I'm, officially, a factory.

I'm going to take you guys at your word on the "S" corp filing.



In this day of getting $2,000,000.00 for spilling hot coffee on your own ******, I'm not going to take chances.



Thanks, too, for the links. I looked into buying one, a few years ago, and couldn't justify the cost. That, and all the wood and ******** means weight. In driving a light hot rod, or compact ricer, you don't want the trailer to overpower the tow vehicle. Even the smallest finished teardrops seem heavy and wood laden, to me. That's why I want to offer these as "entry level" shells. All I want, personally, is a place to sleep, where the bugs can't bite and I don't get wet... and driving a deuce coupe doesn't allow much room for alot of stuff. So having it for the extra storage for the trip will be just as cool. I figure it could pay for itself in 5-6 weekends worth of hotel costs.

I'm going to look into the painted race car metal, too. Can it be cut and drilled without chipping? It might shear okay, but I need to cut the radius in the side panels.
The reason I'm going with galvanized, is that I had a few sheets, here, and my dad has a few hundred foot coil, that he never used...
It should be pretty good at being reflective. Not as good a white.
That, and I kinda like the garbage can look...

Once I get the patterns made for cutting and pre-drilling the sheeting, I should be able to do almost anything.

I measured it, too, and it stands a total of 4' 4" high.

I'm glad you guys like it. That makes me feel better...
It's been an anxious time for me, but now that I see it sitting here, and have the ability to make more, it's quite a relief to hear such positive things and well wishes....
Thanks.

I think I might spring for a vendor spot at The Pileup, too, if anyone wants to take a look-see. Same with the HAMB Drags.

I wonder how it'll look after the first time I forget it's back there and hit the flame throwers.



JOE

 

Joe...Do a Google search on wholesale RV suppliers...there are TONS of these outfits in Indiana...they should have what you need for weatherstrips, hinges, etc.

I think one of these would be a great cargo hauler for swap meets...

 

i was just thinkin it'd need ac...joint business venture

 

Great info and good luck with the teardrops!

 

Thought you might like to look at these shots I took today at a the Alpine Rod Run in Hiawasee Georgia.

 

Junkyard........That ****in' RULES!

What a cool idea and what a great business. I'd love to see the finished product........

On another note, in a former life I used to practice corporate law.... If you have any questions on getting your licensure or otherwise feel free to pm me..... I may be able to help or at least point you in the right direction....and, hell, I won't charge you $250 an hour........haha................

Tim

 

I appreciate that, Tim. You'll more than likely be hearing from me.

Thanks.




JOE

 

Looking for any employees, seriously?

 

AWESOME Joe. i'd day dreamed of doing that same thing for a long time. glad someone i know is actually DOING. cover you *** though.

 

I'm going to look into the painted race car metal, too. Can it be cut and drilled without chipping? It might shear okay, but I need to cut the radius in the side panels.
The reason I'm going with galvanized, is that I had a few sheets, here, and my dad has a few hundred foot coil, that he never used...
It should be pretty good at being reflective. Not as good a white.
That, and I kinda like the garbage can look...
=========

Yes, it can be cut & won't chip. No one hardly paints race cars anymore since it came out, except special colors, even then a lot of em paint over this stuff since it's already "on" so good. We used to beat it out flat after being wadded up and wrinkled week after week, it won't chip cutting it. It's almost like powder coating. Not to say you can't use up your galvanized, maybe some people will dig that look and it'll get you one together with what you've already got.....but from a painters' standpoint & people who want to paint theirs, it's a problem. Plus the difference in weight would be very noticeable moving & pulling.

 

Dog,don't want to tell you how to run your business but take this from one who has spent many a night in a 1947 Kit teardrop trailer. Put doors on both sides. believe me if someone needs to take a leak in the middle of the night and you only have one door it will be the person w/out a door. Then it becomes a problem. Don't even offer them otherwise just a lot more comfortable and lot less arguments in the morning. just my 2 cents or as they say everyone has an opinion and an a++++++. They look great and should last forever.

 

Joe - damn cool, I'd know I'd be interested in one. Have you figured out how you want to distribute? Wholesaling to camper/trailer dealers seem the natural way to go, but you might think about selling them direct-to-consumer through via the internet. That way you wouldn't have to carry a big inventory, and keep more of the margin for yourself.

Good luck brutha ape, hope you make a zillion...

 

Thanks again for all the well wishes, everybody.

ZAPATO- I though about the door thing, and depending on who you're with, that could turn into something kinda fun.
I will, likely, be doing two doors (maybe as an option). Right now, I have a number of things I want to change and add. This prototype is just plain Jane. A full size, working model. I still have to find hardware and trim... etc. and it all has to be stuff I can buy in bulk, or know it will always be available if I incorporate it into my final design.

MIKE- I'll, probably, sell the first ones, myself. I'm hoping to have something closer to the final product by The Pileup, so I can set up a booth. Otherwise, I had thought about sending some cute little Daisy Duke looking cutie around to some RV and outdoor sales type places, with the intent on taking orders for numbers of them at a time. *** sells, ya know...

I never even drew a sketch of this thing. That's how I build most everything. Straight from my head to finished product. Until I have a piece of metal in my hand, I don't, usually, know what I'm going to build until it's done.
So, from this, I can see where I want to make improvements, and add options. As a matter of fact, I changed it, already, from what's in the pictures. Nothing major, and now, I have one or two more... so the hide isn't on yet, and I'm getting impatient...
It's hard not to just throw the skin on and call it done, but I want as much of the end result of the structural part to be represented.

I shudder to think what this would cost for someone who needed the help of an engineer with a high dollar CAD computer, and the ***istance of a prototype builder...
That might be where preparation met oportunity. If I didn't have this shop, and 30 years of experience, this would be nothing more than a fleeting thought.
Funny how life just, sorta, beats itself into shape, sometimes.

Hope I can show you all the finished prototype, soon....



JOE