Grandville Trailer Blog

Meet the Team

December 11, 2019 gvtrailer

Management

Dave is the owner of Grandville Trailer and he seems to know just about everyone in west Michigan! He’s fun, kind, generous and everybody’s friend. Dave runs a fair and honest business. He genuinely loves his job and seeks to do right by his customers and employees. On his few days off, he hunts, travels, spoils his grandkids and cruises around in his fully restored 67′ Mustang.

Service Department

Grandville Trailer Mechanic Cory is our lead mechanic and does a fantastic job working on our customers trailers! Among other things he repacks bearings, replaces electric and hydraulic brakes, and repairs damaged trailers. (See the full list of services we provide here.) Cory is very talented and works quickly to get your trailer back on the road!

Sales

Greg is the son of Dave and Andrea. He’s a goofy guy with a love for people. While keeping things fun at work, Greg also works hard and is very helpful to our customers. He does the bulk of our ordering and inventory and can answer any of your trailer questions. He spends his free time with his beautiful wife, 3 year old son and his new baby girl. He also enjoys disc golfing, and scoping out new breweries in Grand Rapids.

Lance has been on our sales team for a few years and has proven to be an integral part of the team. He is very sincere and works hard to ensure that customers are satisfied. Along with sales, he also manages the service garage, so call Lance to schedule your trailer maintenance! He is a true Michigander at heart and loves his sports, especially basketball and golf. He and his lovely wife are expecting their second child soon and we are thrilled for them! We are grateful to have Lance on our team and hope he sticks around for a long time!

Zach is our newest salesman and has made a great addition! We appreciate his work ethic and the way he jumped right in and learned the business. Zach has been serving in the National Guard for almost six years and also enjoys cars and racing. AND he is newly married this month so tell him “Congratulations” next time you stop in!

Behind the Scenes

Ron is Grandville Trailer’s trailer master. He is the one who oversees the coming and going of trailers. He keeps our lot nice and tidy by organizing the trailers, taking photos of new inventory for our website, prepping the trailers for the lot, and keeping our inventory clean. He also cuts the grass, and takes care of all other building maintenance needs. Ron is an essential part of our team and we’re so glad to have him here working hard every day!

Brendan is a student at Cornerstone University. He spends his summers and Saturdays working at Grandville Trailer. Brendan works hard and does it all! He helps Ron on the lot, moving and washing trailers. He keeps our store clean and helps customers with their questions. His smile and cheerful attitude is seen and appreciated by all!

Andrea is Dave’s wife and she has been by his side through it all. They work together in running this awesome dealership. Andrea does all of Grandville Trailer’s bookkeeping and a whole lot of paperwork. She spends a lot of her time quilting, working out, spoiling her Grand babies, and just loving on all the people in her life. Grandville Trailer is blessed to have her around and so is her family!

I’m Ally, Grandville Trailer’s Internet Marketing Strategist. I’m a wife and homeschooling mom to three kids. I love the Lord and I love getting connected with people. I spend my afternoons with a cup of coffee, writing blog posts, sending newsletters and having fun on social media with our followers. I’m here to keep our customers informed and would love to get connected with you!

Shameless plug: stay connected and in the know by signing up for our newsletters below. We like to throw in exclusive offers to our subscribers!

Thank you, customers and friends, for your continued business and loyalty! We’re thankful for you and happy to serve you!

At Grandville Trailer, we’re pullin’ for ya!

Must Have Products

Christmas Gifts for Men and Women

November 25, 2019 gvtrailer

There are two types of people.

Those who start Christmas shopping before Halloween and those who wait until the week before Christmas.

There’s also a third group, reserved only for the organized planners, that begin their shopping before spring. My mom falls into this elite category. Maybe one day I’ll get there, but for now, procrastination always seems to win.

Whether you’re a procrastinator, planner, or somewhere in the middle, we’re hoping to help you check one or two people off your list. We’ve compiled a list of Christmas gifts for men and women that you can get right here at our store next time you’re passing through.

Here’s the thing: You don’t need to own a trailer to benefit from this list. There’s truly something for everyone and in every price range!

Christmas Gifts for Men

The Perfect Bungee $6-$10

The. Best. Bungee. EVER.
Claimed to be “Not your dad’s bungee”, The Perfect Bungee has stretched our expectations. (Pun intended.) This product is made in the USA and comes with a LIFETIME guarantee!

Master Lock Pivot Lock Hitch Pin $13

Here is an inexpensive stocking stuffer idea. This 5/8 Hitch Pin won’t rust and is made to reach all receivers.

