My M416 Build

[05TacoMedic]

Back in Nov 2011 I responded to a add on Craigslist for a M416 for sale. I telephoned the gentlemen and he said it was in pieces and thats how he had purchased it originally. He said he had some life changes and he had to let go of his dreams of building a expo trailer. I told him I would take the trailer and would come down that weekend. I borrowed a trailer from my chief and drove down with my oldest son. It was a little over 2 hours down to Thousand Oaks, Ca. When I arrived I saw what I had been looking for. The trailer was in good condition with surface rust only. The tub had lots of small dents but was pretty straight. The seller stated that the person he purchased it from had cut a tailgate into the trailer. That didn't bother me to bad and I knew I could either reweld a new piece on or continue from from where the other guy had left off. The seller also gave me a box full of miscellaneous parts, nuts, bolts, and the hand brake handle among other "stuff". I handed the seller $500.00 :wings: and proceeded to get it loaded. The tub was off the frame so we reset the tub onto the frame but did not bolt it down. Tires were flat, and only one held air but it rolled along haphazardly onto the street below. We had a "rolling" start and manhandled it onto the trailer and tied it down. Started the drive home. We arrived home and unloaded it and pushed it into my back yard. I did a inventory of parts and proceeded to look at what parts I needed to get this project rolling. Picture of trailer after loading . Another view.

Stopped for a snack in Acton.

Trailer after unloaded and sitting in back yard.

Some may ask-Where are the fenders or the tailgate piece? I have the original fenders, and the tailgate. They were in bed of my truck along with the box of parts.

Unfortunately this is where the project hit a stalemate as soon after this my mom became very ill and besides work and family my life was put on hold. More to follow!!!

 

[05TacoMedic]

I apologize for not posting more to this. My computer is being a pain. Will attempt more when I get home.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

Welcome to the addiction! $500 is a steal even for one in that condition. The lunette ring is worth at least $185 & the casting itself around $175 plus all the parts. When I bought mine it had less original parts and I paid the same as you. Good luck with the build sir!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Welcome to the military surplus trailer club... kindly hand all of your expendable income over to the trailer at your earliest convenience.

 

[Workhorse]

It looks like a great score as it is in pretty nice shape overall. The rust doesn't look awful either. Can't wait to see what you do with it!

 

[05TacoMedic]

Move along to 2013 and I was able to start the complete tear down of the frame in prep for sand blasting and powder coating. A coworker recommended a company in Lancaster, Ca that he had used in the past. As you can see the pieces did not look to bad at all after over 40 years. The rebuild plate showed it had "Maintenance" in 1987 in MCLB Barstow, Ca. I dont really know what that entailed. If any of you notice in the pictures of the frame that this trailer is a M-416A1 and is the USMC version with the 4 loops for lifting with a helicopter. I elected to keep the "dents" in the cross bars and several in the frame as it does not inhibit function and it goes to the originality of the trailer and its history. I am changing a few things on the trailer but(later posts) but wish to keep this original as possible. Anyways enjoy the pictures from this installment. Next series will include the fresh and new powder coated frame and corresponding pieces.

 

[05TacoMedic]

Move ahead approximately 1 month. Trailer was sandblasted and then powder coated in satin black. I was really pleased with the appearance. I pieced everything back together then reassembled the basic parts of the frame with Grade 8 bolts. I thought with the black the Grade 8 bolts gave the frame a very nice appearance and contrast along with great strength. Original bolts appeared to be around a Grade 5. Is my choice overkill and wasted extra expense? Not in my opinion. If you see one of the pics on the rear of the frame I had the powder coat company weld in a 2" receiver hitch on the rear of the frame. I obtained this hitch at Harbor Freight. Thank god for that place. Not everything is great there but some stuff cannot be beat.

 

[05TacoMedic]

Now I took a short break to order some parts for the trailer.

I ordered new

Leaf Springs: Omix-Ada 18201.02 Leaf Spring
New Shocks: Monroe 32207 Monro-Matic Plus Shock Absorber. I found these were the same as the NAPA model (Monroe makes the NAPA model) that everyone recommends
and were cheaper on Amazon.
New Spring Bolts: Omix-Ada 18270.01 Suspension Spring Bolt
Omix-Ada 18270.01 Suspension Spring Bolt These fit perfect. I did not get the C Shackles as I wanted a little lift on the spring as i was going to be larger tire than stock.
New Spring and Castle Nut for Lunette of of Ebay.
New 3500# Axle with 6 bolt hubs to match Toyota Tacoma wheels.
All my Grade 8 hardware was purchased locally at a place called Henrys Home 4 Less which is a small mom and pop place. When not available there I went to my local True Value Hardware. I try to
shop at the smaller places and not the big box for some things. Besides the local HD does not stock Grade 8 Hardware.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

Side note on value: you got a steal. Being that its a M416 A1 and with the aerial lift loops! They made less of those than most of the other designs. Nice looking cleanup. Keep us posted!

 

[05TacoMedic]

Side note on value: you got a steal. Being that its a M416 A1 and with the aerial lift loops! They made less of those than most of the other designs. Nice looking cleanup. Keep us posted!

Thanks!! I jumped on the add when i saw it. I was like the 10th caller the guy had but 1st to "show him the money". I didnt know the rarity at the time when I purchased it. Glad I have it now. Im on way to pick it up from a buddys shop. Much more to come.

 

[E Dr. P]

The m416a1 is the later trailer with surge brakes. The m416b1 has lifting hoops, but this is just a regular m416 with the hoops added. Still a good deal at $500 though.

 

[ZeMax]

Thank you very much for the Suspension part list. Appreciate it

 

[05TacoMedic]

The m416a1 is the later trailer with surge brakes. The m416b1 has lifting hoops, but this is just a regular m416 with the hoops added. Still a good deal at $500 though.

Well ok- I believe thats what the data plate stated. Ill dig whats left of it out of my stuff in the next few days and take a look. The data plate was in the box of stuff i got from the seller and was covered in paint. And yes its still a good buy no matter what version it is.

 

[05TacoMedic]

Thank you very much for the Suspension part list. Appreciate it

No problem!! you are welcome. Glad to help.

 

[05TacoMedic]

This update shows adding the suspension and doing a rough fit of the tub onto the frame for first time since powder coat. The leaf springs weren't that hard to install at all. The shocks on the other hand were a little different. The bushing I had to shave down a hair to get the cotter pin in but otherwise it was alright. Like I said earlier I decided not to use the C Shackle and used another sit that raised the trailer approximately one inch. I wanted this because i planned to use 265/70/16 tires Tacoma spare tires/wheels I acquired) on the trailer. In these pics I had 285 series BFG AT on the trailer with Toyota TRD OR wheels. I just had them sitting there so put them on. Im going with the steel ones instead as they look more like the original wheels. I dont recall the manufacturer of these. I picked them up at the local Auto Zone along with the new U-Bolts. They went on flawlessly. Plus they are greasable which was a definite bonus. The bump stops I purchased from Energy Suspension directly. The holes lined up with the original ones on the trailer. They have choice of Red or Black. I chose red just to add a little color.