got me an M101 (1 Viewer)

[d0ubledown]

got me an M101...updated with build pics

so the mrs got me--err rather, let me buy an m101 for my birthday present. we were currently running an older tent trailer, but since i want to be able to go to more difficult places to camp, were ditched the tent trailer in favour of a bigger tent and hauling all the gear in a trailer. our family of 5 and any extra kids we bring along really stuffs the cargo area and rooftop basket, so the trailer will really help with hauling more stuff.

pics show that its really dirty, but its a failry clean unit, with minor surface rust here n there. everything works, and its already got a tailgate cut into it, converted to 12v lighting with flat 4 connector. my plans are:

• get it blasted and repainted
• make a hinged (hopefully removable) lid with locks. also plan on adding gutter mounts for my thule load bars to mount either my yak basket or bike racks.
• spring over
• 6 bolt conversion. not sure whether ill change the hubs or the whole axle, as i still want to be able to use the parking brake.
• make mounting brackets for a 20# propane tank and fuel cans. perhaps a hi-lift mounting bracket as well.

i sent the trailer back to nelson with my father in law the day after i bought it as you can tell from my tiny single garage, i dont have the room to store it safely and work on it (with my cruiser and wifey's sienna taking up garage and driveway). hopefully during spring break, i'll make it out there to start working on it. hoping to have it ready for use and bring it back by easter.

anyway, on to the pix...

 

[d0ubledown]

more pix. i also plan on moving the ring to the upper slot so it sits level with the cruiser.

 

[sirenmoses]

Score!!! Congrats, look forward to watching your buildup.

 

[Dieseler]

Nice score.
Were did you find it, I am looking for one myself but they seem to be hard to come by and when I do see them they are rusted out and overpriced.
What was the price just ball park if you don't want to tell.

 

[d0ubledown]

yeah...this one i found on CL back in nov. seller wasnt in a rush to sell...so luckily he still had it last week. he was asking 1200 originally, wouldnt take 8 when i offered back in nov, and finally picked up for a thou last week. im thinking thats a decent price considering whats on the market in the US currently. its fine as is and can be ran now...but i first want to refinish and get a lid on it before i do any hub/axle swaps or spring overs.

did you see eleblanc's add for his friends trailer? its in montreal..so i would figure a few hun for shipping. id been looking since last summer and prices have been relatively unchanged from what they're going for now...cdn $ value and current state of economy considered. keep an eye out on the FS ads here, as they pop up once in a while as with other cdn city CL ads...

 

[cbmontgo]

Keep us posted with the progress. I restored mine in 2006 and have had a great time with it ever since.

 

[GzrGlide]

1k isn't bad considering whats been done. I paid $650 for mine 2 years ago here in Wpg. Actually I think the guy still has some in the lot. He seems to get a few now and then.

 

[BC40]

Not bad.
I bought my trailer from able auctions in Coquitlam about a year and a half ago. They occasionally get iltises and m101's in their government vehicle auctions. Mine is similar with some surface rust in a few spots, but clean/wax oiled underneath. I paid less but of course no tailgate and wasn't provided papers (would be available if I had it inspected by a licensed trailer shop). There's also a guy in Abbotsford that sells m101's for about 1k.

 

[gavman]

Score dude, watch if you are grinding the paint as it is toxic.
I got the six lug hubs on mine with the stock axle but it shoves standard toy wheels out there and you will need fender extensions or maybe new ones as the mud kicked up gets old real fast...
I do like the extra width/stability though.
Careful adding too much fab weight too as they are heavy stock and it really does make a difference, so much so that I bet I wouldn't have been able to do the Whipsaw last year with mine.

 

[d0ubledown]

oi danny...fancy seein ya here didnt think youd be able to tow your trailer through the whipsaw? i guess the one you brought was that much lighter? the cdn M101 only weighs 775# stock....how much metal did you add to yours?



...so im back from nelson with my trailer. i got 90% of the stuff i wanted to do to the trailer. i had originally planned on making a lid with 1X2 .100 tube as the frame, and skinning the top. my father in law in nelson looked at the specs i mailed him...and talked to one of his clients that does metal braking. he ended up getting them to bend me a 4'X6'X4" deep lid! all that was needed was some bracing inside. it was a friday afternoon rush job...but for the price paid..it was a deal. this is a trail trailer after all..so it didnt need to be showroom pretty.

the first night, my fabricator friend got the bracing done. 1X2 along the long edges and 1X1 for the cross braces. the triangulated dome top was braced as well. its stout. the lid alone is probably 80# ish. i used 3 HD hinges. the trailer tub lip is only about 1.5" square tube, so we welded in some angle iron underneath where the hinges mount to. we had to notch out some of the tub that wraps around the top lip. hinge fits perfectly and is well supported under neath. nuts are welded on the inside, so if needed, the lid can be removed for open trailer use.

first night i was also able to do the spring over. it was very simple. unbolt u-bolts, pull out axle, flip over (some also rotate the axle 180* but i didnt bother, pull bottom shock cotter pin, remove & swap the shock mount/spring plate to opposite sides, swap backing plates & bolt it back together. i had the brakes oriented properly at first (adjuster on the bottom)...

...but then noticed id need to extend the parking brake lines a good 6-8 inches. so i swapped the backing plates back and inverted them. this put the adjuster nut up top, the parking brake cable enters from up top (since the backing plate is now upside down). now i just needed about 1 or so inches longer brake cable, so i dropped the cable anchors an inch..and everything went back in easy.

