Posted 2006-11-06 8:34 AM (#51158) Subject: vintage trailer rebuild
Member
Posts: 14
Location: new ringgold pa
Greetings, this is my first post. I have a 1978 Cotner trailer that I would like to restore. The sheet metal is quite heavy, but is starting to rust through wherever it is welded to the frame. I can sand blast, but I can't remove the rust in between where the sheet metal overlaps, or in between the skin and the frame. I have a salvage yard near me that sells aluminum and stainless steel sheet for $1.50 a pound. Can I replace the roof with either, and pop rivet it to the frame? Or should it be welded? What gauge metal do you think I need? Many thanks.
Posted 2006-11-06 6:53 PM (#51189 - in reply to #51158) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by cindylee on 2006-11-06 8:34 AM
Greetings, this is my first post. I have a 1978 Cotner trailer that I would like to restore. The sheet metal is quite heavy, but is starting to rust through wherever it is welded to the frame. I can sand blast, but I can't remove the rust in between where the sheet metal overlaps, or in between the skin and the frame. I have a salvage yard near me that sells aluminum and stainless steel sheet for $1.50 a pound. Can I replace the roof with either, and pop rivet it to the frame? Or should it be welded? What gauge metal do you think I need? Many thanks.
Hi and Welcome to the forum.
According to your skills and available tools you might want to consider signing up for an autobody night class at a local voc tech school. I refinished a couple of cars at my local school and while they were not "restoration" quality level, they were certainly passable. You get the skills, guidance, use of tools and perhaps most importantly the SCHEDULE to actually get down and DO IT a couple of nights a week.
Leave the final paint job to a senior classman (or woman), its the ONE stage you don't want errors on.
Posted 2006-11-06 7:55 PM (#51192 - in reply to #51189) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
Member
Posts: 14
Location: new ringgold pa
Thanks Reg. I came very close to taking an autobody class, but i didn't want to learn how to pull dents and mix paint. I was on the roof today, grinding away with a wire brush cup on an angle grinder. The roof has some pin holes, but it is very heavy steel. I am going to try a wash with Picklex (a rust converter), plug the holes with Al-metal aluminum body filler, prime and paint. I figure that will get me several years before the rust sneaks back.
On the sides, there are some larger holes that will need some patches welded on. I need to decide whether it makes more sense to patch the holes or to replace the entire panels.
Posted 2006-11-06 8:28 PM (#51194 - in reply to #51192) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by cindylee on 2006-11-06 7:55 PM
Thanks Reg. I came very close to taking an autobody class, but i didn't want to learn how to pull dents and mix paint. I was on the roof today, grinding away with a wire brush cup on an angle grinder. The roof has some pin holes, but it is very heavy steel. I am going to try a wash with Picklex (a rust converter), plug the holes with Al-metal aluminum body filler, prime and paint. I figure that will get me several years before the rust sneaks back.
On the sides, there are some larger holes that will need some patches welded on. I need to decide whether it makes more sense to patch the holes or to replace the entire panels.
For those holes in the side here is a really NEAT-O body shop trick that I learned at the local tech.
Grind back to good metal all around. Cut a patch from the same guage steel, just a bit bigger all around, cut rounded corners, make it as generally round or oval as practical. Scribe or scratch around it with an awl (or sharp nail), put a couple of "witness marks" across the edge so you can line it up in a later step. Then "peck" along the scratched line with a picking hammer, just light dents. Lightly sand everything again to get clean edges, hold the patch to the panel with magnets or whatever other tools you can use, use those witness marks to get it exactly where it was when you scratched around it. Then just braze along the edges. This puts far less heat into the panel than welding and it IS neat.
SURPRISE ! When it cools it will have "shrunk in" and be level to the surface of the original panel, with a thin "gold" line around the edge. With only a bit of practice, say 3rd or 4th attempt, you can get it to where NO bondo or other filler is needed and you won't have to hammer it down to the panel's level. Just sand and prime it, move on to the next one.
It helps if you can have someone show you this; how hard to peck, how far apart to space the pecks, etc.
Posted 2006-11-07 6:37 AM (#51209 - in reply to #51194) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
Member
Posts: 14
Location: new ringgold pa
Great Advice! I will try it...perhaps I can even enlist my husband's help. He has the tools, but is afraid to weld sheet metal. Just wondering... can I stop rust on pitted sheet metal with sandblasting, Picklex and a good 2K epoxy paint? The sheet metal is thick enough to walk on. I hate to cut it out if I don't have to. Anyone ever try?
Posted 2006-11-07 7:32 AM (#51212 - in reply to #51209) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by cindylee on 2006-11-07 6:37 AM
Great Advice! I will try it...perhaps I can even enlist my husband's help. He has the tools, but is afraid to weld sheet metal. Just wondering... can I stop rust on pitted sheet metal with sandblasting, Picklex and a good 2K epoxy paint? The sheet metal is thick enough to walk on. I hate to cut it out if I don't have to. Anyone ever try?
