Cressida trailer - now hauling shit around like a BOSS!

[andrew_mx83]

Started prettying it up yesterday, cut back and capped off the ends of the square section, then ground it all down for nice rounded corners.

I also started making trim panels for everywhere the shell was cut, still have to do rear doors and C pillars then sikaflex em on and paint it.
Bandsaw was freakin awesome for profiling those little gal plates....



Aside from making the flat floor this isnt too far off finished now...

[andrew_mx83]

You stay classy Ron Burgundy.... or should i say Ron "Indian Red"
close enough for now, might get the proper paint code made up as a spray can later.

Cant be far off a test drive now. still gotta wire up the lights to a trailer plug, and cap off where the C pillars used to be somehow. This will be a prick!

Decided to go for door trims + chrome trims to cap off the doors. Not sure if it looks quite right yet if it stays ill just silicone the 2 window rubbers together

Load area is looking pretty sweet.

[wagonist]

Mate that frame don't look too strong?

Agreed.
Why didn't you extend the A frame bars under the existing chassis (or into it) like most trailers?
Every trailer I've seen (except for mine?) has the A frame bars all the way to the front hitch of the springs. Mine doesn't, and is now bent at the front of the bed (ie where the A frame meets the rest)

[andrew_mx83]

There is no chassis per se. There are rails and sills in the floor which are thin steel pressings ~1mm thick. I struggle to weld anything thick like 3 or 5mm to it without blowing massive holes. I would also be welding completely upside down which i cant do.
I looked at bolting to it but nothing is square or straight so i would get bugger all clamping force even with big fish plates. The only "chassis" type part is the rear subframe, ive looked at bringing some bars back to this but i cant see a simple and strong way to do this. Ill have another look.


How much weight are you carrying in the trailer that bent wagonist? Im a little concerned about it bending/breaking where the frame joins the body but im not sure ill ever be hauling enough weight for it to be a problem. This is just for odd jobs -scrap runs, picking up 1-2 lengths of steel/alloy, engine building transport, tools and parts for crazy cressida adventures (bringing cars like this home), wheels etc on race days and that sort of thing. The need for a trailer is more for physical space than carrying lots of weight. I reckon it will see 300-400kg MAX. its highly unlikely it will ever be hauling round 100kg of garden supplies or anything.

[wagonist]

I'd definitely look at taking some frame back to the rear suspension. By removing the roof & not welding the door shut, at lot of the bending rigidity of the chassis is now gone.
The plates to transfer the force through the floor don't need to be that big, but maybe just more of them spaced closer together.

Any weight you put forward of the axle line will be pushing down on the join to the A frame.

The trailer in question for me is a small car trailer with a single axle. The A frame is smaller than the one you've got, but it is welded on with a single spine running down the middle of the trailer (right where the weight isn't on a car trailer ) It's also bent the other way over the axle line...
About to do some wholesale cutting off of metal and welding a new A frame & chassis under it, along with adding a 2nd axle.

I can't even weld, so you're 1 up on me. And I'm certainly not going to learn on a car trailer.

[andrew_mx83]

Hmm that doesnt sound too strong at all.... this thing is never gonna carry that kinda weight.

Id be beefing yours up asap by the sound of it, ill look into doing mine again.

Meanwhile,

Yo dawg, i heard you like cressidas so i put a cressida in your cressida. Its got shitloads more in it now as ive been getting ready for a scrap run with the rest of the car and some other stuff. I also have to scrap a block and an auto or 2 so i may do those as a separate trip.

[Supra967]

If it were me, I'd be cutting the sils just in front of the tyres, the again at the front, and run two rhs beams full width, and stitch weld to the body. The shell is strong if you can spread the load around, and the two beams would give you a good base to start your a frame.

Bit late now I guess, just don't hit the skids at speed when fully loaded

[andrew_mx83]

Was hoping to take this for its first drive today, upto the scrap joint to empty it and get a free weighbridge sesh.... but the brake lights keep popping fuses in the car and ive had enough of that for one day.




I initially had the light loom cable tied underneath the A frame but it looked shit so i ran it inside instead, much tidier. The rearmost stud is securing the safety chain until i can be bothered welding it. High tensile hardware all round with 7m headbolt washers thrown in for good luck
At least the bolts will still be there when the chinese hitch snaps off!!




