Car hauler makeover

still kikn

Member
Messages
102
Reaction score
1
Location
Missouri
Back in the days before safety and emissions inspections pretty much put an end to $200/$300 dollar cars I used to buy oldies to fix up and resell as a sideline to my regular job. I built this trailer to pick up and deliver them but got out of the business ten years ago and it's been sitting unused ever since.

I had a couple offers to buy it over that time but always thought I might use it again someday. Finally decided I probably never will so I guess I'll fix it up and sell it. Don't think anyone would be too interested in it in it's present condition so guess this will be my next project. The lumber is rotten so that will have to be replaced for sure and definitlly needs repainting and a change of tires. Wheel bearings will have to be repacked and may need replaced after sitting for ten years too. Other than that everything seems to be in great shape.

For quite awhile it's been a catch all for all kinds of junk that I needed to put someplace so first thing was to unload all the accumulated junk it had collected and get rid of that. Then I removed the boards which turned out to be a bigger job than I'd anticipated. I'd fastened them down with 5/16 bolts (around 60 of them) and those were far too rusted to try and remove with wrenches so I first had to grind off the heads before I could pry off the board. Then drive the remaining bolt down through the hole and pull it out using vice grips. Took me the better part of the afternoon but got them all off and most of the bolts removed before quitting for the day.

Doing this partly because it's too nice a trailer to let it continue to rust away and also to finance the next project down the road.
 

Attachments

  • Car hauler renewal-08-15-2020.jpg
    Car hauler renewal-08-15-2020.jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 11
  • Car hauler renewal-08-15-202-2.jpg
    Car hauler renewal-08-15-202-2.jpg
    2.5 MB · Views: 12
  • Car hauler renewal-08-15-202-4.jpg
    Car hauler renewal-08-15-202-4.jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 10
  • Car hauler renewal-08-15-202-3.jpg
    Car hauler renewal-08-15-202-3.jpg
    2.4 MB · Views: 12

still kikn

Member
Messages
102
Reaction score
1
Location
Missouri
Got er done. Had a hard time finding rough cut oak boards but finally found a sawmill still in business not too awful far away but then had to wait two weeks before they could cut them for me.

I was planning on putting some used tires on to replace the weather checked, dry rotted ones on there but after checking every tire dealer in the area it seems that 15 inch tires are getting to be a thing of the past and used ones that are any good are hard to find. I finally bit the bullet and bought four new ones, ouch. Guess I'll have to raise the price a bit to pay for the extra I had to put in the tires, but hopefully it'll sell pretty quickly anyway. Besides the new lumber and tires I also replacedTrailer-09-10-2020(2).jpgTrailer-09-10-2020(2).jpg the wiring harness and gave it couple coats of flat black Rustoleum and repacked the wheel bearings.
 

Attachments

  • Trailer-09-10-2020.jpg
    Trailer-09-10-2020.jpg
    299.6 KB · Views: 5

Kartorbust

Well-known member
Messages
3,897
Reaction score
188
Location
Utica, NE
I can still find trailer tires for 15s pretty easily, but the width and aspect ratio might not be correct. I haven't really glanced at newer car haulers and the like, so I'm not sure if they have gone with a 16" wheel or not. Anyway, your restoration looks great. Does it have brakes or no?
 

still kikn

Member
Messages
102
Reaction score
1
Location
Missouri
Thanks, it has one brake axle but I never did hook em up. Before I had a chance to find a brake controller I needed to haul a 68 Impala and found out even with a big heavy car like that on the trailer I didn't have any trouble stopping so I never did hook up the wiring for the brake axle. Just drove carefully, always allowing myself plenty of stopping distance. Hauled dozens of cars and trucks on it over the years and never had any trouble stopping. I was driving a 1985 3/4 ton pickup at the time. Not as fearless (foolish) now as I was back then so probably would use them today.
 

Attachments

  • Trailer-09-11-2020(2).jpg
    Trailer-09-11-2020(2).jpg
    351.5 KB · Views: 4
Top