Matt's Toyota Truck Bed Trailer (1 Viewer)

[mgeiger]

I'm a trailer guy. I like the flexibility a trailer gives, and the options for what you want to do with it are endless. I've had all kinds of utility trailers, boat trailers and a popup camper. Ever since I saw this thread on expo I have been hoping I could get my hands on a Toyota bed to build how I want.

I found this one on Craigslist and jokingly asked the wife if I could pick it up. She knows I've been wanting a new project. Surprisingly she was cool with it. I noodled on it for a week and finally had the time to get out to see it. The guy was asking a bit too much - so it hadn't sold. After a good lookover I made an offer and he countered with something reasonable so we had a deal.

What did I get? A 1981 Toyota Long Bed. Some dents. Some dings. No bondo. Minor rust on bed. Frame had lots of surface rust. Terrible wheels and tires that I'm surprised made the 50 mile drive home.

 

[mgeiger]

Within 20 minutes of being home I had the old camper top off. Someone had built out a little bit of an interior, with cabinets, and a lot of indoor/outdoor carpet. All of this was out within 24 hours of bringing it home. I gave the camper top away on craigslist. The interior wood and carpet went to the dump.

 

[mgeiger]

Time to remove the decals. 2 hours with a razor blade, blow dryer and a 3m eraser wheel and the bed looked a lot better. After decals it eas time to get the contact cement out of the bed where it had been used to adhere carpeting at some point before the more recent interior build. Another 2 hours and a quart of acetone, a well used rag and 2 rubber arms and it's cleaned up.

The plan. I mocked up what I want to do with the trailer. Utility hauler for around the house, but with some add ons for camping and hauling kayaks. More to come.

 

[mgeiger]

My first weekend with it and a lot of cleanup completed. But first I had to make a dump run, and this thing tows really well. I dont know if the shocks are any good, but it just floated along nice and steady. No bounce after bumps. After the dump it was time to work. Any rust or screw holes in the bed have been ground out and primed. I tapped out a few dents. I checked the diff and the oil lever was good. I removed brake lines, the gas filler line (no tank), muffler hanger and muffler heat shields. Then it was time to attack the frame with a 3m rust and paint wheel and sotchbrite pad. I got a lot cleaned up. More to go. I've been soaking the bed mounting bolts and lug nuts with PB blaster for days. I got the wheels off to hit them with some black paint to kill the chrome.

I found a used wheel & tire shop near by. I'll be picking up some jeep steelies, and they'll be looking for a pair of decent used 30 -31" AT/MT tires. Doubt theres any Duratracs out there , but that would be cool.

I'm not planning on replacing the axle. I know weight is sometimes a concern on these bed trailers, but this thing is light. I can lift a whole side off the ground when I need to get jack stands under it. I do want to remove the brakes - drums are already gone, but shoes, cylinders and crud are still there. Can someone shed some light on how best to ditch the remaining brake hardware?

 

[Mark Harley]

Matching wheels and paint would look nice!
You should be able to lose the brake hardware and just leave the backing plates.
If you wanted to remove the backing plates too, You would need to pull the axles.
Seems like more work than needed. I would ditch the axle down the line for a dexter
with matching bolt pattern to the tow vehicle.

 

[mgeiger]

Thanks Mark. I guess I'll strip all the hardware off and just leave the backing plates. Yep - That black trailer is my inspiration. He started off with a much rougher bed than I've got.

Next question (many more to come):
Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the 79-83 truck tail lights? It's wired now with brake and turn signals sharing the same circuit as with any other 4-wire trailer harness. Thats cool, but I need to get running lights, clearance lights and license plate lights working.

Someday, I would like to wire up another pair of circuits and use the actual turn signals (yellow). But one step at a time.

 

[se2000]

Seems like you could get a bunch for the bed up north. I use to see PU bed trailers all the time but now with truck being restored, they are a rare item.
The money would give you enough to build a new bed which looks like a factory bed but more suited to your needs. Or maybe include a clip from the same model as your truck.

 

[mgeiger]

Work continues. Lots of sanding. Debating on removing the bed for a more thorough cleanup & paint. I think I found some Jeep steelies.