WeatherTech Floor Mats $30-$300

Now here’s a product I especially LOVE! They can handle all the pets, mud, coffee spills and kids that you have. They are easy to hose off and help maintain the condition of your vehicle. I can’t recommend these enough!

Take a look at your options and give us a call when you’re ready to place your order. We typically get these in within a couple days so there’s still time!

Condor Trailer Only Chock $200

Useful for those who travel with their motorcycle or dirk bike, the chock is stable and secure, and easy to use.

B&W Tow and Stow Ball Mount $225

These are the perfect Christmas gifts for men and women who do tow trailers! This is a new, hot item in our store! Its genius design simplifies the process of getting hooked up or changing trailers.

Weigh Safe Hitch $230-$300

Hands down, this hitch is a customer and employee favorite! It makes the world of difference on the ease and safety of towing. So we think it’s one of the smartest towing investments you can make.

Read more here and see why everyone is raving about this product!

Support local small business this Saturday, November 30, on Small Business Saturday! We’ll be open and happy to help you however we can! Whether you’re picking up a couple bungee cords to stuff some stockings, or making an investment with that Weigh Safe Hitch, we hope we can help you with your Christmas shopping this year.

Send us a Facebook message or give us a call at 616-538-2290 if you have any questions! Have a great Thanksgiving this week!

Want to stay in the loop and get all our exclusive offers? Sign up here to get our weekly newsletter!

We’re pullin’ for ya!

-Ally Mollenkamp

Helpful Hints and Tips

DIY: Repack Wheel Bearings

October 31, 2019 gvtrailer Leave a comment

Repack Wheel Bearings It’s one of those “adulting is hard” chores that just has to get done whether or not you feel like it.

And hey, if you don’t want to do it, bring it in! Our guys can repack wheel bearings like it’s their job. Well, I suppose technically it is their job.

Anyways.

If you’re here, then you’d probably rather DIY and save some money. That’s great! We put together this quick step by step tutorial to help you along the way.

>>> <<<

Why you NEED to Repack Wheel Bearings

The wheel bearings need to stay well lubricated to work properly while bearing the weight of your trailer. Unfortunately, over time the grease breaks down, especially if water works its way inside the bearings. Therefore, it’s important to repack wheel bearings with grease on a regular basis.

It is recommended to do so every year or 10,000 miles. We are more than happy to do this for you at our shop; we take pride in providing the best trailer service in west Michigan. But we’re also happy to help out the DIYers at home!

5 Steps to Repack Wheel Bearings

Before you begin, you will want to have all your materials out and ready to go. Here is a complete list of everything you might want to use.

Materials Needed
-Hammer
-Needle-nose pliers
-2 Jack stands
-Large flat head screwdriver
-Large adjustable wrench
-Wrench for lug nuts
-Solvent
-New cotter pin
-Bearing grease
-Gloves, clean rags and small pan

Some of these things can be substituted with a different tool, however having all these things on hand will help you do get the job done in a quick and somewhat* clean manner. Once you have these things it’s time to get in and get your hands dirty!

Step 1: Removal

With the axle raised on a jack, remove the wheel and then the dustcap. The flat head screwdriver will work to take off the dustcap. Next, remove the cotter pin by unbending it and pulling it our with your needle nose pliers. And finally remove the rear bearing.

Step 2: Cleaning

Now it is time to take the seal out of the bearing. There are several ways to do this but we recommend simply prying it out with your flat head screw driver. Once that is out, you can remove the inner bearing as well. Use solvent to clean all the old grease off of the bearings, races, seal and hub surfaces. It’s important that you clean all parts thoroughly!

Step 3: Repacking

Once everything is out and clean, you can do the actual repacking. Do this by putting a glob of fresh grease on your palm and begin working it into the bearing. Make sure that it is fully packed and no gaps remain. It’s also ideal to add another layer of grease around the rollers, on the bearing race surfaces on the hub and the bearing’s faces. Basically, anywhere you can put new grease; do it.

Grease= good.

Step 4: Replacing

Once you’re done playing in the grease, tap in a new seal, ensuring that is is even and snug.

Step 5: Assembly

Really, the only thing left is to just put it all back together. Place the drum back on the axle (maybe add yet another glob of grease to it’s face). After the careful placement of the thrust washer and spindle nut, the drum should easily spin on the axle. Insert the new cotter pin and cover with the dustcap. After putting the wheel back in place, you’re done!

Well… with that one wheel, anyways.

