Building the AlumEscape

[JMacs]

You know, after 15 years as an enginerd, I have learned that the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) design principle is really the best way to go. Lucky for me, I procrastinate on my home projects. Which gives me plenty of time to go from the initial concept,refine it, over design it, and then circle back around to the final solution. The trick is not letting the imagination start adding too much while I build it!

Keep up the good work.

 

[Petrolburner]

Well I'm impressed. :drool:

 

[2012Taco]

I hear ya JMacs – I couldn't tell you how many times I've started with one plan and ended up with something nearly completely different!


Thanks Petrolburner!

 

[2012Taco]

Laying down the vinyl floor – no glue here, just held in place by the baseboard trim:

Lots of wires to be connected and organized! I ran some spares as well to the rear compartment for future items (on board water?). The wiremold ended up being a blessing compared to my original plan to run everything behind the walls – it ended up just being too much wire mass to run to the rear in the 1-1/2” wall without sacrificing insulation. Wiremold also allows for easy expansion later and any problems would be much easier to fix! The lights and fan wiring were all concealed behind the FRP as it was a cleaner install and smaller in size.

Electrical wrapped up inside and woodworking done other than sealing with poly. Wasn't sure what to do for the window privacy but I got a decent deal online for custom blinds!

More updates to come!

 

[Mark W]

This is a great build! I plan on using a very similar suspension setup for my future build (as in "I'm stealing your idea....mostly!")! How is this this guy turning out weight wise?

 

[Doc Foster]

That is one sweet looking DIY trailer. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[2012Taco]

This is a great build! I plan on using a very similar suspension setup for my future build (as in "I'm stealing your idea....mostly!")! How is this this guy turning out weight wise?

Thanks Mark! Please steal away, that's why we post our builds here!

I don't know if I had posted this before but I had originally planned on using a pair of the fiberglass mono-leaf springs that I pulled off a Ford Ranger project I had going for this build. After getting the axle unwrapped and set on stands with the springs it just wasn't looking like a good option; the springs are almost 48" eye to eye and I would have had to run them as spring-under to keep the altitude in check and it just seemed like a hack kind of solution compared to the rest of the work I was doing.

After the mono-leaf I committed to air suspension and imagined running a 3 link or 4 link setup so I bought some poly bushings and sleeves to fab links. Again, I should have thought the whole plan through . I mocked up how upper and lower links would have to be positioned and didn't like the loss of ground clearance I would have had to live with.

After more brainstorming I sketched up the wishbone link that you see. I ran the poly bushings at the axle to take some of the harshness out of the connection, but mostly because I had them and didn't want to let them go to waste haha. The Johnny Joint at the frame connection was a piece I had in the shop from a set of long arms that I never started for my Bronco II so I figured it was PLENTY strong for this application. The panhard bar was a "some assembly required" part from an online supplier that I setup to be as long and horizontal as possible.

The adjustability front-to-rear at the Johnny Joint and side-to-side with the panhard bar let me tune the suspension to center it left and right plus center the wheel in the fender wells. In the future I think I'll be upsizing the wheel and tire combo to match my Tacoma but that's on the back burner!

If you have any questions on the setup please ask, I'm glad to help!

 

[2012Taco]

Thanks Doc, after Chazz let me know I was picked as a Build of the Month I new I'd have to do a better job of giving you guys updates! I'm counting on you guys to keep me honest here!

 

[2012Taco]

Well I want to thank the powers that be for picking my humble soda can as a Build of the Month! That said, I'm gonna need y'all to pile on the peer pressure to keep this tread up to date as I'm notoriously bad at that :smilies27

So for those out there on the interwebs, Happy New Year and here is some more for you!


Trimmed and fitted the vinyl inserts in the edge/corner trim (I'm really glad I painted these pieces silver to blend with the aluminum skin)

Starting the fenders. Again, going on the heavy duty side as I want these to protect the body in the event of a rogue tree or rock or something! I also wanted to keep them removable in the event I ever need to remove the body from the frame; unbolt fenders, unbolt body and lift, roll frame out!

Fitting the diamond plate skin. Found that carefully slicing the underside (about half the thickness) allows me to get super sharp and clean bends. This was a must for me as I haven't setup my welder for aluminum (plus I've never done it) and the soft bends I ended up with on the nose stone guard just wouldn't work here.

I used some rubber u-channel edging from eBay to "seal" the fender skin to the body and it was the perfect finishing touch! Also added a diamond plate skirt around the bottom of the skin to secure it to the plywood body and add a bit more character!

Enjoy! :beer:

 

[Reboot11133]

Great looking build. I have been tossing around the idea to build a tear drop or similar. It just seemed a bit too intimidating to construct the way the tear drops are built. I think your design looks much stronger than what I have seen in other builds. I am curious if you have had the trailer weighed. I drive a Jeep L J and doubt that how heavy your trailer is will affect performance by much. A nice solid build like yours should easily be able to withstand the off-road abuse.

 

[washington taco]

Nice build! Not a big fan of trailers but I love your simple well executed design! What did you use to bond the aluminum to the plywood and did you treat the plywood prior to aluminum installation.

 

[KLT88YJ]

Wow, super nice build! Uber jealous. Doesn't even look homemade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[adrenalnjunky]

Just a suggestion - if you wanted your rear hatches to match the aluminum skin - look for a shop that does vinyl wraps. I've got a buddy in that biz, and some of the samples for material they can get are really convincing looking brushed metallic texture.

Or you might be able to get some samples from a supply place:
https://www.fellers.com/fellers-sho...rned-wrap-vinyls/sub/brushed-metal-wrap-vinyl

 

[2012Taco]

Thanks Reboot11133 - I understand where you're coming from. I originally wanted to have a bit more of a rounded nose on this one but never came up with a way to do so without either losing the strength and using multiple plys of very thin material or shaping some dimensional lumber in a laminate (sort of what you see for the columns at the home supply stores) and losing the insulation space. After some cad renditions I decided on this boxier shape and am really pleased with the result!

As far as weight goes, she's a big girl. My estimate during the build based on material takeoffs was a tad over 2,200lb and it turned out close - around 2,100lb loaded with gear. The strength definitely cost weight but I'm happy with the trade-off. My Tacoma tows it without issue and the 3,500lb axle is overkill but were worth it for the brakes alone.

To do it again I'd strongly consider building the frame of identical design but from aluminum stem to stern. I also would consider going to all 2"x2" construction and lose the 2"x4"s. Perhaps shed a bit more with slightly thinner plywood. To be honest, I would almost consider doing the above with 5'x10' sheets and gain an overall larger space for close to the same finished curb weight.

Maybe the next one??

 

[2012Taco]

Thanks washington taco - to be honest it was my buddy Don who convinced me to go the trailer route (his build here)

The plywood was sanded and cleaned using some prep materials (i forget exactly what, it was a remnant from a previous project) then treated with about 5 coats of CPES. I purchased it here. Seems to have sealed the plywood very well but be warned, this stuff STINKS. I don't catch much of an odor now that it's cured for a while, but I did note some stench in the rear compartments in the heat of the summer when they've been shut up for a while. I expect this will fade over time but I may look for a sealing type paint to coat the compartment interior for both the odor blocking feature and to clean it up a bit more from the otherwise unfinished plywood.