Jah310 Trailer Build. Here goes...!
- Thread starter jah310
- Start date
jah310
Adventurer
Awesome lifetime trailer - lots of space in there... Sounds like you have some great ideas for it. You have a build thread - would be cool to check out.
Yeah we're close - east bay right across the bridge.
2010 Double Cab Tacoma
jah310
Adventurer
So I thought about all the ideas of how to flip the trailer over and I just didn't really see it happening smoothly being that I'm on my own. So instead I brought the back end of the trailer down, removed the rear stabilizers and cranked the front ones way up. Gave me just enough room to get under and make some decent welds - not my best but better than expected. Welding upside-down or near upside-down is still tricky for me. All in all I'm pumped to get this part build out of the way...Slowly chipping away. My goal is to have it put back together ready to go by July... we'll see how that shapes up. See pics below...
2010 Double Cab Tacoma
2010 Double Cab Tacoma
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jah310
Adventurer
I continue to chip away at it. Not too many exciting pictures to share... however I do have a day confirmed at the end of the month to bring the trailer in for sandblasting and powder coating. I've been working with the folks at Melrose Powder coating in Oakland - great customer service thus far. Below are the colors I picked from - finally settled on the top one. Silver graphite with a slight texture.
I still have a few items to wrap up before it's ready. Getting close!
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I still have a few items to wrap up before it's ready. Getting close!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
I continue to chip away at it. Not too many exciting pictures to share... however I do have a day confirmed at the end of the month to bring the trailer in for sandblasting and powder coating. I've been working with the folks at Melrose Powder coating in Oakland - great customer service thus far. Below are the colors I picked from - finally settled on the top one. Silver graphite with a slight texture.
I still have a few items to wrap up before it's ready. Getting close!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Just food for thought if you have not picked a color yet, those bottom two colors REQUIRE a clear coat. If you don't the flake will oxidize and scratches look nasty in them. Adding a clear coat would add approximately 50% to your powder bill. That money is better spent on having them do a zinc heavy primer then your top coat like that texture. The texture will also hide any blemishes in the metal work and cover up if they go too heavy or light in an area. It will not show any orange peel like a dark metallic with a gloss clear coat would. Doing this for a living I wouldn't feel right not giving you that information
On a side note, this build came together really nicely! If you still need to shed weight the composites are pretty heavy on their own. Did you do any sealing with silicone to keep water from seeping in?
jah310
Adventurer
Good information - thanks! I'm going with the textured Silver Graphite (top color) after having the exact same conversation with the folks at Melrose Powder coating. Almost verbatim they said the same thing! Makes me feel good that I'm using someone that knows what there are doing.
With regard to sealing the cracks between the composite decking, I'm absolutely planning to do that during final assembly. I'm also planning on getting the inside spray lined - hopefully that combination will make it nice and water tight. Any silicon or sealant recommendations that works well with composite decking material??
Thanks,
precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
Personally if I were you I would get the whole thing zinc coated then coated with a heavy coat of that texture. They will know it needs to be shot heavy. If you can ask them to do a mil check for you between coats and for a final total. You should be looking for 2.8-3.2 mils on the zinc coat and 3-4 mil on the texture. Total the meter should read somewhere between 5.8-7.2 mils. The zinc coat is basically like galvanizing your trailer but with powder coat. Essentially it will prevent any rust from spreading and getting under the good coating should you scratch it all the way to bare metal. I have people sign a waiver in my shop if they pass up on the zinc coating if I know they will be using it off road, abusing it, or using the parts on the coast. Most importantly though you have to make sure they get a great blast profile on the trailer and get into all the little cracks and tight spots, also that they only partially cure the base coat to get a solid and complete crosslink with the texture you put on top. My personal trailer I am working on will get the same treatment. Zinc base coat on the entire trailer, a mini texture black on the frame and support structure, then I will do the entire skin in a satin white (to reflect as much head back as possible. If you have the funds available I would HIGHLY recommend you have your leaf springs and axle tube done as well.
I would use a product called Nova Flex (it was designed for metal roofing but it works excellent for anything and comes in a wide variety of colors), or I would use a product called Geocel. It is probably the most popular caulking used in the roofing and building industry it is top quality and it comes in a bunch of colors including paintable white and an actual crystal clear.
Personally I would forgo the spray liner as they stuff has some serious heft associated with it. Instead I would just caulk all the seams and have some thin gauge aluminum panels powder coated in something called Plasti-Sol. It is a rubberized coated applied a lot like powder coating. It is very durable and similar to the coating you find on football helmet face masks. It is a bit grippy so you still retain the anti skid properties. I would get the panels coated in that and rivet them into place or better use button head allen bolts into rivnuts you set into the frame. That allows you to easily pull them out later should you need replace parts. A spray on liner is a one way street really.
jah310
Adventurer
Precision Powder,
Thanks for the tips. Super helpful. I will call the Melrose on Tuesday and ask them about the zinc coating. I'm assuming it's a standard procedure a qualified powder shop should be able to handle, right? Really appreciate the advise...
Also looked up Novaflex and found a few varieties including the "Metal Roof Sealant" and a "RV Sealant Adhesive". Here are the links to both:
http://www.novagard.com/swat/Metal-Roof-Sealant.html
http://www.novagard.com/swat/RV-Sealant-Adhesive.html
Both seem like they'd work well. Any experience with these specific varieties? One better than the other considering the composite decking I'm using?
