unpolire
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Do you know if Shannon found a home for her original 52 Spartanette cabinets?
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1947 Westwood Coronado
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Post by unpolire on Sept 6, 2020 12:23:46 GMT -8
I am trying to get a rusted-on brake drum off of a 1952 Spartan Royal Spartanette. Someone removed the wheelhouse and tires and wheels on the left side and put a flat floor and vanity in their place! Water has been leaking possibly for decades directly on the brake drum! I had to buy all new wheels and tires as the original tires and “death rims” were on, and I have been successful in getting 3 of 5 on the trailer. I’ve tried white vinegar, salt and lime juice, vibration and PB Blaster. Naval Jelly is unheard of in these parts, as everyone sells rust converters, not dissolving agents!
I still have lights to wire but this rust is keeping me from leaving with all 4 new 10-ply radials on the road!
Any suggestions?
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Sept 6, 2020 13:36:42 GMT -8
Your question makes no sense to me.
Is the original 15" "split rim" wheel rusted to the brake drum? Can you get all of the rusted lug nuts off? Is the brake drum and hub rusted to the axle spindle? Does the hub even turn, as in how's the wheel bearings? If you ask a more detailed question, maybe I could give you a possible solution.
If you raise "both sides" of the frame on a Spartanette trailer, and slip the wheel/tire under the axle/brake drum (do not try to pull it out) you can get the wheels off.
I've worked on many Spartans. I currently have a 1948 Spartanette.
John
Edit, Is the brake shoes rusted to the drum? Maybe you can unbolt the backing plate from the axle, then after it's off use a air hammer to break the brakes free from the drum/hub.
I would not recommend that you plan on using any of the vintage axle and brake system long term. Put some new Dexter axles under the trailer during the restoration. My suggestions are meant to help you get it moveable for the trip home only.
MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU CHECK THE EYELET ENDS OF THE MAIN SPRING LEAVES. I towed a 1950 Spartanette 75 miles down the Cajon Summit on I-15 with a right rear spring broken off at the eyelet end and did not know it until I got to my destination. It scared the crap out of me.
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John Palmer
Senior Member
 
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 550
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Sept 6, 2020 13:51:44 GMT -8
Long term you want to upgrade your wheels to a modern Dexstar brand 16", "six lug" trailer wheel with a higher 3000# weight rating. The 15" wheels are only rated at 1980#. By doing this it will allow you to use a modern much higher weight rated tire. I like to run Michlin LT tires (note they do not make trailer ST tires), or my other favorite brand is a Maxxis ST radial trailer tire.
John
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Post by Teachndad on Sept 6, 2020 15:22:05 GMT -8
Hi John,
I was confused too. I am sure it's a frustrating moment and things don't always come out clear in such situations.
From what I can gather, he bought the Spartan and he is retrieving it today. It's hard to tell if the brake pads are stuck expanded inside the drum, or he his having difficulty removing a rusted old wheel from the outer part of the brake drum.
Unpolire,
If you are still out there stuck and reading this, tell us if the wheel is stuck to the front of the brake drum or the drum is stuck with the brake pads activated and pushing on the interior of the drum. I guess that would prevent turning of the hub.
When I use PB Blaster, I always tap all over whatever I am trying to loosen with a hammer. Maybe that's been tried, but I thought I would mention it anyway. Just trying to help.
There is always Youtube.
Rod
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Post by vikx on Sept 6, 2020 18:12:44 GMT -8
My Hanson had frozen on wheels. We used a torch to heat them up nice and hot and then tapped with a brass hammer. One was off the trailer (we took the whole wheel/brake assembly off) but it did come apart.
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unpolire
New Member
Do you know if Shannon found a home for her original 52 Spartanette cabinets?
