New member- first post. Lots of great information here.

Acquired this trailer on an impulse a couple of weeks ago. It is a Bantam T3-C. The nameplate is attached but barely legible. Near as I can tell it is # 4017 . Still sorting out my plans for it. Probably just gonna clean it up and paint it.

(Edit 10/7/2018: further investigation shows the serial number to be 24011- see follow-up posts below)

It's pretty solid- but needs sandblasting to clear surface rust off the underside so I can see how bad the rust is. Needs new tires so that is the first thing I am working on. Also repacked the bearings which looked pretty good. The tailgate chains are gone and the gate was bolted shut. The safety chains have been modified. Has the original Fulton hitch coupler but the locking tab is gone. I am going to try to make a replacement. If anyone has some good closeup pics of one I would appreciate seeing them. I've seen the ones on the the Bantam webpage.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Here's a couple of pics:

nofender wrote: Man! I'd love to find one in that condition around here! Looks like a gem. Congrats.

Thanks. It will still be a project, but that's what I wanted.

Well, the trailer got new shoes so it is mobile now. Hauled it over to a friend's shop so we can work on it. Towed great on the highway but bounced a bit going through some road construction. It will be interesting to see how it does when loaded. 

The trailer is generally in good shape. But closer inspection is revealing some rust issues- not unexpected. So far we have removed the fenders and the tailgate and repaired some random bolt holes and a couple small tears. The tailgate was attached with homemade hinges which we cut off. I have ordered new hinges to match the original ones. The tailgate was pretty bowed out so we used the hydraulic press to straighten it- worked pretty well.

We are getting it ready to haul to the sandblaster. Decided to remove the floor. It's not real bad- just a couple of holes but the underside has a lot of surface rust. It is also cratered a bit- looks like a few loads of boulders were dumped in at some point. The frame is really solid with only one bad rust spot near one of the shackles. As long as we're at it, it would be nice to be able to get at the whole frame to fix any rust spots that are covered by the floor and sides. Sides are really good with just a couple of issues.

Once we get it back from the sandblasting, we will fix the bad spots, put in a new floor and move on to painting.

Thinking ahead, I've got a few things to ponder. Advice is requested.

What is the proper location for the tailgate hinges? I've seen some near the edge of the tailgate and some inset maybe 6 inches away from the edge towards the center.

Should I try to remove the springs and put new hardware on? The shackles look good but the bolts are rusted. We'll see what they look like after sandblasting.

What about putting shocks on it? I've read how to do it but am uncertain if there would be a payoff. Would that lessen the bouncing? Seems a lot of that comes just from the tires. Would that diminish the "original" aspect and be a detriment to people looking to restore to original?

Similar question for the landing leg and coupler. They are in really good condition but the bolts are rusted. I'm wondering if I should remove them for painting and install new bolts.

Where do people buy replacement bolts, shackles and other hardware? Any recommended suppliers?

I'm wondering what people are using for replacement reflectors. The ones on there are pretty rusted. They are the Grote 100 version.

Well that's a long post and lots of questions. I hope some of you experienced folks can help me out.

Thanks for your comments! Good eye on the data plate. I will check that out and see if I can confirm the "2" in front. Makes sense with the other attributes you point out- the drawbars and the shackles seem to be the later style. Learning more every day.

I'm having a hard time finding the upper shock mounting brackets. Does anyone know where I can find some?

Edit: I did find some repop mounting brackets at DLBensinger. Here is a link.

https://www.dlbensinger.com/shop/mbt-frame-shock-bracket/" rel="nofollow - https://www.dlbensinger.com/shop/mbt-frame-shock-bracket/

They are the threaded type that were originally installed on the military version of the trailer (BT3). We had to drill the bottom of the bracket and weld in a captured nut for bolting to the frame but otherwise they worked out fine.

Here's a pic of the completed underside showing the new shocks:

I did make a tab for the coupler. I will link to it here to add it to this build thread:

https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/fulton-coupler-locking-tab-replacement_topic42749.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/fulton-coupler-locking-tab-replacement_topic42749.html

I took a closer look at the data plate today and confirmed the faint #2 in front of the 4017 which would make the serial number 24017. Thanks for pointing that out!

edit- more info on the serial number:

Here's a larger pic of the data plate- the faint "2" is more visible. The third digit in this pic looks like it could be a "9" but in most other photos it looks like "0". The last digit looks like a "7" but in some other photos I can talk myself into thinking it is a "1". Between looking at the real thing and the photos, I think the number is "24017" but it could be "24917" or "24011". I'm interested in what others might think.