 

[d0ubledown]

the 2nd day i pretty much just laid down some POR-15. i had bought a quart of semi gloss black...and thinned it out a bit. some parts are pretty inconsistent, most noticable in the tub. no matter, as im going to be spraying in some sort of bed liner. POR-15 isnt that great in UV protection anyway...as it really needs a top coat esp if it will be exposed to sunlight. frames & axles...not so much. ill go over the exterior with some flat black once i get it all cleaned up. again..this isnt a show trailer, so im not worried that its not super pretty.

the top was supposed to be grey, but the auto parts store messed up my paint order and got me POR-15 clear instead of grey. so the lid in and out got blacked as well. ill spray the top a gun metal grey.

i was also looking for some screw in weather stripping that was at least 3/4" high, so it could compress to about half inch. but the ones i saw at the hardware store werent thick enough...and at 10 bucks for a 4' strip...i didnt want to spend over $50 for weather stripping. so i got some HD .5" square foam adhesive stripping, and used that. we adjusted the lid to sit .25" lower to accomodate.

im also running a single draw latch. its pretty heavy duty and my friend doing the welding happened to have one. the other latches i bought were no where near HD enough. didnt have time to order some from mcmaster...which is fine by me as it probably saved me $100 or so to get it to my door. all i have to do is drill a hole for it to accept a padlock.



the last few days was just doing some odds n ends, as i had to put some family time into the spring break vacation! so on day 4's afternoon, i bolted in 2 handles, and cut some gutters for my thule mounts. i just notched out some 1X1. original plans was to bolt em to the lid on the 1X2...so thats what i measured to. i ended up welding them on instead. i should have measured twice..because as the mounts sit...theres maaybe 1/16th of an inch clearance to the lid. no contact though..whew! i also extended the landing leg. i was originally going to use 2 pieces of 3/8" thick steel, but ended up only using 1 piece since i didnt have longer bolts to use. i can double up on the extension bracket later if need be.

as for the lift struts, i was only able to get 120# lifts with 18" extended length. ideally i needed 24" length but they only came in an 80# or less i ended up putting 2 lifts together on the one side. with the small extended length, the struts needed to be close to the hinge (pivot point) and thus requires much more strength to push the lid up. it lifts the lid on its own...but ill have to add a prop rod that comes down for when i put bikes or a cargo basket up top. i may end up mounting a single strut on the tailgate end...we'll see. again...didnt have time to order from mcmaster. the ones i needed looked to be $80 each!!

no pics of the struts, but ill get some up later.

got everything back together...and took her for a test drive. towed great...and with the spring over and lid...i can finally see it in the rear view mirror! the truck still sits maybe an inch and a bit higher...as im now using the cross member to mount the pintle hook to instead of the receiver. once i swap the hubs to 6 bolt and put matching 35's on it...she should sit nice n level. had a chance to flex it out on some snowbanks...no binding on the pintle whatsoever.

still have to put undercoat spray under the tub...paint the tail lamps (didnt paint them at the time...not sure why) and figure out a way to get my safety chains hooked up to the rear cross member. im thinking welding on some shackles or something. also one of the nuts on the u-bolts got stripped. anyone know what the size is? ive tried numerous M12 nuts...both fine and coarse threads. doesnt seem to line up.

and finally, going to find some way to use up my remaining 1X1 to make a 20# propane mount and platform to mount a batter box to. future plans will include a water tank under the tub w/ pump, and some aux lighting.

thats about it...ill add more pix later and give a report after her first outing. definitely pleased as to how it turned out! very

 

[Box Rocket]

Very cool little trailer. One thing I really like about the M101 is the handles at the rear and the front corners of the box. I need to do something like that with my trailer.

 

[toyrover]

That looks really good, the black with the truck looks nice. DId your trailer come with that tailgate from the factory? It looks to be professionally done, but I haven't seen a 101 with a tailgate before? Do you have any pics with the bars on top?

 

[davegonz]

That came out really nice.

 

[d0ubledown]

thanks! toyrover...the tailgate was cut in by the previous owner. its notched at the bottom instead of a straight vertcal cut. i guess to add strength to the walls, as well as keeping things from falling out. works out very well though. weld on hinges that are greasable.

i just have to drill a hole so i can put a padlock in there and keep things secure.

 

[NorCalDoug]

nice build.

 

[d0ubledown]

had a chance to take 'er out a couple times. everthing worked out great and it follows the cruiser nicely, i rarely know its there...until i get to steeper grades on the forest road. this is where regearing definitely helps. engine was working hard, i was in 2 dipping into L a couple times. temp needle rose to a hair under red, so i had to plan uphill stretches accordingly. dead fan clutch is most likely to blame, so i replaced that and she should be good now with proper cooling.

 

[d0ubledown]

also got a chance to put my 6-bolt drums on. got them from southwest wheel. everthing went in fine, however the dustcap that comes with the new drums didnt fit. too shallow i think, so i just used my original dust caps.

got a pair of 315's mounted up. when i came home and pulled them out of the truck the next day, one was dead flat so in this pic im using my floor jack to keep it level until i find a new pair of tires. lunette ring now sits nice at 24" so its even with the truck. also mounted up the thule load bars. had my basket on top as well, but thats now sold so i'll just be putting a bike rack up top. all i need now is 12 lugs (should have gotten conical 80 wheels!) and new tires.

aside from aesthetics, any reason not to run 2 different tires for the trailer? i put the truck spare on it now, and am just thinking to replace the flat tire for the truck spare. the two different tires have about equal tread on them.

and if anyones looking for oem cdn M101 wheels, tires, 5-bolt drums w/ bearings let me know. mine are up for grabs...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

No problem running 2 different tires. Man I wish I could swap out my drums and get 6 studs. She looks great!

 

[Koffer]

Sonny ,it looks good , as for the safety chains if you look for a M151 or other US military truck like the chevys they have a metal plate that bolts between the bumper and the pintle hook so you can hook them up