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XJSuperman's Jeep Trailer

36K views 236 replies 18 participants last post by  Gluckmysock 
#1 ·
Well fellas and gals,

I have been given a 1948 Sears and Roebuck utility trailer as a college graduation gift. I will be restoring/restomodding/building it into a jeeping camping trailer. I want to be able to go camping in it, take it on adventures, and yet still be able to get an atv or lawnmower or a load of firewood in it when Im not having fun camping.

History:
This is a 1948 model according to the serial number and approx year assigned. It was sold by Sears and Roebuck but was most likely built by David Bradley or Dunbar Kappel for them. The story with these trailers originates from WWII and the little jeep trailers and with the need for a civilian model for after the war. These resemble the military trailers but were built for civy life. BenHur made trailers for the war, and later Dunbar Kappel, and then David Bradley, along with another possible few that all get roped in together for sales at Sears and other competitive stores of the time.
http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?74865-The-Sears-David-Bradley-Trailer


The first pics are original literature, the following are my new old trailer.
 

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#2 ·
Yes, my trailer is pink and black. Im not sure if it was painted pink, or painted red and faded.....BUT the original nasty green is underneath, and thats good.


Current plans are as follows, but I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ANY SUGGESTIONS you may have.

-sandblast
-fix dents, replace rotted metal (including left fender, which Ill get to later...)
-rust preventative and paint
-bedline inner tub (THOUGHTS ON WHICH BEDLINER?)
-install the included new safety chains, wiring, lights, and tailgate chains
-mount 2 ammo cans underneath up front for gear storage
-81mm cans look best. Tall, narrow, and wide, which allows them to be mounted laid down under the trailer tub, lids out to each side.
-Im gonna use old school jerry cans, because I hate the new safety spouts and I don't like paying out the *** for fancy rotopax cans. Thoughts?
-I need tool storage, camping gear storage, and fuel storage, along with water totes. What else do I need? Gas? Food storage? what else?
- I plan on building some sort of rack (see first pic below) so I can mount a rooftop tent on in the future, and it will allow me to tarp or enclose the trailer somehow. Plus, I can mount stuff on the sides.
-All of this needs to be removable and re-configurable if at all possible. I want to build the trailer as I need it, but I want to revert back to original later if I so desire. So bolting things is best, ideally drilling minimal holes, and not welding if I can avoid it.
-I will add a spare wheel/tire. Maybe under the rear of the trailer, or on the outside. BTW, they are 16" rims (kinda rare on these) and are 5x5.5" pattern.


What do you guys think? Suggestions, thoughts, and recommendations are welcome.
I need to know where I can get what I will need cheapest, and what works, for those of you that camp regularly. I have regular tents until I can get a RTT (topic for later).

Thanks guys.
 

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#3 ·
TOpics to return to:
-left fender
-RoofTopTents
-Utility rack designs


1. Fender: The fenders on this trailer are the "Roadster" fenders and are not readily available for replacement. They have fancy little rolled lips in them that would be hard to reproduce, and arent like the basic fenders on today's utility trailers.

I need to fix or replace my left fender because it is rotted on the top part. It has been fixed in the past and has more than a 1/4" of bondo already on it. Anyone able to use an english wheel? lol I might have to learn....

2. Roof Top Tents: this is officially open to discussion. I need suggestions on makers and models. Cheap vs good. ARB, Smittybilt, BigFoot, CVT, and more....

3. My rack idea is a stolen one. It comes from https://www.allprooffroad.com/05tacomatrailarmor/tacomabedracks , and http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...xpedition-trailer-build-1953-bradley-4x6.html

Bent tube welded to angle iron style rails that would allow it to be slid in and out of the trailer for when Im camping or need it enclosed, and when Im hauling brush or other larger items.
 