The trailer is now totally disassembled and loaded in the truck for delivery to the sandblaster. We went way further than I was planning to go but we will get a better result so I am ok with it.

Delivered the trailer in pieces to the sandblaster today- will get it all back in about a week- then the fun begins. We will have a bit of welding/repair to do on the frame and tub as well as putting in a new floor. Ordered all new bolts- most of the old ones were pretty rusty and quite a few broke during removal.

I will soon have to make a decision on paint color. No one has weighed in on that yet- what's up? My choices are 1) original green, 2) olive drab, 3) white to match my truck.

What do people think? Anybody out there have an opinion?

What floor are you replacing it with?  Or just patching in panels?  Mine has holes any still trying to decide.

Thanks for your comments. I can see both green and red on the hubs- looks like green was first and then red. Removed the data plate before sandblasting and the paint under that looks like green. The last paint was a kind of olive drab. So I'm not getting any direction from the trailer, haha.

I'm replacing the whole floor. It wasn't that bad but there were a few holes and it was pretty cratered between the frame supports. I will use pieces of the old floor to patch a couple of spots in the tub. I'm so deep into this thing that I've decided to try to make it look good when it's done.

This is my Bantam before and after restoration.  The original - original color of this trailer was red.  I found out that when I pulled the wheels off and when I pulled the fenders off but someone, at some point in it's life, had spray painted the trailer white.  By the time I found it, it was a rusty white color, lol.  

I went with Bengal Red for color and yes it is powder coated and like you I was in it too deep by the time I decided to go that rout, so that is the end result.  Can't wait to see yours when finished.  Are you sure you want to cut out the original floor on your trailer?  Mine was and is a bit wavy and I had to patch some holes on it but luckily I had someone with me with the expertise and taught me how to close those holes for good.  They weren't that big to begin with but they did bothered me after I took the trailer apart.  Well, that's your call.

Here are some pics of before and after....

Oh boy, I get to vote!!

Since I use all of my equipment, I would go with OD green, or some flat color. Not White. I would also find a color I can buy in rattle cans. Perhaps OD?

Obviously, what works fore me may not work for you.

Here's a pic of my trailer's bed before restoration.  For the life of me, I can't find the one after restoration.  Notice in the picture where the waves are.  You can tell where the bottom beams are.  It's pretty wavy but I added a diamond plate 1/2" thick rubber mat on top and it's pretty nice.  You can't tell the waves on the floor of the trailer now. 

I don't have a good picture of the floor showing the dents. It looked very similar to Canorisa's, with a few small rust holes added. The main supports were very obvious high points with pretty deep dishes between. The floor actually looked pretty good from the top, other than the dents. I originally planned to leave the floor and put in a false hardwood floor over it to level it out.

What you can't see is the amount of rust on the underside. I suspected the sandblaster would blow some additional holes in the floor and enlarge the small ones. But my main concern was possible rust on the top of the frame under the floor that I couldn't see and wouldn't be able to treat. I didn't want to put all this work in and have the frame rust out from under the floor. Plus there were some rust holes in the tub at the wall/floor joint that would be hard to patch with the floor in. So we decided to take it out.

It wasn't difficult to remove- I suspect it may be harder to put it back together, haha.

I agree, the new floor won't be any stronger than the old one. I also plan to eventually use the trailer so I am considering adding some additional cross members for support since it is all taken apart now and would be relatively easy to do.

We cut the welds from inside the tub first which released the walls. Once they were free, we set the walls aside. We ended up leaving a bit of the floor attached to the front wall as it was tough to get into the corners. Once the walls were off, we could remove the remaining bit of the floor. Then we flipped the trailer over and cut the floor welds along the frame. We used a 3" cutting wheel on a pneumatic grinder.

We needed to do some grinding cleanup on the tailgate area, mainly due to the bubba hinges that had been added. The rest of the frame was pretty clean.

