Smoker-Cooker Trailer Restoration

[Playboater]

I'm starting a project to "restore" a smoker-cooker trailer my granfather made from an old Chevy rear end and a 250 gallon oil drum. It's a little expensive, but it has sentimental value. I plan on recoating the whole thing with something very durable to make sure it lasts. I'm thinking:
1) Paint over Surface rust with POR-15, and then cover with a black UV-protectant top cover, maybe POR Chassis Black or Blackkote.
2) Sand blast the entire chassis, leaf springs, etc. and recover with a durable finish. Should I go with powdercoat or paint?
I also need to recoat the inside of the cooker with something safe for food preperation. Any thoughts?
Other things:
-The tongue is made from a 2-7/8" diameter circular tube, and all the coupler's I can find are formed to attach to a square tongue, so I think I'm going to weld it to the tongue, or try and heat it, then "form" it to fit the tongue and then weld it. Any suggestions? I was also thinking a pintle set-up, but I can't find the rings that mount to the tongue anywhere. Would the mounting points on the bumper hold up for towing with a pintle hook?
-It has an old chevy axle, and it can only fit 6 lug, 5.5 bolt pattern, 16" wheels (suspiciously like an 80's), and the wheels that were on it were bent, and the tire size for the wheels were dry rotted 6.00x16 6-ply. Because of the proximity of the axle to the cooker, I can't have a tire size of more than 28". I would like to find more old steel chevy truck steelies like those that were on it, but I cant find anything but 15", and those won't fit. Any 16" LC wheels that might fit that anyone's willing to let go of? And a suggested metric tire size. This so far is my biggest hurdle, and I'd prefer to not have to deal with relocating the axle.
-The axle still has drum brakes, but their not connected to anything. Anyone know if I can hook these up to an electronic trailer braking system and what that would entail. The trailer as is isn't that heavy, but with a pig, full load of hickory(that's right, no propane!), and a full load in the cruiser, and little help might not hurt.
-I need a 50-gallon drum for burning the wood for coals. I keep reading that you can get them free at most gas stations, but most of the stations I've asked at said that they don't ever use any 50-gallon drums, and I know I can find them cheaper than what people are asking for them online, plus shipping.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can get them loaded onto my computer.

 

[Rubiconcruiser]

Smoker cooker trailer

OK Mr ambitious are we. You have selected the perfect project for the summer, and I think I can help. No charge of course, just want to see the finished product. Do not heat and try to reform tje tongue. The 2 inch steel receiver tube should slip inside, and a couple of beads of 6012 will finish her off. Secondly, how about rims. I have a set of cruiser 15x8 chrome (dirty) but there ok for use, came off my cruiser. You are welcome to them even have a coouple of tires that are new or nearly so. Took them off my trailer in April. Electric brakes require a lot of work and about 300.00 bills to install question this one seriously. Hope this helps regards, Rubiconcruiser@msn.com. Let me know.

 

[Playboater]

The problem with 15" wheels is that they will not fit with the large drum brakes on the truck axle that's on the trailer, otherwise I would have gone with those. I tried with some 1960's chevy truck wheels. I'm having the chassis sandblasted next week and coated with a clear coat of POR-15 rust protectant for $90 because that guy also wants to see me do it. Anyone have any 1940's 16" Chevy wheels and tires? I'll let you use it for your next occasion. I meant heating the coupler and forming it, not the tongue. As far as electric brakes go, I was thinking about trying to hook up a salvaged brake system, and use the existing drums on the axles from the old truck. My question is would it be possible to hook an electric brake controller to this system, and not worry about installing electrical brakes? I'm debating "lifting" it with beefier leaf springs from another vehicle to lower the axle away from the tank, and give more clearance for larger tires. I know this is super amibitious, and I have a lot to do, but I figured you guys would know a little more about this process since it seems like a lot of you are building from the ground up.

Thanks, I'll post pictures soon!

 

[nat]

I actually have several 16" rims for my 1953 GMC P/U but the truck and all my parts are far in Northern California. I am hoping to make it up there soon, I will e-mail you and see if you still need them when I finally make the trip.

 

[Rubiconcruiser]

Heating the coupler. be verrry verry careful. most og thjese are cast or high carbon steel content and you will lose a lot of tensile strength in the process. I still have a couple of omni rotational assemblies if you would like one to try, just let me know. I use both styles on my trailer one for on road one for off.

 

[rusty_tlc]

RE : Brakes
I think what you want is a surge brake. It is hydrolic and installs between the hitch and tounge. A piston is compressed when you brake and applies the brakes. Should hook up to the existing brake, but you will have to do some research to make sure it will work. Electric brakes use an electromagnet to acuate the brakes and I believe you would have to ditch the existing set-up.

RE : Wheels
Did you try Pick & Pull, junk yards?

RE: 55 gallon drum.
Try to find company the makes food products. There is a place that makes juice concentrates behind me. They will usually have 55 gal food grade drums for free.

 

[srplus]

couple of things

if you really want the 55 gallon drum: try to find a large sign, Paint & Body or truck repair shop... most get their solvents in 55 gallon drums... more and more metal drums are being replaced by recycled polyethylene. some supply companies are now actually charging core charges on metal drums - so 'free' may not work... other places for a drum would be a truck stop, a gas / oil distributor or a Qwik Lube shop... if they do not have them then one of these guys will tell you where to go to find one [if any are available]... call your landfill... they might have some drums laying around that they would rather not bury. steel drums are getting thinner and thinner, so i might rethink drum idea for your firebox or at a minimum - line the bottom with some thicker metal. a large sign shop, billboard company or iron fabricator should have a hunk of LARGE pipe Drop laying around(preferably 'thin wall') that you could use instead of the drum that could be easily adapted... would probably give it to you for free once you told them your story, or at most - at scrap steel price... this stuff will never rust out in your lifetime like the 55 gallon drum will. one guy i know adapted two large aluminum gas grills for his fireboxes. another guy used a smaller 'atomic bomb' sized LP gas tank (i would be careful cutting or welding on one of these). let your fingers do the walking and save time and gas by using the phone and the yellow pages.

DO NOT put any rust preventive, paint or use galvanized steel inside firebox and pretty sure the smoker area... black soot and carbon should be enough with grease residue.

ghetto pipe to tongue fix: put a piece of U beam over pipe end and weld it on. then, put tongue on it. OR, just cut off pipe and replace with tube and gussets as needed.

speaking of taking the whole summer to finish this project: is that 2 7/8" an outside diameter? you might get lucky and find a square tube that has an ID the same as your pipe's OD and the pipe will slide inside the square tube... if you have to, you can make some collars to make it fit correctly - if the square tube is stout enough you wouldn't need to use the entire length of pipe inside the tube and only two collars would be needed. cut out some welding slots in the square tube where the pipe ends and weld spacer thru your slots. make ‘spacer’ collar washers [as detailed] out of mild steel plate (use 3 total – for full length sleeve job) to weld to pipe. front and back collars can be full size of outside dimension of square tube or can fit inside of tube. if end caps are full size - bevel ends of tube and edge of spacer that attaches to tube at 45 degrees for good weld. Slip square tube over pipe w/ spacers & weld to front & rear spacers. or reverse the process and find a smaller pipe that will fit inside your pipe and inside a 3" x 3" square tube and make it a ferrule.

then, after you finally put your tongue on just hook the Beast up to ball to your semi tractor and go BBQ.