Here is an additional list of tips to help you get the job done perfectly.
-If your trailer has been in storage for some time, it still needs this service done. Grease will break down on a parked trailer, too.
-Don’t torque the spindle nut when you are re-assembling. It will crush the bearings. Just make sure it is snug.
-Always replace the cotter pin.
-And just in case you happen to be “that guy” stranded on the highway, we think it’s a good idea to carry an extra set of seals and bearings, all which you can find in our store.

Trailer Service at Grandville Trailer

This simple task should take you about an hour to complete and is something that most people can do on their own at home. However, if you can’t find the time or space to do it yourself, need to bring your trailer in for another reason anyways, or are just having a bad Tuesday, we are more than happy to do this for you!

That’s what we’re here for!

Do you have an extra set of seals and bearings stored in your truck or trailer? If you don’t, you might consider swinging by and grabbing some. If you want to tackle this project at home, we are more than happy to answer any questions you have while you are here!

At Grandville Trailer, we’re pullin’ for ya!

-Ally Mollenkamp

Mustang Restoration

Mustang Restoration, A Labor of Love: Part 8

August 16, 2019 gvtrailer

I know some of you have been looking forward to this. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about this Mustang restoration and the process that it’s been through. Thirteen years and eight blog posts later, the final product is here!

If you want a recap or if you haven’t seen the original car, catch up with the first seven parts. Each section is full of pictures from this decade long project.

Part 1: Acquisition
2: Dis-assembly
3: Media Blasting
4: Sheet Metal and Bodywork
5: Paint
6: Interior
7: Final Assembly

Mustang Restoration: The Test Drive

Remember this old thing? (The car, not the people.)

Here it is again.
The 1967 Mustang Coupe, Fully Restored:

Dave and Andrea have been having a lot of fun with the Mustang this year. At this point the coupe has over 1800 miles on it and I’m sure it’s visited several ice cream shops. They even took it out on Christmas Day to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather.

It’s been a great joy to have finished the car after so long, but there are still a few improvements to be made. As mentioned in the video, there are some small leaks that Dave will have to chase down this winter. He also never got around to installing the center console shift indicator. Once he gets that done, he’ll hook up the reverse lights and clean up the wiring under the hood.

The Finished Mustang Restoration

I imagine this car will never truly be “finished.” By the time Dave completes these final touches, he’s sure to come up with further improvements. It’s in his blood. But for now, Andrea is thrilled to have her very first car back and more beautiful than ever! So I leave you with a final picture to wrap up this love story. A tribute to the past thirteen years and the journey that Dave has been through with this car. The 1967 Mustang Coupe lives on as does the love of this special couple.

Aren’t they cute?

Are you working on a restoration project? Check out these step by step instructions from Ford on how to start a Mustang Restoration project!

**Update** This post was originally posted in 2016. Shortly after this post, the car was parked in the pole barn at the Tosh’s when a tornado came through. A tree fell on the barn and damaged it severely, but the car survived without a scratch! It’s been over 3 years and they are still enjoying this car! The restored mustang continues to bring joy to many! Thanks for reading!

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Mustang Restoration

Classic Mustang, A Labor of Love: Part 7

August 15, 2019 gvtrailer

For everyone who has been following along with this story. To those who have known Dave for any period of time. For anyone just joining us now, I have wonderful news for you today:

The car is finished.

Hallelujah and thank you, Jesus! Dave has finished this insanely long project and she is absolutely beautiful. He is still fine tuning the car and working out a few kinks, but as of right now, he has put over 400 miles on the classic mustang. And now we are playing catch up to give this car the full, proper story that it deserves. This is part seven out of eight parts. If you’d like you can catch up on the first six parts, or at least browse through the pictures.

Part 1: Acquisition
2: Dis-assembly
3: Media Blasting
4: Sheet Metal and Bodywork
5: Paint
6: Interior

Classic Mustang Restoration Part 7: Final Assembly

After Dave finished adding the sweet details to the interior, he went on to put the car all back together. First he had to make sure that the body panels all lined up, which took him a long time. It took a lot of adjustments, but he got them just right and put them back on along with the bumpers. He installed the windshield and rear glass as well as the glass windows in the doors.

Restored Engine in Classic Mustang

He also did the electrical work and made sure everything was hooked up properly. This included headlights, tail lights and back up lights. Thankfully they went together fairly easy. He had the engine rebuilt at CD’s Engine Service where the guys did great job. He opted to install an electronic fuel injection instead of a carburetor. The EFI’s computer was all plug-n-play which was pretty simple.

The front of the engine took a lot of adjusting. Dave went through two different alternator brackets, three sizes of alternator belts and three different radiator fan spacers.
Underneath the car was asking for some serious upgrades, too. He installed an automatic overdrive transmission along with long tube headers and a MangaFlow exhaust. The headers took some bending and tweaking in order to fit just just. The work was well worth it, though, the car sounds awesome!

