm. Not great.

You’ll see in the images me fighting to get it into place and it really was a fight. The only benefit to this material is that 0.064″ thickness, which is also going to be used for the exterior, is a lot more resistant to dents and scratching.

I used stainless steel screws to attach the sheet aluminium to the cross-braces. I was worried about galvanic corrosion, but multiple resources stated that this only happens with the introduction of water, especially salt water.

Since I’m planning on having the trailer wrapped, SS screws were preferable to zinc coated.

I used a jigsaw to cut the aluminium to the correct width. Moving slowly was the key, otherwise the aluminium melted into the teeth of the blade.
Putting the aluminium in place required a lot more strengh than I would have thought.
So I resorted to using block of wood and clamps to bend it incrementally to shape.
However, it's worth noting that this aluminium (5052) is not holding the shape, merely taking the shape.
Using a ratchet strap was helpful in getting the ceiling in place.
Space left between the floor and the interior ceiling where they meet.
Temporarily closed with screws (not seen) from the exterior into the floor.
A view of how tightly the ceiling fits to the interior cabinetry.
It's conforming to the curve quite well.
Adding the cross-braces helps to keep the shape of the ceiling.
Another view of the cross-braces.
Of course, now we had to remove the ceiling and predrill the holes...
... and cut the openings for the fan and the skylight.
Where the holes weren't pre-drilled, I used two magnets... one on the exterior and one inside, and move them to but up against the cross-brace...
... this way I knew that I was drilling into the brace...
... and not just through thin air.
Moving along with the magnets.
Fan and skylight in place.
Fan and interior screws.
Skylight and interior screws.