My scratch built expedition style trailer build up thread - Page 16

REZARF · 02-19-08, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usmcruiser

I think you have damn near no excuse now to weld that bugger up. It's 63° here in Longmont!!! Close enough IMO to 70°.

True, but a guys still got to work!

REZARF · 02-19-08, 10:05 PM

Ever have one of those days where a project just kick your butt... Sunday was that day for me. Four hours after I started, a measly 6 holes that were drilled wouldn't line up, seriously.

Here is where I ended up... impressive, I know

basically a sheet of 14ga laying on the frame.

REZARF · 02-19-08, 10:12 PM

Also, I think I am just going to weld it up the other sheets on. There are some great products that can seal up the seams and I can tackle them down the road before paint.

Here are a few shots of the tack welds before I stitched up the joints.

I also got a little excited and took a shot of the first tack weld of the sheet going on... dorky I know.

calsum2 · 02-19-08, 11:42 PM

Lookin sweet....what welder are you using...What are your settings

Acadia · 02-20-08, 12:11 AM

makes me want to get out in the garage and work on my trailer!

can't wait to see it finished!!!!

REZARF · 02-22-08, 11:52 AM

On my way to pick up the last of the sheet steel, time to get a burning! I am going to go trailer crazy this weekend!

Stay tuned...

usmcruiser · 02-22-08, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REZARF

True, but a guys still got to work!

Quote:

Originally Posted by REZARF

Also, I think I am just going to weld it up the other sheets on. There are some great products that can seal up the seams and I can tackle them down the road before paint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by REZARF

On my way to pick up the last of the sheet steel, time to get a burning! I am going to go trailer crazy this weekend!

Stay tuned...

Nice dude, glad to hear you're gonna burn it in.

REZARF · 02-23-08, 11:41 AM

Yeah, it makes the most sense, and I hope will be faster and stronger in the long run. It is vibrations that usually kill a trailer.

Drew

calsum2 · 02-23-08, 12:23 PM

OK you said it was going to be a all trailer weekend......So come on already we are at the half way point.......Give us a half time show already.......We need to see some pics!!!!!

REZARF · 02-23-08, 02:53 PM

eatin' lunch right now... nearly 2pm, and you'll see pics when the dust settles!

...er uh, when the sparks settle.

calsum2 · 02-23-08, 03:13 PM

Drew,

Let's not go and make this a four coure meal...we need to see some real progress....keep it simple put a can of chef boyarde near your welds and eat as you go.....oh buy the way don't use a plastic spoon.

No excuses just pics...

REZARF · 02-23-08, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calsum2

Drew,

Let's not go and make this a four coure meal...we need to see some real progress....keep it simple put a can of chef boyarde near your welds and eat as you go.....oh buy the way don't use a plastic spoon.

No excuses just pics...

LOL! That was funny.

REZARF · 02-23-08, 09:37 PM

Fun day in the garage today. I feel like a got a lot done so that was nice.

So, it is time to start fitting up the sheet metal which was lots of fun actually. I realized Henry was right when he suggested using a product to seal up the seams/edges down the line, so that is what I have decided to do... welding it is!

So first I had to clean up the edges to be welded then I wanted to avoid what I did on the floors and have nice looking evenly spaced welds. When all was said and done I had 1" stitch welds that were 4" apart. They look mucho more nice than the first round of welds on the floor. I used a piece of 1" strap as a template to mark out the weld locations so I could fly through all the edges, it worked great and saved more than a few minutes.

I was stoked to see that the steel fit up to my tube frame really square(my tube was questionable). Then I used a bag of tube sand to create even pressure and lined it all up and put in a row of tack welds. In the last shot you can see the marks used to place the welds. I started by tacking at the end of each weld guide line, then let it cool. Then I would stitch weld every other marking and flip it over and do the other side, then flip it back over and hit the rest with the MIG, all that work= no warpage!

YIPPIE!