Question on bodywork: What is the best no-weld approach to filling screw holes in sheet metal? The p/o used drywall screws and rivets to attach the wood and carpet interior. Also have holes on the bed rails from the camper top. Holes are mostly 1/8" and a couple are 1/4".

 

[ntsqd]

I've used POR-15 and fiberglass "Angel Hair" to fix rust holes in my p'up's bed. Only lasted about 15 years. Could go with one of the A-B epoxy putties too.

 

[mgeiger]

Progress continues. Picked up some Jeep steelies off Craigs. I've got 2 extras if anyone in Atlanta is interested.

I don't plan on doing a springover. A 225/235 should fit. I am looking for a pair of used MTs or ATs.

 

[ntsqd]

The biggest issue that I see is that the proportions of the bed are bass-akwards. It is longer behind the axle than in front of it. So long as you're aware of the potential to create tongue lift instead of tongue weight and load it accordingly this shouldn't be a problem. I'm mentioning this just in case you're not aware of it.

I nearly posted suggesting removing the ring gear to lower the towing drag, but for the Heep wheels to fit it's a 7.5" diff - not sure that it's worth the trouble. though I too will suggest moving to a trailer specific axle as soon as time & finances allow.

 

[mgeiger]

i agree on the weight concerns. The tongue on this one is pretty long. Add a tool box, spare and propane tank on the front deck, it will have a proper tongue weight.

Aesthetically- I've seen some that use a bed off a 4dr truck where there is practically no bed infront of the wheel. This is partly why i wanted a long bed. once the frame is panted with a fresh coat of flat black, and the body has a coat of gloss black it will look better.

Axle - ring gear, trailer axle upgrade. Thats pretty far down the list. This sucker will function, and thats the goal. Most miles will be between Atlanta and the Gulf Coast (SGI) on the highway with a few kayaks, some rods and a bunch of beer.

 

[OKAcid]

I just bought an identical trailer yesterday. I picked it up for $120 with almost brand new 14" tires. It's at my friends house right now, so no pictures. I'll take some Saturday after I get the leaves out.

 

[mgeiger]

I just bought an identical trailer yesterday. I picked it up for $120 with almost brand new 14" tires. It's at my friends house right now, so no pictures. I'll take some Saturday after I get the leaves out.

Cool. I'm glad I'm not the only one excited about owning half a truck.

As suggested, I pulled off every bit of brake hardware yesterday - leaving the backing plates. I bet I've taken 30# off this thing by removing superflous hardware. I did some more work with a wire brush and have the frame just about ready for priming and paint.

Still looking for tires. Ideally some 235/75/15 Muds that someone's pulled off to upgrade to a real tire.

 

[mgeiger]

I'm having three 30" x 9.50" Goodyear Wrangler AT Silent Armors mounted up tomorrow morning. Scored 4 tires off CL for less than what a tank of gas costs me in my 100-series.

Hope to have pics up tomorrow evening.

 

[mgeiger]

30 x 9.50's mounted. They fit great. There will be no rubbing even with a load. The trailer sits level when hitched to my LC. Spent the weekend patching small screw holes all around the bed. Bondo Hair fiberglass filler is the bomb. Strong, sandable, easy to work with.

I tend to rush projects - and sometimes take shortcuts, occasionally making mistakes. I'm going slow and steady with this one, learning a lot and enjoying the hell out of it.

 

[mgeiger]

The revised plan.

 

[Mark Harley]

Looking good!
I tend to want things done fast too, sometimes I just walk away when I want to rush and come back the next day. Haste makes waste

 

[ntsqd]

I like it too, though I think that I'd look at moving the spare to the front side of the axle.

 

[Saragato]

That trailer is going to work out really well for you!

Keep up the efforts...

If you don't mind, Im going to suggest that you seriously consider the lockable metal contractors box up front, like i have, as opposed to the plastic tuff box or basic tie down location for firewood ..as you show in your two diagrams.

i purchased a used/ surface rusted contractors box on craigslist for $50 and cleaned it up prior to mounting.

The metal box adds a lot of benefits and, for me, has become a KEY component in the overall utility of the offroad trailer set up. It holds tons of of stuff inside, everything to firewood, tools, gear, and of course its it water proof and lock-able...and with the tops closed it acts as a durable, flat, level working/ standing surface...

Good luck on that project...keep us posted.