ExpeditionNorth aka AA1PR's 1966 Stevens M416

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expeditionnorth

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I thought I had this posted before...

Picked this up from a guy in Burlington who claimed he got it from Plattsburgh AFB when they closed down in the late 80's

its a 1966 Stevens M416, its as old as I am & in better shape

came with a 3 ring binder of all work history performed, inspection logs etc

on the way home I had to stop & replace the tires, sadly tirewarehouse (only place open that sunday) would only sell me trailer tires, though I wanted MT's

my kids did all the work on this & one day it'll be theirs long after I'm gone

pics in no particular order, date wise:

was told it was painted, but looked more like whitewash

so we took a brush on a 4" grinder * proceeded



wasnt sure what was rust at first untill all the layers of camo paint were removed





The my son started on the POR15 sealant



once all of that was completed we finished it off with herculiner, we rolled on the whole gallon in several layers over 2 days

 
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expeditionnorth

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Herculiner came out good



& then we added some aluminum diamond plate for a rear down, first I had it dropping down like a tailgate & then later changed it to a side opening which is best for our needs



used it like this for a couple of summers as our family camping gear hauler



it left more room instead, which is real nice on any long trip





OK you get the idea

& then we deiced a locking lid/cover would be neat, with thule bike racks on top for their bikes, with a shelf along the front









this was well for about 2 winters & then the plywood started to fail





so much for dept store brand outdoor paint

 
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expeditionnorth

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by this time, my sons had moved out onto their own...

so me & my 2 daughters decided maybe turn it into a camper of sorts

this had my wheels turning, I found this truck cap which fit nicely



so with the gracious help of my father ( I'm disabled), we built a raised sleeping platform in there



its not pretty but its functional



we have a twin mattress that fits on there ever so perfectly

from the good sections of that plywood cover, my dad thought of a side storage area

it works great for fishing & tent poles for our DIY awning

 
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expeditionnorth

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added some cheap LED pucks to the ceiling





added some cheap & simple eye bolts so our awning has an attachment point





replaced the cracked rear window with some cabinet grade birch

& its waiting for us to bring her into action hopefully this summer once again
 
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expeditionnorth

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I've been meaning to get one of these if I came across one, & today was my day

I was going to get the 6foot version but found with my injury I could hardly lift it, so instead opted for the 4ft version that folds in half


I think it'll be enough for our needs, $37 at Kmart on sale, wish we had more stores around as most of you will likely respond you see them cheaper


getting ready for summer... it was 46* here in VT today

& today I added one of these to the mix as well, its only8'X8' but will fit my needs nicely

in conjunction with my homebrew awning we ought to have enough shade/cover etc

 
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expeditionnorth

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It must have been, as I recognize it from before. Some stuff got lost in the forum software transition, so this might have fallen between the cracks.

Good to see you back, by the way!
Steve
roger that, miss you on my forum, if you ever have time
 
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expeditionnorth

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You're making want to find a trailer for my family outings!
Thanks
yes they are ever so handy
I'm disabled or otherwise I would probably have this decked out galore
but we've tweaked it for our needs as seen fit here & there
& been thinking of welding up a new metal lid one day
hopefully long after I'm gone the kids will continue to keep & use it
 
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expeditionnorth

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sadly the table isnt as high as the 6' version I had before, though my daughter likes it


the canopy was a challenge to erect, with my injury I couldnt get it setup properly
one of my ham radio friends is selling me the awning off his popup camper he is junking & I'll add that to the mix instead


so that'll be coming soon I hope for summer camping season
 
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expeditionnorth

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Great work! I like how you've outfitted the trailer to suit your needs, look forward to the new-to-you awning!
now he's isnt sure he wants to sell it, maybe a smittybilt one then

so today...

The youngest wanted to go camping & the weather looked Ok so off we went to Moosalamoo campground

got the tarp setup off the back of the trailer with my homebrew poles, it was starting to mist &

reminded me of the PNW a bit



I dug a small trench maybe an inch deep or so to channel the water away from us if it did downpour

after I started the campfire & before the downpour...



little one setup the table to her height which wasnt all that bad since the tarp was low anyways




got a shot looking back in , sorry for my ugly mug in the way



& then the thunder boomers & lightning overhead came right over us, I decided it was time to leave when that happened

Never did get my hammock setup either

& then the weather turned for the worse

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]