XJSuperman's Sears&Roebuck Trailer

[XJSuperman]

Well fellas and gals,

I have been given a 1948 Sears and Roebuck utility trailer as a college graduation gift. I will be restoring/restomodding/building it into a jeeping camping trailer. I want to be able to go camping in it, take it on adventures, and yet still be able to get an atv or lawnmower or a load of firewood in it when Im not having fun camping.

History:
This is a 1948 model according to the serial number and approx year assigned. It was sold by Sears and Roebuck but was most likely built by David Bradley or Dunbar Kappel for them. The story with these trailers originates from WWII and the little jeep trailers and with the need for a civilian model for after the war. These resemble the military trailers but were built for civy life. BenHur made trailers for the war, and later Dunbar Kappel, and then David Bradley, along with another possible few that all get roped in together for sales at Sears and other competitive stores of the time.
http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showt...radley-Trailer


The first pics are original literature, the following are my new old trailer.

 

[XJSuperman]

Yes, my trailer is pink and black. Im not sure if it was painted pink, or painted red and faded.....BUT the original nasty green is underneath, and thats good.


Current plans are as follows, but I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ANY SUGGESTIONS you may have.

-sandblast
-fix dents, replace rotted metal (including left fender, which Ill get to later...)
-rust preventative and paint
-bedline inner tub (THOUGHTS ON WHICH BEDLINER?)
-install the included new safety chains, wiring, lights, and tailgate chains
-mount 2 81mm ammo cans underneath up front for gear storage
81mm cans look best. Tall, narrow, and wide, which allows them to be mounted laid down under the trailer tub, lids out to each side.
-Im gonna use old school jerry cans, because I hate the new safety spouts and I don't like paying out the *** for fancy rotopax cans. Thoughts?
-I need tool storage, camping gear storage, and fuel storage, along with water totes. What else do I need? Gas? Food storage? what else?
- I plan on building some sort of rack (see first pic below) so I can mount a rooftop tent on in the future, and it will allow me to tarp or enclose the trailer somehow. Plus, I can mount stuff on the sides.
-All of this needs to be removable and re-configurable if at all possible. I want to build the trailer as I need it, but I want to revert back to original later if I so desire. So bolting things is best, ideally drilling minimal holes, and not welding if I can avoid it.
-I will add a spare wheel/tire. Maybe under the rear of the trailer, or on the outside. BTW, they are 16" rims (kinda rare on these) and are 5x5.5" pattern.


What do you guys think? Suggestions, thoughts, and recommendations are welcome.
I need to know where I can get what I will need cheapest, and what works, for those of you that camp regularly. I have regular tents until I can get a RTT later.

Thanks guys.

 

[XJSuperman]

Projects within the Project.

1. Fender: The fenders on this trailer are the "Roadster" fenders and are not readily available for replacement. They have fancy little rolled lips in them that would be hard to reproduce, and arent like the basic fenders on today's utility trailers.

I need to fix or replace my left fender because it is rotted on the top part. It has been fixed in the past and has more than a 1/4" of bondo already on it. Anyone able to use an english wheel? lol I might have to learn....

2. Roof Top Tents: this is officially open to discussion. I need suggestions on makers and models. Cheap vs good. ARB, Smittybilt, BigFoot, CVT, and more....leaning towards Smittybilt just because its cheapest. I think I am prepared to deal with it....I think. lol

3. My rack idea is a stolen one. It comes from https://www.allprooffroad.com/05taco...tacomabedracks , and http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...adley-4x6.html

Bent tube welded to angle iron style rails that would allow it to be slid in and out of the trailer for when Im camping or need it enclosed, and when Im hauling brush or other larger items. BUT, Im now thinking I want square or rectangular tube cut and welded, mostly for ease of manufacture by me, and for looks. It will be easier to bolt things to as well.

 

[XJSuperman]

Brief shopping list and things I need to acquire:

--Spare wheel and tire
-make bracket for it
--Toolbox of some sort.....No more than 46" wide, top lid, latch accessible from front or sides, preferably metal, watertight, and lockable. Toolbox/fueltank combos are being looked at as well.
--propane tank?
--water totes
--fender
--rack
--tent possibly
--Pioneer tool tray

 

[XJSuperman]

Pics....

 

[jk_surgeonfish]

Nice... fun project as it looks to be in pretty good shape.

