Teardrop: Chassis

After scouring Kijiji for some time, I finally found a flatbed trailer, suitable for the chassis. I had hoped to buy new, but as I was to discover, there are very view “do it yourself” folks left in Canada, and even less manufacturers that will build a simple flatbed for less than $200.

There was a kit out of the US that would have been perfect, but as I was to discover, shipping anything to Canada usually costs as much or more than the item itself.

At this point, I’ve purchased the wood… all that I’d need… because once I strip the chassis, I’ve lost transportation, so while I’d like to have spread the cost out over a longer period of time, I didn’t have the luxury.

Taking the bed off the utility trailer proved to be quite the task. I thought I’d be done in an hour or two, but it took nearly three days. I had to use an eight-foot length of pipe to gain leverage on my wrench, and even then it was a brutal task, primarily due to the rust on the nuts and bolts… and, of course, this was all happening during a heat wave. I lost nearly five pounds during this little exercise.

The floor is a simple layer composite of 3/8″ exterior grade plywood; a frame of 3/4″ popular and an interior floor of 1/4″ good both side plywood. I didn’t need to go any thicker for the interior because I’d planned to finish it in the faux hardwood flooring that are not prone to humidity changes, resistant to moisture, easy to keep clean and will look fantastic in the Teardrop.

Also, between the popular frames, I will be installing 3/4″ foam insulation… the kind that is has a shiny aluminium skin on one side. This is always installed with the aluminium facing the compartment where you want to retain the heat.

What I have no pictures for is cleaning the existing rust from the frame and then coating it with rustproof paint. It won’t stop the rust, but it should make it last a little longer.

Also at this point I added two stabilization legs so the Teardrop wouldn’t tilt when not connected to the two vehicle.