Update on "Toybox" trailer project

[barry2952]

I'm also glad to see that your getting everything fixed up. good luck with it.

Thanks a lot!

9-27-2006 Sheet metal installation

I cut out the shape leaving the protective layer in place.

I used duct tape to hang the sheet in position. It is tucked up under the sheet above and sandwiched in-between a horizontal aluminum support. The rivets that attached the metal to the strut were installed on 3" centers while the seam above was set to 1 1/2" centers so I drilled new holes to match.

The new skin will take on the identical appearance as soon as all the vertical rivets are installed.

Once I do a final buff of this area the repair will be indistinguishable from the original surface.

 

[barry2952]

9-28-2006 Riveting

I enlisted the aid of my office manager Christine in acting as Rosie the Riveter. She followed my instructions well and the work went rather quickly.

The new J channel will be installed after I repair the other section.

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[barry2952]

9-30-2006 Installed last panel and J channel

I used the remnants of the last panel as a pattern for the new panel

The last panel need to be altered so that it would fit above the wheel well

I polished the new J moulding befor drilling and cutting to fit.

Near completion of the exterior repairs. Two new light fixtures and some rear door trim are on order.

 

[barry2952]

10-4-2006 THE DOOR

The door was badly kinked when the base of the door was trapped in-between the crashing Porsche and the guardrail.

The door skin is the same 2024 T-3 Alclad as the rest of the siding. The inner door shell is pure untempered aluminum. It is very soft and was tough to flatten out.

I spend hours and hours straightening the metal. The more I did the worse it looked. I tried polishing and it looked even worse.

I decided to install a patch panel over the distressed metal. I mimicked the radius of the door and riveted it in place. The patch is Alclad and is covered with a layer of pure aluminum. It will polish out the same as the door stamping.

I replaced the door skin because the guard rail had burned through the layer of pure aluminum and stretched the metal. Taking the door apart allowed me to straighten the inner door instead of trying to find a 55 year old replacement.

The replacement door skin was simple to duplicate, as were the side panels. I used the old door skin as a template.

There are some inner stiffeners that needed to be riveted to the door skin before installation on the door back.

The lock bezel opening needed to be closely cut for strength and appearance. Lots of 1/8" holes and smoothing with a carbide burr.

Test fit the door skin and drilled all rivet holes. Then I deburred holes for a tight fit of panels.

Installed new insulation.

Completed riveting door perimeter and cut out window opening. This was done last so that the panel went on without buckling along side the window opening.

Finished product.

Installed. Perfect fit.

 

[Frat-man-du]

As always - perfect!

 

[Calabrio]

That's such an amazing show piece. You certainly do have some cool toys.

 

[cavemansmarkviii]

I have to say Barry, your level of dedication and obvious patience along with having good working skills is unparalleled. A beautiful job.

 

[barry2952]

Thank you all. It's very cool to get this kind of feedback. Posting this kind of reminds me of going to a neighborhood garage where I could watch a project like this take shape. That was my first taste of creative automotive skills.

Most of the skills I used in these repairs and modifications were honed in High School shop classes. In my senior year we restored the teachers MG-A. We took it completely apart. I love taking things apart.

10-6-2006

Finished with all external repairs.

 

[barry2952]

10-8-2006

Started on interior repairs. The badly bent door jamb was cut away 6" above the bend. This allowed several of the hinge screws to mount into the replacement section. I backed up the splice with a section of the original door frame. The splice will be encapsulated in structural foam so there was no need for further support.

All of the broken studs were replaced with double layers of 3/4" plywood. I anchored them to the floor with pieces of 1 1/2" angle iron. I had to drill new holes for the wires to pass through the new studs.

I decided to put the control box back in the same location. I'm going to make a new aluminum cover and abandon the plastic one. I made a template 3" smaller then the proper hole size. My circular saw cuts 1 1/2" from the saw's guide edge so the block forms the cut lines. The saw came too close to the wheel well so I scored the aluminum along the fourth side and it simply snapped off under pressure.

 

[pepperman]

The progress on the repairs keeps looking good, very cool.

 

[barry2952]

10-11-2006

This is the only detail that I regret. It really stuck out like a sore thumb. Since I had to replace the sheet metal it was mounted on I decided to rethink the whole idea.

I mounted the control box directly to the .032 Alclad siding with numerous rivets.

I stood back trying to envision a proper hatch cover that would look original. Just to the left of the control panel is the rear door. The proportions were similar so I decided to mimick the shape and hinges on the trailer door. I scaled the radius of the big door down to the same proportions on the new hatch. I duplicated the hinge detail as it is exposed on the front of the door. The hinge is also cut back into the cover of the door. I duplicated that detail, too. I created a stiffener that was laminated to the cover to keep the thin metal from flexing. The corner tabs were bent up for further rigidity.

The three pieces were drilled and deburred.

Final riveting.

The finished product.

