"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

During the middle of the day I got a wild idea to install the window gasket lock strip. Hey, I had seen the guys from Precision Replacement Parts do it at a show. They made it look so easy, that i decided to give it a go

[N2TRUX]

Unfortunately the wind and sun quickly dried the glass cleaner we were using as a lubricant. Consequently it went slower than expected, but we did get the task accomplished

[N2TRUX]

Tonight I started on my car hauler transformation. I recently bought a Kearny 20 ft to replace my Kearny 18 ft trailer.
The shorter trailer towed like a dream, and it was really easy to park. Unfortunately my crewcab is right at 20 ft long and it just didnt fit well. For me to find my sweet spot, it was a bit too far forward to strap down easily.

The 20 footer is just right for Jake. It has just the right amount of floor space and it's still easy to maneuver

I had recently purchased new tires with road hazard warranty from Discount Tire so I'm keeping those. While swapping them out I decided a clean up was in order.

[N2TRUX]

While I was there I cleaned and painted the inner fender and hub assembly. I also popped the cap and checked the grease in the hub.
With everything cleaned and serviced I washed both sides of the tires and rims.

As a final touch I gave the tires a couple of coats of shiny stuff. The lug nuts were torqued and I called it a night.

If you know of anyone looking for a really nice car hauler message me. The 18 ft trailer will be fresh and ready for the market soon.

[83GMCK2500]

Wow, that looks like a fairly new trailer, I'm shocked it doesn't have brakes. A couple years ago my dad finally bit the bullet, it was necessary for him to add brakes to license his up in WA. Super easy to buy the Dexter brake kit and install it: https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes.aspx

[cochino12]

Originally Posted by 83GMCK2500

Wow, that looks like a fairly new trailer, I'm shocked it doesn't have brakes. A couple years ago my dad finally bit the bullet, it was necessary for him to add brakes to license his up in WA. Super easy to buy the Dexter brake kit and install it: https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes.aspx

I'm sure the front axle has brakes. Some states only require one axle to have brakes

[83GMCK2500]

Originally Posted by cochino12

I'm sure the front axle has brakes. Some states only require one axle to have brakes

That looks to be the front visible with wheel off (amber forward clearance light at edge of fender).

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 83GMCK2500

Wow, that looks like a fairly new trailer, I'm shocked it doesn't have brakes. A couple years ago my dad finally bit the bullet, it was necessary for him to add brakes to license his up in WA. Super easy to buy the Dexter brake kit and install it: https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Brakes.aspx

It has brakes on the tag axle. Thats the front hub pictured.

Originally Posted by cochino12

I'm sure the front axle has brakes. Some states only require one axle to have brakes

Trust me, its not necessary to have them on both axles. The trailer will drag the truck to a stop if you turn the up past 70%

Originally Posted by 83GMCK2500

That looks to be the front visible with wheel off (amber forward clearance light at edge of fender).

You are correct, thats the front hub pictured. The brakes are on the rear axle.


There are a lot of trailers available built by some great companies. There are just as many built by some back lot hacks. This is a Kearney brand trailer. It is extremely well built and painted top to bottom "before" the deck boards are installed. Thats siginificant to the longevity of the trailer life, especially in areas where rust is an issue.

When I saw a like new 20ft Kearney pop up on my feed, I didn't hesitate to drive 2.5 hours with cash in hand. Not only are they well built, they tow like a dream. Once you dial in the "sweet spot" of your towed vehicle, the trailer almost disappears. It doesnt tug, sway, or cause the tow truck to porpoise at all. They use a heavy duty electric brake that will literally drag the tow truck to a stop.

I'm sure there are better, and no doubt prettier trailers available. When shopping for quality at a valued price, the Kearney is hard to beat.

[N2TRUX]

Y'all know I cant leave anything alone, right? It's just in my blood so I don't really try to fight it.
There was one plank on the trailer deck that seemed to ha deteriorated more than the others. No big deal, I'll replace that "one" bad board and be done.

I pulled the top cap where the dove tail meets the deck and found several of the short boards on the dove tail were rotted at the top.

Fortunately I was able to pull two of the deck planks and cut the bad sections out and replace the short ones.

[N2TRUX]

I went to pick up the treated 2x8s today. I got back and set up camp under my porta cache.
I cut the treated 2x8s down from 16' to 14' and set them in place. I discovered a great product for replacing deck boards. These TEKS self tapping screws worked amazingly well.

