Art & Inspiration 1938 teardrop trailer

One advantage of the HF trailer for a foundation is the MSO. Depending on your state's requirements you have an easy way to get a VIN with the paperwork that comes with the trailer. I know of a couple of TD's that have very little of the HF trailer left.

 

I built ours on a small utility trailer I got from Carson trailers,, it has the advantage of heavier duty and comes with a title.. We took that trialier all over from LSRU to Billetproof to Speedweek to local shows where we would cook breakfast in the morning. We finllay grew up to a 12' 61 Santa Fe and the teardrop went off to Holleywood for the Joan Jet movie. Back tothe trailer we used,, it had the real advantage of being 5 feet wide, not normal teardrop but that one foot made a BIG difference... kinka miss it, it was a little safe cave.

 

Yes, yes, yes. They are MUCH easier to back up with the axle toward the rear.

Speedway has a pretty decent set of plans if anyone is in the mood to build one.

 

I've got another option sitting in my yard. A friend sold me a small camp trailer a few years ago that came with a clear title that I was going to strip to the frame and deck with 2x6 boards and use for a flatbed trailer. Trimmed down with a few feet bobbed off the back of the frame it would make a nide basis for a slightly wider and longer tear drop with no registration issues.

 

Wow this thread really took off. It just seems a natural behind a hot rod and cheaper than motel rooms. Thanks for all the responses and good info. Jim

 

Yep, there is just something exciting and romantic about tear drops. I remember in the old Mechanics Illustrated and books like that of the 50's there were always articles on them and also readers would send in pictures of the ones they built.

One question I have, does the tear drop shape really allow the wind to flow over it as it seems it would ? How do they tow ?

Don

 

Here is my teardrop. Home made and designed
Had it for about 4-5 years now.
IMG-20140124-00265_zpsd5c93316.jpg

Tucks in well behind the Morry van and is very light weight.

Kel

 

It tows very well. I towed it 40 miles with my tired 4 cylinder Ranger and it was hardly noticeable that I was even towing anything. The axle position makes it very stable and it is easy to back up. It might be more aerodynamic if the whole thing was shaped like an actual water drop but it would be totally impractical to use. Your tow vehicle breaks the wind anyway and the shape reduces the turbulent area behind the trailer. Jim

 

Generally they tow very well. I've pulled mine across the country twice with small 4 cylinder cars and hardly knew it was there, except for going uphill.
Mine has a tongue weight of about 125 lbs, which, at first, caused the rear axle on my Model A to bottom out. I adjusted my rear coil-overs to get a little more frame clearance and it's ok now.

 

Don,
If you do start your build you might consider buying a utility trailer as a starting platform. If your state requires a license you would have a title, spare tire and tongue jack, and you can get them in many different sizes, and I suspect you wouldn't have much more money in it than building one from scratch.

 

Ken(Slick 50) how have you been? I haven't seen you in forever. Sam Kimbrough Here's a picture of my home-built teardrop. I used a pop-up camper trailer, title and all. It's titled as an 85 Jayco. Neglected pop-ups are plentiful around here. I got mine for towing it off. I shortened and narrowed the frame to a 4x8 base. It has 5x4 1/2 hubs with steelies and I fabricated fenders from a 35 Ford spare tire cover(after this picture). I used 32 Ford rear frame horns and an old luggage rack mounted to the spreader bar. I really like it. The crank out windows were salvaged from a 1930's house trailer. I elected not to have a rear hatch and to avoid the sealing/leaking issues. All of my camping gear is in totes anyway and I do my cooking on a roll-up table. S shelf inside keeps everything out of the way while sleeping. Good luck with your build and be creative. I laid out my own profile on a sheet of masonite. I used a piece of screen molding to get the contour/curve I wanted. Mine is covered with military canvas. I wanted it to look like a 40's build similar to those in the Poplar Mechanics magazines of that era.

 

Here's my '47 Kit Kamper. Repainted the original factory paint scheme. Yep, it had scallops back in '47 ...

 

A friend of mine tows his to all the shows... he also uses it for camping. Has a full kitchen in the back hatch... fully functioning with vintage equipment... this pic was taken on Old 66 in Midway... the halfway point of the highway in the state of New Mexico.

 

He also makes mini's...

 

I have also thought of these...but I think I'd want a screen in room with curtains that you could pull down on one of the doors....kind of sitting dressing room. And a place to get out of the bugs.

 

Here's my 46 KIT with 47 Fenders.
The aft location of the wheels also makes room for the door to open in front of the fenders.


Here's a link to my build thread I did a couple years ago.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/how-to-restore-build-a-teardrop-trailer.602690/

 

Here's a free set of plans. I downloaded them and went to Kinko's and had them printed and bound. My RV plans changed and we bought another 5th wheel instead, but I may still build a teardrop one of these days, who knows?
http://www.teardroptrailers.us/GenericBenroyPlans.pdf

 

I have a 47 Kit Kamper I pull with my 47 chevy, pictured in my avtar. Planing on pulling it to the frog follies in a couple of weeks.

 

Thanks for the pictures and inspiration. Jim Ford

 

Here's one I rebuilt years ago. It is patterned from a Benroy brand. I reconstructed it from the frame up, Zee'd the frame, louvered rear tail pan, straightened some '37 Ford tail lights, had a ball with it.

 

Makes sense, thanks guys!

 

blinddaddykarno I like your avatar with the rear drive blower on the caddy engine. I am a real fan of the Potvin style blower set up. Jim

 

You will never regret building and having a teardrop in my opinion. I have towed mine to B'Ville 3 times and all over the NW states and Canada. Mine is based on a Benroy design but it is 5 feet wide. If you build, really consider the extra foot if you plan on sleeping with your honey. I can just see down the sides with my mirrors. Most car shows that I attend, there is more interest in the trailer than the car. It just took a really rough ride through a ditch after smoking a deer with the Model A. Bent the axle, but still tows like a dream.

Now back to that original picture. How about some more pics of that Spartan. I have been trying to buy one for a couple years now, and always just miss. Ever want to sell it, drop me a line.

 

If anyone reading this post want to build your own, this site http://www.tnttt.com/ is the best place for everything teardrop.....except for the recommendation to build on a harbor freight frame. Come on, we are builders here, do not start with flimsy chinese crap.

 

built my own teardrop used a harbor freight trailer frame and built on it. i take it quite a bit lots of questions from people when i stop,lots of thumbs up from passers also. wife likes it better than the big trailer we had before. said its a lot easier to clean. mine weighs 700 lbs loaded.

 

Eeeeeek !!!! (shrill girl voice) A tear drop trailer thread !!! I love tear drop trailers. Probably illegal today, but had many naps, checkers, and monopoly games with siblings......being towed behind my parents 72 NAPCO 4 wheel drive Suburban. Side window was great for barfin' out of some of the crazy curvy mountain roads thru West Virginia once.

 

I can vouch for b-bop: I've followed that damn trailer on several road trips. And he's right, it does garner more attention than his sedan. His 'mobile motel' should be call American Express as he never leaves home without it.

 

I will try to get some pics of the Spartan this weekend. I was thinking about going with 4' 6" on the teardrop because that is the size of a full mattress and a compromise of width and classic looks. Jim

 

Very cool, love these trailers. Subscribed!

 

i have a 46 kit trailer that will be pulled by my 50 mercury coupe!