As you can see, the trailer floor was covered in debris and completely rotten. I'm surprised I was able to make it the 15 miles home without the smoker falling thru the floor.
After doing some research, I think this may be a Chuckwagon Cooker out of New Braunfels, but I'm not 100%. I still haven't been able to find one that's identical. The photos of the other CC's have the same base, same type of serial number, same drain, same hooks and general set up. This may have started out as a CC and the previous owner may have had it modified.
Once my wife agreed to let me park it on the side of our home (for a temporary basis), I started to clean it. As you can see, the wheels are falling through the floor.
The smoker itself had been neglected.
[/URLThe first step necessary was to replace the floor boards. We were able to slide doubled-up 2x10's on the rails of the trailer under the smoker and use a series of jacks and shim boards to get the smoker in the air and slide the new boards in. In reality, the job was much more complex, as the smoker shifted in mid air and fell almost completely horizontal and we spend the better part of the day just up-righting it. We finally got it up and secured and were able to get the new boards in place.
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With the boards in place and the smoker securely fastened to the frame of the trailer, it was time to give her some well-deserved TLC.
The process started with a sandblaster, which helped some, but the real deal was an angle grinder and a twisted 4" wire cup. It ate up all the rust immediately.
Once the surface was prepped, it was time for paint. Due to the size of the smoker, I went with the Rustoleum 1200 degree paint and the 2000 degree paint for the fire box. Unfortunately, the two paints didn't match.
Here's the smoker with one coat.
I added a full second coat of 1200 degree paint last night, and will likely add 2 more coats in the coming days.
I have an old gas grill that I haven't used in years and the stainless grates fit in perfectly.
Things to come:
New intake damper
Seals around the cook chambers
Door latches
New handles
Fire box baffle
Tuning plate
As for the trailer, I'll be mounting two BGE nests up front, with a 24x24 stainless prep-table in between.
I also have an idea for a canopy to keep us out of the rain.
I'm thinking about installing a series of flush mount solar led lights around the perimeter that I found on sale at Lowes.
Lastly, I may try and build a 5' or 6' table/sink combo that's removable that would hang over the side of the trailer. Here's a quick mock-up.
That's the plan, with more to come.