[N2TRUX]

Ok, one last round of "Trailer Talk" and I promise ill get back to building trucks. This weekend was dedicated to getting the 18' wrapped up and ready to sell. I spent Friday evening sanding and prepping section at a time.

I used a wire cup to take down the rust scale, and followed it with a couple of coats of primer. I used green Scotch Brite pads to scuff the painted parts. As always it was wiped with paper towels and Walmart Brake Cleaner right before paint.

[N2TRUX]

I worked my way around masking and painting section at a time to keep it manageable. Yes, I could have loaded my paint gun and knocked it all out at once, but this method allowed me to fit it in my schedule.

I'm not a big fan of the pinstriping that they put on Kearney trailers, but it is part of the "look" so I retained as much as possible. This required masking along the edge of the stripe after gently cleaning and prepping.

[N2TRUX]

Section at a time I worked my way around the trailer. Prepping and masking one section, while allowing flash time between coats of paint. I managed to get the topcoat to lay down with a nice shine.

I cleaned all of the existing lights, and replaced a fixture so its now 100% LED lighting. I added some additional red reflective tape visible from the rear. I put strips of white reflective tape inside the fenders thats visible between the wheels.

[N2TRUX]

And its ready to roll out. These final shots are me wrapping up at dusk last night. I had brake lights, but no park lights. I traced the problem to a Scotch Lock at the tongue that will soon be replaced.


Almost done. I still need to pressure wash the deck and stain the new planks to match but it's close to finish.
If you have any interest or know of someone that might, heres the details.


Its a 2014 Kearney 18 foot raised deck with a 3 foot dovetail. It's been updated with full LED lighting.

All new tires, the brakes were adjusted and hubs serviced.

The trailer has been recently inspected and the license tag is new.

Message me for complete details and pricing. No trades.

[Damien]

Ken, thank you for the thourogh write-up on refinishing the door panels. I'm anxious to see the final results. Your experience is giving me confidence I can recolor a set of panels I have and finally get rid of the Suburban door panels.

[N2TRUX]

And its gone....

[ElGracho]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

And its gone....

Sold? Trailer or truck?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

And its gone....

Originally Posted by ElGracho

Sold? Trailer or truck?

The 18' trailer. The truck is not for sale...

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Damien

Ken, thank you for the thourogh write-up on refinishing the door panels. I'm anxious to see the final results. Your experience is giving me confidence I can recolor a set of panels I have and finally get rid of the Suburban door panels.

Its my pleasure to pass along my experience and knowledge. I have found that you can do complete color changes, or restore existing color. The key to durability is meticulous preparation. Be patient, and persistent for great results.

[N2TRUX]

Well, there goes another one. I had a guy really hot to buy my 18' trailer, but he was second in line. The 18 sold to first in line, so I offered my 20' to next up. He said he wanted to come look at it.

I spent the evening wire wheeling the fenders and light brackets. They got a few coats of primer and I sprayed gloss by work light. I put the finishing touches on and wrapped up around midnight. This morning he brought me a stack of cash and the 20' went down the road as well.


Soooo, anyone near Houston have an 18' or 20' dovetail trailer for sale? Message me with what you have.

[Mpiersd]

you sure put a lot of work into selling a trailer.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Mpiersd

you sure put a lot of work into selling a trailer.

I dont let anything leave my driveway without a complete detail. I sell them as if I were the buyer.

[N2TRUX]

I finally got my trailer sales behind me along with a list of things around the house that needed attention. I managed to get some quality time with Jake on Sunday morning. The starter solenoid had been slowly going out. I bought a new starter a few weeks back, but never got time to replace it.

I realize a starter change shouldnt take long, but I always plan for the worse. Fortunately it went without any issues.

[N2TRUX]

We took a bit of time to clean the area behind the starter. Nothing major, just a quick clean up. It appears I have a valve cover gasket thats seeping. I'll get to that after I run a compression test to varify the validity of the motor.

The new starter did the trick. A short bump of the key and it starts right up. The more I play with this old big block, the more I want to see what potential its got.

[N2TRUX]

With the truck starting properly we decided to move on to another issue. We had previously stripped and loomed the tail light bed harness. We had installed new lights at that time as well. Unfortunately they never worked because the frame harness had a different style plug.

It seems there was a difference between the 84 frame harness plug and the 87 bed harness plug. I managed to source the later style plug from a friend, but we never got around to doing the install.

With a box full of United Pacific LED lights waiting to be put in place we knew the first step would be to get the existing system working. Chris cut the old harness to the correct length and spliced the later style plug in place.

Yes, I know the amber bulb is not correct.