Monster Garage trailer project. Watch this 1951 35-foot aluminum travel trailer be converted into a toybox. There will be 21 feet of garage space in the back and an air conditioned lounge with a bathroom up front. Stay tuned for developments.
Lower half of clamshell removed.
Body lifted off of frame
Removal of frame
Body sitting on rolling scaffold. Ready to be polished while new trailer is being fabricated.
This is what it will look like when it is polished
Trailer drawings
TRAILER PROJECT UPDATE
Now that the car show season is over I have started back on the trailer project in earnest.
I've decided to build a new frame that the old flimsy frame will sit on top of. This will allow me to keep the original structure intact. To this end I stripped the old flooring off of the frame and flipped it over and rolled it into the shop.
The original frame has been stripped of all unnecessary metal and has been altered to accept new structural steel 2" x 6" steel tubing sistered to the original 10 gauge "C" channel frame. Additional lateral supports will tie the old frame in with the new.
Frame suspended for sandblasting. While they were at it I had them get rid of the rust on the bucket truck.
2" x 6"x 1/4" wall thickness steel tube cut and welded to 25° to form the new trailer tongue.
Serious progress. All the steel is installed and welded. I hired a pro to weld the critical joints on the trailer tongue but I did the rest of it myself.
I hadn't done any serious welding since high school. About 35 years ago. I had forgotten to protect my neck while welding. Got a hell of a sunburn.
Waiting on axles from Dexter. 3 8,000 lb. axles with AirFlex suspension and stainless steel disk brakes. Should arrive mid-January.
The original perimeter angle iron will be cut away to create new wheel wells. This will allow me to expand the wheelbase from 72" to 102", the legal limit.
I've started primeing the structure. I'm painting it with Rust-Oleum industrial enamel and heavy duty primer made for sand-blasted surfaces. The final color coat will be National Blue. Very close to the color of my Mark II.
Test fitting stabalizer system consisting of 4 individually controlled screw jacks. Two to level and lift the front of the trailer and two to keep the rear stabilized during loading and unloading.
In order to maximize the potential of each 8,000 lb axle it was necessary to design and fabricate brackets that would allow the suspension to be placed as wide as possible while fitting a relatively narrow travel trailer frame. This also eliminates the "boxcar" sway effect.
Test fitting the diamond plate aluminum underbelly. I marked the location of the struts on the back side for pilot hole placement
Test fitting the suspension and lifts.
Alcoa 16" 8-bolt rims and Goodyear RST 12-ply stell belted tires. Tire pressure /heat sensing system to be installed next week.
Dan came by to help me with final axle location measurements. Tacked the axle brackets in place. A pro will do the critical welds.
Installed wheels to align side. Found 1/8" difference in widths. Electric stairs and SmarTire system arrived today.
Installed KwiKee electric steps. Had to build substantial substructure to carry my weight.
Test fit aluminum panels around suspension brackets.
Test fit retracted stairs.
Removed axles and lift system. Will mount aluminum panels to new struts installed on frame. Once aluminum has been fitted and secured the panels will come off once more so that I can prime all the new welding and paint the frame National Blue. The axles and lift system will be painted black. Then I'll be ready to put the tires on and roll it outside for flipping upright again.
This is the latest design for controlling the air suspension.
The compressor produces 150 lbs of pressure. On at 110 and off at 150. The Pressure Reducing Valve limits the air line pressure to 125 lbs.
The air pressure is then fed to the Automatic Ride Height Valve on each axle. This device will allow me to custom balance the load by shifting weight onto any or all of the axles. Think of it as a changeable fulcrum on a teeter totter. A slight difference in pressure will affect the tongue weight. In transit this function will hold the load level at all times.
The air then passes through a Dump Valve that will allow lowering of just that axle. These valves will be used to dump the air out of the two rear axles causing the front end of the trailer to raise up just enough to allow gravity to pull the car out of the trailer controlled by a winch. To aid in this function there are electric screwjack lifts on the front to stabilize the trailer at the proper angle. Identical lifts are installed at the rear to prevent a nose tip- up when the vehicle exits the trailer.
After the dump valve is a Pressure Switch that would close a set of contacts that would illuminate a warning light in the cab of the tow vehicle should there be a failure.
I flipped the frame in the parking lot. The bucket truck couldn't lift the frame so I had to bring out the fork lift to complete the task. I was going to flip it once more but I've decided to assemble it upright.
All the welding and priming is done. Finish paint starts tomorrow.
National Blue
It's alive! I jacked it up so I could finish painting underneath it.
Now I can see what I missed.
Kwikee steps move quickly. I predict some bruised shins.
Finally, it can roll around on its own. It has a pretty neutral weight distribution. I can sit my 275 lbs. on the rear and raise up the front.
Next is permanent wiring , air and brake lines.
