Trailer Build & Mercedes Conversion Blogs

listerdiesel

Teutone

just looked through your trailer build. Outstanding work Sir! Well done.

I am trying to convince my wife that one day we need to build our own motorhome to get exactly the layout we want.
 
trevskoda

trevskoda

Forum Member
fantastic trailer ,i heard about the regs but no one here gives a toss as you just say it was built before the cut of date and no one ever checks.
 

listerdiesel

Thanks for the comments.

The trailer was designed & built starting around August 2010 with the concept sketches, followed by the proper working drawings. The actual build started when we got the chassis back from being shot blasted, zinc sprayed and powder coated, a month later than promised.

One of our stationary engine forum members started it off in July of 2010, and it all gelled from there. The frustrating days of trying to live in a tent, washing out of a bowl of water etc really egged us on.

We started on the 15th April with the assembled chassis on its wheels and we were on the ferry on the 10th June. Not everything was installed, but we had beds and lighting, all the twiddly bits came later.

It was also the dryest and warmest spring we had had for years, we saw two days with rain, the rest of the time it was dry and mild, turing to warmer days as the spring turned to summer.

We wouldn't do it again as the braking regulations forbid overrun braking on turntable steering trailers, but we did look at power braking for it. That would have given us a lot more capacity, but then the axles start to be a limit and so on.

All the drawings were done in Autocad 11, the DOS version.

Peter
 

listerdiesel

Sparks said:
Any more updates on the Merc yet? It's been over a month ;)
Click to expand...

We update the blog when there is a full page to compose, and we haven't had much to take pictures of recently.

The replacement windows have turned up:

NewWindows.jpg


I've been in the USA mending cars:

HornetBox2.jpg


HornetBox4.jpg


HornetBox7.jpg


Which involved refitting a Studebaker clutch and gearbox, then taking the box out of this Hudson Hornet and fitting another recon box. The car has a fluid flywheel, and the previous 'restorer' had bodged the flywheel bolts as you can see from the picture, one is a butchered standard bolt, the rest are shouldered studs with dome nuts. We found a used bolt and nut on the web, and a good lockwasher. The flywheel has that many bolts in it as the fluid flywheel runs in oil and the flywheel is half of the housing, so has to be oil tight.

That's our friend in California who is an ex-pat car nut.

He's just bought this:

Dodge1.jpg


and is no doubt planning on getting me out there again in the not so distant future.

I was up on the roof of the Mercedes getting the rooflight off and looking at the sealing:

varioroof65.jpg


varioroof69.jpg


and have also had two lots of tests on my heart, as I have a dodgy Aortic Valve which is currently under investigation.

So fairly busy, and I still have a day job as well :):) I was 69 last month.

Peter
 
Last edited by a moderator:

listerdiesel

******* said:
Quality work or both projects. T&G roof matl you put on merc ceiling, I have same here in shower rooms and en-suites, it is great stuff, never tarnishes, easy cleaned.

You'll be bored when all is complete!
Click to expand...

Yes, I suppose I need to have a 'project' on the go to keep me sane :):)

Peter
 

SeanW

So much for just having a quick glance...I've just read both builds from start to end!!

They are pretty damned impressive projects!!
 

listerdiesel

Thanks, Sean, it's the sort of thing I like to read myself, so I've tried to make it factual but interesting.

Peter
 

CAL

Many thanks for the link. Very interesting, great site, will read more when I get the time.
 

listerdiesel

Another page (Page 18) has been added to the Mercedes blog, covering work for the 19th February to 15th March.

Peter
 

listerdiesel

Last piece of the ceiling up and in place!!

It was a right struggle as well, 15ft of extrusion had to be bent longways so it would fit top and bottom into the slots.

Took three of us to get it up there and hold it while seating it in place.

Wiring for the lights, fan and 12V for the toilet flush were in place yesterday.

We had one go as soon as we got back from work, but it wouldn't fit, we couldn't get enough bend along its length to fit, but after I trimmed off one side of the bottom slot it went in.

Right hand side is where the long cupboard goes.

Windows out next, that's going to be a right barrel of laughs!

VarioRoof72.jpg


VarioRoof73.jpg


Peter
 

Ron Bones

Love the Merc but that trailer build is something else!! Great read on both counts. I don't know why you still have a house when you've got all that living space!!
 

listerdiesel

Thanks, I think the trailer was easier as it was a new build.

The Mercedes has to have everything fitting in with what is there structurally, so not as easy.

Peter
 

listerdiesel

Busy day yesterday, need to get back to work for a rest!

Morning spent at work testing some stuff that is going to be delivered tomorrow.

Bought a nearly new LPG cylinder from a guy on fleabay, turns out he is on High Street South, not far from where we are, so that was an easy collection. Cylinder is 65 litres and not very old, will probably end up on the Mercedes.

Philip had a failed rear wheel bearing to change, but decided to do the calipers as well while it was stripped down. The failed one came off OK, the half-shaft almost fell out of the hub, but the o/s one fought every millimetre of the way, mainly through rusting on the splines.

Both done now and he is back on the road. That's a £1000 job at a garage, I think it cost him under £250 for two new hub assemblies with sensors and two new calipers, plus a set of rear pads.

I started on getting the windows stripped out of the Mercedes, wasn't looking forward to it as they are bonded, but in the end we got three out without too much trouble. My right arm and shoulder are killing me now, three hours of pulling the bonding cutter through tough rubber.

Note that most of the rust is where the bonding has failed and water has got in. Where the bonding is good, the metalwork underneath is fine.

View of the back quarter with both windows out. The slanting bottom of the rear window will be cut away as the new ones are flat based.
VarioWinOut2.jpg


Outside and inside view of a bad bit of corrosion. This is rain ingress.
VarioWinOut3.jpg


VarioWinOut4.jpg


Three windows on the ground:
VarioWinOut5.jpg


Taped up window apertures:
VarioWinOut1.jpg


Peter
 

listerdiesel

Page 19 added to the build blog tonight.

Solar panel test and electrical panel.

Peter
 

izwozral

I take my hat off to you sir, I would love just a tenth of your abilities.

Is there anything you are not good at - please say yes, because you make me look totally inadequate.

Quality work all round, I am beyond impressed.:bow::bow:
 

listerdiesel

I am not very good at lots of things! don't put me on a pedestal whatever you do.

Can't sharpen a drill, can't play football, not good at sports in general, but I had a heart problem which was diagnosed last year which may explain that.

I can't do woodwork very well, but get by, and so on.

It's nice to be able to use your skills in this sort of project, but there are loads of folks out there who would make an even better job of it, they either aren't interested or don't have the opportunity/finance etc.

The key in all these things is to think it out beforehand and draw out what you imagine in your mind first.

Building the trailer from scratch gave me the confidence to tackle the Mercedes, which is the first one I have done.

Peter
 

izwozral

Humble to boot!

Even your schematics are top notch.

I sincerely hope the heart problem doesn't prevent you from doing the things you clearly love doing. I have a wonky ticker too & it has knocked the stuffing out of me, there are so many things I can no longer do, it is very frustrating.

I look forward to seeing the finished Merc. By the way, how long did the trailer take you to complete?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Top