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#4 ·
Brief shopping list and things I need to acquire:

--Jerry cans (3)
-Jerry can holders/brackets
--Spare wheel and tire
-make bracket for it
--Toolbox of some sort.....prob approx 48" wide, top lid, latch accessible from front or sides, preferably metal, watertight, and lockable. Toolbox/fueltank combos are being looked at as well.
--propane tank?
--water totes
--fender
--rack
--tent possibly
 
#5 ·
How about a truck box of some sort for large weather proof/waterproof mounted on the toung for storage. Could aways step it up a knoch and find a pick-up camper to slide in and out of there. Would be warm and dry no matter the weather and still retain plenty of storage. Sorry just my sinister ******* mind at work . I'll digress.
 
#7 ·
Im thinking along the same lines as you buddy. Looking at truck boxes for small pickups and sideboxes. I don't want it on the tongue though, cause its already short, and I can mount smaller items there. I might put the toolbox at the front though for ease of access and to retain use of the tailgate.

The trailer box is only roughly 4x6'
 
#6 ·
I like it. Nice find. There are some good rust options available to take care of that fender
 
#8 · (Edited)
The problem is that its rusted through now, and when the bondo is gone and its blasted clean, I dont know what will be left. Either way, it needs more metal...



More pics of the trailer...
 

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#9 ·
Depending on the hole, the usual is to use metal screen behind it and then the right type of bondo after treating all the rust. Some of the rust treatments react with the rust and then form a really nice platform for further body work. Check with the street rod guys or you can look at places like the POR15 site for stuff on this
 
#10 ·
pics...
 

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#11 ·
Very nice. Between that and your luggage rack, you will have it covered
 
#12 ·
You could mount the spare on front (vertically), resting on the tow bar or you could do a willy's setup and mount it on the side in front of the tire.

I like that trailer.....alot.
 
#13 ·
Good ideas, thanks man.
 
#14 ·
For fenders I would go with trailer fenders. Auto safety house sells trailer fenders and they aren't too expensive. Not sure if there is one of those near you but I'm sure you could find some online. In my minitrucker days I bought some and used them as inner fenders on an s10 I had
 
#16 ·
Thanks fellas. I want to try and keep the original style fenders, just because they are so unique. So I'm probably fix it, just so I'm not throwing universal fenders on it...I think it'll change the look too much.

Appreciate the suggestions though. Keep them coming.
 
#17 ·
You need to get one of these! for the trailer, that is!
 

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#19 ·
While I still havent found any fenders that match, Im looking (sorta) for someone good with an English wheel so make me a patch for the main top part of the fender. Thats the current plan for now.

Looking for and inquiring on a metal toolbox of dimensions: 46"x16x16" Yes, 46, not 48.....danngit.
 
#20 ·
Talked to a guy with a trailer forsale who thought he only had one fender left, but he is seemingly useless when it comes to memory, phone calls, pictures, or anything related to selling an item. So thats a scratch.

Back to plan A
 
#21 ·
Cut and hauled firewood around the property today with my trailer and Jeep. Got it pulled up adn over a log that was a good 16" round. So Id say itll work for an offroad trailer.
 

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#22 ·
I really need one of those. Cool picture :thumbsup:
 
#24 ·
Well Ive started working on my plan a little more lately. I really want to get this going and not sitting outside in the cold, pink, and ugly.

So I called a sandblaster today and they were still closed for holidays. Tomrrow Ill try again.

I want to get it blasted, and then I still need to decide if I want it primed, or bare. This depends on what I do for "paint".

Im looking into POR15 (great stuff), but I havent decided where exactly I want to put it on; the underside? the tub? outside? everywhere? IDK.

Eventually the trailer will match the Jeep, this much I know. So I will need to paint the tub green. Can I paint over POR15?


Not sure on bedliners either.....pretty sure I do not want LineX (great stuff, but over my budget). Im saying NO to Rustoleom, and Duplicolor. Junk is the term associated with them. Anyone have any experience with Monstaliner, RaptorLiner, or Herculiner?