Polishing the Exterior

To give the car a nice glow, he wet sanded the exterior and buffed it out. Now, everything about this Mustang is amazing! It has been turning heads, widening eyes and dropping jaws for about a month now.

Well there she is! I told you she was beautiful!

Now you’ve got to see our final post so you can hear it and see it move! We’re wrapping this story up with Part 8: The Test Drive.

Thank you for following along with this story! Dave and Andrea are so excited to be driving their new car and we love having it parked outside of Grandville Trailer from time to time. Come and see us soon and share this post for your car-fanatic friends!

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Mustang Restoration

1960’s Mustang, A Labor of Love: Part 6

August 14, 2019 gvtrailer

We’re excited to show you the interior of this 1960’s Mustang in this post. But if you want to see the full progress of the car, get caught up real quick with the first five parts. Each one includes a lot of pictures to illustrate every step of the restoration.

Part 1: Acquisition
2: Dis-Assembly
3: Media Blasting
4: Sheet Metal and Bodywork
5: Paint

1960’s Mustang Restoration Part 6: Interior

Dave wanted to keep as many original parts as possible. He kept the old seats but did quite a bit of work to them.

The original car only had lap seat belts in the front with no seat belts in the back. The front seats also had no head support.

Because of the years of sitting in storage, the interior had a tremendous need for a face lift.

After adding new padding, side support, higher backs and headrests to the front bucket seats, Dave went on to re-upholster all the seats.

There was an obvious safety issue with the original front seat belts and lack of seat belts in the back. Dave had looked forward to taking his grand kids for rides, so of course, safety is important. (No complaints here!) He installed 3 point seat belts on all the seats making them much safer (and legal.)

Restored Dashboard for the 1960’s Mustang

Then he restored the original factory center console and added a stereo from Custom Audio Sound to jazz it up. The stereo looks like an old fashioned radio but has more modern electronics.

He installed a new gauges set from a Michigan company called Classic Instruments. They went well with a one-piece molded headliner from Mustangs to Fear.

Because of the black interior and the plans of summer cruisin’, Dave opted to install an air conditioning unit that he purchased from Classic Auto Air.

He also got a custom steering wheel and new floor mats that add a lot to the interior!

Dave contacted our trailer light supplier, TecNiq to get some LED lights for the interior. Then he upgraded to a modern wiring harness from American Autowire to make everything run properly. The result is pretty awesome! I guarantee you will want to take this car for a spin when you see the finished product!

Jump over to our next post to see the FINISHED CAR! Part 7 has the final assembly and Part 8 is where you get to see the test drive.

This post is full of resources for anyone else that is working on a car or looking for upgrades. Would you please share this post on your Facebook so that your friends can see Dave’s project and use these resources? Thank you!

Thank you so much for reading along!

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Mustang Restoration

Ford Mustang, A Labor of Love: Part 5

August 13, 2019 gvtrailer

If you’re just joining us, take a moment to catch up and see the pictures in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Ford Mustang Restoration Part 5: Paint

We left off last time when Dave had just gotten all the pieces of the car back from Spankys Collision Repair. Per request by Andrea, the skilled body shop had painted the car Phoenician Yellow. And here is the beautiful paint job on the car shell:

Dave anxiously and carefully brought the pieces home and put the body back together. It was so rewarding to see the mustang starting to come together!

Then he dressed the car up with new fenders, lights and an antique license plate.

Ford Mustang Paint Job

Doesn’t it look great? We all got pretty excited at this point to see the car with a beautiful new paint job.

Maybe now Dave will actually get it finished?

For 10 years now, Andrea had been dreaming of cruising through town on a warm summer’s night to go get an ice cream cone. Thankfully, her dream was about to come true!

The inside of the Mustang was looking just as good as the outside. So check out our next post in Part 6. You’re going to love those pictures!

To all of our loyal readers: Thank you for following this story! This car is very special to our family and Dave is thrilled to be able to share it with you all.

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Mustang Restoration

60’s Mustang, A Labor of Love: Part 4

August 12, 2019 gvtrailer

60’s Mustang Restoration Part 4: Sheet Metal and Bodywork

Catch up on this awesome story with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. You really don’t want to miss the shorts that Dave is rockin’ out in Part 1.

After getting the car sand blasted at Kremers’ Painting and Graphics in April of 2010, Dave continued with the sheet metal and bodywork for the whole next year. Like any car restoration, this is the most labor intensive part. He spent an immeasurable amount of time in this phase, in order to get the perfect outcome and not a Bondo Buggy.

