So the old trailer was getting kind of hard on the eyes to look at and I really wanted to " do something cool" with it, but what ? I actually think jeep trailers while nice are also kind of "meh" and don,t do anything to the flat fender jeep look, sort of like the red headed child tagging along behind the car
My 1952 Motor Coach Industries (MCI) after sand blasting, epoxy priming and paint last winter and awaiting spring. LOTS of work correcting a ton of abuse done to it during its CF service life and then into civilian use. Cost when bought about 15 years ago was $150. Back panel had been flame cut off and made into a tail gate, thankfully the civvy used the panel as the gate, the CF had replaced the front panel so both ends of the trailer body needed correcting. As the M100 trailer is the descendent to the war time MBT trailer and I happen to have a war time MB (and a 1952 M38) I leaned towards doing a light conversion leaning towards the Second World War MBT "look". The end aim was to make the trailer reflect "the look" of a Canadian Army Overseas jeep/trailer combo in the last months of WWII in Europe. I will say up front that the finished look is not supported by wartime pics or documents and is pure fantasy on my part.
So in the spring of this year it was time to "get it done" I had thought of making a plywood dog house for the trailer as I had seen on my service time but I also thought that would be, while simpler, just as bland as a canvas top. Then one day I had a sheet of plywood that was rained on and arched up when the sun was on it give me the idea (rabbit hole) or what I wanted the tonneau to look like, funny how inspiration works and where it can come from.
So the carpentry commences. While making the frame I felt like I was making a WWI fighter plane.
Very accessible as both sides open nice and wide.
Frame is skinned with 3/8 plywood, painted with Tremclad to seal it.
Plywood then is covered with 26Ga. A shout out to Burkes Sheet metal of Ottawa for doing my bends and correcting my attempt to dolly the edges that was not going well.
As a side project, to the side project, I wanted to mount a "captured" jerry can on the trailer back and so had to make another "wehrmacht" style jerry can carrier, taken from a wreaked WH vehicle, bulldozed into a ditch jeez they are a PITA to do getting the bends just so when made as one offs.
Test fit to check "the look".
And in paint.
The fun stuff, stencil work and adding to the Olive Drab "bling".......as blingy as OD can get I suppose. Besides the trailer getting done up as a closing months of the war in Europe in CAOS service I wanted to go the extra mile with the story (remember this is all pure fantasy but, "could have been" from back in the day). Knowing how "resourcefull" Canadians in the field are I thought I would paint on USA registration markings and portray it as a trailer that some crafty Canucks found unattended and "Liberated" from Yanks. A hasty, poorly applied, shot of paint to cover the misdeeds and its now serving the war cause in the Canadian Army.
My friends wife sewed up a heavy canvas strip to make the tonneau water proof along the joint for the doors then a over sized "invasion star/recognition" marking to help not getting fired on or bombed by the "American Luftwaffe"
Time for a celebratory G&T
J,ai tout fini
As I said at the start that aim was to make this trailer look like something that could very well have been fielded by the CAOS in the closing months of the Second World War and also to reflect the method of constuction used in WWII (lots of wood, less steel). Again, pure fantasy on my part, just having some fun making the trailer look presentable and interesting.
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