Thread: My Teardrop

Was looking at the idea of a teardrop but SWMBO refuses to entertain
caravanning or camping.

The old teardrop is very practical design; lightweight, small footprint and
good use of space.

Have fun with the little fella.

I like that, what are you towing it with?

Hi Bradford. I`ve just bought a 1962 Voxy. So more fun to muck around with while sorting out the teardrop.

Nice van

On our recent trip to FNQ saw lots of Vauxhalls, some towing vintage vans.

Hi BigShed & thanks. I bet some were from the vintagecaravan(dot)com forum where you`ll find the story behind & ongoing refurb of "my teardrop" (members photo album,page 7). gordon

As there were lots of Vauxhalls without vans as well I am more inclined to think there was some sort of Vauxhall owners meeting up there.

Quite a few old Bedford vans decked out as campers as well.

Been a while since talking about the teardrop as other projects have come & gone & as i`m nearing the end of particular fit-out items i`d been searching for & bought i find i need to once & for all get to the point of the exterior. It was factory clad in unpainted aircraft aluminium sheeting circa 1948/1952. Some 15-20 years later the sides were replaced with diamond patterned aluminium for the same owner & by the same company.I`m quite content leaving the sides as is. However about ten years a new owner painted the entire `van in 2Pak.His reason being he thought the aircraft aluminium was too far gone to buff & polish up.That hasn`t sat entirely well in my thoughts. Now i`ve worked in the sheety game but have no idea about paint. I know there`s a myriad of ways to remove paints but i`d like to know other folks ideas from here as to wheather its a viable proposition.The underside of this aluminium,all nice & shiny is as good as the day it was laid.And i can swing a buff as good or better than some being a detailer now. Thanks

to remove the paint , i would recommend an abrasive disc , called a CLEAN & STRIP from 3M and most other Abrasive companies also make a similar product.
but you must use it on a sander polisher , NOT an ANGLE GRINDER, these are designed to work best at 2-3000 rpm , they will remove the print on a coke can and leave the metal intact.
with 2pak , I don't think most chemical strippers will work, and those that do could damage the aluminium.

Jeff
vk4

MyPix 669.jpg
Hello Jeff & thanks for your reply. Above pic (the only size i have of it then & can`t enlarge clearer) was taken prior to a former owner painting it, shows to me at least that the ali couldve been rescued albeit sitting where you see it for ten years uncovered. I shall look into the product you mention in detail as being ali you only get one chance realistically to get it right. There is a section at front that rolls under maybe 8" which if the 3M product fails won`t be noticed as i`m fitting a stone guard over that area which has been badly pitted.At least it will give me a better idea of how it could/should look like when stripped of paint.

I've had success using soda blasting on admittedly smaller scale projects was quite good at removing2coats of enamel and original coating off a ali security door also I have used citristrip with excellent results removed powder coating . Haven't tried it on Ali though.

The two problems I see here are..two pack paint and Diamond pattern sheet.
Betweem them they just about ilimiate every meptod of paint removal that I know.....combine that with the aluminium substrate...yeh...not good/

Seriuolsy it would probably be quicker to re-sheet the thing

cheers

Gday Soundman. Not touching the diamond patterned sides. Wanting to rid the 2pak off the aircraft sheeting from front over roof & back only. Of the 3 built in this design this is recognised as being the only one remaining by the original owner/former curator of Whiteman Park Museum WA where it used to be displayed & is Australias first aluminium commercial build. If i can`t successfully remove the paint i`ll just continue its refurb & fit-out. thanks

Some stuff thats happening with the teardrop: FX Holden wheels/whitewalls/hubcaps.This is a dual themed project so Sports caps can be swapped for Mercurys when needed as well as a pair of
Austin Devon mudguards.
.1SPATS.jpgTD BUILD 22D.jpg

1FXb.jpg

I `m adding internal storage to space between door opening edge & front.With that in mind i decided upon using ali aircraft food boxes.I got a beaut Qantas one albeit a bit damaged & wanted another but couldn`t find the same so opted for a similar one. The Qantas one had no lid & damaged top & shelf slides which i removed.I made a lid & added a period handle & catch.I also made a new front panel & used the original front handle/panel.I still had one slight problem,that being a 1" height difference with the second box.Solved that by finding a length of ali strip with nice profile.Cut & pop riveted the two boxes look almost the same.Waiting for some aircraft rivets to arrive & then will have boxes chemically cleaned & anodised.These boxes will situate each side within a frame which will also serve another purpose later.The dual theme i mention refers to the speckle painted timber stripped to bare & clear coated to show the wonderful 60 odd year grain. However taking all but three minutes i can transform the entire cabinetry to show a totally different decor that fits in with its origins.No lights.No cameras.No cloth.Just a lil bit o` trickery.

Box 1.jpgBox 1b.jpgBox 1f.jpgBox 1g.JPGBox 1k.JPGBox 1m.jpgBox 1p.jpg