 

[Waygoner]

I built one of those Sear's trailers.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/72658-New-guy-with-another-Bradley-project

 

[XJSuperman]

Great, thanks for the link. Its nice to see someone else with one of these classics.

 

[XJSuperman]

Well Ive started working on my plan a little more lately. I really want to get this going and not sitting outside in the cold, pink, and ugly.

So I called a sandblaster today and they were still closed for holidays. Tomrrow Ill try again.

I want to get it blasted, and then I still need to decide if I want it primed, or bare. This depends on what I do for "paint".

Im looking into POR15 (great stuff), but I havent decided where exactly I want to put it on; the underside? the tub? outside? everywhere? IDK.

Eventually the trailer will match the Jeep, this much I know. So I will need to paint the tub green. Can I paint over POR15?


Not sure on bedliners either.....pretty sure I do not want LineX (great stuff, but over my budget). Im saying NO to Rustoleom, and Duplicolor. Junk is the term associated with them. Anyone have any experience with Monstaliner, RaptorLiner, or Herculiner?


Also, its cold here in north eastern Ohio. And its January, so its not warming up anytime soon. I need to be able to heat, paint, and cure this thing if Im painting it myself. No heat in the shop means thats probably out, its like painting outside practically. Not much heat in the home garage either... and its a smaller, cleaner space. Easier to heat, but I need a better heating setup that won't cost me a million dollars to get, run, or both.

So I don't want it to sit all dang winter, and I don't want to get it blasted and primed and sit all winter, and I don't want to tear it apart for blasting and let it sit all winter. Whats a guy to do???

I haven't even begun to mention that Im in-between jobs (harvest season is over) and could be leaving town soon for Iowa again. That makes things interesting as well, cause I think the trailer is going with.....and not in pieces, or primer....in winter weather.


On the brighter side, I have a long list of things to add to the trailer when its been blasted and I am doing bodywork/metalwork.
-jerry cans in decent shape (x3)
-jerry can holders (x3)
-going to get a water tote.....still deciding on that and taking input...
-81mm ammo cans for storage underneath (x2)

Im looking for a spare tire and wheel if anybody knows anybody.
Also looking for a Pioneer tool rack tenatively.

 

[hidesertwheelin]

Where on your trailer did you find the ID tag? I just bought one of these trailers and can't find the build tag?

 

[XJSuperman]

They can be found in several different places depending on year and such. Mine is right up front down low by the tongue. Check this out and see where all they have been found:
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/the-sears-david-bradley-trailer.74865/
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/inde...adley-trailers-serial-numbers-vs-years.75658/

 

[hidesertwheelin]

They can be found in several different places depending on year and such. Mine is right up front down low by the tongue. Check this out and see where all they have been found:
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/the-sears-david-bradley-trailer.74865/
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/inde...adley-trailers-serial-numbers-vs-years.75658/

Thanks for the links.

 

[sseaman]

Cool trailer, had one like it in the past. For the one I had I swapped the fenders for some NOS military fenders that looked great, found them off of Steel Soldier website.

 

[XJSuperman]

Well today the trailer went to the shop and got lights installed. I fabbed up a couple brackets for them, and ran the wiring harness neatly, but temporarily until I get the trailer blasted and redone. Lights work great, look great, and make my happy. Lol. Glad to be working on it.

I forgot to take a picture, but I had the whole trailer strung up by the lift, tongue up, tailgate down. Pretty fun.

I picked up a spare tire/wheel this morning and it will be dismantled tomorrow to empty the fluid from the inside, and to replace the valve stem. Might even (probably is) a tube-type tire, so a new tube will need to be acquired. Fun stuff. I have a jack from a New Holland baler that I will be restoring and fitting to the trailer tongue. Its old, its strong, and works very smoothly. Not like those cheap jacks they sell in stores around here.

Gonna be awesome.

Projects complete:
-lights
-wiring
-spare acquired
-fitment checked

Tomorrow and the next day will be:
-licensing the trailer
-fixing the spare
-jack project
-check hubs and bearings
-grease everything

 

[2t2-crash]

For a bedliner look into a product called Herculiner. Autozone should have it.
I lined the interior of my XJ with it and it hasn't peeled or cracked despite having everything from firewood and tree rounds to an 800lb safe tilted in and pushed across it.
If I recall correctly it should be around $35 for a can of it.