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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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E91 Trailer Project (E36 Based Trailer)
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05-03-2013, 06:17 AM | #111 |
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Trailer parts are in!...like Christmas in May.....
trailer tongue jack, got the center mount type that I can put a foot or wheel on...Stabilizer jack...for the back end (when the trailer is off the car, and you have unloaded all the stuff in front and forget you have the trunk still loaded!!! lol)....and lastly, Safety cables that coil up automatically, nice!.... Im installing the trailer tongue today with bolts and maybe a few tack welds, but its going in!....then I can wheel this bad boy out of the garage and get it flipped back over and on its tires again!...its been a while.... JP |
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05-14-2013, 07:53 AM | #112 |
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I havent posted in a while, but made some good progress.....
Getting structure in the front of the trailer has proven a bit more involved than I originally thought....but its firming up nicely now.... Here is the stabilizer jack I mounted in place for the back of the trailer, knowing me, I would be off loading the thing with the trailer off the hitch and take everything out of the front first.....now, if I can remember to deploy the stabilizer jack, Ill be all set!..... I cut a panel for extra support and plug welded it in place, then drilled my holes for the jack...its bolted and welded...should be good. I welded in a piece of angle iron for the top of the trailer tongue where it sits in the rear diff cradle...this gives it good torsional support...so now its over built nicely...as I welded a 1/4" plate on top (really the bottom, but its upside down) of the cradle which I then drilled through and bolted the whole assembly together... My welds are getting better, but I still need to play with wire speed, I think...any helpful advice there would be much appreciated. I think I need to go to flux core wire with the thicker stuff....(Millermatic, 110 unit)...right now, Im actually drilling down into the 3/16 tongue for better weld penetration...its a way around, but not a perfect solution!......(maybe thats why Im bolting things together too.....a little peace of mind) I added some angle to the brace for the front floor area...which had quite a bit of flex in it. This will help support the floor braces and add strength to the assembly.... Finally a couple of welds I can show off...I butt welded the pcs...leaving a slight gap all the way around...this way, the weld went all the way through the metal..... This one is at the leading edge of one of the angle braces...I filled in the corner with weld..... well, thats about it....gotta button things up here, my deadline is fast approaching and I need the trailer operational asap!... If you guys see anything that looks off, let me know!.... thanks for checking in! JP |
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05-17-2013, 10:54 AM | #113 |
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getting ready to flip the trailer over this weekend.....buttoning up a few details.
seam sealed the battery tray area: overall front structure: primed, painted and undercoated: The wheels cleaned up really quite well....Im surprised at how much nicer they look. I decided to paint the discs silver and will be adding a weight saving faux red caliper complete with Brembo lettering and some rivet detail...it will be made out of aluminum sheet which will be bonded to a bracket.... I couldnt leave the nasty chipped and rusty shock bottoms so I cleaned them up a bit.... more later... JP |
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05-19-2013, 11:05 AM | #114 |
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Made some great progress this weekend with the help of my neighbor's FEL.....Got the trailer back on its sneakers....I have not seen this side of it in quite a while!
Finally got all that ugly bracing off!....glad to have that out of the way.... Welded in the top cross member..this trailer is very sturdy...even without the cross bar, the uprights didnt budge side to side...amazing construction. The famous table leg rear bumper shock support tube; Just to see what it looks like with the tail light in place; My next challenges: deciding how to fabricate the drip rails for above the doors. These panels have to not only shed water, but give the tonneau cover a place to rest...and that has to seal too....its going to be interesting! I am also figuring out the wiring...there is still a rats nest of wires that I left in place which has to be sorted out.... Front panel construction (not hinged any more) will consist of a steel frame with an aluminum panel for weight savings.... thats about it for now.... JP |
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05-20-2013, 09:49 AM | #115 |
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Got some more done yesterday afternoon...but ran out of welding wire!...bummer...I also burned out my grinder (which I had rebuilt 3 or so times, so it did not owe me anything!)
Here is one of the door handles frenched in...It took a while to get the template right, then trim the steel to the right size so it would be flush...but Im hopeful for good results with a skim coat of filler....I was after a nice smooth look to the side of the trailer, and since Im keeping the doors operational, I thought I should smooth out the handle area....(It will open from the inside only as a security feature....) and I started work on the back end of this thing...what a chore this will be!...sorry, challenge, yeah, challenge! ( I know, I should just replace the panel with a new or used one...but I have not had any luck finding a local one...aftermarket ones are upwards of 275.00 and that is just not happening!....I can get a set of matching E91 wheels locally for 150.00, If I have anything left over, it will go towards them!) Found the tonneau cover in the shed this morning, but am missing the hinged part that clamps to the truck bed...gotta be around here somewhere! It needs a 1-3" channel to fit width wise, and of course it will need to be shortened and shaped by the trunk, but I think it will work!.... JP |
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05-20-2013, 09:58 AM | #116 |
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we have the same color wagon
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05-20-2013, 09:45 PM | #117 |
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05-21-2013, 08:19 AM | #119 |
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05-21-2013, 08:33 AM | #120 | |
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brown red copper metallic gold (yes, gold) burgundy maroon no purples yet..... Touch Up Paint list it as Barberarot Metallic....now this translates into "Barbera" red.....the other one thats close is Barriquerot...now I like this one better because it translates into "Wine barrel" red....more along my tastes! ha! JP |
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05-21-2013, 08:37 AM | #121 | |
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05-27-2013, 08:06 AM | #123 |
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Its been a little while, but I got a lot of work done over the weekend....