60’s Mustang Sheet Metal Work

First, he cleaned up the few rust spots. Then he replaced the floor boards, and patched up the fenders, doors and quarter panels. This involved hours of cutting, pounding, welding and grinding (and probably quite a bit of beer.)

Body Work

As the car was still on the rotisserie, he sealed up all the welds and painted the bottom of the car.

Once he got the car back on the ground he went ahead with installing the new suspension, disc brakes, shocks and springs. It was nice to be able to move it around again and keep it out of the way when he needed the space for something else.

Taking a Break

In May of 2011, Dave’s finances were required elsewhere as he needed to pay for a wedding (sorry, Dad!) At the same time, he was going through a major career change. Dave had already been interested in buying Grandville Trailer for a couple years. After Kevin (previous owner) passed away, Dave spent more time working at Grandville Trailer and eventually went on to purchase it. During this time he was still running his counter top business, Tosh’s Tops. When the opportunity arose to sell it, he made a rather quick sale. It was then that he was able to focus solely on Grandville Trailer and devote all his work energy to making it the business it is today.

Tosh’s Tops is still thriving and now goes by the name Rush Creek Surfaces, check it out!

After three years of intense business changes, it was time for Dave to get back to work on the car. In the spring of 2014 he continued the body work. He spent many nights and weekends block sanding so the car would be ready for paint. He then assembled everything together to make sure it all lined up. When it was as close to perfect as he could get it, he disassembled it to be painted.

Next step: Paint

When it was ready for paint, he brought the 60’s Mustang to a local body shop: Dekker’s Collision. Although we all tried to talk her in to red or black, Andrea’s choice of color was Phoenician Yellow. Being a labor of love, Dave followed her request.

Once the pieces of the car were painted, Dave carefully brought it all back home to his barn. The car shell, fenders, doors, trunk, hood and all the other pieces were ready for the reassembly process.

Check out Part 5, where you can see some of the beautiful paint job and something that is starting to look a bit more like a car. And don’t forget to share this with your car enthusiast friends!

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Mustang Restoration

A Labor of Love on the Old Ford Mustang: Part 3

August 11, 2019 gvtrailer

Old Ford Mustang Restoration Part 3: Media Blasting

But first, have you read Part 1 and Part 2?

We left off in 2005 when Dave took apart the old Ford Mustang. A whopping 5 years later he picked up where he left off. It was April of 2010 when he continued his work on the car.

Dave brought in the ‘Stang to be sand blasted, with no idea what shape the car would be in when he got it back. He didn’t know if he would have to deal with a bunch of hidden rust holes before continuing. When he got the car back from Kremers Painting and Graphics, he was very pleasantly surprised! The car was in remarkable shape, especially after decades of sitting in storage.

After further inspection, he did find there was some rust on the corners of the doors, fenders and quarter panels. The floor boards needed to be replaced because of several pin holes, but that was the extent of the damage and better than he expected.

Once he got the car back, he borrowed a rotisserie from a fellow classic car enthusiast. He was able to place the old Ford Mustang on the rotisserie and turn the whole thing over with just one hand. This made it much easier to continue his work. What an awesome invention!

While the car was on the rotisserie, he was able to do all the sheet metal and body work. Continue reading with Part 4 to see those awesome changes!

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Mustang Restoration

A Labor of Love, Mustang 1967: Part 2

August 10, 2019 gvtrailer

Mustang 1967 Restoration Part 2: Dis-Assembly

Did you miss Part 1? No problem, catch up right here!

After Dave got the pole barn built, he was ready to start the Mustang 1967 restoration project.

The summer of 2005, he began the process of taking the car apart. Being the family man that he is, he tried and failed to get the kids involved. (Sorry, Dad! If I could go back in time I would choose to be of much more help!)

Despite the decades of sitting in storage, the car was overall in good condition. It had plenty of mouse droppings, but not a whole lot of rust. After the summer, though, Dave got busy again with Tosh’s Tops (the counter top business he had at the time. Now called Rush Creek Surfaces) He lost time and interest and left the old pony to sit in the barn.

Dave labeled all the parts and hardware and put them aside. He still frequented his barn on nights and weekends. Putzing around on his truck, fixing the go-carts that we continued breaking, and cleaning out a deer or two every year. Meanwhile, Andrea began to wonder if she would ever get to cruise into town for ice cream in her shiny pale yellow Mustang.
There was still a lot of work ahead of him and- spoiler alert: he finished it and it’s absolutely stunning! You’ll love the finished product!

Keep reading with Part 3: Media Blasting!

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