- Joined
- May 15, 2020
- Messages
- 2,466
- Reaction score
- 4,040
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Atlanta
- Vehicle Year
- 1997 1987
- Make / Model
- Ranger XLT x2
- Engine Type
- 4.0 V6
- Engine Size
- 4.0 & 2.9
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 97 stock, 3” on 87
- Total Drop
- N/A
- Tire Size
- 235/75-15
- My credo
- Never put off ‘til tomorrow what you can put off indefinitely
I’ve been kicking that around in my head, it will definitely be bolted down, but I’m not exactly sure how yet. I definitely want to see the bottom of the casket first and how it’s made, hopefully this weekend, that might affect my decision. I haven’t even seen the inside of the bottom because I haven’t pulled that Styrofoam up yet.A thought came to mind and you may have already answered it. How do you plan to secure this thing to the trailer? Bolt it to the deck or strap it down?
My original thought was to sit it directly on the aluminum frame cross pieces, and then put some kind of deck between it and the fenders or edge of the frame - me being cheap and trying to save a little bit of diamond plate.
Then I had the thought, since it’s such thin raw steel, I may have to do something to the bottom to keep it from kicked up road debris, rust and rotting out too quick. When you see this thing, you’ll understand that if I ran over a rock or a piece of metal laying in the road, it could punch a hole in it fairly easily. The concern with that would simply be moisture access to the inside and corrosion. It’s separated from the galvanized tub by an inch of Styrofoam, and the galvanized tub is much thicker steel.
That led me to thinking about building a solid deck across the trailer, and sitting it on top of the deck. A worry there is trapping moisture between the casket bottom and the diamond plate.
And that led to the thought, would I ever want to take it off and use the trailer for something else? And then, if I make it where the casket comes off, it only makes sense to be able to remove the gas grill as well.
I tell ‘ya, there are no quick answers when you’re taking your second hand casket/soda cooler and converting it for beer, and using it as in the centerpiece of a traveling kitchen…
I throw all this out because this is a build thread, and I wanted to share some of my thought process as strange as it is. The main part of the discussion is not how to secure it, it’s about rust prevention.
After I see the bottom, hopefully this weekend, I’ll make a final decision, but right now I’m leaning towards a complete deck across the trailer, spacing the casket up off the deck a little bit with whatever so it can breathe and dry, and holding it down with either a solid piece of aluminum angle around the perimeter, like a flange that I can bolt down, or I may just put little angle pieces in several places in the same fashion to bolt down. If I simply paint the upright part of the angle the same color as the casket, they should disappear. I thought of bolting through the floor to avoid that, but I want the casket to be an independent unit that can be removed in the long run. If I bolt through the bottom, you’d have to take the whole thing apart again to unbolt it.
Now brace yourself:
This may be one of the rare occasions where I coat the bottom with something other than Rustoleum.
Another thought, I’m planning on some electronics. A battery, a power inverter, a simple sound system, and maybe a CB mostly for the PA system. If that ends up inside the casket, then I’ll be poking holes for wires, and such, which would make it even more permanently bolted down. I haven’t got that far yet on my thinking. I am planning on dividing the galvanized tub into three watertight sections. There is a drain valve out the back end now.
So, bolted down, yes, but everything else still in flux….
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