This is the ride height valve. This device controls the air pressure in the rubber air bags. The final position of the bar attached to the valve determines the ride height. The linkage is attached directly to the swing arm of the suspension. The arms are pointing down now but should be level when the body is reinstalled on the chassis.
By lengthening the linkage the bags will inflate to a higher pressure raising the chassis above the axles. Each axle is adjustable to allow for fine tuning weight distribution.
The Airflex suspension has a slight deficiency that allows the axles to drop to a point that the air bags pull out of their seats. I used 24" 3,000 lb lifting straps secured to the chassis to restrain the axles from overtravel.
Piping and wiring next.
I finished the piping for the axle controls and applied 80 lbs of pressure to the first set of axles. The front end rose off the ground with ease. Inflating the rear set and deflating the front dropped tongue softly to the ground. The leveling system works. Yahoo!
Installed the bottom diamond plate skins and started installing the wiring.
The piping for the ride height valves. Adjusting these rods will let me dial in the ideal tongue weight.
Just thinking out loud.
That's a whole lot of stopping power when driven by a 1600 psi hydraulic brake actuator.
Both sets of Kwikee steps installed and operational. Note the location of the switch that controls the electric step. That location will minimize shin damage.
The object on the right is a Viair 450C 12-volt air compressor. It feeds the 5 gallon tank. The pressure sensor located at the tank inlet turns the compressor on at 110 pounds of pressure and off at 150. One of the taps on the tank feeds a pressure regulator that maintains about 75 lbs of pressure in the air bag system. The regulator in turn feeds the ride height valve mounted to the frame rail by each wheel. The ride height valve controls the amount of pressure in the bags, adding or deleting air as needed.
The valve mounted to the suport is the electric dump valve that allows me to dump air from the back two axles for loading and all three axles for parking.
The dump valves are controlled from the control center near the rear door.
The four black handled switches are the momentary contact switches for the four 6,000 lb. lifts mounted fore and aft. The top center switch controls power to the compressor relay. The three bottom switches are for the axle dump valves.
There will also be a regulator knob for adjusting the air bag pressure system for loaded and unloaded conditions. There will be a socket for the winch remote control and an air chuck capable of providing 150 lbs of pressure. The tires on this trailer need to be maintained at 110 lbs.
This Dayton product is actually an S5000 Superwinch with 10,000 lbs of pull.
Completed the rough wiring for tail lights and running lights. Included Cat 5 cable for rear facing B/W camera and back-up lighting circuit tapped into the tow vehicle wiring.
Nothing will stop you faster than red brake calipers.
Finished up the trailer specific wiring which included the four electric screw jacks, the on-board compressor, electric dump valves for the air suspension and both electric steps.
The "fuse box" is an ABS plastic access hatch cut into the underbelly near the control center. The control switches will be mounted further up on the body which is why the wires are bulging behind the temporary control panel.
Ordered the stainless steel brake lines today from Inline Tube. Each caliper will have it's own stainless steel braided hose dropping from the side of the frame. This eliminated having a crossover tube and related hardware on the axle.
I'm having the wheel wells made at a local fabrication shop. Once they are installed I'll be able to finish the brakes.
Update 3-18-2005
Installed a secondary brake light circuit that is powered by the breakaway safety system. In the event that the trailer becomes detached from the tow vehicle a set of electrical contacts closes and puts power to the hydraulic brake actuator which clamps down the disk brakes bringing the trailer to a screeching to a halt. The only problem is that the brake lights lose power when the trailer detaches leaving some poor soul unaware that the shiny monster in front of them is stopping.
This sensor will be triggered by the activation of the hydraulic brakes illuminating a secondary brake light.
This is an air pressure monitor sensor. This unit was made for sensing the pressure in air-bagged cars. There would normally be one sensor for each air bag but I am using one to sense the air pressure in the 5-gallon storage tank and one sensor in each suspension.
I decided to run the brake lines within the frame to protect them from the weather. This allowed me to use standard steel brake lines as the bottom of the trailer will be enclosed. The new suspension air pressure sensor is just to the left of the dump valve.
These devices will send a digital signal to the cab of the tow vehicle so that a warning would sound in the even of air bag failure.
I did use stainless where the line are exposed. The braided stainless lines drop to each brake caliper from the frame so I could eliminate the crossover lines on the axles. Unfortunately, the lines will be hidden behind the tires.
I haven't finalized the ramp/tailgate system yet but I'll use the available air pressure system to make some type of assist.
Started installing the 120-volt wiring for outlets in the cabin and garage.
Almost done with the mechanical stuff. ordered the 3/4" T & G plywood cut to size to properly overlap.
Wheel wells arrived today. 3/16" mill finish aluminum. Beautifully welded.
Installed the new wheel wells and marked their location. Removed wheel wells so that plywood would lay flat for marking of access cutouts and wheel wells from the bottom side.