REZARF · 02-23-08, 09:40 PM

Here is a shot of the spot welds I made along the edge of the steel. Then I burned them in in the order mentioned above, but I thought the HAF looked cool on the outside, I think it penetrated well.

One last shot of the inside of the little "coffin."

REZARF · 02-23-08, 09:45 PM

Next up... riveting the side panels in place.

First off I fit up the panel and made sure all my rivets were going to all line up... they didn't. After a quick clean up on a few holes they all dropped in. Then I used a bead of Sikaflex and spread it around the face of the tubing with a disposable puddy knife.

There are no pics of the process because once the adhesive goes down I had to be in full speed mode. I was surprised at how nice it came out. I cleaned up any squeeze out with a little acetone and it came together really strong and nice. Very happy

REZARF · 02-23-08, 09:49 PM

And here is a teaser of what is going down next...

SWCruiser · 02-23-08, 11:08 PM

that looks incredible.. The only thing i hate about these threads is that i have no patience and they make me realize I need to develop some fab skills

can't wait to see the final product.

Gregny · 02-24-08, 06:50 AM

SWEEEEEET looks awesome

What are you going to Finish with (paint ,Line-X, powdercoat) ? What is the front box for?

cruzzer · 02-24-08, 08:17 AM

Looking good,, still one more day of the weekend! I got my trailer box stripped off the frame but then we got 10" of snow and ice. So its back to watching yours only! More pics! But it is looking great.
Get back to work!
Steve

spressomon · 02-24-08, 08:55 AM

Looks great Drew! I'll bet you're starting to get real excited now that you're getting it skinned and you can maybe see the 'finish' line up ahead!

What a great thread. I know it takes quite a bit of extra effort and time to document with write up and photos: So special thanks for that!!!

REZARF · 02-24-08, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWCruiser

that looks incredible.. The only thing i hate about these threads is that i have no patience and they make me realize I need to develop some fab skills

can't wait to see the final product.

Thanks, remember, I didn't know how to weld as of August last summer... you can do it! (said in my best Water Boy imitation voice)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregny

SWEEEEEET looks awesome

What are you going to Finish with (paint ,Line-X, powdercoat) ? What is the front box for?

Automotive paint, smurf blue in fact with white lids. The front box is for storage like the back box, but it will house the batteries, electrical stuff, water pump things like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruzzer

Looking good,, still one more day of the weekend! I got my trailer box stripped off the frame but then we got 10" of snow and ice. So its back to watching yours only! More pics! But it is looking great.
Get back to work!
Steve

Yeah, yeah,

I am going to get several hours today on it too. Unfortunatley the large side pieces were not cut right so I have to have them redone. Bummer... but I still have a lot to work on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spressomon

Looks great Drew! I'll bet you're starting to get real excited now that you're getting it skinned and you can maybe see the 'finish' line up ahead!

What a great thread. I know it takes quite a bit of extra effort and time to document with write up and photos: So special thanks for that!!!

This is getting fun now that it is coming together a bit. Thanks it is fun to share and bounce ideas off you guys, thanks for all the help and heckling!

REZARF · 02-24-08, 11:23 PM

Today I started to make the lid and rack for the front box. I welded up another stick of my 1x1" 16ga square tubing, but I used the sheet metal as a template. Today was fun because I realized I am thinking steps way down the road, and I am saving myself lots of time!

After about 30 minutes, I had a rectangle... measured, cut, cleaned, prepared, tacked, squared, welded, ground smooth!

Then it was a matter of tacking the sheet metal into place. I used my measuring stick above and I flew through the welding. In fact, I was nervous I was going to start warping the metal as I was really able to move along quickly.

These shots show how this lid will lift from the front. Otherwise the rack would hit if lifted towards the rear.. that will make sense in a few more posts.

REZARF · 02-24-08, 11:24 PM

One more of the lid...

REZARF · 02-24-08, 11:30 PM

Next up, the rack for the front box.