I'm glad we did it because the repairs to the frame will be so much easier and the sandblaster will be able to get all the rust off, even on the top which is hidden by the floor.

I'll post some photos.

Here's some pics of the floor (there were some holes which aren't visible in these pics):

Canorisa- I have read your whole build thread- beautiful trailer! Mine will not look like that when it is done.

cpt logger- I also plan to use my trailer and I am leaning toward OD green and a flat finish to hide imperfections. I like your comment about using a color that is easy to find in rattle cans so scratches can be repaired easily.

Thank you Sir for the complement.  I wanted, at some point, sell the trailer but I can't get out of it what I put into it, so I kept it for now.  Everyone who knew about my build, at the time, knew that I was going to sell the trailer but when they found out by how much they all threw a fit, so even though they had a good point I decided to keep the trailer a little bit longer.

The trailer sits in an inside storage unit right now collecting dust because I'm no where near the trailer but will soon be out having fun for sure and I can't wait.

I look forward to seeing your trailer restoration as you continue and see it finished.  Are you going to go with OD Green as it was suggested to you?  Do you have any vehicles with OD green on?  Most people try to match their pulling vehicle.  I ended up not doing that so I went red and can't tell you it was the best choice.  After restoration I had the former owner bugging me to sell it back to him, lol.  Oh well, right!!!

Canorisa, these projects have to be a labor of love, right? It's fun and gives me something to do. I will never get the dollars out that I put in, and that is with free labor! But at the end of the day, I'll have  a nice trailer to use, I will have supported some small businesses along the way and I will have saved a bit of history.That all makes it worthwhile to me.

I don't have any OD vehicles- I drive a white Tacoma. My original plan was to go white to match the truck- I did the wheels white. But I am rethinking that- not a practical color for a working trailer. OD seems the most logical choice. Even though it is not factory original, it goes with the military heritage and is very practical from a use and maintenance point of view. It can be easily repainted in the future. So that's my current thinking...

Thanks for your comments!

Takeiteasy:

Thank you for your comment and I'm sorry if I mislead you one my post.  I never meant to imply that I wanted to get the money I put into it from my labor.  I knew right of the bat that I would never get that out of the trailer.  But the people who saw me restoring this trailer were very...should I say for lack of better words, pushy into having me get out all of my hard labor.  I have practically lots and lots of hours spent on this build but I always thought it was something I truly enjoyed doing.  Not according to other people as I found out later.  But that was back in California.  I'm now in Florida and I still might sell the trailer but wish it could go to someone who might appreciate it very much and not butcher it but I know that's not my call.

So, my apologies if that came out the wrong way.  Trust me, I have more than fun at restoring these little trailers and I do it for the fun of it and not take myself that much serious.  

Canorisa, Thanks for your comment. We're on the same page. 

So I got my trailer parts back from the sandblaster today. Everything looks good except discovered a cracked top leaf spring in one pack- bummer! I also discovered they are not a matched set, so one side or the other has already been replaced.

I'm thinking I need to replace the springs. I am looking for advice on where to find a replacement set of springs. These springs have 5 leafs. I have found cj2a front spring packs available with 8, 9 and 10 leafs but nothing with 5 leafs. It seems the trailers originally had the cj2a springs. Is it acceptable to replace the 5 leaf with 8 leaf? Will they be too stiff?

Anybody got a recommendation?

Parts all cleaned up:

Here's a closeup pic of the broken leaf- it's the top (longest) one:

I'm guessing either of us would have to find an intact spring and part it out. Maybe we could share the cost of buying one good spring and we could each get what we need. I am planning to keep the original springs so that I can put them back on if I can fix the broken leaf. I will keep my eyes open and let you know if I find one.

I'll have to check again which set has the broken leaf. I did buy some repop springs with 8 leafs- will see how they compare with the old ones.

Meanwhile, we did a test fit on the new floor- fits perfect. I got the floor from Midwest Military. They did a one-off for me. Same floor as the MBT without the drain and the flange is bent down at the tailgate end. It fits perfectly. As a result, John at MW said they will offer the T3-C floors as a new product.

