My '52 M100 Trailer Build

[en480c4]

So, after much searching, I found the trailer I'm going to build. It's a '52 Dunbar M100 that had moved on to Forest Service duty, and then onto a local FD. It popped up on a local GSA auction sale, and after watching it for a week, I missed the closing of the auction. Luckily for me, it was too small for the auction winner, who then picked up an M101A1 instead, and the one I wanted showed up on Craigslist. Even though it looked rough from 5' away, it looks better the close you look because most of it was failing paint. It's not perfect, and it certainly won't be after this phase of the project. But my goal is to get it road-worthy and cleaned up for utility use, and then move onto prepping it for adventure/overland use.

Day I brought it home. I wasn't sure how road-worthy it would be, so I borrowed a trailer to tow home my new trailer!

The hacked-in tailgate. I'll be having a friend weld the panel back in. Because it was cut at the corners, the tub has no real stiffness. So for now I'll keep it welded in and could re-modify it at a later date.

Progress with the 40 grit orbital sander:

Limited filler and some self-etching primer on the tub. Hammered underneath. And some black on the frame/tongue/rails/fenders to see how it's going to come together. Not pictured is the axle and spring plates cleaned up and painted with hammered.

That's where it stands right now. Orders have been placed for the following:
- Leaf Springs
- Shocks
- Shackles
- U-Bolts & Nuts
- Pivot Bolts
- Brass Bushings
- Herculiner for the bed
- Paint from for the fenders/frame/tongue
These should be arriving this week, allowing for limited re-assembly.

I've also picked up a new lunette ring end and will be sleeving the original cut lunette and the new end and having those welded up to create a new lunette. I've spoken to the guy who is going to do this, and is confident that he can do the appropriate pre- and post-heating to safely and securly weld the sleeve to the drop-forged lunette. The plus with this is I can keep the pintle hitch but can also go slightly longer to improve handling and reversing of the trailer. I'll probably go from an overall lunette length of 20" (stock) to 24" or so.

The last thing I need to order up is the paint. I'll be getting the rattle cans mixed to match the Sahara Tan color of my '12 JKU.

The parking brakes are likely shot, but I'm not going to worry about that at this time. I'll keep chocks for now, and address the brakes at a later date. The handle is pretty well seized up, too. But I'm sure that can be rehabbed when I address the brakes.

I'll update as things progress. But so far, so good.

 

[Mark Harley]

Nice! Spring over and matching wheels in order?

 

[en480c4]

Thanks!

Phase 1 will stick with the stock wheels & tires. I'm on the fence re: spring over. I think the new springs will do wonders for ride height since the stock ones were thrashed. And measurements before the teardown looked like hitch and lunette heights might be perfect, despite the lift in the Jeep. I'll likely pre-assemble for final checks before pulling it back apart for final paint. So worst case, I could switch to spring-over at that time.

Phase 2 may include the wheels and tires, but there are width issues I don't want to have to address right now. I also would have to address the bolt pattern, which would contribute to adding cost and/or width.

 

[en480c4]

It appears I'm ready to go!

 

[Mark Harley]

Christmas in July!

 

[92Runner]

Looks good! About to pick one up myself! Where did you find the parts if you don't mind me asking? Lookin foward to seeing this build!

 

[en480c4]

Small parts and shocks are from Walck's. Their stuff has always served me well. Springs are 8 leaf and are from Quadratec. They were about half the price of those from Walck's and I couldn't justify the difference. The M100 shares many of its suspension parts with the front of an M38, so the flat fender parts work well. And since I have AEV wheels and will be adding their bumpers, I'm using their touch-up spray front fenders, frame and tongue to tie everything together. Just need to get the spray cans of Sahara Tan mixed up!

 

[92Runner]

Awesome thanks for the info! Do you know if it's true that samurai front springs will fit too? I have 3" springs at work for Samurais and need to run a 37" tire on the trailer. What are the plans for your build?

 

[TacoDell]

subscribed...

me ~n~ muh '53

 

[en480c4]

Your '53 build was definitely an inspiration. It's a great thread. I wish I could weld so I could close up some of the holes added over the years. But for Phase 1 at least, I'm very pleased with progress and how far it has come.

I picked up my repaired lunette from the welder today. He was able to find the right weld material to be able to sleeve the existing cut lunette and the Valley 69930 lunette ring with a round HSS sleeve. With some careful pre- and post-heating, it came out great. And best of all, he used it as training for one of his welders, so he didn't charge me! I ended up going with a 24" overall length, which is 4" longer than stock. It should give me just a bit more clearance with the Jeep's tailgate.

I'll be heading up to my folks' Sunday to do some pre-assembly. And then we'll get everything ready to weld the tailgate back in and then it should be good to go for final paint and reassembly. I have a few projects to do around the house, so after Sunday I probably won't be getting back to it until mid August, but I'm very pleased with progress so far.

 

[en480c4]

Well, I had a productive day today...

