6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

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6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Thu Apr 07, 2022 1:36 pm

With weather warming up here in western Pa it's time to actually go to work on my enclosed trailer conversion.

The project is a 1985 6x12 Haulmark that has seen life as a lawn care trailer before I got it. When I got it in about 2009 from a salvage yard that towed it in as abandon several years later I used it as a racing kart hauler. Now it will see a life of relaxation as my wife's and my get away.

First the what the hell are you thinking pictures.
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Image

In the second picture you can see on the floor among the clutter sheets of 4x8 FRP. I will be removing the skin and roof and replacing it with the frp. In the front of the second picture are 2 4x2 RV windows scavenged from a local RV/camper junk yard (thus the anti-stealth lol) They will go on each side.

Also on the second picture you see a horizontal bar in the foreground. Over the winter I made some minor progress and removed the entire rear of the trailer. I am reframing the rear with square tubing so that I will have a 60 inch wide 40 inch tall door that will fold down that will create a shelf of sorts much like a pop up tent that will allow a full size mattress to be scooted out for sleeping.

Total budget for the project is $5000 and I hope to be complete in 3 months.
Last edited by Wrecit on Thu Apr 07, 2022 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=74635
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Thu Apr 07, 2022 1:45 pm

Just got some shocking good news after I made my initial post. My canvas guy that will be doing the cover for the pop out called with his price. I budgeted $750 to 1500 for the piece. He came back to me with a total for the cover at $275!!!!!

Now the question is do I tell the wife or use the money to upgrade other features lol.

Here is a very rough sketch of the canvas plan

Image
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Thu Apr 07, 2022 4:51 pm

And finally figured out how to post pix lol
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby rjgimp » Thu Apr 07, 2022 5:08 pm

Wrecit wrote:And finally figured out how to post pix lol


And so the peasants rejoiced...

:applause: :applause:
:P :P
:dancing :dancing
:awesome: :awesome:
-Rob


I hope to make it to a Procrastinators Anonymous meeting someday...
just as soon as the steering committee gets around to scheduling one!
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby rjgimp » Thu Apr 07, 2022 5:10 pm

Wrecit wrote:Just got some shocking good news after I made my initial post. My canvas guy that will be doing the cover for the pop out called with his price. I budgeted $750 to 1500 for the piece. He came back to me with a total for the cover at $275!!!!!

Now the question is do I tell the wife or use the money to upgrade other features lol.

Here is a very rough sketch of the canvas plan

Image


Shhhhhhh!!! Upgrade. Definitely upgrade. :yes:
-Rob


I hope to make it to a Procrastinators Anonymous meeting someday...
just as soon as the steering committee gets around to scheduling one!
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby twisted lines » Thu Apr 07, 2022 6:50 pm

Front pocket change, your going to need lots of it :lol:
Racking up; And Rapin foam
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:25 am

Unless Murphy (of Murphy's law fame) rears his head I hope to buy the rest of the steel I will need to finish the welding fab on my trailer on Thursday. Bought a harbor freight 10x17 tent garage a few weeks ago and will be putting it up this week so I can work out of the weather.

Anyone interested here is the shopping list

3x3 1/8 inch box tube 6 ft for rear "bumper" replacement
4 piece 3/4x3/4 box 6 ft long for seat and header for the windows
35 ft of 1x1 angle iron to form the rear drop down "shelf/door" for the bed

1 piece 3/4 plywood to act as work table for rear door layout (later used for window corners and some floor patching)

With the tent going up it may be a while till I can post larger outside of trailer pix but will do my best to detail what is going on.
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=74635
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:27 am

Well Murphy and weather has halted things since the last post but I did finally make some progress today. A bit of a note......37 year old torx and Philip head screws may or may not be able to be removed using traditional methods lol.