Sure, you can stop rust with almost anything that keeps air(oxygen) away from it.
I'm not familiar with picklex, but I suggest a good zinc rich primer and whatever you want to put over that.
Sheet metal, right - I'd rather weld 1/2 inch plate (-:
Brazing patches is plenty fast and strong enough, you can avoid what is probably your husbands fear of welding sheet metal - too much heat too quickly = buckle & warp, possibly melt through until you get good.
Posted 2006-11-07 10:55 AM (#51221 - in reply to #51158) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
Regular
Posts: 76 Location: Cowboy Cradle of the Southwest
Sure sounds like a fun project. I did the same thing myself a couple of years ago. I restored a 1974 Miley trailer. On the roof and the nose piece I had to solder in the little pin holes like Reg has suggested. The sides of my trailer were a mess. The years of rust and neglect had turned them into lace. On this particular trailer the sides were not fastened to the frame work. They were held in place by the tongue and groove lumber that was the inside of the trailer. The tongue and groove was held in place by pieces of flat strap welded at each end. I cut the flat strap out and the lumber and sides just fell out. I replaced the side sheet metal with powder coated aluminum sheets. I replaced the tongue and groove lumber with 3/4" plywood. Worked slick. Nice looking finish, and a little lighter.
Sure hope you enjoy your project. I know that I did.
Posted 2006-11-08 8:12 AM (#51253 - in reply to #51250) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
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Posts: 76 Location: Cowboy Cradle of the Southwest
Originally written by cindylee on 2006-11-08 5:42 AM
Did you rivet the aluminum to the frame? Did you put anything in between the frame and aluminum? How much welding did you do on the aluminum?
No, I used some silicone caulking to hold it in place until the plywood was installed and the flatstrap was rewelded in. So the silicone kind of acted as a buffer between the steel frame and the aluminum sheeting. I didn't do any welding on the aluminum.
Posted 2006-11-09 11:21 AM (#51304 - in reply to #51283) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
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Posts: 76 Location: Cowboy Cradle of the Southwest
Originally written by cindylee on 2006-11-08 8:25 PM
What's flatstrap? How did you attach the sheeting to the frame?
Flatstrap is steel strap, in this case it was 1/8" x 1 1/4" . I had to cut it off in order to remove the old siding and wood and had to weld it back on in order to hold the new siding and plywood. The sheeting was held in place by the plywood. It was sandwiched between the exterior angle iron and the plywood. The plywood was held in place by the flatstrap. So in essence the siding was free floating, although it couldn't move or go anywhere. It is kind of hard to explain but if you seen it, it is simple.
Posted 2006-11-10 10:48 AM (#51333 - in reply to #51304) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
Member
Posts: 14
Location: new ringgold pa
I follow you now. I have noticed that stock trailers put the sheeting inside the frame, while on closed trailers they rivet or weld the sheeting outside the frame. Your method makes sense.
I just got back from showing my trailer to the guy who I had hoped would weld the patches. He suggested countersunck pop riveted patches on the outside.
Just for ha-ha's - he suggested cutting the roof off of an old school bus and using that to replace my roof!
On my way home I stopped at the spring works. $275 to replace my 30 year old leaf springs. It's too late to cut and run - I'm in too deep to this project to walk away! I'm laid off, so I have more money than time, and at least I know what I've got - as opposed to buying someone else's repainted rust bucket.
Posted 2006-11-12 10:31 AM (#51387 - in reply to #51158) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 333
Good luck with your project!!! I have an 84 Trailet I would like to try same with. The aluminum is in great shape as is the interior, but the undercarriage will need to be sandblasted and checked and all the doors which are steel are getting rusty enough that they are warping and I don't get a good fit.
Posted 2006-11-12 5:31 PM (#51393 - in reply to #51387) Subject: RE: vintage trailer rebuild
Member
Posts: 14
Location: new ringgold pa
Funny, the doors on mine are the only thing that are not rusted. I took care to refinish them because they would be costly to replace. The whole inside of the trailer was sprayed with some kind of undercoating, and it was beginning to show rust underneath. After searching another site (www.autobodystore.com) I found that I could remove it with diesel fuel. I then cleaned it thoroughly with a solvent cleaner, treated with Picklex, and painted with Zero-rust paint (recommended by the Autobody store). I primed the outside with a 2 part epoxy auto paint. I am spending a lot on materials, but I want it to last. I now have to decide how to tackle the rest of the rebuild - patch or replace all of the steel skin.
I got a lot of advise from forums like this, and I see that there is interest in renovating these old trailers, so I'll keep posting. I would like to hear what others have done.
vintage trailer rebuild
