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TOPIC: Trailer type and vintage?

Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 9 months ago #139919

The registration I got with the trailer says it's a 1988 Cox. Really?

Can any of you fine folks help me i.d. this trailer? It will be blown apart sometime this summer for paint to match the '59 Cutter Jet Deville (red and white). It looks old enough to be the trailer the Jet Deville was bought on.

Any help in identification greatly appreciated.







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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 9 months ago #139983

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Hi there. It looks like your trailer is a '56 Gator model 214 possibly. If you're looking at the trailer from the back, the numbers should be stamped front right curve of the trailer frame. I restored the same model. These older Gator trailers are cool, really like the round tubular frame design.

Take a look. Here's the link to my restoration back then. Hope this helps.

Eddie

www.fiberglassics.com/forum/trailer-talk/52924-restoring-an-old-gator-trailer.html
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 9 months ago #139984

Thanks for the info Eddie!

Just took some better pics, will post in a few hours. I'll blow this baby apart at some point, paint it, and replace all the fasteners with stainless steel. I've done the same thing with my last two classic boats, much like what you did with that great link you posted.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 9 months ago #139988

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I am watching and learning as I have 2 trailers to do. What color of red is typically used on the rims?

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140457

Where I got to today. Darn thing fought me all the way, as you can see from the mess. 4-1/2 inch angle grinder with a cut-off wheel required in a few places. When sanded, the yellow sure pops, but it was covered with red, then with a poorly applied black. It almost seems like it's never been apart.

Things will be different when I'm done.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140462

Okay now, stripped the right front curve still looking for an i.d.#. That yellow sure is persistent! Will strip more and clean up when I return from a few errands, but so far, no luck.

Anybody have a picture showing where this i.d.# is so I could focus in? It's the difference between having to keep this trailer registered as an '88 Cox, or getting it registered as a '56 or '57 Gator. Thanks!

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140463

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PC1000 wrote: Okay now, stripped the right front curve still looking for an i.d.#. That yellow sure is persistent! Will strip more and clean up when I return from a few errands, but so far, no luck.

Anybody have a picture showing where this i.d.# is so I could focus in? It's the difference between having to keep this trailer registered as an '88 Cox, or getting it registered as a '56 or '57 Gator. Thanks!


Look through my restoration thread. There is a picture of the stamped numbers, which shows 1956 214. It's clear after I had the trailer and all its parts media blasted. The numbers I believe are located just south of the curve along the straight part of the trailer frame.

I will be following your restoration thread of this old Gator trailer.

Eddie

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140473

I'm not sure at my age I can pull this trailer completely apart without help Eddie. Gotta think about that. Bad back, bad shoulders, bad knees!

Anyway, a few pics with questions.

I was surprised to find the tilt works. Was this on all trailers or just certain models?



What is the reason for the device on the right rear, and the tube? Also, is it stock to have a double rear crosspiece?





Were side marker lights stock? This is a bracket near the front right. The other side broke off at the frame very easily. Looks to me to be added, as I don't see them on other Gators.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140476

Only place there might have been a trailer i.d. or VIN is where I have a circle here. I'll check it out closer later. Also thinking I'm just gonna use paint stripper to get the old paint off. Will take a while.

Lot to do today with a bunch of company coming over the weekend. Plus have lots to do with getting the hot rod ready to start. Jet Deville needs attention too! Sheesh!

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140486

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I have some pictures showing what that lever is for. It lowers and raises the back bunks that are on pivots. Saw this restored trailer today at Tomahawk Wisconsin National antique outboard show.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140491

Fascinating! I'll have to give that a try. Thanks!

Busy downstairs getting ready to do some engine turning (or sometimes called jewelling) in the a.m. on some 2-1/2 angle aluminum for my hot rod.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140493

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I noticed they had not Reinstalled the back roller, but I could see a person would want it if you were using this lever feature. Good luck on the hot rod and the trailer.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140497

A bit of engine turning this morning. One side of my 2-1/2 inch aluminum angle done, three more to go.

Hmm, how could I use this on my Jet Deville?

Frank

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140509

With the help of PB Blaster, I got minme to work! Needs a rubber handle.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140510

Pic...



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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140511

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Nice. I like that PB Blaster on things like that. Also, nice work on that angle!
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Trailer serial and model number found! 4 years 7 months ago #140544

Found my numbers this morning, pretty much right where Eddie said I would. They're not on the side (which is what I thought for some reason), but on side/top. I assume the first 4 digit number is the serial number, and 216 is the Gator model. Off in the a.m. to DMV to get my registration changed (with any luck).



