HazzardSky's M101A2 Build

[HazzardSky]

Hello!

I'll be using this thread to log my progress as I build up an M101A2 trailer in to something interesting. Discussion and advice is greatly appreciated!

Immediate goals:
- Sand and paint the trailer + cap
- Attach the commercial cap
- Axle and wheel replacement to match my WJ
- Wiring for lights
- Pass inspection
Ultimately I want this to pass MD inspection and get legit tags on it asap.

Sooner than later:
- Weather sealing
- Solar electric and batteries
- Interior clean-up
My goal here is to have this ready for basic camping needs by the end of the year

Longer term goals:
- Water/Shower
Who knows what else may come along.


Here is a picture from when I picked up the trailer.



The paint needs to go, and it has a bit of rust, but the price was pretty darn good. It tows very well behind my WJ, and expect my KL will have little trouble with it either.



I knew I wanted to put a commercial truck cap on top for sake of ease, so I went to a few local places that sell used caps, and checked craigslist. Absolutely nothing found in a reasonable size at anywhere near a reasonable price. Since i'm not in a rush I tabled the idea and headed home. A few miles from my house, I saw a cap on the side of the road with a for sale sign. I turned around, measured, and made a cash offer on the spot. It's a bit taller than I might like, but should have plenty of room, and fits well. Plus, again I got incredibly lucky with pricing.

Here it is at home with the cap:



So, my next step is to find a place that can blast and prime everything for me. If anyone has any recommendations for places in northern MD, do let met know.

Cheers!

 

[Mark Harley]

The cap fits nice. The M101A2 are great sized trailers.
They can be put on a little diet and lightened some with a new axle and electric brakes.
Lose the boat anchor surge system and add a new hitch.

Nice clean condition

 

[realwarrior]

Welcome. I'm Looking forward to watching your build. What kind of truck did the top come off of?

 

[CAPTNDAVIE]

Nice cap! Welcome to expo! I love my M101 trailers and I'm sure you will too. Keep us posted on the build.

 

[HazzardSky]

The cap fits nice. The M101A2 are great sized trailers.
They can be put on a little diet and lightened some with a new axle and electric brakes.
Lose the boat anchor surge system and add a new hitch.

Nice clean condition

Definitely planning on switching out the axle and brakes. I'll leaning heavily towards sticking with a pintle hitch, though of course will get rid of that actuator assembly.

Welcome. I'm Looking forward to watching your build. What kind of truck did the top come off of?

Thanks! I believe it came off of a F350 Ford.

Nice cap! Welcome to expo! I love my M101 trailers and I'm sure you will too. Keep us posted on the build.

Thanks! I'm happy with the trailer so far, even though i've only moved it twice (once to pick it up, and once to grab the cap). It tows very smoothly. I cant wait to make some real progress on it. Still trying to find time to track down a place for sanding and painting.

 

[HazzardSky]

Did a bit of small stuff today. I needed my WJ for other business, so I detached it, and got to test out how the KL does pulling it. Of course it does fine, and I was surprised to find the hitch height isnt as mismatched as I expected, though I still had to break out the hi-lift to detach it. I really need to get a tongue jack attached. It is still really tall by comparison, though switching out the axle and tires will shed some height, and when I have the rack on the KL that would make it pretty even i'd imagine.





I did some adjusting and got the hatch opened, and took some time to poke around and gave everything a rinse. It really does have some nice room inside.



I started cleaning up a bit of the toolboxes on one of the sides as well. Dirty, and needs new weatherstripping, but otherwise pretty clean, and a coat of primer for half of it make a pretty big difference.



I promised myself I won't touch this again until I find a place to help me start getting it cleaned up in terms of sanding and painting. I need to figure out how to permanently mount the cap as well, and am debating either wood or some steel to go between the two, as well as whether to bolt it on, or weld it.

If anyone has any tips/tricks, please feel free to chime in. I'mm still browsing all of the other build threads when I can, and am getting all sorts of cool ideas for after I get it painted and attached.

 

[Martyinco]

Personally I would bolt it on, thus giving you the option to remove it easily should you want to. You may never have to but the option is nice. You can always go with a foam seal between the cap and trailer too, giving you a pretty much sealed enclosure from the elements.

 

[realwarrior]

Personally I would bolt it on, thus giving you the option to remove it easily should you want to. You may never have to but the option is nice. You can always go with a foam seal between the cap and trailer too, giving you a pretty much sealed enclosure from the elements.

Thats my thoughts too.

 

[parapyropig]

My name is parapyropig, and I approve of this thread.

Please check out my build (link at bottom).

 

[HazzardSky]

My name is parapyropig, and I approve of this thread.

