"Sasquatch" The Driveway Built Camping Trailer

[Jmanscotch]

I think I'm good, but I'll keep you in mind if so!

Got all the metal cut and ready, now just waiting for some welding to get done. Also a sneak peak on some Sasquatch touches for the trailer.

 

[Jmanscotch]

Today was a productive day.

My welding guy, the new dad and new husband, decided last minute to go to Sturgis (I presume to get away from the kaos for a bit), but he was nice enough to give me free reign with his garage and welder, so I prepped all the metal and made a day of it today (10 hours to be exact), tack welding almost everything and even trying my hand at welding. Some of my fillet welds were actually pretty good, good penetration and cosmetically ok, while a few were giving me trouble. Specifically the end caps on the top rails. Welding small gauge to 1/4" screwed with me and they came out pretty sloppy. Thankfully they were all cosmetic welds (end caps, non weight bearing/structural) and thus I took a flap disc to most of them and it'll work.

Found out I'm somehow missing my 1"x3" crossbars for the RTT mount...no idea how I misplaced (or were they stolen at some point?) those two pieces, so I guess I'm up for another trip to the metal shop. Edit: found them, they were in the buddies garage where I cut the metal!

Fabbing up some end caps for the 1X3.




1.5"x1.5" vertical supports squared up, leveled and tacked up




1"x3" top rails going on, including the tailgate top ledge






Lid framed out with uprights for RTT crossbars.

Ignore the temp wiring and tape on the uprights. I need temp lighting to move the trailer around town and the crossbars will be welded on this week.






This week I plan to cut all the sheet metal for the sides and top, get the spare tire mount bracket done, install the RTT cross bars, mount the propane tank holder and fuel can.

Hopefully next weekend we'll get the rest of the welding going. My hinges should be in as well as a few other goodies. Thankful it's finally taking a shape resembling a trailer!

More to come.

 

[Jmanscotch]

We got nearly all the welding done.

Lid didn't turn out how I wanted, I might redo it down the road and remove the metal skins and go with HDPE sheet or something that isn't going to rattle and flex.




Fender supports / steps came out great. Still need to take a flap disk to the end cap welds to smooth them out.




A couple overall shots of it coming together.








Went with three heavy duty grease-able hinges. Welded the barrel side to the lid and am going to bolt the bottom together. It'll be removable then, not a quick process removing six bolts, but possible.






I've got lots of things to get done this week, then hopefully prep and paint next week.

That's all for now.

Jake

 

[JandDGreens]

Your trailer is coming along nicely! I have been working (to tired) and wheeling a lot lately I really need to get back to work on my trailer. I stopped making deadlines since I have made them twice and they came and gone.
It is nice to see someone get after it. Defiantly inspiring!

 

[Jmanscotch]

Your trailer is coming along nicely! I have been working (to tired) and wheeling a lot lately I really need to get back to work on my trailer. I stopped making deadlines since I have made them twice and they came and gone.
It is nice to see someone get after it. Defiantly inspiring!

Thank you sir, it is trucking along lately, but there's still plenty to do and I've put other stuff lower on the priority list lately and it's starting to bum the lady friend out. She wants to get out some, instead of watching me work on the dang trailer for yet another weekend! So I'm motivated to finish it once and for all.

I say get out there and get going on yours again, it'll be winter soon!

Jake

 

[JandDGreens]

Trailer

Yeah that is part of my problem, I want to wheel during the summer months (plus a friend of mine required a lot of help on his rig so???) more than work on mine so I put it on the back burner.

What are you going to do for a finish on all that metal? POR-15 the under carriage? What color are you thinking?

 

[Jmanscotch]

I feel ya, plus all the damn rain we've been getting here in Colorado is just putting a damper on most of our typical summer shenanigans!

I'm going for a black frame and black top, dark gray body panels in between.

I've contemplated what to do underneath, inside the bed and the top rails, but everything I like is so damn pricey and really only has moderate reviews. I've used POR-15 on an old project car and honestly, for how much you hear praise with it, I just wasn't impressed (and I spent a lot of time and money doing the prep 100% correctly). I have a friend, who works at a local body shop. He offered to do the paint and a spray bed liner they use (not sure brand, but they're a German luxury car center so I'd presume it's decent quality).