First, a word of warning. While I have no issue of the quality of the Crown springs I got from Quadratec, they are not directly compatible if you're going to keep the c-shackles. The shackle end has an extra insert, which is probably perfect for a modern shackle, but results in too small an opening for the c-shackle. We were able to drill out the insert, and while the 3/4" bit didn't survive., the opening fit perfectly once the insert was gone. Anyway, on to today.

Got the new suspension components assembled and tried spring-over. Everything went together well, but once we measured up the lunette position with a level trailer, it put the hitch up into my spare tire. It was at least 3-4" too high to work. So we managed to pull everything apart, re-mount the springs and go back to spring-under. This put it it just about perfectly in line with my hitch, so I should be able to make it work.

We also fit up my repaired lunette and it looks great. It really is very stout, and looks great. Unfortunately the swivel part of the landing leg was hacked to remove the hole to secure the leg in the down position, so I'm considering replacing it. And I'd like to make an extension to give it the extra 3-3 1/2" I need for it to sit level when it's stored.

And I'm still not sure what to do about the back. The panel cuts are pretty ragged, so I'm not sure how well it can be welded back together. Right now I'm leaning towards sandwiching the cut with an inner and outer angle and thru-bolting it for now. That way I can take my time deciding my long-term plans, will restore the stiffness to the back of the tub and can get it on the road.

Finally, a bit of an issue with the paint. I'm finding some bubbling/flaking of the primer over the some of the old paint that wasn't fully removed. We're not sure if it was humidity/moisture related, or if some of the stripper used inside the tub for paint removal caused the problem. So it just means some additional prep will be required before final paint on the tub.

Pictures...

All set:

The lunette:

Tucked away until we can work on it again:

 

[en480c4]

So, question for those who have worked on these and didn't blast to bare metal...

Has anyone had issues with the original paint having a reaction with new primer (standard or self-etching)? I'm at a loss for why I'm having some issues, and when I mentioned my problem, someone told me that the original OD green doesn't always play well with others. I'm hoping this is just an old wive's tale, but I wanted to ask before redoing the prep and trying to prime again.

Thanks for the input.

 

[en480c4]

So, I have a TrackRack available to me for free. My father doesn't need it for his Ranger anymore, and it was just sitting around. Long-term I'd like to build a nice hinged lid for the trailer, with supports for an integrated rack. But for now, it could be really nice to have a rack, and he's offered his. We would mount the adjustable tracks in the bottom of the bed, and I could have the rack in when needed, and remove it when I didn't need it.

He mocked it up for me, with the bars adjusted to one side so I could see how it might look. They'd have to be trimmed if I decided to go this route.

Thoughts? Anyone have strong feelings about the added utility of the rack with the uncovered trailer? I'm on the fence. It could be very useful, but it also looks a little odd with the supports so close together. But since they're removable and could add a ton of versatility, it might be worth a shot.

 

[jeepfreak81]

So, I have a TrackRack available to me for free. My father doesn't need it for his Ranger anymore, and it was just sitting around. Long-term I'd like to build a nice hinged lid for the trailer, with supports for an integrated rack. But for now, it could be really nice to have a rack, and he's offered his. We would mount the adjustable tracks in the bottom of the bed, and I could have the rack in when needed, and remove it when I didn't need it.

He mocked it up for me, with the bars adjusted to one side so I could see how it might look. They'd have to be trimmed if I decided to go this route.

Thoughts? Anyone have strong feelings about the added utility of the rack with the uncovered trailer? I'm on the fence. It could be very useful, but it also looks a little odd with the supports so close together. But since they're removable and could add a ton of versatility, it might be worth a shot.

I would go for it, I had a similar setup using a Thule "Rapid Railing System" for awhile and it worked great. Even better if it is free!

 

[en480c4]

A nice day today working on the trailer.

After looking at the poor job the PO did cutting out the back of the tub to make a tailgate, I realized it would be all but impossible to weld it back in. And since I didn't really want to spend $100 on a replacement panel, I decided to use some 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" angle and 1/8" x 3" and 2" bar stock to tie the corners back together. After some careful measuring and cuts with a nice metal blade on the miter saw, some careful drilling and getting things lined up, the repair came together. It will still need to come apart to get prep and paint, but it's nice to see the tub whole again. And I like how it looks. The back of the tub is stout, and it should serve me well.

So while it still needs paint and I need to wire up some lights, I put it behind my JKU and took a spin around the block. I could barely tell it was behind the Jeep, the pintle and NDTs were quieter than expected and it looks great. The hitch looks a little low, with about a 3" rake to the front, but the springs are new, so I'm guessing after some use it will drop a bit and look a little better. The other thing that worked out well was the extra 4" I added to the lunette when I had it repaired allows the tailgate to open completely with the trailer hooked up. This will make access for gear (and the dog) much easier.

I'm hoping to get my Sahara Tan paint this week. Then it's just a matter of painting the tub, getting final coats on the chassis/tongue, wheels and fenders, wiring up the lights and getting a license plate mounted up. I'm very happy with how things have come together. And my father's help in prepping the tub has made a huge difference in getting this done as quickly as it has with everything else I have going on.