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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140547

Basic trailer frame pretty much stripped top and sides.

Will either try sanding the top, or flip later today and do the bottom. Got work to do on the hot rod inbetween.

Was going to paint it red and white, but the more yellow I see, the more it grows on you!



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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140550

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It looks like trailer restoration involves good old fashioned hard work and patience. I have 2 to do. Maybe the reason I am not getting motivated is because I get more satisfaction driving the boat after hard work. My trailers are all road worthy with new tires, bearings and greased... but not the prettiest. In fall, maybe I need to lift the boat off so I have more time since my other trailer is too little to safely temporarily swap.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140551

That's what I did doc. Swapped my boat onto another trailer I own. That trailer, interestingly enough, is yellow and white!

It is a lot of hard work just stripping this trailer. Not sure what comes next. Got half a mind to pull the boat into the garage tomorrow and finish the transom job.

Best of kluck to you!

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Trailer serial and model number found! 4 years 7 months ago #140562

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PC1000 wrote: Found my numbers this morning, pretty much right where Eddie said I would. They're not on the side (which is what I thought for some reason), but on side/top. I assume the first 4 digit number is the serial number, and 216 is the Gator model. Off in the a.m. to DMV to get my registration changed (with any luck).




That's great that you found it. Interesting though. Yours being a 216 is a little wider than my 214. With mine stamped as a 1956, I assume it's a 1956 model year, but then yours is stamped differently. I know it's older than a '58 Gator that I used to have because the '58 had the one piece fenders with rounded tubular frame design like yours and my '56 and plus the winch stand had a solid metal piece in the center rather than the criss cross design.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140564

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PC100, it looks like you've made a lot of progress. On mine, I probably had 3 layers of paint originally; that's why I chose to just have the trailer sand blasted. I hope you decide to keep it that classic vintage yellow on your '56 Gator trailer.

Dr. Go, I have yet to restore my Tee Nee under "Sweet Isabel", our '60 Reinell Jet Flight, maybe because I don't mind the patina look.
I have another larger, heavier duty "T" frame Tee Nee trailer that I'm considering to restore. We'll see. This one that is currently under Sweet Isabel, I just put together from three different Tee Nee trailers. They tow incredibly well.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140566

I had gone back and forth on color Eddie, as I wanted to paint it red and white to match the boat. But as the yellow has come out as I stripped the paint, it's grown on me. Plus I found some 12 inch steel 4 lug wheels that could be painted red. Then I would just need hub caps.

What I would like is a formula or paint chip for the original paint. Home Depot can match up whatever I give them. Maybe I can still find one on my trailer stuff. Otherwise I may just use Rustoleum yellow.

I intend to use Awl Grip two part red paint for the Jet Deville deck with corresponding clear, and VC Performance epoxy for the hull. I've used VC Performance on hulls before. It's a great hull paint for trailered boats.

Gotta go finish up my transom work. Pics soon.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140567

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I have seen listed in another thread that when they wanted to closely match the tee nee yellow, they found 2002 Ford Chrome Yellow worked well. I don’t know trailer official colors, but I saw a ton of yellow trailers with red rims and chrome hubcaps on many different brand trailers. To an amateur like me, they all looked great restored. Some boat color combos seem to fit better with those yellow trailers and red rims... maybe because I see so many. My trailers are Trailcar brand. One 2 different colors of yellow and one black painted over original cream color. I am really starting to like when people match the two tone trailer colors with two tone boat colors. Like a white trailer matching a white hull and then painting fenders to match a top deck on the boat. Or maybe like Eduardo said about leaving the Patina as long as it is all safe. You will have your transom done and trailer painted way before me. I like also seeing those transom pictures too. Your project is very helpful to me.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140570

That's funny Doc. I google it and come up with Rustoleum yellow!

My boat will be red deck, white hull, just like it came to me, but done much better. At least the deck begs improvement. Hull will be painted too.

Strengthened the transom this afternoon. Most of my focus was on the sides inside, where I did 2 inch, then 4 inch, then 6 inch mat. I laid in about 6 inches of mat across the bottom of the transom inside. I also laid mat across the tops, each side of the engine well to capture the oak spacers I fabbed, then also put mat across those on the outside. All together, it took me 28 ounces of resin to do.