the elephant in the trailer...that rusted out area under the tail lights and trunk, was screaming "fix me" so it was time to start learning how to form sheet metal...well "learn" is subjective...but I did manage to learn alot about how sheet metal works when you try to bend it and its limitations, ect.... I also did not cut myself on any new metal!...that is a new miracle. Now, before any of you say, "Why didnt you just replace the panel with a new one?"....well...two reasons...I need to get good at this stuff....and this was a challenge....and then there was the budget.....There is very little left in that department, so there we are. (that just sounded like 3 reasons, but who's counting?) I first cut out more of the rear section and cleaned up any interior rust as best I could with grinders, files, sandpaper, wire brushes, ect....(I was trying to keep debris out of the lower section of those two panels where they disappear out of sight and then come together with a long series of welds and folded seams.....I figure the debris will just accelerate any rusting that might occur there) Once that was done, I started figuring out how to piece together new metal to fill the voids. It went better than expected...but slow...very slow...learning and doing are two different things...but, they say you learn BY doing..who knows. I dont have any pics of the pieces going in...I was in production mode...but here are some pics as it is now. I still have a lot of finishing to do, but the metal is close to the right shape for the most part... The trunk seals and latches and the metal along the drip edge follows the line of the bottom of the trunk......Im happy with that.... this side is still a bit rough, but it shows some of the process...I wish every weld was smooth and flat, and I wish all my weld lines were actually straight, or close to straight, but....that said, weld penetration is MUCH better...the welds are strong and now if I make a bad weld it is because I hang on too long in one area and burn through...(trust me, I would rather have that than a cold weld that pops apart!) I was trying to show the weatherstripping lip that I rebuilt here in the corner...it bends and blends on its way down to the bottom edge which runs all the way along the width of the trunk....in many areas I had to rebuild both edges...the one from the inner part of the trunk, and the new one....(no wonder this took so long!) The only hole left!....and now that looks easy!.... I started here. that top piece was the first one welded in. plug welded and then seam welded...it should stay put!...heh, heh.. A little redundant looking, but I began finishing the area behind the bumper supports...they will get wire brushed and undercoated as they are CRUSTY....but the panel looks pretty good. Now, on to the front edge....Here is my tonneau cover's frame on the leading edge of the trailer. This will hinge right where you see it....I will have to figure out some hidden hinges for it and may or may not be able to use those 68 mustang hinges I bought....we will see... I had to shorten the width by an inch here so it just lined up the the fold on the outside of the top of the doors. I have to bring it in another 2" over the length of the doors as these cars are streamlined and taper in towards the back. Ill be fitting the top with new snaps temporarily then getting an upholsterer to make me a nice new top this summer!...!: Now the parcel shelf is another elephant in the trailer. it steps up quite a bit. I think I have it figured out...but how this will look in the end is up in the air! more curved metal and drip edges, and rain gutters, and a curved trailing edge on the tonneau......Here you can just make out the parcel shelf out of focus...who cares about that....look at that wagon through the raised trunk! Door handles:...filled in...thats about it...they will open from the inside only. unless I want to get fancy and put some actuators in there that pop the doors open with a key fob!...... quite a bit of bondo on this side....it was still pushed in more than a 1/4 inch from a previous hit...and the body shop did not get it straight...but it worked and looked okay.....I straightened it back out from the inside with various tools and the good ole persuader hammer.... template Whew!...thats about it for now...more work today finishing up the rear panel and getting the doors rain gutters in place, the parcel shelf cut and filled, ect.... thanks for checking in! JP |
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05-29-2013, 04:05 PM | #124 |
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Feeling very accomplished today...I was able to figure out the parcel shelf dilemma where it runs under the tonneau cover. The shelf will have to meet the elevated level of the trunk at some point and I wanted to do this with SOME style....
