Lonnie Mac's "Two Phun" Sparks!

[TRP]

Hey Lonnie,

The radius for the lower side lip of the fender is 13". The radius to the top of the fender is just around 15 3/8ths".

The trailer frame was originally made by 'Hadco'.


Hope this helps.

Ted

[Lonnie Mac]

Thanks brotha! I'll get on it. I think I might have finally found some woodlin windows, there's a small shot, but I'm waiting on an email. It's beed kinda discouraging looking for the original Woodlin's, or Hehr's. I have probably spent countless hours just looking for them. Trying not to have to go to some standard square crank outs if I can.

[Lonnie Mac]

Howdy friends!

It's been a bit, but I can literally taste this build now. Unfortunately I'm not a rich man. Finally have six grand saved up. That's going straight to the roofer here in a week or two so I can finally get a new roof after hurricane IKE tore us a new one several years ago. Be glad to get the dayum blue tarps off of the back!

So as such, I have had plenty of time to draw and think. Renting the Little Guy several times now, I have had some revelations into what Moonbeam and I really want in this build. So I am doing it the hard way as usual. I'm going 5' X 9', and the height is going to be 4 1/2 feet tall. This will kinda lock me in to finding some 5 X 10 sheets, wood and aluminum. Should be not too awfully hard around here in boat building land.

The main reason's for the added dimensions are so we can have the Camp Chief oven on a slide out in the back right, and the Coleman steel belt cooler on a slide out in the back left. Watching the "Chuck Box" video on here somewhere gave me a GREAT idea. While traveling, the Coleman cooler will live in the back of the FJ until we get to camping. In the left slide out, will have an idea I have for a chuck box that we can take out and set up, then move the cooler to that spot. The chuck box will actually be a sink box, complete with a sink, spigot, hot water heater, all the plates, dishes and washing stuff I can fit inside. We'll set this up behind the benroy, run the hose and power to the pole. Should be a fun sub project in itself!

I think the profile is still very much the same as the original Benroy, just a tad taller and longer, and of course wider.

I'll have the Hobart welder ordered here in short order finally, along with the steel, funny, ALL from Amazon delivered free with Prime! LOL. They have everything I need, all the frame members, (1 1/2" X 2 1/2"), plate steel, leveling legs, Flexiride half axles, coupler, wheels, mooncaps, EVERYTHING!

Hope to make sparks soon finally.

[Lonnie Mac]

I had eluded earlier about having a deployable back rest in the TD. Here's what I came up with. It will be stowed on the front wall. There will be four slide latches, two at each top corner and two at each bottom going into small metal plates in the sidewalls. You can unlatch the top two, move it into the deployed position and re latch, then unlatch the bottom two, stow the pillows behind and re latch into the deployed position. Of course, the back rest (head board) will have a vinyl padding.

Can't wait!



Latches...

[mezmo]

Good idea - The slanted backrest/headboard combo !
It looks sharp, and provides comfort and function to boot.

Do you have a link for those slide latches ? They're classy !

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Lonnie Mac]

Good idea - The slanted backrest/headboard combo !
It looks sharp, and provides comfort and function to boot.

Do you have a link for those slide latches ? They're classy !

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Ah Thanks!

These latches are called "flush bolts". There are literally hundred of styles on the intertube. I haven't quite picked out the exact bolts yet. These bolts I have pictured are here:

http://www.miles-nelson.com/205_flush_bolts.php

[mezmo]

Thanks for the link.

[Lonnie Mac]

Yahoo. Welder is on the way!

In the meantime, removing some weight from these sidewalls.

[TRP]

As a long time builder of giant scale radio controlled aircraft, I've found that 'removing weight' by hollowing out small portions of the formers really doesn't save as much weight as you'd imagine. For the time it will take you to measure and cut those holes, you're better off using a thinner piece of ply.

YMMV,
Ted

[Lonnie Mac]

As a long time builder of giant scale radio controlled aircraft, I've found that 'removing weight' by hollowing out small portions of the formers really doesn't save as much weight as you'd imagine. For the time it will take you to measure and cut those holes, you're better off using a thinner piece of ply.

YMMV,
Ted

I know where you are coming from Ted. As an old A&P mech, and aircraft designer, any chips you can leave in the shop floor is money. I don't want to deal with the warping issues if thinner material, and I don't wan't to haul around an extra sheet of 3/4' marine grade. The tradeoff, is watchin a CNC router hog out all this weight!

[Lonnie Mac]

Well, as a quasi April Fool's joke, I am making sparks! Naw, but really, I am this much closer at least! The welder is all tuned in, and steel will shortly fill our garage.

Yep, I welded that little coupon on the floor next to my stool. (Well, and that stainless beast behind it) But that was some time ago... I digress... Trying to get my old welding hand back and it looks like I'm picking it up where I left off. (Albeit at bit shaky!)

Very soon. Framage time!

[TRP]

LOL - look at that photo!!? That's brochure quality.

If I didn't see the Brutus, the kegs/wine barrel in the background, I'd swear it was from the Hobart site.

Looks great!

Ted

[Lonnie Mac]

LOL - look at that photo!!? That's brochure quality.

If I didn't see the Brutus, the kegs/wine barrel in the background, I'd swear it was from the Hobart site.

Looks great!

Ted

Ha! Thanks Ted! Yea, stupid photo hobby of mine always get's in the way too!

Funny. Moonbeam and I are both avid photogs. It's really been what pushed us to build the TD. We can plan photo trips, and I can finally grow old in peace. We spend a lot of time out and about every weekend shooting. Sometimes we just don't want to go home. It would be great to have the TD hauling the gear.

[aggie79]

I had eluded earlier about having a deployable back rest in the TD. Here's what I came up with. It will be stowed on the front wall. There will be four slide latches, two at each top corner and two at each bottom going into small metal plates in the sidewalls. You can unlatch the top two, move it into the deployed position and re latch, then unlatch the bottom two, stow the pillows behind and re latch into the deployed position. Of course, the back rest (head board) will have a vinyl padding.

Can't wait!



Latches...

Lonnie,

Fantastic design! A little work on the front end pays off in the long run. (This advice is from someone that learned the hard way and started building without plans.)

You'll like the angled back rest. On our teardrop, I just angled the cabinet face frames and doors. We sit up against ours in the evening watching movies before we go to bed.



Take care,
Tom

[Lonnie Mac]

Lonnie,

Fantastic design! A little work on the front end pays off in the long run. (This advice is from someone that learned the hard way and started building without plans.)

You'll like the angled back rest. On our teardrop, I just angled the cabinet face frames and doors. We sit up against ours in the evening watching movies before we go to bed.



Take care,
Tom

Thanks Tom!! Man I love your TD. Probably the closest TD to me here in Texas. Maybe when we get this thing done we can make a trip up your way from here in Galveston. We try and go the the Dixie Cup (beer comp) every year. I would LOVE to see yours!