Also, its cold here in north eastern Ohio. And its January, so its not warming up anytime soon. I need to be able to heat, paint, and cure this thing if Im painting it myself. No heat in the shop means thats probably out, its like painting outside practically. Not much heat in the home garage either... and its a smaller, cleaner space. Easier to heat, but I need a better heating setup that won't cost me a million dollars to get, run, or both.

So I don't want it to sit all dang winter, and I don't want to get it blasted and primed and sit all winter, and I don't want to tear it apart for blasting and let it sit all winter. Whats a guy to do???

I haven't even begun to mention that Im in-between jobs (harvest season is over) and could be leaving town soon for Iowa again. That makes things interesting as well, cause I think the trailer is going with.....and not in pieces, or primer....in winter weather.


On the brighter side, I have a long list of things to add to the trailer when its been blasted and I am doing bodywork/metalwork.
-jerry cans in decent shape (x3)
-jerry can holders (x3)
-going to get a water tote.....still deciding on that and taking input...
-81mm ammo cans for storage underneath (x2)

Im looking for a spare tire and wheel if anybody knows anybody.
Also looking for a Pioneer tool rack tenatively.
 
#25 ·
Ive got a line on a spare tire and wheel Im going to look at tomorrow. Its an old Willys Jeep wheel on a 6.00x16 NDT tire that would match the two Ive got already. The wheel is a little different than my David Bradley wheels, but thats ok, its a spare.

So tomorrow morning ill take a little trip and hopefully bring that home.


Then Im headed to the shop to whip up a temporary light bracket so I can temporarily mount my two taillights and wire them in roughly until I get the trailer blasted in Iowa, where Im planning on heading in a week or so. Ive got to get out of the house, Im going crazy here.

So, lights, spare tire, license it, and check the wheel bearings/hubs, then Im outta here with it. First trip longer than a couple miles and its going 12 hours. UffDa.

Im excited.
 

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#26 · (Edited)
Well today the trailer went to the shop and got lights installed. I fabbed up a couple brackets for them, and ran the wiring harness neatly, but temporarily until I get the trailer blasted and redone. Lights work great, look great, and make my happy. Lol. Glad to be working on it.

I forgot to take a picture, but I had the whole trailer strung up by the lift, tongue up, tailgate down. Pretty fun.

I picked up a spare tire/wheel this morning and it will be dismantled tomorrow to empty the fluid from the inside, and to replace the valve stem. Might even (probably is) a tube-type tire, so a new tube will need to be acquired. Fun stuff. I have a jack from a New Holland baler that I will be restoring and fitting to the trailer tongue. Its old, its strong, and works very smoothly. Not like those cheap jacks they sell in stores around here.

Gonna be awesome.

Projects complete:
-lights
-wiring
-spare acquired
-fitment checked

Tomorrow and the next day will be:
-licensing the trailer
-fixing the spare
-jack project
-check hubs and bearings
-grease everything
 

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#28 ·
I think so. Thank you.

Very basic, but classy brackets. Made of 1" angle iron, so the brackets are square and angled, yet have smooth lines, and have wrapped/bent ends that are welded up smooth to give a few curves to match that of the trailer. I think I captured 1948 manufacturing in these little badboys. Its funny how the little things can make you happy.
 
#31 ·
Today I spent the evening restoring an old telescoping jack from a New Holland square baler. It will be going on the trailer.

I removed half of the original mounting built-in to the top of the jack, welded a cap over it (you'd never know), and dismantled the entire thing before cleaning and throwing each piece into the glass bead cabinet. I blasted everything and promptly brought it all home and primed it and let cure by the heat of the woodstove. In the morning I shall paint. Then reassembly, and install. The only modification to the trailer will be a 3/4" hole drilled in the side of the tongue, and a small piece welded over the same area. This piece will hold the jack horizontal when I pivot it up out of the way. The welds can always be ground off should I decide return it to stock. And the hole can be welded up. But for now it will serve a purpose and be handier than anything else on the trailer.

No pics......YET...
 
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