My new project!

[Wannabefree]

Yeah, LOVE the gloves! The guys used to like to play pranks on the newbies and while wearing the gloves they try to hand you a hot piece of steel and tell you to "check that weld" and when you grab it you burn the mess out of your fingers. I saw TOO MANY folks fall for that trick

I've never known any guys who did sh*t like that, around here. You must somehow have lived around a bunch of jerks or "animals". LOL

Just pranksters. We were all very young folks working together on late shift work in a factory...we were bound to get into something sometime

 

[greatgardener]

I like your cab.... big work to do

 

[Joel_BC]

Deb, have you gotten started with this project (the one pictured in the OP)?

Mechanical issues and other major-damage attention will be the most basic things, of course. But I notice you have a lot of exterior rust (on those doors, etc). You can use a light "sandblasting" technique (which is the usual professional way) or go over the surfaces with an electric reciprocating sander, medium-grit aluminum oxide type so it won't tend to clog with rust and old paint right away (but no heavier than a #80 grit... experiment). If you use the sanding method, I'd finish off with something like a #100 or #120 (finer) grit paper.

The rust will have left the metal with tiny pits, and even the sandblasting or sanding won't really rectify that. If you brush paint it, the paint will be thick enough to fill the surface pretty well - or at least you won't notice the pits through the brush marks! But if you want a smooth surface before repainting with spray paint, you can apply a thin autobody surface filler like Putty Coat or Evercoat 870 (two brand-name products).

 

[Denim Deb]

Haven't started on it yet-don't have the time. But, it was too good a deal to pass up.

Right now, we're planning on taking off all the pieces, and using what's good from the big pieces in the small spaces.

 

[windyoak]

Ill bet you already have brake drums on the trailer. One axle will have a simple flange on each end where the wheels will bolt, but the other axle will have a brake drum where the wheels bolt to easy enough to check just by taking the tires off and looking. You will need a dry-cell battery to hook up to your braking system. This will come in handy should the trailer come unhooked and on its own. The dry-cell will kick in and cause the brakes to lockup, thus stopping the trailer.
What kind of welder are you going to use acetylene and O2, or arc? I have a similar project with my horse trailer waiting for me in my projects que. :/

 

[Denim Deb]

The only thing I know for sure about the welder is that it isn't a mig welder.

 

[windyoak]

I found that a flux core wire fed arc welder is a good choice with which to learn. Of course, I shouldnt be saying that as my welds remind me of splattered spotted bird poop! Well, sometimes I get it right, and so will you!

 

[Denim Deb]

So far, we haven't had the time to work on anything. We've been getting the yard clean. Once that's done (hopefully this weekend), we'll have the time for me to start to learn.