Posts: 14
Likes: 4
1947 Westwood Coronado
Currently Offline
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Post by unpolire on Sept 6, 2020 23:24:56 GMT -8
Still here, day 3! A constant water leak from directly above caused the backing plate and the brake drum to rust solidly together. Drum will not budge. The other three are all perfect. I bought replacement 15” radial trailer tires, 10-ply, load rating E and bought 5 new one-piece rims from a tire store. He had 16” but I had already had the 15” tires drop-shipped to the city in advance. It was not clear from the photos that they were the original 2-piece rims. Trailer came from Al Rose, the Trailer King, in El Monte CA, “home of the Spartans,” and they are probably the commercial tires fitted new. I have tried liberally applying PB Blaster while striking the drum. The rust is thick and flaked, as if the metal has become one again. As a last resort I am using Rust-Oleum Rust Dissolver, the only product available in this city. I can’t destroy the drum as I’ll never find one here and will have to return empty-handed after all of this work, and return later.
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John Palmer
Senior Member
 
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 550
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Sept 6, 2020 23:59:38 GMT -8
Still here, day 3! A constant water leak from directly above caused the backing plate and the brake drum to rust solidly together. Drum will not budge. The other three are all perfect. I bought replacement 15” radial trailer tires, 10-ply, load rating E and bought 5 new one-piece rims from a tire store. He had 16” but I had already had the 15” tires drop-shipped to the city in advance. It was not clear from the photos that they were the original 2-piece rims. Trailer came from Al Rose, the Trailer King, in El Monte CA, “home of the Spartans,” and they are probably the commercial tires fitted new. I have tried liberally applying PB Blaster while striking the drum. The rust is thick and flaked, as if the metal has become one again. As a last resort I am using Rust-Oleum Rust Dissolver, the only product available in this city. I can’t destroy the drum as I’ll never find one here and will have to return empty-handed after all of this work, and return later. 1) I doubt you will be able to get enough of any kind of penetrating oil inside the drum to free up the brake shoes because of the lip on the backing plate. 2) using a 5# ball peen hammer around the perimeter of the drum where the brake shoes would contact the drum. It's not how hard you hit it, it's the small repetitive hits that break up the rusted contact. Listen to the change in sound as you work your way around the drum. It will ring differently where it's rusted in contact. This trick was learned fifty years ago when I grew up in a bicycle shop and had to remove rusted handle bar stems from fork steer tubes. 3) if you run out of time, or patience, just cut the backing plate off of the axle. You will need a cutting torch, or a plasma cutter. Make sure to first wet down the ground and the bottom of the trailer. Be careful if it still has the original belly pan installed. Rodents will have drug all kinds of flammable debris up inside the belly pan, making it hard to put out a fire. I towed my Spartan out of Mesa, AZ and left a hundred pounds of rat poop, insulation, and papers on the 10 freeway as I got up to freeway speed. If you ever get to Orange County, CA. I will give you all of my old original hub and brake drum parts. The parts are free for the taking, but no crating or shipping. I would never use or trust using these old 70 year old parts. Be aware not even Spartan used all of the same axle assemblies. Like today, the trailer manufacturers use generic parts made from other suspension manufacturers. Also be aware that the serial number on the door tag, and the serial number stamped into the frame tongue are not the same number. The number shown on the small aluminum door tag is the "official number" used for title, and DMV registration purposes. 4) Al Rose was a very large trailer dealer located in Southern California with many locations, and sold many different brands. My trailer now has a Al Rose badge from his Carson, CA location. Good luck on the rusted drum. John edit, you have to cut you loss at some point. Your not going to have a working original trailer brake system to tow it home no matter how you proceed, IMO. You just need to get it apart to remove all the brake parts and repack the wheel bearings for the tow. Drill about ten, 1/8" to 3/16" sized holes through the outer surface of the drum opposite of where the brake shoes would contact on the inside. Then you can spray you penetrating oil directly to the area that is stuck. I would only drill through the drum, and not the brake shoe so it would hold the oil in place.
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unpolire
New Member
Do you know if Shannon found a home for her original 52 Spartanette cabinets?
Posts: 14
Likes: 4
1947 Westwood Coronado
Currently Offline
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Post by unpolire on Sept 7, 2020 6:01:33 GMT -8
Thank you for all the suggestions and especially John for the VIN info. On my Westwood Coronado the serial number and frame numbers match. I assumed it would be the same with Spartan. Now I have a problem because the front door and jamb have been replaced, so no VIN panel on front door jamb. Still have not gotten the rear door open.