After beating on the 3/16" thick fender well for awhile with a 20 lb. sledge I was able to push it back into decent shape. I sanded off all of the gouges and scratches and buffed the area to a mirror finish.

Once I buff the rest of the wheel well I'll install a new conspicuity stripe.

Almost ready to refoam the walls.

 

[barry2952]

10-12-2006

The mock-up for the handle went so well I just went ahead and fabbed up a handle shaft out of an alumimum bolt. I squared the end after threading on a thin nylock. I drilled and tapped a 10-32 hole for the screw that holds the handle to the shaft. The nylock allows me to set the pressure on the hatch skin allowing the handle to move, but not flop around.

I'm not sure which way I want the handle to face.

This way?

Or this way?

I'll cut the head off of the aluminum bolt and clean up the threads. Another nylock will thread on from the new end, sandwiching the latch in-between the faces of the nylocks with a star washer to maintain position.

 

[barry2952]

10-13-2006

I cut the head off of the aluminum bolt, beveled the cut and cleaned the thread with a die. I cut two 1/8" parallel grooves in the bolt to receive the latch.

The latch is made from fairly soft 1/8" aluminum. That allows me to bend the tip to make a final adjustment.

Cutting through the side panel is the hardest thing to do. I drilled a hole outward to locate where I wanted the center of the switch.

I drilled lots of tiny holes inside my lines.

Connect the dots with the drill, file the edges to fit.

Just like it was always there

 

[barry2952]

10-14-2006

Finished wall and wiring repairs.

Just a reminder of what I started with after the accident.

I've come a long ways.

The last step before final finishes is the installation of structural foam. In order to do that I have to hit the open road for a 20 mile trip to the foam installer.

I'm going to await the arrival of the new weight distributing hitch before I venture out again.

The insurance company bought the defective hitch. I posted questions about WD hitches on several towing related websites and the brand Equal-I-Zer kept coming up.

The construction of the hitch is simpler yet performs both weight distribution and sway control.

http://www.progressmfg.com/

 

[barry2952]

10-18-2006

I got the new hitch and installed it. I have to say that I am not impressed with the finish work on it. The packaging was atrocious and most of the pieces came missing about 20% of the paint.

Their video would have you believe that they take great care because it's "Made in America". I was able to flake paint off with my fingernail. They used no primer and didn't clean the parts before they painted them.

The finish work and paint job on the crappy Chinese hitch that failed is far better than this product. If that's the best America can do, we're all in trouble.


New work:

One of the things I never finished was a latch assembly for the upper rear door. I found a keyed dual plunger latch that operates very similar to a pick-up truck tailgate latch. Lift the handle and the mechanism draw the two actuating bars to the center, pulling in the plungers.

I needed to remove the door as one of the hinge blocks was damaged in the accident. I removed the inner door lining. I discovered that the ramp did some damage to the lining in the collision. I'll just use the damaged piece as a template.

The latch mechanism is similar to a passage lock plunger on a residential door. It's ramped so that it retracts under pressure. It will latch into a custom made socket that is ramped so that the door is held tightly in transit. I determined the location and made the cut.

The plunger protrudes through the side of the door about 3/4". Even cutting away that much of the wood side rail the door lost none of its structure because of the foam.

 

[barry2952]

10-20-2006 Update on the Porsche

Stripping all the paint uncovered a lot of bad previous bodywork, but no rust except for the bottoms of both doors. Actually there were no perforations but the doors had swelled slightly at the bottom and couldn't be aligned flush with the door sills.

I know it looks ugly now but it will be a prize when it's done.

 

[barry2952]

10-20-2006 Found some hidden damage after removing the upper door to fit the new latch mechanism. One of the hinge plates had ripped away from the wood frame. Since the holes were stripped I drilled them out and bolted the plates through the frame with nylock fasteners.

The latch mechanism was designed to mount through a sheel metal facade like a cabinet or locker door. The unit was about 1/4" too tall to fit within the space so I altered it slightly to fit.

The old mounting location for the steel license plate bracket was badly corroded from dissimilar metal being in contact. It turned out to be an ideal place for the locking latch.

After careful measuring (I hate cutting holes in this thing) I played connect the dots again and roughed out the proper size hole. When I was done I polished the area and flipped the door over again

The central mechanism pull two rods toward the handle drawing back the latches.

One of the door panels was damage so I duplicated it from a salvaged section of side panel.

The door is ready for reinstallation. I'm trying to decide whether to cover the access ports with white material, semi-polished aluminum or polished tread plate.

 

[barry2952]

10-30-2006

The Porsche is nearing final paint. The body work, from what I can tell in primer, is flawless. The color they mixed is very near what was on there and it's a standard formula based on Porsche color charts.

They said they would shoot the door jambs and inside of the doors, hood and engine cover separately today. Tomorrow the edges and overspray will be sanded and the final coats of urethane paint and clearcoat will be applied.