I started by cleaning the surfaces with the cleaning wheel- Rapid Strip!

Then, to save time, I cleaned the tubing I was going to use .75" 16ga square tubing all at once, before cutting it so I didn't have to clean that later. That one little step must have saved me about 20 minutes of tedious work!

The last shot is of a very simple jig. If you have a need for lots of pieces to all be the exact same, here is a great little trick. It is a simple "stop." The idea is you clamp a stop (in this pic it is a piece of .25" plate) in the exact spot you want to cut the tubing at. Then you simply drop the saw down, move the piece, slide the tubing until it hits the stop and repeat... in my case 12 times! Simple, but it makes for fast work of lots of little pieces.

02-19-08, 10:05 PM	#452
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Ever have one of those days where a project just kick your butt... Sunday was that day for me. Four hours after I started, a measly 6 holes that were drilled wouldn't line up, seriously. Here is where I ended up... impressive, I know basically a sheet of 14ga laying on the frame. Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-19-08, 10:12 PM	#453
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Also, I think I am just going to weld it up the other sheets on. There are some great products that can seal up the seams and I can tackle them down the road before paint. Here are a few shots of the tack welds before I stitched up the joints. I also got a little excited and took a shot of the first tack weld of the sheet going on... dorky I know. Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-20-08, 12:11 AM	#455
Acadia IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Kansas Posts: 175	makes me want to get out in the garage and work on my trailer! can't wait to see it finished!!!! __________________ 84' FJ60, 33's and a $25 DIY paint job 00' 4runner, OME lift

02-22-08, 11:52 AM	#456
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	On my way to pick up the last of the sheet steel, time to get a burning! I am going to go trailer crazy this weekend! Stay tuned... __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-23-08, 11:41 AM	#458
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Yeah, it makes the most sense, and I hope will be faster and stronger in the long run. It is vibrations that usually kill a trailer. Drew __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-19-08, 11:42 PM	#454
calsum2 Rookie no more:) Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wilmington, DE Posts: 208	Lookin sweet....what welder are you using...What are your settings

02-23-08, 12:23 PM	#459
calsum2 Rookie no more:) Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wilmington, DE Posts: 208	OK you said it was going to be a all trailer weekend......So come on already we are at the half way point.......Give us a half time show already.......We need to see some pics!!!!!

02-23-08, 02:53 PM	#460
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	eatin' lunch right now... nearly 2pm, and you'll see pics when the dust settles! ...er uh, when the sparks settle. __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-23-08, 03:13 PM	#461
calsum2 Rookie no more:) Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wilmington, DE Posts: 208	Drew, Let's not go and make this a four coure meal...we need to see some real progress....keep it simple put a can of chef boyarde near your welds and eat as you go.....oh buy the way don't use a plastic spoon. No excuses just pics...