The wheel bearings and brake drums have all moved freely and look in perfect condition. I don’t believe that the drum shoes are touching the drum or frozen. It’s the backing plate to drum that water seems to have fused together after decades of drips from a water line directly above that drum.
The rust remover has done some work through the night, and I think that I will try removing the backing plate and drum assembly and try to find a machine shop open on Labor Day! I am from Pasadena and will definitely contact John in OC through the Admin, as I can’t send messages.
This whole experience will be a very interesting story, once I can tell it! I think the trailer was brought to this park as a permanent residence and since it was never going to move again, they left two tires on the ground and discarded the others, then modified the interior layout physically for more room. If the wheelhouse had not been removed, I would be home by now!
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John Palmer
Senior Member
 
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 550
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Sept 7, 2020 9:55:48 GMT -8
You would not want to be home right now! It's been 115 in Pasadena, and lots of smoke from the Azusa fires.
Here's another idea. Do you have access to compressed air? If so, use a small Harbor Freight 3" by 1/8" cut off wheel and slice the lower part of the backing plate off. Focus on the part just below the mounting bolts. Since water runs with gravity, it's likely only stuck at the bottom, my wild guess?
Make sure you safety wire, or secure in some way, the doors so they do not blow open during the travel home. It's most important on the suicide mounted style that the wind can catch.
Since you are local to me (only one hour away), my offer for the free vintage hubs and brake parts stands.
Contact me anytime. Always willing to give "my very bias" advice, LOL. The only rule is no photos, no texts since I'm a flip phone guy. Like the Eagles song lyrics, I'm an analog guy, stuck in a digital world. Vikx has my contact information and can connect us.
Your going to need a mini day vacation after you get this home. Buellton Trailer Bash is just a couple of weeks away, stop by and say hi. I'm the 24 foot Spartanette, on the Spartan row.
They might have left the two wheels on to qualify for some kind of a zoning regulation. It was legally still a mobile home with the tires on it. That's why you see license plates still mounted on some park model trailers. They had to keep them DMV registered, even though they were not towed on public highways. It was just another way for the GOV to tax.
John
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Post by vikx on Sept 7, 2020 10:15:45 GMT -8
PM me for John's contact info.
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unpolire
New Member
Do you know if Shannon found a home for her original 52 Spartanette cabinets?
Posts: 14
Likes: 4
1947 Westwood Coronado
Currently Offline
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Post by unpolire on Sept 7, 2020 11:04:21 GMT -8
So close! I removed the wheel bearing and after a ton of rust and water coming out, I can now wiggle the entire drum with a heavy screwdriver between the drum and backing plate! I started taking backing plate nuts off and found them very easy, but there’s bolts inside now that I have to resecure. All I need is a hub puller to go around the wheel bearing housing and attach to the lug studs and it’s off! But, no, every single shop, including NAPA had the same FWD puller that can’t match the bolt circle or clear the hub protrusion! Harbor Freight had nothing. My new tires are 225/75R15 and are about an 1/8” too wide to squeeze into the wheelhouse over the hub. A small amount of grease and they go in. I may just try putting a tire and wheel on and see if that helps me get the drum off! Or keep removing the backing plate nuts...
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John Palmer
Senior Member
 
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 550
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Sept 7, 2020 11:32:46 GMT -8
Your story sounds like a 1965 Yellowstone trailer we pulled out of Bass Lake north of Fresno. It was bought brand new in San Jose, towed directly to Bass Lake to be used as a temporary structure while they built their dream cabin. It sat in the same spot for fifty years and was used as storage.
It was originally built with 10" wheels. They looked like they came off of a golf cart. We brought four new 225 x 15 wheels and tires for the tow home, and had to remove the inner fenders to get the larger wheels to clear to get it home. We dug that trailer out of the dirt, during a rain storm. Oh, I forgot the best part. It was "pulled in" next to a small pine tree, NOT backed in, because they wanted to entry door by the cabin. WELL you guessed it, that little tree grew up over fifty years and we had now way to connect a truck to the front of the trailer.