So I cut and bent and measured and templated and cut some more to come up with this: I pie cut the back of the frame on the tonneau cover every 3" and bent it to match the curvature of the trunk. I got a bit lucky in that the parcel shelf is at the same height as the top of the doors. up top, I followed the curvature of the trunk across the tops of the fenders and ended at the tops of the doors. The piece that is angled that runs from the trunk to the parcel shelf will be a challenge...but it is doable. am I using aluminum and bonding everything together? steel sheet and welding?...not sure yet... the other thing I worked out is how the drip rail will run. this was very challenging for my little brain to wrap around. I have to channel water from around the trunk area and tonneau to just behind the doors where the natural water channel runs...This took a lot of pondering..but I finally figured it out..... anyway...I have planned the front panel and will be using aluminum panel bonded to square tubing. this whole assembly will be bonded to the front B pillars just in front of the doors and inside the seam welds..... thanks for looking! JP |
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05-29-2013, 10:20 PM | #125 |
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This is a pretty awesome project, I've been following it all the way, and it's amazing to see the progress you've been making. Seems like the perfect project to hone your welding skills on, something I'd like to work on whenever I get the chance. Can't wait to see the further progress and the final product. Should be awesome.
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05-30-2013, 08:58 PM | #126 | |
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06-10-2013, 08:19 PM | #129 |
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Been busy working on getting the details buttoned up and learning more and more about welding...this time around I seem to have overcome some obstacles with regard to thicker steel....in short, trial and error combined with tips and tricks, techniques and material prep helped the most.
The tonneau cover frame is all one piece now...a big item to cross off the list. I was also able to use my buddies shop to build and bend the front panel of the trailer in once piece.....I have access to a metal brake and work tables there too and its nice and clean....unlike the garage at home where the trailer IS the work table sometimes!!!.... I re-welded some of my earlier attempts...grinding out welds that were too cold and did not penetrate the metal enough and replaced them with much hotter (flux core) welds.....its a whole different set up with the machine...and I ran several test "sculptures" in order to get my technique acceptable. here is my "sculpture"...complete with "Mr Bill" face welded into the 3/16" steel..... This one is where the tongue exits the body of the trailer....I ground out the old weld, like i said before, and dug a ditch with the grinder which I then welded into. I know the weld will hold now!....(for those that know or care....I used an uphill upside down "V" technique as I was welding an inside corner and the inverted V was the way to go...machine on 10 for power and 5 for wire speed...030 flux core) Ill get more pics once I get these welds done...Ive had these panels on and off so many times Ive lost count! A bit of fun, here.....I cut the outer roof away from the frame and turned it upside down and damn if it was not close to the right shape...(I have a deep need to recycle stuff, I guess!) I could not figure out how to shape this piece in one piece, so I decided to cut it into two workable pieces and join them later.......this way the parcel shelf is nice and flat...and the rear panel elevates easily with a gentle compound curve up to the trunk. Heres the "drivers" side door that only needs one more skim coat of bondo and then it will be nice and smooth again: well thats about it for now... thanks for looking! JP |
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06-13-2013, 12:01 PM | #130 |
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The parcel shelf from hell.....
I found that doing this in once piece was a pretty ambitious task...so we got away with 4 pieces...two wings a shelf and the curved piece at the top....It will be welded together, flattened and shaped as best I can, then welded to the car.... its beginning to take shape up there..... Wing pieces shaped and cut pretty tightly... Inner drip rail in position.... Believe it or not...all this metal is from the donor car!...upside down roof panels, door window track from inside the door panel, ect...of course, some of the metal is from a washing machine...lol....hey, dont poke fun....free metal is free metal.... a little more smoothing on the back section. it looks kinda rough, but its really starting to smooth out....I would say the thickest section of bondo is 1/8 or so.... Window motor assembly....so guess how Im going to raise and lower the tonneau? (no pistons to deal with, no reaching way out to close the top....a limit switch at the top and bottom of travel should do it....) keep going JP! JP |
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06-13-2013, 12:12 PM | #131 |
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Don't forget to weld a serial number on it or you will have problems getting it registered.
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06-14-2013, 12:20 PM | #132 |
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More work last night....YAWN!
actually got a fair amount of things crossed off the list, or at least started..... Decided to add triangular gussets to the tongue....better safe than sorry....it adds weight to the tongue, but..... Close up of the welds:ground an angle on all the edges and cut grooves in the tongue for good weld penetration.. I made 3 passes and ended up with these results, which are my best efforts yet!. ill be tying them into the rocker boxes later on.....(then I went back and redid a few previous welds on the tongue...now Im confident that its going to hold up!) I found some nice E46 side marker lights on ebay....gotta love the internet. I had to tape the shape for the bulb housing on the door then drill many small holes around the perimeter and then file smooth...they fit like a glove but took a while... Okay, now on to the fun part....This now reminds me of the game Mousetrap....it kinda looks like the contraption that drops the cage on the mouse at the end...... I sourced some bicycle parts, sheet metal, and the most fun bits, a chain guard from a little kids bike and one training wheel...(yes, I broke up the set!) parcel shelf tonight! JP |
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