02-23-08, 09:37 PM	#463
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Fun day in the garage today. I feel like a got a lot done so that was nice. So, it is time to start fitting up the sheet metal which was lots of fun actually. I realized Henry was right when he suggested using a product to seal up the seams/edges down the line, so that is what I have decided to do... welding it is! So first I had to clean up the edges to be welded then I wanted to avoid what I did on the floors and have nice looking evenly spaced welds. When all was said and done I had 1" stitch welds that were 4" apart. They look mucho more nice than the first round of welds on the floor. I used a piece of 1" strap as a template to mark out the weld locations so I could fly through all the edges, it worked great and saved more than a few minutes. I was stoked to see that the steel fit up to my tube frame really square(my tube was questionable). Then I used a bag of tube sand to create even pressure and lined it all up and put in a row of tack welds. In the last shot you can see the marks used to place the welds. I started by tacking at the end of each weld guide line, then let it cool. Then I would stitch weld every other marking and flip it over and do the other side, then flip it back over and hit the rest with the MIG, all that work= no warpage! YIPPIE! Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-23-08, 09:40 PM	#464
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Here is a shot of the spot welds I made along the edge of the steel. Then I burned them in in the order mentioned above, but I thought the HAF looked cool on the outside, I think it penetrated well. One last shot of the inside of the little "coffin." Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-23-08, 09:45 PM	#465
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Next up... riveting the side panels in place. First off I fit up the panel and made sure all my rivets were going to all line up... they didn't. After a quick clean up on a few holes they all dropped in. Then I used a bead of Sikaflex and spread it around the face of the tubing with a disposable puddy knife. There are no pics of the process because once the adhesive goes down I had to be in full speed mode. I was surprised at how nice it came out. I cleaned up any squeeze out with a little acetone and it came together really strong and nice. Very happy Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-23-08, 09:49 PM	#466
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	And here is a teaser of what is going down next... Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-23-08, 11:08 PM	#467
SWCruiser IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: NY and AZ Posts: 163	wow that looks incredible.. The only thing i hate about these threads is that i have no patience and they make me realize I need to develop some fab skills can't wait to see the final product. __________________ Christopher Kunz '78 FJ40 '75K orig. miles(sold) '96 LX450 (93K miles, Factory Lockers, CDL 7-pin, , dual batt. , LEDs, HIRs, OME Heavy, Slee blues, sliders, h-moose rack, pintle, subtank w/cluster

02-24-08, 06:50 AM	#468
Gregny IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New York Posts: 22	SWEEEEEET looks awesome What are you going to Finish with (paint ,Line-X, powdercoat) ? What is the front box for? __________________ Cheers, GREGNY 05 Dodge Ram 3500 SRW Diesel Kore Recon Suspension, Toyo Open Country MT's 35x12.5x17, Leer cap, Yakima rack , Expedition Series RTT 05 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (wife)

02-24-08, 08:17 AM	#469
cruzzer IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Jim Thorpe, Pa Posts: 110	Looking good,, still one more day of the weekend! I got my trailer box stripped off the frame but then we got 10" of snow and ice. So its back to watching yours only! More pics! But it is looking great. Get back to work! Steve

02-24-08, 08:55 AM	#470
spressomon IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Reno Posts: 5,082	Looks great Drew! I'll bet you're starting to get real excited now that you're getting it skinned and you can maybe see the 'finish' line up ahead! What a great thread. I know it takes quite a bit of extra effort and time to document with write up and photos: So special thanks for that!!! __________________ Modded '99 for overlanding/exploring: 35's, 4.88's, AO drawers, Slee rr, TJM fr, ARB fr locker, ear candy, Waeco CF-50, PowerGate with 2nd battery, home brew sliders & t-case skid plate, 9.5XP/X-line, LF 170's, OEM 864's, Foxes x 4, 12mm BL, Carl's UCAs, ... KE7NCM

02-24-08, 11:23 PM	#472
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	Today I started to make the lid and rack for the front box. I welded up another stick of my 1x1" 16ga square tubing, but I used the sheet metal as a template. Today was fun because I realized I am thinking steps way down the road, and I am saving myself lots of time! After about 30 minutes, I had a rectangle... measured, cut, cleaned, prepared, tacked, squared, welded, ground smooth! Then it was a matter of tacking the sheet metal into place. I used my measuring stick above and I flew through the welding. In fact, I was nervous I was going to start warping the metal as I was really able to move along quickly. These shots show how this lid will lift from the front. Otherwise the rack would hit if lifted towards the rear.. that will make sense in a few more posts. Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.

02-24-08, 11:24 PM	#473
REZARF IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisville, CO TLCA# 13041 Posts: 2,857	One more of the lid... Attached Images __________________ Drew F. Rising Sun 4x4 Club 76 FJ40, 85 fj60 Engine and Ignition, 35" MTR's, Warn 8074, 4" of lift TPI, snorkeled, racked, Mini-truck P/S... and sometimes running. Friends don't let friends drive Thornbirds... My camping trailer build up thread.