The Phoenix is nearer to completion. I reinstalled the upper hatch after completing and testing the latch. The wiring to the tail and license plate lighting was rehooked in the hinge access hatches and the system tested.

During the original build some had commented on how cheesy the white plastic moulding looked interfacing with the aluminum body. I found some aluminum edging made for do-it-yourself teardrop top edging. It's made of a very soft alloy so it can be bent. A little polishing and it should blend right in.

 

[barry2952]

11-3-2006 Porsche update

WOW!

It's going to be beautiful. Almost too perfect. No Porsche ever came out of the factory looking this straight.

Most Porsche headlight trims don't fit perfectly as there is a slight variation in all of them. My headlight trims served as a guide to shape the metal of the fender to fit the trim rather than use body filler to create a proper gap.

I asked the painter today what the paint job entailed. Earlier photos showed a green primer. That is an epoxy primer shot over bare metal. It seals off all oxygen and bonds to the rough metal and provides a base for the body filler to bond to.

Body fillers are a necessary evil but the object is to use as little as possible. The body filler is only to be used to take out hammer marks, not straighten body curves. A thin layer of body filler is applied to the whole car. It is block-sanded until it reveals high or low spots in the sheet metal. The metal in the flawed area is reworked to need the least amout of filler. This process often exposes raw metal so the finished work is shot in green primer again.

I believe he said they then spray gray primer and block the car again. The green underlayment serves as a visual guide to proper filler thickness. I'm told that a small magnet should stick anywhere on this car. Multiple sprays of gray primer sanded in-between builds the base for the color coat.

The car was shot in urethane, or two-stage color. Any imperfections can be removed at this stage. Numerous coats of clear coat are sprayed to further build up the base.

The surfaces are then sanded with 800, 1,000 and 1,200 grit before buffing. The smoother the surface the less heat will be generated significantly lowering the risk of burning the paint. The only part that hadn't been buffed yet was the hood. they are going to remount the hood, engine cover and doors and ship it back to the guy that took it apart for painting.

He's restoring the steering wheel while the car's being repaired. He'll do the reassembly of the windshield, wipers and all the trim. Then it will come back to Autometrics for detailing and spraying the fenderwells black again. Then we can bring it home.

 

[barry2952]

11-7-2006

I took the PHOENIX out today. I towed it 15 miles to the shop that foamed the damaged areas. The trip made me very nervous. I drove it empty and without the weight equalizing hitch, just to see how it handled and it did just fine. I drove it just to see if there was a natural wag, and there isn't. It tracks straight and true but it is a big trailer and I have to get used to it.

The wall cavities were filled and I headed home.

The countertop had just been installed a couple of hours when we took off on the maiden voyage. The accident shifted the trailer so badly that the top moved and the glue cured with the top in the wrong position. Using lots of shims I was able to free and reset the top where it belongs.

These appliances were installed just before we left. I'm not sure if I posted the pictures. The top cabinet contains a microwave and a 6-bottle wine cooler. I've had it running for days and it holds steady at 40°.

Installed the latches in the front access doors. Simple devices that look pretty natural in this environment.

 

[barry2952]

11-12-2006

The Mark II left today for the Naples Concours on the 17th of November. His trailer is much bigger than mine.

The inside of the Phoenix is back to where it was before the accident.

Things that remain to be done:

Flooring for garage area.

Box-in ramp springs.

Install braces and FRP to complete belly pan.

Install lighting in garage.

Add 4 batteries to bank. (8 Optima marine batteries total)

Finish cabnetry in cabin and garage.

Replace bent 15,000 lb hitch on trailer tongue.

Install new Equal-I-Zer weight distributing hitch.

 

[Sergmark]

Lookin good Barry... What will you do when the Phoenix is done ??
Good luck at the Concours !!

 

[barry2952]

Thanks Serg,

My '68 Lincoln limousine is next in line for restoration. It already had an air rear suspension. I think I can make it ride low.

 

[Sergmark]

Thats cool Barry,
A 68 Limo sounds like a good project.
I need to get off my lazy A*&^ and start puttin the 94 back together.

 

[barry2952]

11-13-2006

I cut off my tonge today. No, not my tongue, the trailer's tongue.

Remember this?

This is what happened to the other half. The tongue hitch was bent about 1 inch off center. The measurement from the center of the hitch to the centers of the axles is a critical measurement. Luckily, the Dexter Airflex system has adjusters built in for alignment. Simply loosen the U-bolts and use the two adjusters per side to move the axle forward or back.

I started off using a cutting torch but that got too hot for the wiring that runs through the frame. I protected the wiring within rigid conduit but the flame would eventually damaged the wires.

I threw open the garage doors and fired up the 2-stroke chop saw. I cut away all the metal that wasn't welded to the tongue and then ground away the welds.

I own a MIG welder but these welds are too critical for my skill level. My friend, the welder, has a portable unit that will give the penetration needed for these important welds.