You'll notice that I've induced a slight upward bow at both ends of the trailer. The plywood will be attached to the 10-guage frame rails and 12-gauge crossmenbers with self tapping 1/4-20 deck screws. The second layer of plywood will overlap by 50% and epoxied to the first layer.
Decking the trailer while bowed will leave the deck in "tension" aiding in keeping it straight.
P.S. I finished installing and testing the air pressure monitor system for the suspension.
300 torx deck screws later the first layer of plywood is installed. Three panels will be marked from the underside for access hatch locations. The panels will be removed, flipped over and cut out of the first layer.
The second layer will be glued and screwed to the first. A router will be used to cut out the second layer using a bit that will leave a 3/4" lip for the hatch cover to fit into. I remembered some earlier lessons and use a drill stop to prevent damage to wiring, air or hydraulics.
The front floor hatches will contain 120-volt circuit breakers, inverter and battery banks.
The body and chassis poised for reattachment.
I used over 400 screws to attach the top layer of plywood to the base layer.
March 26, 2005
Big day! First time outside since November. Before and after.
All set up for lowering. I used three scaffolds and my much younger helper used three ladders.
I used pieces of Tyvek as a wicking material to route moisture out of the base plate area of the walls. Part of the Tyvek will be exposed but hidden under the new bottom trim panels.
About an hour later. Three clicks at a time on each of six comealongs.
One side down. Lots of wiring to make clearance for before the other side can sit on the frame.
As it sits right now. The entire body/frame/axles is now suspended on the corner jacks. I had to do this to get the wheels to drop low enough to clear the shell's apron. The edge of the metal is sitting on the tires.
The next step is to create an inner structure for the trailer wall and cut away the wheel wells from the body. The altered wall will be self supporting but will sit on top of the structural aluminum wheel well.
You can see from this picture that there is nothing supporting the front of the trailer. All controlled by the ride height valves.
Started polishing the body. This is 4 hours work. I am polishing the panels where switches and the control panel will go. It is much easier to polish a solid panel than one with a hole in it.
3-30-2005
This is the task I've been dreading. In a effort to stop roof leaks a tar sealant was applied to about 120 feet of roof seam. It must have been applied early on as the metal underneath is not corroded at all.
Unfortunately, the tar cracked along all the seams. Extensive use of a heat gun and repeated washing with mineral spirits seems to be the slow but sure method. All of the roof caps will be removed and sealed up as the trailer will be air conditioned.
The Spartan Aircraft Company built beautiful shiny airplanes. You would think that they would know not to put a steel roof cap on an aluminum roof. This is actually the only real corrosion I've found. Not bad for 53 year old trailer body.
This is the scariest thing I've ever done. Cutting into the body to create the new wheel wells made me pay attention to the addage "Measure twice, cut once."
I cut away the aluminum outer skin and then cut the inner stud 2" above that line. I used a modified pair of duck-bill vice grips made the bend neatly.
The structural inner fender well supports the wall above. I'm currently designing a decorative skin much more in the style of the trailer.
4-4-2005
Another big day. The trailer went for a 50-foot ride today. The first sunshine it's seen in 18 months. Please note that the trailer is not propped up in the front. The air suspension returns the tailer to level automatically
I don't think I've ever posted pictures of the driver's side.
I'm looking for several more of these marker lights. They are marked KD540 and are red and amber.
4-14-2004
Polishing, polishing and more polishing. This thing is huge.
This is the first pass of a three part polishing regimen designed to produce a mirror finish.
What a difference!
Sample running light on trailer front.
The curved base fits pretty well
Before
After 35 hours of polishing
Apparently someone had installed a window airconditioner in place of the center window. The unit must have leaked back on the front of the trailer as the corrosion was extensive and had badly etched the aluminum surface. This the best I could get out of it with normal compounding methods.
I used an orbital sander with 150 grit paper to smooth out the metal and then compounded the area again. I probably should have used 220 as the 150 grit left some scratches that required additional compounding.
Notice my arm in the reflection on the left and observe the unsanded polished area on the right.
I used my new Cyclo polisher to do the third and final polishing step and the surface shined like a mirror.
I look rather short and squat in this picture. The front of the trailer is like a funhouse mirror.
5-28-2005
Little to report due to car show schedule. Built a platform to allow for work on the roof. New front window frame arrived. Went with three windows the same size as originals except with rounded corners.
12-1-2005 Show season over. Obtained another Continental for the collection. A 1955 Porsche 356 "Continental" cabrio. Finished the season with a Best in Class at Greenwich and the Hilton Head Island Concours.
In late October, Classic Car magazine editor Dennis Adler sent Len Katz, official photographer for the Meadow Brook Concours to my home to shoot for an article by Dennis Adler. The magazine was mailed to subscribers December 1, 2005. They also printed an article I wrote on the subject of the Continental Star.
