1947 Bantam T3-C Trailer Project

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I was posting some of my Bantam project photos in the "What did you do to your Jeep today" section. Had a lot of comments, questions, and compliments at the PA Jeeps Show, so I am doing a full thread in this section for reference. Shoot me a PM or post here if you have any questions!

It's great to see a number of folks restoring the old military and civilian Jeep trailers! 

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Here's a shot of the Bantam T3-C when it first came into the shop to get blasted primed and painted. There were a number of coats of paint, including OD Camo. The original color underneath was a dark green. Bantams for the civilian market were sold in red and green in 1946 & 47.


Primer time after blasting:




All of the little parts getting done:



After WW2, the lunette and pintle hitch set-up were removed for civilian production and replaced with a Fulton Hitch pictured below. It was designed for a 1 7/8" ball.

The brakes and shock absorbers were also removed after WW2 and a tailgate was cut into the original amphibious military design.

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16" CJ2A style rims were used on the Bantam trailers along with 6.00x16 tires. I upsized to 7.00x16's so that I would be able to use the spare on my CJ3A for the Bantam trailer. The passenger side lug nuts are left handed thread, just like the military flatties and CJ2A and CJ3A's.

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Finishing up the paint job. The frame and underside were painted in heavy black frame paint and the tub was painted in "Dodge Viper Yellow," just like the CJ3A. 

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Here's a shot after we pulled her out of the shop with a fresh paint job!


It bounced around quite a bit behind the F-150, but made it home in one piece! The Bantam's safety chains were so short, I had to add extensions to make it legal.


After disconnecting from the tow rig, I had to immediately hook up to the CJ3A and see how she pulled. Well, it pulls like it was made for a Jeep! (duh!) Seriously, It rides very smooth and doesn't bounce or sway. Additionally, the original safety chains drop neatly into the original CJ3A draw bar.

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My original VIN tag was a Maryland MVA replacement tag from 'who knows when!'


I ordered an accurate zinc reproduction from a fellow in the Netherlands. He makes original reproductions of all early Jeep data plates and does a lot of work for the MVPA (military Jeep) crowd. Here is a photo of the Bantam Tag in its' correct original location.


Next step is to have LineX sprayed into the bed, so that nobody has to go through the restoration process again! 

I didn't have a chance to take very many photos at the PA Jeeps show, so if you happened to get a decent one of Old Yeller with the Bantam trailer, please feel free to post it here. Thanks! 

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Finished restoring a pair of vintage army reflectors and had Line-X sprayed into the bed yesterday. The plan is for it to last a long time so my son doesn't have to restore it again when he inherits it! 





Next, to restore the original wooden side racks!

[K Riccardi]

Trailer looks great Mike!

[JeepnLawls]

Mike,
  You do your own sandblasting?  Anybody you recommend in the area for sandblasting and painting/powercoating smaller parts (like your steps)?

TIA
Chip

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Thanks Kane!

Chip: I have friends with sand blasting and bead blasting set-ups, so I take stuff to them to get it done. Depending on the parts, I paint some stuff myself. Really big stuff goes to my friend's shop. Powder coating I get done at a shop in Eldersburg. MD named Metal Refinishing Systems, Inc. They do "medium black" all the time for railings and commercial stuff... and that happens to be a nice color for high wear Jeep parts like bumpers, steps, and diff covers!

[ApexWrangler]

Your trailer looks GREAT Mike! Your pictures are going to be my motivation to get my trailer back in that good of shape!

Here's my trailer:


Picked it up a few years ago, haven't really done anything with it yet. Just need to force myself to start. A buddy of mine works at a metal fab shop, and has access to a blaster, so maybe once spring rolls around, I'll make that my project for a couple weekends. It's also a 1947, I think. When I bought it, the previous owner had it titled as a 1949, but after researching the VIN, I'm fairly positive it's actually a 1947.

Are you listed on this owners database? http://bantamt3c.com/bantamdatabase.htm It's a pretty nice collection of trailers and information about them.
 
I think I talked with you at All Breeds this past year. Here's a few pictures I happened to shoot:

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Thanks for the pics and compliments Rob!

Your Bantam looks like it is in great condition. I hope I get to see it sometime soon... perhaps at the 2012 PA Jeeps show? 

I finished my Bantam this fall. In addition to the Line-X, I restored the original side racks. The original uprights were used as patterns for oak replacements. The side rails were cleaned up and re-used. The horizontal rails for the front were duplicated in oak, based on photos of other Bantams.

Here is a pic I took over a week ago on that real warm January weekend. Had to get the Willys out, and decided to do my brush removal work with the Bantam instead of my pick-up truck. It sort of made a chore fun!