Trailer wiring

48builder · November 20, 2006, 12:34:49 PM

My wife wants me to make a trailer out the the back end of a '48 Chevy coupe I have. The idea is to tow it behind the '48 Sedan. I was thinking about somehow putting the connector for the wiring in a hidden place under the rear floor or in the fenderwell. It seems like there are connectors that just plug in to where the rear light harness connects. Is that right? I was looking at Delcity for ideas but I don't even know how many wires I need to go to the trailer. I guess it would be the same number as I have going to my rear lights, duh.

Thanks,

Walt

Leon · November 20, 2006, 12:55:10 PM

As a minimum you would need 4 - ground, running, left, right. (brakes being part of the left and right turn). From there you could add wires for brakes, backup lights, and charge line, if you need any of these. I really like the backup lights on my trailers, if your trailer is light enough you don't need brakes, and if it is only for cargo you don't need the 12v charge line. I would recommend that if you are adding new wire to your car for the trailer that you might think about putting wires in for the extra circuits anyway incase you decide to pull a camp trailer or something bigger in the future. That way you'll have the wiring in place and would only have to hook it up.

phat rat · November 20, 2006, 12:57:48 PM

without brakes you only need 4 wires. ground, taillights, left and right turn. brake lights are on the same circuit as the turns. as far as where to put the plug, you could have it in the trunk and have the pigtail long enough to come under the lid.

GPster · November 20, 2006, 01:31:06 PM

I'm more interested in the idea of making a trailer out of a coupe. Find someone that works with some kind of photo program on the computor or do like I do and cut/paste copies of the coupe "dead on" profile. I'm imagining that if you kept the area of the panel between the trunk lid and the bottom of the rear window, that would keep the trunk hinges in place. Now if you cut the roof across at the crown and put the front of the roof section with windshield to mate with the line in front of the trunk maybe it will give you a nice airfoil look. Just remember if you use the stock rear fenders with the axel centered in it that you can't make the trailer too long in front because of hitch weight. I think that the cheater trailer wiring is something that Hertz uses so that they can rent to anybody. GPster

sirstude · November 20, 2006, 02:26:46 PM

I have thought about that for my Olds, if I ever manage to get it done. I had thought of cutting the middle out of the spare body and then grafting a bit of the hood and grill onto the front of it so looks like a short version of the car, and does not have just a flat front.

Doug

phat rat · November 20, 2006, 04:03:02 PM

I've got to agree with Leon about the back-up lights. I've got three trailers and have them on every one. Of course you probably don't have them on the rod and that would require another style plug, a 6 pin round rather than a 4 flat

48builder · November 21, 2006, 12:14:03 PM

Quote from: "GPster"I'm more interested in the idea of making a trailer out of a coupe.

I have pics of a similar trailer I saw about 10 years ago in Burlington, VT. I cut my coupe apart just under the rear window and down in fron of the rear fenders. I am thinking about putting a battery in it to power thingds like a radio, etc. I'll leave a wire there for backup lights in case I want to use some. I don't have any on the rod. I figure I'll use an axle and springs from a Caravan fo the suspension, and I'll have to figure out how long to make the tongue.

Of course if this project goes like the car, I won't have to worry about any of it for another 10 years. I cut the coupe apart 8 years ago and it is still sitting behind the house :-).

GPster · November 21, 2006, 01:17:02 PM

You get me going with ideas. Use an open drive rear end for the trailer rear axel then put a pulley on the driveshaft yoke. You can use that pulley to drive an alternator and then your trailer battery will always be charged OR you can use that pulley to drive an old ac compressor and you can turn the trailer into beer cooler and you could buy cases of beer and have them to drinking temperature at the time of your arrival. An idea for back-up lights on the trailer, if you used a hitch that was made for surge brakes maybe you could put a switch on it to turn on the lights when you were backing. Of course that wouldn't work if you were backing down hill. GPster

sirstude · November 21, 2006, 01:37:55 PM

Joe,

We got to get you a life, you think too much!!

Doug

ps. I like the alternator idea.

enjenjo · November 21, 2006, 02:53:51 PM

You can put a golf cart motor on it too, so you can drive the trailer around the shows.

Leon · November 21, 2006, 03:18:43 PM

Quote from: "GPster"An idea for back-up lights on the trailer, if you used a hitch that was made for surge brakes maybe you could put a switch on it to turn on the lights when you were backing.

Thatr might turn on the backup lights everytime you hit the brakes since the trailer would push the surge coupler.

GPster · November 21, 2006, 08:09:07 PM

Quote from: "Leon"Thatr might turn on the backup lights everytime you hit the brakes since the trailer would push the surge coupler.

Most of the ones that I have heard of have a pin that you put in so you can back the trailer up without going against the brakes. If you towed with the pin in place and pulled it when you would be in a backing situation it would only trigger the switch when the pin was pulled. It was just offered as a suggestion to the question. I have enough trouble going foreward trying to remember which eye I'm using. The only backing I would do with a trailer now would be to un-hook the hitch and push the trailer into place by hand. GPster

GPster · November 21, 2006, 09:06:26 PM

Quote from: "sirstude"Joe,We got to get you a life, you think too much!! Doug ps. I like the alternator idea.

That idea of mine is not that new to me but I've got a better one. Last year everyone going to Bonneville and camping on the wide spot was talking about a small AC for their camper and a portable generator to power it. I wonder if you made a false floor in those campers and made the area between the floors water tight and filled it with water with refrigeration lines in it. When you towed the trailer during the day you would freeze the water into a big block of ice and you could sleep on that block of ice. Now maybe if you submerged some 4" plastic pipe in the water so that the ends of it were above water you could circulate air through those pipes that had ice frozen around the outside of them and you could have circulated cooled air that way. The ideas keep coming but none of them will ever make any money. GPster

Leon · November 21, 2006, 09:07:32 PM

If you towed with the pin in place and pulled the pin when you back, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of surge brakes? If you need lights for backing and don't have them on the rod, a simple toggle switch to supply power to the backup lights on the trailer would be easier.

GPster · November 21, 2006, 09:14:19 PM

Quote from: "Leon"If you towed with the pin in place and pulled the pin when you back, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of surge brakes? If you need lights for backing and don't have them on the rod, a simple toggle switch to supply power to the backup lights on the trailer would be easier.

My idea was just to use that type of hitch that would have movement to actuate a switch. I didn't suggest the use of any of the surge brake set-up (or did I) except the hitch to work the switch for back-up lights. GPster