Refitted my towbar yesterday, but the tongue is really low so i may have to bend it up somehow as with the jockey wheel fully retracted it still didnt sit on the ball

[andrew_mx83]

I took this out for its maiden voyage today and absolutely love it. It tows like a dream, unloaded you forget its there until you see it in the mirror. Its totally silent which is great, no squeaks or rattles that really irritate me in most trailers. When parking if i pile on lots of lock and and change direction i get a squeak from the ball & hitch but thats it.

Went to the scrap yard loaded with rest of car minus motor, box, roof & interior, came in at 2340kg and left at 2000kg (inc 75kg for me). Last cressida came in at 1620 from memory with twin lpg tanks (single in this one) so im gonna call the trailer 400kg unloaded. It also means that i was at the upper limit of what it can legally carry today (750kg aggregate trailer mass -max before brakes are required)
I felt the weight a bit when loaded, mainly just a bit jerky coming off throttle. All trailers should have IRS, even loaded it handled great, i went over some big pot holes and barely felt them. It got minor 'trailer roll' in typical boaty cressida style but thats it :-)
Coming home unloaded i did some late braking from 80km/h into a minor road and it just followed along nicely without fuss.


Couple of crappy phone pics from its first day out:




Did another run this arvo to pick up a large timber wardrobe, opening doors are awesome for loading. The thing gets a LOT of looks and plenty of comments too, had several people come up to chat to me about it in the short time i was out.

I also found it quite easy to tie stuff down between the 2 front door strikers and the rear tow points, seems im fairly sorted for tie down points. I did scratch a tiny bit of paint unloading it, but its a trailer so give a shit...
LOVING IT!!!!

["Z" UTE]

As for welding upside down, I flipped my TA22 Celica trailer on its ass using a bunch of tyres to cushion it against the ground. Any breakable bits were removed (taillights etc) before standing it up. But I am with the other guys, you should try to extend back under the shell to pick up off the rear subframe or pressings.

That is what I did with our CCG TA22 trailer, it has has been hauling BBQ and filled 50 gallon esky around for the past 8 years with no drama's.

I started to do the trailer conversion to a 1970 Crown, but ran out of room to store the fester, so gave it up to the scrap gods. I had planned to keep the back seats
( never enough seating at car shows) and the bootlid in situ. The front was to be a flipdown as per the Celica trailer, with a custom tonnau cover from bootlid to A frame base.

cheers Chuck.

[andrew_mx83]

Sounds awesome chuck throw up some pics!!
Yeah ill sus out more reinforcement at some point when i have time. Tipping on its ass is a good idea!

I decided the other day that this should have a towbar fitted to it, just to trip people out but havent had time to put it on yet.
Could also potentially get an epic Cressida road train going on...

Ooooh, i forgot to update, this got registered last week. The bloke at vicroads was no fun and wouldn't accept 'coupe' for body type or give me plates with 83 somewhere in them
I still stamped coupe on the compliance plate, its got 2 doors dammit!!!

[andrew_mx83]

Obligatory rego shot:

[SHEPPO3930]

I see two problems...

1) Your A-frame & associated structure doesn't look like it will be up to the task. I may be wrong, but for the sake of a bit more steel you could make it stronger.
2) If it weighs more than 200kg and/or longer than 3m including drawbar you will require registration in Victoria... and they are very switched on regarding the rules for light trailers and from a quick glance at your pics you aren't legal in a couple areas. Do yourself a favour and have a read of VSB1 (you can find it on the Department of Infrastructure's website).

I don't want to sound negative so please don't take it the wrong way.

Cheers

EDIT - Stupid me.. just read u got it registered.. you got lucky :-)

[Aust162]

Awesome trailer Andrew. Ive got an ae71 wagon wreck atm and im seriously thinking about taking to it with a 9"! would look awesome being towed behind my ke70 panelvan

[andrew_mx83]

Yep under 750kg =no inspection, although i read this book and this conforms to all the rules. Definitely going to look at adding more steel down the track.

Aust162 taking to cars with a 9" is extremely therapeutic, i highly recommend it. Wagon-trailer would be heaps sik.


There was 1 other problem i didnt see -once you remove the diff and driveshaft, there is nothing actually holding the wheel bearing together. It will hold for quite a while then suddenly gain 50mm of toe out and lock the wheel while you are doing 80kmh. Noob mistake.
I carved up a driveshaft for what turns out the be the rear race of the bearing and got it home, have to do the the other side this week before winterfest.
Also very sick of the china-spec hitch so will be looking to replace it soon.