Grandby FWC on M101A2

[sgiandubh]

Hey folks,
I have a build thread on Wander the West, but I have learned so much from this site, I figured I would throw up some pictures of my project here as well. After a couple months of on and off searching I found the camper on CL about an hour north of me. For $500 bucks I thought I got a sweet deal, planning to replace the canvas, give it a good cleaning, mount it on my M101A2 frame and drive off into the sunset. Well.... lets just say that my recommendation to anyone wanting to follow a similar path would be to find a camper in good functional shape, even if you need to pay 5 or 10 times my purchase price to do so. Needless to say, pervasive rot and mold drove me to strip the camper to the frame, replace front and rear siding, all of the insulation and interior siding and rebuild the floor pack. Its been a super fun project but definitely not cost effective over sourcing a camper that would not require such an extensive renovation.

As it sits now.


The day I got the camper.


The trailer destined to carry the Grandby.

 

[Mark Harley]

Very nice conversion.
Did you change the Lunette assembly out too?
More pictures please.

 

[sgiandubh]

Thanks, Mark. I am in the process of changing out the lunette assembly. I will add a 2" receiver to accept a max coupler or similar setup.

 

[sgiandubh]

A couple more picts of what I started with.

 

[sgiandubh]

A condensed, pictorial version of the tear down.

 

[MU ///M3]

Nice, anxious to see how it turns out. I've also got an M101A2, which I plan to build more as a utility trailer than a camper (for hauling ATV and other gear). I would like to pull the axle and replace with a lighter axle with hubs that match my Rover wheels. What Dexter axle did you use, did you go back with brakes or not, and how hard was the install? Keep in mind I'm going to use the bed. Also, how hard was it to remove the lunette/surge assembly? PB Blaster and an air ratchet? Are you just planning to weld the receiver into the tongue?

I'll hit you on the bows/side panels in your FS ad. . . .

 

[sgiandubh]

This is the first version of the floor pack build. The second version extended the exterior floor pack pieces to take advantage of the space that would have been lost allowing for pickup bed wheel wells. As you can see, there were a few aluminum studs that were broken off at the weld joints. As I did not have the capability to weld aluminum at the time - I have since picked up a Miller 211 welder with spool gun capability - I chose to use L brackets to repair the broken welds. I stole this idea from another Grandby rebuild and am confident that it will be strong enough for the task. I also took the extra precaution of locking the repaired joints with pan head screws through the interior panelling.

 

[sgiandubh]

Nice, anxious to see how it turns out. I've also got an M101A2, which I plan to build more as a utility trailer than a camper (for hauling ATV and other gear). I would like to pull the axle and replace with a lighter axle with hubs that match my Rover wheels. What Dexter axle did you use, did you go back with brakes or not, and how hard was the install? Keep in mind I'm going to use the bed. Also, how hard was it to remove the lunette/surge assembly? PB Blaster and an air ratchet? Are you just planning to weld the receiver into the tongue?

I'll hit you on the bows/side panels in your FS ad. . . .

MU, the axle replacement was remarkably easy. I ordered the replacement axle from Redneck Trailer Supply. They were awesome to work with. I custom ordered the axle to match the track width and bolt pattern of my Tacoma. I ordered the axle with electric brakes and in hindsight I wish that I had sprung for the parking brakes as well. Redneck also allowed me to specify the bolt perch width to match the trailer. New U-bolts were supplied as well. It was as simple as unbolting the old one and bolting in the new. I actually replaced the axle with the bed on the trailer before I pulled it home from Dallas. I'll see if I can't dig up some picts of the process.

I went with a 3" axle tube because the spring perch to hub face measurement was greater than their specs for a 2.5" tube. I could have specified the 2.5" tube even so, but I wanted to make sure that I had at least the 3500lb rating as I anticipate my trailer being ~1800-2000lbs loaded. Even with the extended perch to hub face measurement the axle rated weight is ~4200lbs. I'll have to look at the sticker for exact rating. The whole thing was ~$350. Quite reasonable, especially since I spent a couple hours it seemed with them on the phone.

Removing the lunette assembly was easy. Keep in mind, you will lose the jack assembly as well if your trailer has it. I had already taken the jack leg off to replace a damaged one on my brother-in-laws trailer so it was an easy decision. My trailer was in great shape from Texas so I simply sprayed the bolts with WD-40 and they spun right off with an electric impact. The hardest part was getting the brake line and electrical connection out of the way as the lunette assembly has to slide back toward the trailer frame to come off.

Yes. I will weld a receiver into the tongue, hopefully using an Adventure Trailers bracket. I'm not sure they are still offering DIY parts, but worst case I will fab my own from some 3/16 plate. The AT version is quite nice though, bent to fit and all that.

 

[MU ///M3]

Nice - Redneck is here in my hometown. . . That part should be easy, then. I wasn't sure how hard it would be to replace the axle with the bed installed. I don't think any of my jack stands are that tall.

I'm also glad to hear the lunette was easy enough. My trailer had the flip-up stand, which is a bear to set alone. I plan to replace with a better crank-stand so I'm not killing myself when I load/unload.

And thanks for the quick reply!

 

[sgiandubh]

MU, Below is the only picture that I could find of the axle swap. As you can see, it was as simple as disconnecting the brake lines, unbolting the ubolts and rolling the axle out from under the trailer. The extremely poor after picture shows how the supplied ubolts and mounting plate were oriented.

 

[sgiandubh]

Nice - Redneck is here in my hometown. . . That part should be easy, then. I wasn't sure how hard it would be to replace the axle with the bed installed. I don't think any of my jack stands are that tall.

I'm also glad to hear the lunette was easy enough. My trailer had the flip-up stand, which is a bear to set alone. I plan to replace with a better crank-stand so I'm not killing myself when I load/unload.

And thanks for the quick reply!

No problem. Let me know if you have any other questions I can answer. It really was quite simple. You are right, supporting the trailer while removing the axle was the hardest part. Put up some pictures of your project...always love to see how others do it!

 

[sgiandubh]

The front window was broken by a rock during the trip home after purchase, so it made sense to delete that window. This decision offered the secondary benefit of providing a more secluded area for my 2 year old to sleep. I re-insulated the camper with 1" foam. A local place was able to replicate the old sheet siding on the front and rear of the camper and it really was a good match.

 

[xjman88]

Really nice work you are doing there. Im def subscribed.

 

[sgiandubh]

1/4 inch paneling going in. I was initially planning on using 1/4" birch on the interior and leaving the wood grain exposed. I quickly changed my mind as the birch ply that I was able to source locally was really just luan with an extremely thin veneer of birch that would peel when cutting. So, I ended up just using the luan and painting it.


I built the bed to be permanently extended at roughly full size mattress width.

 

[dcollier32]

Cool build... I thought about doing this once before. Just never could find a candidate in good enough condition. Can't wait to see the finish product...