My M416 Build Thread

[bigdog]

After seeing a couple other trailer threads I decided that I had to have one. It seems like the perfect way to carry all the camping a trail gear without having to constantly load and unload the bed of the truck. Not to mention that with a Frontier we start with a limited amount of bed space, and the overflow gear was the back seat and floor of the cab.

So I started searching ebay, craigs list and google until I finally found what I was looking for outside of Chattanooga, TN for $600. We took a ride out there to pick it up, and here is what we found.

It's in really good shape, with the exception of the tub floor which will need to be replaced. We pulled it back to Charlotte without any problems. The plan is to clean it up, lift it, put some matching tires and paint on it, a new tarp and call it a day.

 

[bigdog]

Sandblasted and Primed

Step 1 was to disassemble the tub from the chassis. Then sandblast it and get a coat of primer on it.

While I had it apart and flipped over in the grass I went ahead and relocated the axle to give it the desired lift, and moved the lunnete to the lower mounting position.

The larger wheels and tires will give me the rest of the lift I am looking for. But I won't worry about that until I get decide what I am going to do about the hubs. Ideally I'd like to get to the 6 on 4.5 bolt pattern so that the wheels for the truck, trailer and spare are all interchangable. But this could prove to be an expensive proposition. I could do a set of wheel adapters, but this would still involve swapping the hubs to a pattern like 6 on 5.5 and then getting adapeter from 6 on 5.5 to 6 on 4.5. But even this option is not cheap and may loose the brake drums in the process. So for now I will worry about rust, paint, and electrical, and I'll keep it on a rolling chassis until I am ready to deal with that entire issue at once.

 

[IH8RDS]

Looks like you got a good start. Subscribing to thread!

I had to replace the floor on mine too.

 

[stick]

Nice work so far. Waiting on more pics :lurk:

 

[bigdog]

I had to replace the floor on mine too.

What did you use for the new floor? Did you go flat or corrugated? What did you do for the drain holes?

 

[IH8RDS]

I used flat sheet metal (unknown thickness) and for the drain hole I used a 1" hole saw.

I have heard of people using a section of truck bed, but I have never seen it done before.

 

[stick]

There is a company that sells replacement floors. Not sure which one it is off hand, but you could probably find it if you search "M416 parts" or something like that.

 

[bigdog]

Tm 9-2330-251-14&p

I found this last night while looking for bearings. This is the entire 268 page technical manual for the M416 and M416A1 Trailers.
http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/pdf/trailer/m416.pdf
This is worth saving to your hard drive if you don't already have a copy.

 

[IH8RDS]

I printed and binded that when I started working on mine.

 

[dieselandmud]

Does the place in Chattanooga, TN have any more trailers for sale? If so, would you pm me there name, phone or email?
Thanks

 

[bigdog]

Does the place in Chattanooga, TN have any more trailers for sale? If so, would you pm me there name, phone or email?
Thanks

No place, just an individual I found on a random forum. Best bet is to check ebay, craigs list, google, etc. I found several for sale within driving distance from me and then just narrowed down on price and condition.

 

[ZR2nit]

There is a company that sells replacement floors. Not sure which one it is off hand, but you could probably find it if you search "M416 parts" or something like that.

I would love to know the name of that company if anyone knows it off hand...I to also have a 416 in need of a new floor.

Thanks,
Marty

 

[Robert Bills]

I would love to know the name of that company if anyone knows it off hand...I to also have a 416 in need of a new floor.

Thanks,
Marty

Jeep Panels Plus

 

[bigdog]

Jeep Panel Plus

Thanks for the tip. I found this link with some contact information. http://www.angelfire.com/ma3/commando/jeepanelsplus.html

Sent email will see if it makes it. Otherwise will attempt to call next week.

edit: email bounced back, hopefully phone number is still good. Probably will go with something sourced locally though. Thinking about caps from a 55 gallon drum for drain hole covers.

 

[bigdog]

Made some more progress on the trailer this weekend.

as for the tub, I've got the old rusted bottom cut out and should get a new floor welded in this week.

I've also made some progress on the chassis. After researching every possible angle I decided to swap out the axle. This turned out to not be as expensive as I thought, and gives me the benefit of a common set of hubs and the matching bolt pattern.

I found a 3500 lb axle at http://www.trailerpart.com/35ktraileraxle.htm that came in a variety of bolt patterns and was available in 1" increments. Complete axle and hubs for $105. I went with the 6 on 5.5 pattern and bought a set of wheel adapters from http://www.ezaccessory.com/Wheel_Adapters_s/25.htm to convert them to the 6 on 4.5 that I needed to match my truck. I went with a 60" axle and with the 1.5" adapeters that will give me a face to face length of 63". The wheels I ordered are 16x8 have a 5" backspace, and the axle required a minimum overhang of 11" so this will get me right on the money.

Wheels and tires arrive next week along with a new set of shocks from Black Diamond. http://www.shopjeepparts.com/inch-l...ck-jeep-cj2a-cj3a-cj3b-front-rear-p-5858.html

The trailer will be white and black, so these shocks should tie into that color scheme real well.