Ground up DIY Build by OVX 2012

[Uglyduck]

Update May11th - Big Day

I picked up the box from the welders today. I haven't done much else but am going to drill and tap the box mounts tomorrow along with welding some internal supports. Here are some photos of it as well as a mock up with the cooler, fenders, and lights.



I'm really pleased with how much it resembles the Sketchup drawings


The tailgate will double as a table. The legs are from our previous camp table. The rollup design gave my wife and I fits, this is MUCH easier

 

[Mark Harley]

Sweet! Keep us posted.

 

[Uglyduck]

May 14th Update

We got the supports and tailgate frame welded in a couple of days ago. I plan on tackling the rest of the wiring along with the door hinges and latches in the next couple of days. After that its a little grinding and prep for paint! Meeting the deadline is doable but I'm feeling the pressure now. I'll post up some photos in the next couple of days as things get wrapped up.

 

[Uglyduck]

May 15th - Only 3 days till OVX2012!

We got a lot done tonight.

Welded the barrel hinges to the tailgate, fenders to the tub, and capped the rear of the frame. The tail lights were mounted yesterday. Tomorrow its time to install the hinge on the front door and latches on both front door and tailgate. I'll also lay some silicone. Then its paint prep, paint, clean up wiring, and install weather stripping.

 

[Uglyduck]

May 17th - Not done

I prepped and tore the trailer apart today so I could get crack'in on the paint. I scrubbed the steel slime off and finished a little grinding. Painting it seemed so much easier in my head but I made some good progress today. I hit the wall when it finally sank in that this wouldn't be done by tomorrow. Its disappointing but the deadline really helped me move this project along and I'm so close now that I want to see it finished and on the trail.

The paint is incredibly thick, not to the point of clogging the sprayer but it has a nice texture to it. Almost like medium grit sandpaper. As you can see from the photos it doesn't have a glossy finish. I'm thinking of coating it with Zero Rust's clear coat to shine it up a little. That will also help with UV degradation.

 

[Mark Harley]

Yeah, needs some gloss! Looks great! and Love the RED!

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Good work on the trailer. Looking at your initial sketchup drawings, how do you plan to mount and raise the awning? When you get the chance, I'd love to know the weight of the trailer as I'd like to build one similar one day.

Love the multipurpose tailgate/table.

 

[Uglyduck]

I plan on working up some extendable brackets that mount to the top of the trailer. I'll try and get it weighed sometime and post it.

 

[Lesspavedrds]

Take it to the dump......to weigh it.

 

[Uglyduck]

Here's an overdue update. I've been cranking on this thing so much that I got a little burned out. I finished up the paint, reassembled it, put tie downs inside, finished the front door, attached the latches, and worked on the wiring.

It needs some touch up paint, I had to grind on the tailgate barrel hinges so they wouldn't scrape the paint when taking it on and off. The wiring is still a bit rough but I'll finish it up once the clear coat is done because I'll have to take the tail lights off.

The last thing will be weather stripping. I found this great stuff at McMaster Carr. Its a super dense wonder rubber that should work nicely.

I've been teaching myself to weld with a little help from my buddies. I tested my skill on an angle iron box for the cooler to sit in and it turned out pretty good!

I feel like a mad scientist when I weld. I mean, you're using electricity to melt metal! How freak'in cool is that?! And the sparkling glow looks like Dr.Frankenstiens lab!

Once its all done the tent and awning will get mounted and we're off to Zion Natl. Park in the middle of the month!

 

[Mark Harley]

I like it! Great work!

 

[Uglyduck]

The paint didn't do as well as I had hoped so I bit my pride and took it to the powder coater, Ironhorse here in Flagstaff. It cost a little more to sandblast off the paint but it was worth it in the end. The PC looks great and will hold up well. Ironhorse did a great job so if you're in the area and have a project give them a hard look. I told them I needed it by the 12th and they had it done on the 5th. The PC is nearly identical in color to the tow vehicle.

Tonight I added the Rhino Rack for the tent to sit on. It also gives me the flexibility to mount other things like tools and lights. The Rhino is sturdy and was fairly to install if not tedious. It uses a plastic thumbwheel over a locknut to secure the track on the inside...took forever to install 14 of them. I realize I didn't have to use the thumbwheel but decided to as I didn't have any washers handy. All I need are some longer carriage bolts and I can install the tent using Adventure Trailers RTT kit. The Rhino Rack HD bars are 2" tall which is the same length as the bolts in the AT kit so they wont work. No biggie, just another trip to the hardware store.

I talked with Will at Sierra Ex. today and he confirmed that the Ironman Awning should be in Az next week. I don't think it'll be at my door in time for Zion but it would be awesome if it worked out. I also worked up a template for the awning mounts that I can take down to Mayorgas. I'd like to make it out of aluminum but will wait to see what they have available and how much it'll cost.

Anyway...a couple of snapshots

 

[loren85022]

5 RED STARS. Well done!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Love the red!! My trailer will be the same colour soon... stoked! Nice build!

 

[Mark Harley]

Looks awesome! The RED turned out great!
Matched the truck perfect. keep us posted on your add ons.