Please check out my build (link at bottom).

View attachment 358547

Actually, while i've been eyeing an expedition trailer for a while, your build is what inspired me to finally go for it. While i'll probably go a slightly different direction, I have your thread bookmarked

---



As an update, nothing really new has happened. I need to figure out the specs and get a new axle ordered asap. One of the tires on the trailer had a gash in it, which had no issues on the trip home, but the tire is now 100% flat, and im a bit concerned about bringing it back up to pressure. I have two wheels and tires, matching my WJ, so I just need to get an axle that can match it, and get it installed so I can have reasonable wheels.

I'm still stuck on painting options too. I know I need to get it blasted, but I dont want to go through all the work of painting it, only to mess it up when I try and weather seal everything. Sealing up all the wholes is something I havent seen detailed around here much. I just want to make sure I plan it out and do it right, rather than do things out of order and end up costing more time and money

 

[parapyropig]

Sealing small holes (repulsively crude, but effective):

1. Sand/wire wheel off rusty bits
2. Take a sheet metal scrap (can lid, etc.), pound flat, if needbe
3. Get Industrial adhesive & Gorilla tape.
4. Apply patch from the inside; gorilla tape on the outside
5. Remove tape when dry, sand & paint

Painting doesn't _have_ to be pretty; all mine is merely repeated applications of rattlecan Rust-oleum.

 

[HazzardSky]

Sealing small holes (repulsively crude, but effective):

1. Sand/wire wheel off rusty bits
2. Take a sheet metal scrap (can lid, etc.), pound flat, if needbe
3. Get Industrial adhesive & Gorilla tape.
4. Apply patch from the inside; gorilla tape on the outside
5. Remove tape when dry, sand & paint

Painting doesn't _have_ to be pretty; all mine is merely repeated applications of rattlecan Rust-oleum.

Well, I do have some sheet metal around. I was considering welding it in place, but adhesive should be a bit easier. I think I know what i'll be doing on my day off this week now! The advice is very much appreciated!

The paint on my trailer is flaking everywhere, so while I would love to just paint over it, I think it would look pretty messy. I was considering grinding or sanding it down myself, but was told not to mess with the military paint myself. I figure if I can get the trailer bed sanded and primed for me, I can handle the frame and cap, and then paint it all at once myself.

 

[parapyropig]

For emphasis: do not frak with the military CARC paint - at least not without respiratory protection and protective clothing.

If you are intent on having it refinished, having it done professionally, while expensive, would probably be the most time-effective and safest way of doing it.

I've only wire-brushed (manual or with a die grinder) in pieces areas that were rusty, prior to repainting.

It may seem trivial, but I took the tarp hooks off of the trailer. This was more done for aesthetics rather then reducing weight; totaled, if I recall, they were only a few pounds of steel.

 

[HazzardSky]

Well, I did some thinking, and got a second opinion from a buddy, and decided not to go with full refinishing. The exterior of the trailer isnt so bad, so I borrowed some protective gear and used the respirator I had, and spot brushed the offending places on the outside of the trailer. I followed up with one coat of primer. I'll probably go for another coat of primer and then sand that down with 220 before painting. The primer I was recommended is a filler/primer, and it really does a good job at smoothing it out, so overall i'm pretty happy with it. There are a few places that stick out as needing a second wire brush pass for flaking paint, but otherwise it should be good. I got a while side of the trailer done with one coat, and will knock out the rest of it tomorrow.

I'm debating on color to go with for the final painting. I originally considered color matching to Anvil, matching my KL, but the cost seems incredibly high. I'm very tempted to go the rattle can route, but the selection of cans at the local shops seems a bit lacking. Leaning for a dark gray for the moment. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have most of the parts needed to rewire everything for lights on the way, so that will be my project for next week. I'm planning on crawling under the trailer tomorrow to gut the current wiring, and get some undercoat on the frame.

I really need to get on the axle replacement too. One of the tires is leaking air pretty quick, and I have no intention of replacing it when I plan on replacing the axle so soon so I can get the wheel and tires I already have mounted on it. I just cant seem to find the time to make the drive to the closest redneck trailer, and I have no idea what i'm looking for when browsing online catalogs.

 

[parapyropig]

Suggest you talk to TitanPat57(?) and Mark Harley for axle questions - both are members here.

Whatever paint you choose, I STRONGLY suggest it's something you can touch up with rattlecans; I found that I was tending to rock gouges while on the road.

I later layered up (mainly) the front with the same thick rubberized (siliconized) paint used to waterproof roofs; it does cushion the rocks & whatnot enough to prevent most dings. Also seals little pinhole leaks that may have eroded over time.