It's truly amazing what OLD GUYS will do just to get a old trailer!
John
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unpolire
New Member
Do you know if Shannon found a home for her original 52 Spartanette cabinets?
Posts: 14
Likes: 4
1947 Westwood Coronado
Currently Offline
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Post by unpolire on Sept 7, 2020 16:12:03 GMT -8
The brake drum is finally off! Using two slender pry bars, one on each side, after awhile there was a “pop” and it came free! Lots of photos to share when the story is told! Thank you everyone and John, especially, I owe a great deal of sincere appreciation! I may even leave my quarantine house at the water in Baja California to visit Buellton!
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Post by Teachndad on Sept 9, 2020 5:00:34 GMT -8
 Perserverance!! Yes!!
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unpolire
New Member
Do you know if Shannon found a home for her original 52 Spartanette cabinets?
Posts: 14
Likes: 4
1947 Westwood Coronado
Currently Offline
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Post by unpolire on Sept 21, 2020 8:29:37 GMT -8
Now that I finally made it back to Baja California after leaving the Spartanette in California at my high-desert storage, I can reflect upon the crazy adventure!
I pulled my Westwood Coronado out of an almond orchard in a rainstorm with a truck that had lost reverse gear, but it had to be done.
That was so easy compared to making a permanently mounted 1952 trailer roll again and go 300 miles! 5 new tires waiting at FedEx, no wheels, a Labor Day weekend filled with gun-toting dove hunters (!) everywhere, and a stuck brake drum make for a story of impossible difficulty in dirt with no good sources of local support. Without this forum I might have had to beat a retreat without my trophy! After disconnecting all of the permanent plumbing from the trailer and disconnecting the 120V wiring connection and cabling, the local Napa machine shop milled the brake drom and removed all of the brake parts from the drum. A wild goose chase of tire shop after tire shop finally resulted in a shop having 5 matching chrome Nissan rims that fit the tires and trailer! He had about 30 16" rims, but I had preordered 15" 10-ply trailer tires before comi g to town, based upon the seller's photos of tire size. After refitting the drum and installing the newly mounted tires and wheels (and 18 new missing lug nuts...), the stuck drum turned freely. Ready to pull but with no lights yet installed, I connected my truck (now with reverse!) and found the hitch and lifting crank fully frozen from years of weather exposure. After forum advice, I plied the hitch with PB Blaster and a hammer for hours, knocking out rust flakes with every strike. 3 hours later the lever moved fully upright and the hitch was functional. I hooked up chains and pinned the latch and pulled the trailer out of the space and turned right. Bi mistake, as no one had told me that the trailer park did not extend around the entire blick and ended in a blocked street! If I had turned left I would have been home free! Instead I wound up backing up a 35' trailer for the first time in a driveway, where the front of the trailer made contact with the truck's tailights! Finally free I pulled the tig into a quiet empty piblic park's parking lot to run trailer light wiring. About two hours later the lot filled with unmasked parents and children playing little league baseball during a pandemic! After dark I spent only my second night in a hotel in 5 days because they let me park the rig over about 12 parking spaces against a wall. I then had to back the trailer up to get out as the curve at the end of the parking lot would not accommodate the rig. After that I towed the trailer another 280 miles with zero trouble, aside from having to duct tape the suicide trailer door against wind trying to force it open despite a padlock. At times I unexpectedly hit 80 mph trailering, instead of my always 55 mph pace when towing. The fully balanced XL ST tires and wheels performed so well that the rig tracked perfectly straight when ny hands were taken off the wheel just to check! A wild tale that ended at night under the full moon. Thanks everyone! Now the restoration begins: I found the original birch interior perfectly preserved UNDER the 1970s wood paneling but I need three whole window units that were removed to reduce the amount of light inside! Only two windows had curtains, the rest covered with foam or wood to keep out light!
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