I was introduced to teardrops when my friend Brooke purchased a 1950's classic. She lost it in a custody battle and started looking to build her own. In the process of running ideas by me, she got me hooked. Last year (1999), she regained custody of her trailer and our construction project died - I was really looking forward to building one.


What the hell...I'll build one anyway, it's only money, right?

After looking at many great sites with tons of photos, I settled on the plans of Desert Tear Drops. I really liked their "woody" design and was definately sold on the combined "woody" aluminum look. Construction started July 5th with hopes of being mostly completed by the time my scheduled road trip to the four-corners area rolls around at the end of September. My plans were to use a bolt together 4' x 8' utility trailer that was given to me and weld the major seams. But after I started to prepare the surfaces, I became increasingly unhappy with the way the trailer was put together. I decided to build the trailer myself. In the end, I would be much happier with this decision.

I have changed the layout of this page breaking up the major components, and more importantly, the photos for those of you with slower dialups. As you can see by the time stamps, I did not make my initial completion date of September. At my current rate, I should be done by summer.

May 2003 update: OK...I am now gainfully employed and am ready to get this project completed. As of 5/28/03, I have glued the inner skin onto the kitchen hatch. I will have photos posted on 5/29/03 or shortly thereafter. Photos should include rough speaker and light placement on the rear hatch. I am also curious to see how much the final hatch weight will be...stay tuned.

June 2003 update: New pictures have been posted in Phase 7 and a new Phase 8.

PHASE 1 - July 5, 1999: Cutting sides and varnishing
PHASE 2 - September 20, 1999: Frame construction and fenders
PHASE 3 - October 2, 1999: Floor preparation and initial assembly
PHASE 4 - February 19, 2000: Attaching suspension
PHASE 5 - July, 2000: Interior, kitchen and electrical
PHASE 6 - April, 2001: Interior, kitchen and electrical - It's official. Other than the foam bed, the interior is now complete!
PHASE 7 - May, 2001: Rear hatch - Updated 6/13/03
PHASE 8 - June 13, 2003: Side door trimming and door construction - Updated 6/19/03
RUNNING LIGHTS - October, 2000: New running lights


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