Tim Howley, editor of the Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine, has a Royal Spartanette that he lives in while on his farm. It was the only object undamaged when fire swept through and destroyed his car collection. He asked me to write an article on this project and he did. 6 pages and 15 pictures.
I started back on the project on one of the roughest tasks. The back sides of the doors were badly pitted because the original door covering was a sheet of vinyl. Moisture was trapped and heavily corroded the metal. I went at it gently using 320 grit sandpaper and got nowhere. I wanted to be able to polish the surface but I was afraid to take off too much metal. The outer panels are Alclad which is an aluminum allow covered by a thin layer of pure aluminum. I didn't want to sand through it. Turns out the back side of the door is made from pure aluminum so I can sand the next one more aggressively.
They sure look pretty polished.
Every hinge I've ever seen on a 50 year old trailer is rusted. I sand blasted the rust off the hinges and reassembled the pieces. I spray painted a zinc coating that's meant to be a finish coat. Unfortunately the color didn't match the shiny surface so I covered the hinges with aluminum duct tape and they look chrome plated.
My next step is installing the new front window frame and rain rail.
These are the reproduction door handles. The originals are zinc castings and break easily. The new handles are cast in solid aluminum.
Very stylish. Blends in with the background metal. Nice reflection.
Look to the lower right of the door. It appears the previous owner would kick the snow off their boots by kicking the trailer. I'm thinking of leaving it that way. Maybe.
Decided to finish the door and install it. You can see why I was so fussy about the door shine.
Installed the front window frame using Cleco temporary panel holders. Disassembled and deburred all of the holes and reassembled preparing to rivet the new panel and rain gutter in place. I polished all of the new metal before installation. I installed a rubber tape gasket in-between the new panel and the existing window opening.
I taught myself to rivet. I immediately found out that it didn't take much force to mash aluminum rivest with an air impact. I found about 25 lbs of air pressure gave me the best control and tight seams. I also found that selecting the right length rivet made the job go smoothly. I found that about 3/16" poking through mashed nicely and gripped tightly.
The front visor was replaced with a substantial J-channel to stiffen the top of the window frame. The old visor stuck out about 5" and would have ruined the aerodynamics and created a huge water trap while moving in the rain.
The old visor was to protect the tops of the windows from getting wet at they were hinged on top. The new front windows will be fixed in place and sealed.
The finished window frame. All that's left is polishing off the anodized finish on the rivet heads and installing a clear sealant.
In preparation for spray foam installation I've completed the wiring for the cabin area. The lighting will run off of the batteries directly while the 120-volt circuits will be fed through the inverter or directly off of house power when utilities are available.
Close up of the separated wiring system. All the 120-volt wiring is in armored cable and the 12-volt system is in marine grade low-voltage cable. I would prefer to not use the trailer body for either system ground.
The box on the right is configured so that I can use three rocker or toggle switches in the traditional up-on down-off configuration.
The right hand switch will control the art-deco porch fixture. The center switch will control 12-volt lighting for general illumination and the third switch will control a hanging fixture in the center of the room, over a table.
In preparation for the removal of the upper half of the clamshell rear doors I have installed supports the for rear opening. This significantly enhanced the rigidity of the opening but will require some steel to properly stiffen it. My carpenter friend tells me that curved braces are muck stronger than those cut on a 45°.
This was a big step. Cutting away the upper clamshell section let me know just how much rigidity I had lost by cutting away the back. It appears that the upper section didn't add all that much to the stiffness of the structure.
I believe the structural foam sprayed everywhere will significantly stabilize the structure.
Wow, what a difference. I can actually see the Mark II sitting in its portable home.
The view from the inside changed significantly with the rear end gone.
Added a 2" light duty angle iron to the last 5 feet of both sides at the rear. It significantly stiffened the structure and performs the task of tying the walls to the floor where ther was weakness.
Speaks for itself.
Still looking for more of these. They were used on trucks and trailers of the '40s and '50s.
Turns out that the guy that made the reproduction exterior handles also makes interior reproductions. I bought the last two he had.
Another dreaded project. I needed to install an access hatch to conceal the screw jack switches (4) air bag dump valve switches (3), compressor switch, jack for winch control and an air pressure gauge to determine suspension system pressure. The reserve tank is always held at 150 lbs but the air bags will only need about 40-60 lbs.
Never believe anything you read. The instructions tell you to drill an 1/8" hole 1/2" in from each corner. then you are told to expand the hole with a 1/2" bit which would put the edge 1/4" away from the template edge. The 1/2" radius would have been distorted with tin snips so I used a 1" hole saw in each corner to form the 1/2" radius.
Electric tin snips took care of the rest of the cuts and the new door fell right into place.