We have rehabbed the frame and tub walls. Straightened the tailgate which was bent. Did some metal shrinking on that which was a new experience for me and  interesting to do. Cut out all the rusted areas in the frame and tub and replaced with new metal welded in. Did the same with the fenders. It's all ready to paint.

Trying to decide on the build sequence now. I would like to get paint on all surfaces before reassembling the tub to the frame but the paint will get in the way and complicate the process of welding the tub and floor back to the frame. Anyone have thoughts on that?

Here's a pic of the new floor test fit on the frame with the tub walls:

Got some new springs- the pair came nicely packed in separate boxes.

We've started painting. The new floor looks great. The frame will be totally coated all sides before re-assembly. This should add significantly to the useful life to the trailer. The fenders and tub will still show their age and past use but all rust everywhere has been removed and replaced with new metal. Hope to finish painting and start reassembly this weekend.A final paint coat will be applied once the trailer is back together.

mickeykelley wrote: Did you end up adding extra support to prevent future bed sagging?  Do you know how the bed you got from MW compares to the stuff from Manila?

I did not add extra support. I decided to keep the trailer pretty much original. I will most likely add something like 3/4" plywood in the bed to protect the floor if I am going to put a heavy load in it. Time will tell if that was a good decision.

I am super-pleased with the new floor from Midwest Military. It came bare steel oiled to prevent rust. This allowed me to use a high quality epoxy primer on it. The manufacturing quality is excellent and it fit the frame perfectly. Near as I can tell it matches the original floor specs exactly.

I haven't seen the floors from MDJuan in person so I can't say how they compare. I did buy replacement tailgate support panels from MDJuan. They needed some rework to fit and the primer is of lower quality than what I am using. The steel gauge may be a bit lighter than the originals. But they did work and the result is probably better than if I had tried to repair the rusted original panels.

chris insull wrote: Great progress! Looking forward to seeing the finished version!👍

Ha! Me too!

Thanks for your comment!

It's done (well a few details yet but 99%). I'm waiting for a new data plate. Need to make a spare tire holder (ideas welcome). Need to get a tarp or make a lid. Pretty happy how it turned out.

Here's some pics:

Let the trailer out of the garage today. Picked up a nice piece of plywood to protect the new floor. Have to buy some more olive drab paint.

Also installed the new data plate. Looks good.

Giles

  You did a great job on your trailer.  Another way you could do for a spare is get an wheel adapter and use your truck spare if ever needed.

   Jim

Well, I already have a spare, but I like that idea of a wheel adapter as a backup.

I think I will mount the spare in front of the tub on the draw bars but in a way so the bracket can be easily mounted and removed without affecting the trailer. I want to leave access for the tarp hook. I've got some ideas but am going to think about it for a while before I do anything. More ideas/suggestions are welcome.

Thanks everyone for all the comments, I appreciated reading  them. The trailer project was a lot of work and expense but I am happy with the outcome. Feels good to have saved one of these cool trailers from the scrap yard.

http://travelswithrockythedog.blogspot.com/2019/05/bantam-trailer.html" rel="nofollow - http://travelswithrockythedog.blogspot.com/2019/05/bantam-trailer.html

Here's a picture showing the spare tire mounted and the lid:

canorisa wrote: CONGRATULATIONS Sir!  Very nicely done!!!

Thanks for the comment!

mickeykelley wrote: how is the floor holding up as far as waves?

Floor is like new and perfect. Warms my heart when I look at it, haha.

I put a piece of 5/8" plywood in to protect it. I haven't dumped any boulders in yet either.

LuzonRed47 wrote: Real nice work--and the project got you into welding, an added bonus. Thanks for sharing--I'm beginning the semi-restoration of my M100 which (thankfully) came with shock absorbers as standard.

Yeah, I enjoyed welding- wish I had learned years ago. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your M100 project.

The plywood is finished with an exterior deck stain. I have been considering getting a rubber pad to put on top of it. I did install multiple D rings around the perimeter for tie downs so I won't have things crashing around in there.

Thanks for your comment.

It was a fun project. I wrote it up in our blog- here's a link:

http://travelswithrockythedog.blogspot.com/2019/07/trailer-update.html" rel="nofollow - http://travelswithrockythedog.blogspot.com/2019/07/trailer-update.html

  Hope it was limited to a mishap!