While I'll likely get him to do the bed liner, I don't think I'm doing the legit full paint job on the rest. It'd be way more prep to get the finish product worthy of real paint and I don't like the reality of how annoying touch up would be. I've spray painted entire Jeeps before and have had great results when doing it right, and I love the ease of maintenance of it for something that'll see such a use as the trailer, so...yep, rattle cans.

 

[JandDGreens]

I used POR-15 on the frame It really came out great. I plan on painting mine to match my XJ (white) It will be my first legit paint job on a vehicle since I left the tech school. (35 yrs ago) so I really want it to be perfect. As for my rig it get the rattle can to touch it up as I really only care that it looks nice from afar.

The rain; We went down to Durango mid July and it was rainy all week end long, (just light rain) it actually was one of our best get away s we've had in a long time. But I hear you when you work on projects outside it sucks.
Keep us posted on your progress! Later David

 

[Martyinco]

Trailer is looking great man!

I will say this for the rain we have been getting, 1: my water bill has gone down for watering my lawn, and 2: The fires have not been as bad this year

 

[Jmanscotch]

Thanks! Yeah the rain has been good for the state itself, just not for building a trailer outside with no garage :/

 

[MrOffshore]

Love your trailer build....but do you want to sell me your 2002 BMW??

 

[Jmanscotch]

Thank you sir. Sure, bring about $2,500 and I'll give you the car, some parts to finish it and the title!

Sadly, I think the car and/or trailer will be for sale soon. The girlfriend has been expressing, strongly, her desire to buy a house and get married before next fall. Since these are the two "assests" I have that would even begin to put a dent in that kind of step in the next year, unfortunately I might have to just finish them and let them go.

It's a 1975 automatic. Rebuild from salvage title due to being in a flood in Boulder, CO a few years back. It was owned by a detail shop then and they said it had a rod knock in the old engine before the flood and thus why they capitalized on salvaging it (meaning it was minor flood damage, not a washed away, soot filled car. I have the paperwork to show the history). I just put a known good replacement engine and transmission in it (Plus loads of the little maintenance items) but it still needs the carb rebuilt (leaks from sitting) a new starter put in and the new rubber brake lines installed. It'd be a good driver, some typical rust, nothing crippling or structural, but enough that it wouldn't be the most ideal restoration candidate rather just a good driver...and the automatic trans tunnel is slightly larger making it an ideal candidate for an E21 5 speed swap.

 

[Jmanscotch]

A couple quick pics of the inside and mocking up fuel can, spare tire and such.

 

[Jmanscotch]

Finally got mostly everything drilled and prepped, including the latches for the top and weighting the lid (with RTT on) so I could order gas struts. Lid, with 115 lb RTT, weights in at 260 lbs (or at least that's the force on the center of the lid, which is what I wanted to measure for determining struts).





I wanted to take the trailer for a drive before priming everything, just a shakedown kinda drive to make sure there wasn't any big changes I wanted to make before paint. Loaded up the RTT to make it tow closer to real world. Drive went well, trailer tows very nicely.

One bad thing I did notice, which I hadn't until now, is the leaf springs seem to be different. Their physical size is very close, but upon driving the trailer around while weighted down, I noticed the passenger side dipped and raised more than the driver side. When I got home, I bounced on each side of the trailer and confirmed that the passenger side leaf spring must have a lighter load rating or something as it flexes 3x more than the driver side. So I ordered a pair of 31" Smooth Ride 1,450 lb leaf springs from Scott over at Compant Camping Concepts (great site for all sorts of DIY trailer items BTW). Those will be in shortly and I'll install them.





Beginning with an etch primer, then filler primer, then paint.

Made a basic paint booth in the shed. Worked well for the small items, not so much the whole trailer (not enough room to move around nor enough ventilation for THAT much spraying). Ended up pulling the trailer out and finishing outside.







Hoping to finish paint by this weekend if weather cooperates, since I'm outside now. Then assemble everything else, get it wired up and go use it.

Jake

 

[Jmanscotch]

Paint is underway. I don't love how the silver is turning out, so I might wait the recommended 48 hours then scuff, clean and repaint a dark gloss gray (which was the original plan anyhow).