With that done, my focus turns to finishing the exterior to a point it's ready for paint. That will be a few more layers of mat, followed by a few of cloth, each layer being a bit larger than the last. I'll probably leave the inside alone, other than re-installing the engine well. I never could have done this transom in place without removing that well.

Here's a few pics of how my afternoon progressed.















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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140576

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Great work and thanks for the excellent pictures! I am going to check out both yellow paints ... still on the fence about colors. I keep needing to remind myself that no matter what I attempt, I will be improving from how I got them.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140597

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saw this today.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140601

Pretty cool doc. That sure looks like Rustoleum yellow to me too, very bright, but that's okay, I like it! Also looks like they ran their wiring outside the frame from what I can tell. I like that too, makes much more sense. My goal next week, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, is to go to DMV here and get my trailer re-registered as what it is. Got a bad summer cold right now, but will try and get some stripping done on the Gator today. Also need to strip the paint off the Cutter Jet Deville. And prime and paint the stake rack on the hot rod.

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Flipped the frame and started on the tongue 4 years 7 months ago #140603

Not feeling real hot so don't know how much more I'll get done today. Almost through my 2nd quart of stripper, but have a back up quart. Still have a bunch of miscellaneous parts to do, but want to get the frame and tongue done. Did the bottom of the frame this morning, and the top of the tongue. I can see yellow again!

Maybe more later...



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More stripping 4 years 7 months ago #140605

More Gator work. Pretty much all the black and red is gone and a lot of the yellow. Places that look black are bare at this point. Doing the best I can, but nap time once again...



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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140607

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A few more pictures from today. Numbers on top of tube. Wiring inside main tube and they chose outside for the rest.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140608

I don't get it doc. My numbers are opposite: 4 digits followed by the model number. Any idea what the 1459W means?!? Whose trailer is that? Yours?

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140610

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That was not my trailer. It was in a boat show. I am trying to remember, but think the trailer was under a 1957 wooden outboard boat. I couldn’t be sure if the trailer is the same year as the boat. I am not a gator expert. Those numbers were in the same location as yours. All of the pictures posted yesterday and today are the same trailer. My first pictures were from another boat show the week before.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140624

More work on the Gator today. Belt sanded with 40 grit the spring shackles. Stripped the bottom of the tongue.



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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140626

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That belt sander got some work done! I wonder if this product would help the pitted areas. I got this sample at a car show and have watched many videos of independent people comparing different products and it looks reasonable enough for me to want to try it on my own rusty springs on my spare axle to see what happens.
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140627

No clue Doc. Probably like the rust treatment I used to get at NAPA. I'm going to clean mine well, prime them and paint.

Took the other hub on my axle apart today. At first glance it looked like the cones had different numbers. Will check it out more in the morning. I also have to emery cloth the bearing surfaces on the axle and get them clean, always fun.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140669

Doing some hand sanding with 60 or 80 grit on the bottom front of the trailer frame earlier today, found something very interesting: NATIONAL USA embossed in the bottom of the front curve, left side. May not be clear in the pic here, but was clear to me as I was sanding.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140676

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I saw that same thing on the trailer I took pictures of at that show. I wish I would have taken a picture now, but at the time just figured it was where the steel stock was sourced. The trailer with the W after the number had that double ball coupler on 2 sets of arms so that you could disconnect one to tilt trailer while the main on just in front of it stayed connected to the car. I need to reduce the picture size before I can post that. You are certainly getting the work done!
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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140747

After stripping my Gator and finding the original factory serial number, as the county clerk suggested, she still will not let me register it as a 1957 Gator. Drives me nuts!

I may try and register it in another state.

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Trailer type and vintage? 4 years 7 months ago #140764

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I feel your pain. Logic has left the building. I had to register a boat that had accurately been registered in the same state for almost 50 year. I had original registration information.... however the person working the newly computerized form found out for the first time, it would come up error every time and not let us register... the problem is that a modern computer software program assumes a certain minimum number of digits would be entered to ensure the number was complete... only one problem, my old boat had too few numbers. The only way they could get me registered was to combine a model number with a serial number... their idea, not mine. It satisfied the computer program and here we are. This was the DNR station and she said... I hope any DNR officer that checks your registration is smart enough to look at your boat plate and see that I combined your numbers. Seems the registration stories never end... then can’t wait until they ask where my hp plate is... wasn’t required on my boat that year and doesn’t have one. Good luck trying to register your trailer as it should be.

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