I had to resort to using a grinder with grind wheel for a few hours today to make the progress my son and I made today (only about 3-4 hrs of total work)

Tomorrow is another day and with a little luck it will be totally de-skinned tomorrow

Image
Image
Image

In this one you can see the aluminum top corners that run the length of the trailer leaning inside for storage for the night. If you zoom in on some of the original post pictures you will see they were very ugly and what I thought was heavy stained. Luckily a pressure washer made quick work of alot of the uglyness. In the coming week I plan to break out some polish (maybe brasso since I am an old military guy lol) and some fresh pads for my buffer and try to get a bit of a mirror finish on the rails before reinstall
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Sorry I am not hitting the project harder yet but I am actually only about 2 1/2 months past a third surgery in 2 years to repair a torn bicep tendon so I have to be very careful and can only "hit it hard" when one of my kids can lend a hand right now.

Will post the naked pix (of the trailer of course lol) tomorrow
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Tue Apr 26, 2022 11:32 am

.
Last edited by Wrecit on Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=74635
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:45 pm

Productive weekend (plus 30 minutes on Monday lol)

The trailer is completely naked out side. Will load up the aluminum in a bit and head to the scrap yard then head up to grab the last of the metal tube I need to frame the windows and replace the rear bumper.

Image
Image
Image
Yea that corner was the thirty minutes this morning. We had rain on the way and had to stop to get the tent/garage up.
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DUDE WHERES MY ROOF!!??!!
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The neighbors and happy that the eye sore is now out of sight lol. It is a little cramped around the outside of the project now (about 2 ft app around) but I can work out of the weather. It will also double as a paint booth to keep down over spray when we paint.

If you zoom in you will notice that I have a bit of sanding and prep work before I put the new skin on. On the bright side I have about 100 rattle cans of paint with not enough to really do anything with so after I sand the metal down going to turn my daughter loose to give all the metal a coat for protection. Yes it will look like a rainbow bomb but the up side is it will all be covered
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=74635
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Tue May 03, 2022 6:29 pm

Here's links to my video logs so far.

https://youtu.be/xvLoJ-etL84
https://youtu.be/VvCKirwPrVk
https://youtu.be/OXamHq-dc5U

Next step is to clean out and organize the trailer because I have got a bit of a mess with all the tools and materials I have stowed I side. After that now that weather is warmer and it's under tent I should be able to pick out several steps quickly so hope to make several updates and videos soon
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Wed May 04, 2022 3:47 pm

Today's work was try to get the aluminum top rails in shape. It was a simi success because after finishing sanding on one rail my back and arms are killing me lol

Here is before
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And here is after
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The one on the left is sanded to 800 grit the one on the right is only to 400 grit right now. Have some swirl issues I don't like and going to either redo the 800 grit straight line or break out the car buffer and buffing compound or maybe both lol.
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Tas » Wed May 04, 2022 8:50 pm

Huge improvement…….good for you……should give you a sense of accomplishment!
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Staryder61 » Thu May 05, 2022 1:52 pm

Looking good, got my attention.
I see these type trailers out here in the country all the time. :thinking: Some about the shape of yours starting out.
We be great to see how yours turns out.
Stay safe, David



Our CTC
6' X 12' CTC = Texas Sized Tackle Box
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=74704
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Re: 6x12 anti-stealth enclosed trailer conversion

Postby Wrecit » Tue May 10, 2022 12:27 pm

Well aluminum is done. Will do a final buff and wax right before reinstall but sanding came out amazing
Image

Also got windows roughed in. Need to go back and do some "pretty welding" but the structure is done.
Image
Image
The walls are only 3/4 so I am going to try to use 3/4 foam sandwich between the outside frp and inside panel to support the window sides and corners rather than plywood to save a few ounces lol.

Along with prettying up the window welds I bought a piece of 2 inch by 3 inch box tube to replace the rear bumper
Image

After that going to use a flapper wheel on a grinder to clean up the existing steel that has some ugly aluminum on steal gunk all over as well as hit the surface rust spots.
Image
Image

After that a little rattle can action to seal it and I can start hanging the frp
You hide your conversion and call it stealth. I put mine out in the open and give it a beer.

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