Making a trailer from a Ford model T pickup bed |
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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Posted: 07 Aug. 2018 at 4:09pm |
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Last year I picked up a rusted out, badly beat up 1926-1927 Ford model T pickup bed that was heading for the scrap yard. I made a summer project out of resurrecting it. It is not retored, it was too far gone for that. But I made and welded in patch panels, welded up a bunch of holes and straightened out a lot of metal. Then made a new wood floor. Its not pretty, but its solid and serviceable. I put it in storage a year ago, not sure what to do with it.
Well, I've been thinking (my wife says that is dangerous) about it and think it would make a dandy little light duty trailer for my CJ2A. The bed is only 42" x 56", so its small and light. It just so happens that Harbor Freight has a sale going on their new line of trailer kits. Their mini trailer is 40.5" x 48" and on sale for $199, pretty close to what I need for the bed. With a little fab work, I think it will mount up well. This would not be suitable for serious off road use, but for light duty camping and Home Depot runs, it would be just the ticket. More to follow. Here is the trailer kit: Here are some before, during and after pics of the bed. |
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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srlbotanical
Member Joined: 03 July 2017 Location: Saranac MI Status: Offline Points: 395 |
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Sounds like a good idea to me!
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Steve
1948 CJ2A - The Good Dog 1997 TJ - The Trail Rig 2001 XJ - The kids ride |
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rocnroll
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 20 July 2005 Location: Tuscumbia, AL Status: Offline Points: 13585 |
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I bet you'll have rat rodders following you home.
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'47 CJ2A PU
'48 CJ2A Lefty "Common sense is not that common" |
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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HF has not yet got the new trailers in. But I found the same trailer kit at Northern Tools in black, for a little more money. Since it saves me having to repaint it and they had one in stock, I ran over after work today and picked ut up. Now I can get started. The model T bed is just about 1.5" wider and 8" longer than the trailer frame. I plan to make 4" extension supports at each end from angle iron. Not sure sbout the width difference. I have a couple ideas. But I need to fit them together to figure out the best way.
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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srlbotanical
Member Joined: 03 July 2017 Location: Saranac MI Status: Offline Points: 395 |
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Make sure you take pictures! This is a really cool project.
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Steve
1948 CJ2A - The Good Dog 1997 TJ - The Trail Rig 2001 XJ - The kids ride |
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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I made good progress on the T-trailer today. My son came over this morning and helped get the bed out of storage and into the garage. I had assembled the basic trailer frame yesterday. So we flipped the bed over to see how it fit. After a little thought we decided to make adapting plates from 1-1/2" x 3/16" flat stock and 1" angle iron for stiffening. We got all the pieces cut, fitted and tack welded in place. Tomorrow I'll separate the frame from the bed and finish all the welding. I think it will work out nicely.
Edited by ndnchf - 12 Aug. 2018 at 12:32am |
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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JeepFever
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 07 Aug. 2012 Location: VA Status: Offline Points: 2750 |
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Very Nice !!
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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Made more progress yesterday. The extra width of the new bed mounting brackets and is creating a slight snag. The wheels are a little too close, actually touching a little. I need to trim back the brackets a little. I also ordered a set of 5/16" thick wheel spacers to move the wheels out a little. Fortunately the hub studs are extra long.
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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rocnroll
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 20 July 2005 Location: Tuscumbia, AL Status: Offline Points: 13585 |
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If you had narrowed it one board it would have been perfect....don't ask how I know. Edited by rocnroll - 13 Aug. 2018 at 6:05pm |
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'47 CJ2A PU
'48 CJ2A Lefty "Common sense is not that common" |
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TateC
Member Joined: 23 Feb. 2018 Location: SLC, Utah Status: Offline Points: 510 |
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Now you need some cool artillery wheels to put under that trailer. Cool project
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Tate Christensen
1941 Ford GP #9687 1943 Willys MB #263100 1944 Ford GPW #234613 1945 Willys CJ2A #10226 |
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rocnroll
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 20 July 2005 Location: Tuscumbia, AL Status: Offline Points: 13585 |
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Yes, some adapters to get from those 4 lugs to a standard bolt pattern would have made up the difference....I imagine the smallish size of those hubs would have had to have custom adapters though. (then you get into a full size wheel and tire adapted to a rather smallish 4 bolt pattern...a lot of weight there) |
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'47 CJ2A PU
'48 CJ2A Lefty "Common sense is not that common" |
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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Wow - Ford bed with Willys tailgate, one very neat package! This is a project that could easily creep into a much larger one. But I'm holding the line a keeping it a simple, inexpensive project for now.
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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I got the trailer frame and running gear finished today. Between trimming the adapter brackets and a pair of 5/16" wheel spacers, I got the clearance I needed. Next will be to flip it over and install the fenders, lights and wiring.
I really didn't like the ugly plastic lights that came with the trailer kit. So I looked around, then ordered a set of these vintage style tail lights for it. |
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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Unkamonkey
Member Joined: 23 Mar. 2016 Location: Greeley CO Status: Offline Points: 2093 |
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Some of the antique car people would probably shoot you for what you did. I have helped on 3, back to a 1906 Buick. Personally, it looks nice.
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uncamonkey
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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Well, here is the back story... A friend of mine brought this to a pre-war swap meet last year. All the other antique people walked past it saying it was too far gone to waste their time on. Towards the end I was talking with him. With no takers, and not wanting to take it home, he offered it to me dirt cheap. I'd toyed with the idea of making my 1924 model T touring jalopy into a pickup. But I too thought the bed was too far gone also. But in the waning hours of the swap meet, he convinced me to take it off his hands. That was the beginning of 2 months of hard work. As I worked on it, I kept saying to myself "why did I buy this thing?" Well, no one else wanted it and I just couldn't bear to see it go to the scrapper. After it was finished last summer, it was stuffed into my enclosed trailer and all but forgotten. I had decided not to convert the model T to a pickup. About a month ago I decided to do the trailer conversion and put it to some use. The other antique people didn't want it. So I drug it home and saved it from the scrap heap. Its still pretty rough, but it will live on while its in my care.
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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Unkamonkey
Member Joined: 23 Mar. 2016 Location: Greeley CO Status: Offline Points: 2093 |
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It's all up to you. I spent what I thought to be too much time doing my 3B body but people would walk over to see what I had done and just stand there to look at the thing. Wow was the most common comment. The guy I helped with the old cars was an accountant and I put food on the table from doing construction. Who knows what lurks in the hearts of people?
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uncamonkey
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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Today I tackled the trailer wiring. After looking at the wiring that came with the trailer frame kit, I decided to make my own harness. I used 14 gauge wire, all joints soldered and shrink tubed. Then fiberglass protective sleeve slipped over the wires for protrction. Just waiting on the new tail lights to arrive now. Then I can make the mounts and hook them up.
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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ndnchf
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 22 Sep. 2017 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 2177 |
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I had a small setback today. The new retro tail lights arrived today and they look good. But the cups are too small for my 6v bulbs. I tried both LED bulbs and incandescent bulbs. They are a little too long to get the lens on. They came with compact size 12v bulbs. I looked on line for comparable 6v bulbs, but could not find any dual filament that small
So plan B is to use the big modern lights that came with the trailer frame kit, until I can find something better, or come up with a 6v LED that will work in the retro tail lights. My 6v LED bulbs easily fit in the modern tail lights.
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1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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