Offroad Tear Beginnings With Lots of Pics Update 04/11

[rockinobsidian]

I am beginning to build my offroad teardrop for an upcoming 3 month roadtrip. My base is a 1994 ex-USMC M116A3 which is the flat bed version of the M101A3. It took an insane 4 hrs at the DMV to get it registered but I now have my perm trailer plates and am legal. I have taken off the huge 37X12.5 humvee wheels and tires and replaced them with 255/75r17 mudders and 17" steel wheels to match my jeep. The humvee combo weighed 146 pounds per tire and wheel meaning my 800 pound trailer had 300 pounds of rolling weight. The new combo weighs 70 pounds each so the empty weight is now 650 pounds not bad for a trailer with 4" C channel framing, surge brakes, parking brakes, and 1 ton capacity off road. I will post the pics of it with the new wheels soon.

[01Sport]

Looks good. I love your WJ, it looks really nice with those wheels. Jeep did well when they started making those.

[rockinobsidian]

Thanks! I love my WJ too, bought it summer of '08 when gas was fast approaching $5 a gal and nobody wanted a V8 4x4 but me so it was way under KBB
New Wheels and Tires

Heres the trailer in its new home for the build, my brother-inlaws car lift on the side of his house. The bed does not have much room between the wells 45" but thats going to change.
Here's the first fender cut I want to have 60.5" between them when I'm done. I used a 4.5" grinder and cut off wheels not the best tool for the job.

The old wheels had 8.5" of backspacing and still cleared the fenders by 5" the new wheels have 4.5" of backspacing.

Roughing out the fender

Cut the 2nd fender with Dewalt's cordless metal shearing now thats the tool for the job!

Saw some A/C 7 ply 3/4" exterior plywood at home depot it was a special buy for $23 a sheet so I grabbed 5 with my little 1967 M762 (flatbed version of the M416 jeep trailer)



Not yet welded on and the holes aren't filled but man is that a much for useful bed especially since I want a 5x8 TD

A good selection of tools is always handy

[rockinobsidian]

I finished welding the fenders back on after cutting them down to increase the width to 60.5" instead of 45.
All the cutting sure did use up some cut off wheels

Lined the bed with Rustoleum Bed Liner $43/gal at wally world still have a little left over. I plan on making my grasshopper TD removable from trailer so I can still use it as a utility trailer.


Now to start making some saw dust

[bve]

I gotta agree the Jeep looks good with the (Rubi?) boots on it.

Are you trying to give half the forum cordless envy with this shot? (I was going to say tool envy but...)


Looking forward to seeing the build progress.


Burke

[Miriam C.]

I gotta agree the Jeep looks good with the (Rubi?) boots on it.

Are you trying to give half the forum cordless envy with this shot? (I was going to say tool envy but...)


Looking forward to seeing the build progress.


Burke

You have a great start and we are looking forward to the finish!

[rockinobsidian]

My Jeep has 2008 JK Wrangler Rubicon Wheels and Tires which work great, look good and didn't break the bank. Thanks for all the positive comments
This site has been a HUGE help in inspiring this build.
I have basically built my roof and floor I made them 5' wide which involved lap joining a 4x8 with a 1x8.

This required a little patience in figuring out the depth.

The plywood fits!

The top section of the roof before being stained.

The bottom of roof stained but there will be insulation and than 1/8 lauan on the inside

I stained the wood with behr premium weatherproofing wood stain we'll see how well it holds up it was opps paint at HD so it was only $5/gal
[img]http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?image_id=61992
[/img]
Here's the floor joined and stained. Its 3/4 ACX with furring strips on the bottom to clear the ridges on the trailer bed.

[Mike_La]

Nice build. I'll be following this thread.

BTW, love the Jeep.

[AussiePeej]

Build it strong for the trail
Seriously good start for the project and +1 for watching this one.
Oh, and as for the tools.. Dewalt.. not bad. Still prefer Makita Nice collection though..

[rockinobsidian]

I've used both Makita and Dewalt 18v tools in the construction industry and prefer Dewalt because it's tools have more power and options for tools Does Makita make one of these
Makita does have dewalt beat when it comes to weight (if i just did drywall I would buy Makita in a heartbeat) but you can't go wrong with either company
I started by framing the opening for the roof vent, I went with a Ventline vent with 12v fan and will probably mod it with a 3 way switch so I can have exhaust and intake and might add a rheostat to change fan speed.

Router with flush trim bit to cut the hole.


I decided to add a skylight I went HD and picked up an 18x24 piece of lexan and framed the opening. The opening was designed to be 3/8 short all around.

Flush trimmed again

I planned to rabbit out the top of the hole to give the lexan a place to sit and still be slightly above the roof so water wouldn't have a place to pool. This required taking the base plate off the router since I only need to remove an 1/16 of material.

Test piece to get the depth right...looks pretty good.

I'm insulating with 3/4" rigid foam and sealing with GE silicone II.

I cut the front out I designed it to be 52" tall overall and 59.5" wide.


Now I need to get some walls built and start framing the front and back

[Ageless]

Making good progress; looking good! A second on the DeWalt; youngest son is in construction and swears by it.

[starleen2]

[AussiePeej]

A powered snot gun!?! I didn't know there was such a thing. I do of course have to ask WHY? lol. Yeah, in construction here too. Anyway, shutting up now and getting back to enjoying quietly your build. Thanks for all the great pics

[rockinobsidian]

Tool talk is always welcome!:thumbsup: The snot gun makes resealing a rv roof a breeze and applies a really steady bead. Had to battle some rain this weekend which is never fun... used a 50000btu/hr heater to dry it out a bit.

I attached the sides and built out some boxes to add a little more storage space.





Making the front fit was a bit of a challenge with slightly bowed wood. I stained the interior and put in my two windows. I still need to insulate and add cabniets but its taking shape

[Ageless]

One word . . . . . .


impressive