1973 Sears Clamshell rebuild

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Swiftone

Member
A few months ago I saw this on a local craigslist. I watched it for a month or two as the seller kept dropping the price. I sent him a nice email asking him that if he ever got to where $200 was acceptable to please let me know.

Two weeks ago I got a email saying if I could be there in an hour I could have it for $200. Score!

The trailer looked rough in the pictures, but I took the chance that it was due to the layers of paint applied over the years. Got it home and my wife took one look and said "good luck"

I took that as a challenge.

As it looked first day. A previous owner was a fan of R2D2. A thorough inspection showed a bit of surface rust, but nothing major at all.



First tried to remove the paint using remover. Limited success.



I gave up and took it to a local blasting place and had the entire thing media blasted. Once home I had a buddy weld up the frame joints and box/and I sprayed a coat of primer. Originally it was bolted together and I wanted a bit more strength.



And as it sits today. New wheels and tires (ST175/80r13) which raised it a full 4 inches giving me 12 inches of ground clearance and an old set of Tully roof racks that seem perfect for it. Enough room for 2 x 100 watt renogy panels or pretty much anything else we want to carry on top. Need to decide on fenders. I am a Ford guy so I want round, but my son drives a jeep and wants Jeep style and paint. Thinking of a satin Gunmetal grey would finish it off nicely.

Next will be the running lights, new 2 inch Coupler (original was 1 7/8s) and maybe GI can holders in front of the fenders. I will update this when I have more to show. My wife has become a believer.

 
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S

Swiftone

Member
borison said:
No lift? No 35s? No onboard desalination plant? Not very Overland. Otherwise, cool looking little trailer should be very handy. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

I know! Not very adventurist of me. Cant do 35's since my truck only runs 33's...a on board desalination plant would be handy with the Ca beach camping that comprises most of our get a ways. In the meantime I will stick to my 4 Scepters full of water.

Fenders, light kit and new 2 inch coupler arrives tomorrow. Got the paint supplies and just waiting for nicer weather to paint it. First outing will be at the Mojave Death Race in June.
 
S

Swiftone

Member
Was able to knock off a couple of things on the "to do" list. I installed the fenders and spent 3 hours at the Ca DMV getting the trailer tagged with a VIN number, registering it in my name and getting CA permanent plates (which have to be renewed every 5 years :rolleyes:)

This was the longest tow with the larger tires. Towed like a dream.

Next will be paint. Just waiting for some warmer/dryer weather to sand it out and put up a temporary spray booth. All the remaining parts are in boxes waiting to be put to use. Be nice to have the new LED lights installed and dump the magnetic temporary ones that keep tripping my trailer coupling fuse.

 
old_CWO

old_CWO

Well-known member
The 13" tires are plenty big for off-roading it, while still appropriate to use as a luggage trailer behind the family sedan. I dig it.

If it were mine I would try to add some gas struts to hold up the lid without a prop rod.

*edit:
oh yeah; besides the on board desalinization, it's going to need a slide out cold fusion burrito heater and custom titanium spork holders or you can't hang with the cool kids at Overland Expo this year!
 
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Swiftone

Member
Not much of an update, but a had a day of good weather and no wind so I painted the inside and outside of the top. Picture is not the best, but it is a "warm" grey with a bluish tint.

Lessons learned: I am not a natural painter and also that the little dings and creases in the sheet metal show up more with gloss paint. No runs or anything, but not the smooth, glassy finish I had hoped for. :ROFLMAO:

The dings and creases add character.

 
86scotty

86scotty

Cynic
Neat trailer. I mean this in the nicest way, honest. If you can put the trailer IN the truck then why do you need the trailer? I was kind of expecting to see it behind a small Jeep or SUV. It's still neat though.
 
S

Swiftone

Member
86scotty said:
Neat trailer. I mean this in the nicest way, honest. If you can put the trailer IN the truck then why do you need the trailer? I was kind of expecting to see it behind a small Jeep or SUV. It's still neat though.
Click to expand...


Doesn't QUITE fit in the bed ;)...our thought was to be able to store the canopies/tents/cooking gear in the trailer and save the truck space for my Dometic CFX, food, clothing etc. As shown the trailer is about half full. Easy enough to add camping chairs and misc odd items on top of the gear shown.
And best of all it was a inexpensive winter project and fun to work on. It was a fair question - no worries.
 
plh

plh

Explorer
Sweet build! Glad you saved the vintage trailer. Being it now looks presentable, I'd doubt you would have a problem unloading it when the time comes.
 
old_CWO

old_CWO

Well-known member
86scotty said:
Neat trailer. I mean this in the nicest way, honest. If you can put the trailer IN the truck then why do you need the trailer?
Click to expand...

Because you can leave it packed and ready to rock!

It's like a bug-out bag, but for camping. Never know when the boss won't let you sneak out after lunch on a Friday...
 
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