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Author Topic: The Willys Hauler  (Read 7062 times)

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Offline Ryan_M

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The Willys Hauler
« on: May 25, 2015, 04:45:07 PM »
If you've been following any of my scavenging posts you've seen my yard sale find trailer that I picked up last fall.�

It's a solid trailer but needed a little sprucing up. I have to do some Jeep hauling pretty soon so I had to get at it.

The frame is rock solid but the fenders were completely shot.



The deck is also solid but had been neglected.



An angle grinder and recip saw made quick work of the old fenders. I ended up cutting those inner skirts out and reshaping them to match the different radius of the new fenders too.



Fenders primed and painted


Shoehorned everything into the garage for a bit. Tough to weld in 40mph gusting winds.



New fenders installed and back outside to pressure wash the deck. If anyone is planning on a similar task it takes exactly 1 six-pack long to accomplish. Tedious stuff.



Checked the wheel bearings and everything looks good. Onto the shady-car-dealership style undercarriage paint job.



Deck boards dried and then stained with whatever leftover waterproofing swill I could find in the garage. One of the middle deck boards was cracked but instead of having to replace it I ruggedly braced from underneath. The PO hauled a Kubota and my guess is he broke that board trying to re-position the tractor with the backhoe bucket. Bad idea. For Jeep hauling purposes the middle boards could be missing completely and it wouldn't matter.



Rims painted black so I could avoid the horrible task of masking off the tires.



I'm out of time today but the next step will be to neaten up the wiring. I'd like to add a spare tire bracket and some sort of winch too even if it's just a manual one. The bulk of the work is done though. Came out pretty good for what started as a random yard sale score.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2015, 04:57:36 PM by Ryan_M »
Current:
'49 CJ3A
'51 CJ3A
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'47 Bantam T3-C
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'46 2A
'51 3A
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Offline 1955CJ-5

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2015, 08:39:56 PM »
Nice shade of red.....leftover cj-3a wheel paint?

Good work of course....the trailer looks new...

I had to use my welder just the other day...aren't they handy?

Makes you wonder how you managed without it...
1955 CJ-5, A friend for 58 years....1951 CJ-3A, a new addition. 1929 Model A Ford Closed Cab Pickup...

Offline Ryan_M

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2015, 08:42:49 PM »
Quote
Nice shade of red.....leftover cj-3a wheel paint?


Yes, leftover REGAL RED wheel paint which, believe it or not, is the exact color the trailer already was when I got it. I had to go to two different Lowe's to buy enough cans to do what I wanted. If I had to do it again I would have just order a gallon of the stuff and run it through the air sprayer.
Current:
'49 CJ3A
'51 CJ3A
'42 Willys MB-T
'47 Bantam T3-C
Previous:
'46 2A
'51 3A
'52 3A
'52 M38
'54 3B
East Coast Wi

Offline Quebec Jeep

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2015, 09:16:01 PM »
Nice job!

A welder seem to be a nice to have but I'm afraid to run out of spare time!  ;D
I'm jeepcoholic!

Offline 1955CJ-5

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2015, 10:56:26 PM »
That decking looks so inviting.....maybe a couple of lawn chairs, a BBQ bolted down, pony keg....even a fire pit, all gas of course, 35 lb propane tank mounted on the tongue...pop-up awning...

All this after the jeep is unloaded of course...
« Last Edit: May 25, 2015, 10:57:55 PM by 1955CJ-5 »
1955 CJ-5, A friend for 58 years....1951 CJ-3A, a new addition. 1929 Model A Ford Closed Cab Pickup...

Offline BMIC

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2015, 04:26:16 AM »
Ryan, I stil have the side tire mounting bracket if you want it.
Great job, as usual!
We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out... WC

Offline Ryan_M

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2015, 08:43:22 AM »
Randy - Please don't tempt me.... :D

And BMIC - If you have no use for that tire bracket it would sure come in handy. I seemed to have given all my spare ones away  ;)
Current:
'49 CJ3A
'51 CJ3A
'42 Willys MB-T
'47 Bantam T3-C
Previous:
'46 2A
'51 3A
'52 3A
'52 M38
'54 3B
East Coast Wi

Offline Ryan_M

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2016, 11:29:33 AM »
Pretty much all I have left is to find a place to mount the spare and eventually come up with a better solution for the crummy wooden ramps I have. Winch & box have exceeded expectations so far.

Current:
'49 CJ3A
'51 CJ3A
'42 Willys MB-T
'47 Bantam T3-C
Previous:
'46 2A
'51 3A
'52 3A
'52 M38
'54 3B
East Coast Wi

Offline macrisel

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2016, 09:52:54 AM »
Quote
Pretty much all I have left is to find a place to mount the spare and eventually come up with a better solution for the crummy wooden ramps I have. Winch & box have exceeded expectations so far.


Have you had any issues with the Harbor Freight winch overheating?  Do you take the winch off and store it in the dry when you are not using it?  I have always been a big believer in Warn winches, but I would like to have a winch on my car hauler for emergencies...(jeeps never break down do they??...).  The coupons and discounts at HF make it pretty tempting to give it a try....

Offline Ryan_M

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Re: The Willys Hauler
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2016, 10:57:01 AM »
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Have you had any issues with the Harbor Freight winch overheating?� Do you take the winch off and store it in the dry when you are not using it?� I have always been a big believer in Warn winches, but I would like to have a winch on my car hauler for emergencies...(jeeps never break down do they??...).� The coupons and discounts at HF make it pretty tempting to give it a try....


No issues with overheating but just pulling a dead Jeep 20' from where it is parked up onto the trailer doesn't make for a prolonged test. And the winch is mounted on a receiver hitch with the thought that I could remove and store inside (or use on another vehicle in a pinch?) but after talking with guys that have them permanently attached to their Jeeps and exposed 100% of the time I may just leave it there and see how it fares. Only time will tell. It is HEAVY so I'd be happy not to have to move it around any more than necessary.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2016, 10:58:26 AM by Ryan_M »
Current:
'49 CJ3A
'51 CJ3A
'42 Willys MB-T
'47 Bantam T3-C
Previous:
'46 2A
'51 3A
'52 3A
'52 M38
'54 3B
East Coast Wi