Also looked at the Geocel and found the 4500 variant. Is this the one you were thinking about?
http://www.geocelusa.com/product/al...ogreen-4500a-roof-bonding-sealant-detail.html
Thanks
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Thanks for the tips. Super helpful. I will call the Melrose on Tuesday and ask them about the zinc coating. I'm assuming it's a standard procedure a qualified powder shop should be able to handle, right? Really appreciate the advise...
Also looked up Novaflex and found a few varieties including the "Metal Roof Sealant" and a "RV Sealant Adhesive". Here are the links to both:
http://www.novagard.com/swat/Metal-Roof-Sealant.html
http://www.novagard.com/swat/RV-Sealant-Adhesive.html
Both seem like they'd work well. Any experience with these specific varieties? One better than the other considering the composite decking I'm using?
Also looked at the Geocel and found the 4500 variant. Is this the one you were thinking about?
http://www.geocelusa.com/product/al...ogreen-4500a-roof-bonding-sealant-detail.html
Thanks
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precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
It is a standard powder yes, except it just has a TON of zinc dumped in it. Any professional quality shop should be able to handle it. The thing I have noticed though in my line of work (I do custom jobs not line work or industrial coating) is that big shops tend to skimp on prep like blasting, outgassing, etc. They do it for a time saver and cost cutter. A lot of manufacturing contracts care only about price so they typically skip those very important steps to drive the cost down. I see a ton of redos from a local line shop that does that. That type of prep work is typically what causes powder to chip and flake off.
I would just ask them to make sure they do plan to blast the entire part first and outgas it. Outgassing and burn off is when the part is rolled in the oven for at least an hour at 450 degrees. What this does is push any trapped air and oils from the metal to the surface. Metal soaks oil in like a sponge so if you dont do this step during the curing process the oil can get pushed out to the surface of the metal and blow out portions of the powder or it may stay under the powder and cause a poor bond where it can chip or flake off later.
Going that route with the zinc will add 50% to the coating cost (industry standard pricing since we literally coat the part twice) but in the long run it is very much worth the cost. You have an extra layer to take the abuse but it stops any rust from pushing under the coating. If you nick it to metal you will see the rust form in that little nick but it wont expand out. In my opinion it is the best of the primers. The others being an epoxy primer which is just a hard durable base coat, a primer that is easy to sand if you wanted to fill in light pitting, and a sealing primer which seals air from escaping (generally used on highly porous metals).
You seem to be HIGHLY detail oriented, I am not sure if the mentioned it to you or not but it is possible to do body work to fill in any low spots, nicks, blend welds you don't want seen, or pitting from rust. A lot of shops do not know it is even an option (they may), but generally it is just custom shops like myself that use it because of the extra time and labor involved. Great though for someone who really wants flawless transitions
You can see it as the light grey in these pictures.
As far as the Geocel I always use the proflex its hands down the most popular. My father owns a pair of hardware stores/lumber yards and sells this stuff to contractors by the case. When I worked there with him before doing this we would sell 15-20 cases a week in the smaller store.
http://www.geocelusa.com/roofing/pro-flexa-tripolymer-sealant-detail.html
This is the is the Novaflex I would recommend. It tools very well just like the Geocel. It comes in TONS of colors as well so you can match it to your decking.
http://www.novagard.com/swat/Metal-Roof-Sealant.html
What I would do is run from 4 inch painters tape along where you want to run the caulking (both sides or top and bottom) then run a bead the entire length of the seam. Then either run a putty knife down it to smooth it all out if you want it to be a flat line, or for curved transitions use your finger. Let that sit up for a few minutes and then pull the tape away smooth and slow. That will give you perfect lines every time. Both sealants bond equally as well to composite decking (yours does not look like it has a cap stock on it, not that it matters but I have seen a slightly better bond without the cap stock) I would just base your choice on which ever has the closest match to your decking. If you want a clear one Geocel has the clearest one on the market that I have seen.
I hope that answers everything.
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precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
I want to separate this from the other post, but this is the meter I was telling you about (my personal meter, they may have a different brand but same concept). I always write on the invoice what the coating read out at with the gauge, but in case they dont I would just ask them to measure it for you quick. It is a 2 second step but you will know 100% that the coating reads within factory spec. Over or under can lead to premature failure. Just like paint on a car really. Too little its very brittle, too much, same thing.
This number is measured in thousands of an inch so 8.2mil on the display reads as .0082"
This number is measured in thousands of an inch so 8.2mil on the display reads as .0082"
Ironhead Jed
New member
great build, its giving me a lot of ideas.
one question? did you make the switch to airbags? i saw you started mounting them but didnt see the leafs come off
one question? did you make the switch to airbags? i saw you started mounting them but didnt see the leafs come off
jah310
Adventurer
I'm using the airbags in conjunction with the leaf springs - without the leafs, there'd be nothing holding the axle in place... The bags are really awesome.
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jah310
Adventurer
Got it back from Powder Coating - the folks at Melrose Metal Finishing did an exceptional job. They were very customer friendly and detail oriented. I'd recommend them to anybody in the Bay Area.
Here are a few preliminary shots - the color is slightly lighter than expected but all good. Went with the zinc primer and a textured finish. It's so much nicer than that bare metal!! Once the bottom, lid, and composite panels are back on, the contrast is going to look great.
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Here are a few preliminary shots - the color is slightly lighter than expected but all good. Went with the zinc primer and a textured finish. It's so much nicer than that bare metal!! Once the bottom, lid, and composite panels are back on, the contrast is going to look great.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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