Yes, a minor mishap. I wrote about it in the blog. We were traveling slow going over the crossing. A big bump popped the old Fulton coupler off the ball. The trailer dropped to the pavement and landed on the part of the landing leg casting that is exposed when the leg is rotated up. It scrubbed on the pavement a bit until I realized what happened and stopped the truck.The safety chains did their job and kept the trailer from going totally rogue. I was able to weld new metal back on the casting and grind it to the original profile. Looks pretty much as good as before the accident.

I think I know what happened with the Fulton and how to fix it but I decided a new coupler was a better idea for a working trailer. I kept all the parts to the Fulton so it can just bolt back on. I want to fix it first.

Thanks for your comment.

Put the trailer to work today. Picked up 2 yards of shredded hardwood mulch for the garden- one yard in the truck and one in the trailer. Nice to have the extra load capacity. I have put over 5000 miles on the trailer since completing the refurb- mostly camping trips. Still very happy with it.

LuzonRed47 wrote: Love your blog devoted to restoring and modifying your trailer. Good seeing it being used as intended as well as on your camping trips. The 1/4-ton jeep trailers were truly multi-purpose devices!

Thanks for your comment on the blog. And yes, these trailers are very useful. I love mine.

mickeykelley wrote: So my same question as before, now after 5,000 miles, how tge floor holding up?

  Could you use a automotive seam filler to seal those gaps? You might even be able to find a color to match.

    Jim

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking about that too. It would have to be pretty flexible but also durable to resist abrasion. I don't have experience with those products to know which would work well.

  Butyl caulk is a flexible tough rubber sealant that is used for exterior applications like rain gutter, vinyl siding to brick etc. You can get it at Lowes, Home depot, most hardware stores.  For a large color selection it would be better to go to a place that sells mostly roofing and siding.   I believe it is the same stuff that is used on vehicles.

   Jim

Exploring the Superior National Forest this week:

Batjac65 wrote: Nice! Looks good behind your camper rig.

Thanks for the comment. The trailer is a great camping companion.

LuzonRed47 wrote: Cool photo, that forest is beautiful. I like the jerry-can holders on the back of your camper.

The Tacoma has a pretty limited range so it helps to carry extra fuel, especially when we are in areas with no services. Thanks for the comment.

do you have any contact details for the company that made the floor?

do you have any contact details for the company that made the floor?

[/QUOTE]

Here's a link to the part:

https://store.midwestmilitary.com/product-p/mwm231.htm" rel="nofollow - https://store.midwestmilitary.com/product-p/mwm231.htm

I highly recommend the company- high quality and good service.

I added an ammo can to the draw bars of the trailer to store tie down straps, chocks and what not. I fabricated some concealed clamps to attach the can to the draw bars so no alteration to the trailer.

Camping was diminished this summer due to Covid 19 but we did take a couple of trips. Here is our camp in the U.P of Michigan on Lake Superior. The trailer has become a valued part of our camping set-up.

LuzonRed47 wrote: Very cool rig and love the restoration and evolution of your Bantam TC3. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for your comments. How's that M100 project coming along?

I see you ended up going flat od green. How is it holding up?  

I think you will be happy with the new floor from Midwest Military. Something to consider- it would probably be easier to deal with the floor replacement with the tailgate off. You might consider attaching it temporarily in the meantime.

Good luck with your project.

Tubby definitely needs some hiding his past as the PO created a bottom flip open like a dump truck and I found quite a few small rocks in it and some bowing in the sides.  So I’m guessing he had a pretty hard life before me.  I’m just not sure on the color yet. Originally I was going to go Presidential Red to match my CJ5 but then the shinny will really accentuate the bumps and bruises.  

takesiteasy wrote: PackRat wrote: ... The tab for the Fulton coupler has been fabricated and I think someone has posted pics of here somewhere. ... I did make a tab for the coupler. I will link to it here to add it to this build thread: https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/fulton-coupler-locking-tab-replacement_topic42749.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/fulton-coupler-locking-tab-replacement_topic42749.html

I'm not sure what bolt you are asking about. Here is a crude drawing of the tab that I made with some dimensions: