trailers are the hardest thing to secure. super easy to just chain to the truck and go.
there is no perfect anti-theft device to stop a pro. But I figure I can irritate the hell out of them. My particular method is to have a simple lock on the hitch (so it's not stupid easy and they see a lock), and then wrap a strong cable lock under the frame and through the rims in such a way that they can travel 10 feet and then the tire locks up (similar in principle to what Brandon posted). but I don't advertise this with a flashy cable. it's just a black pinky-thick 6ft cable with a padlock on the end. but my theory is that the absolute mess they will experience will dissuade them from trying to keep going and they might abandon the theft. In the end, if I see long black streaks coming out of the driveway but no trailer, I can at least laugh at what they went through to take it.
just a note, the bumper isn't powder coated, it's not an Alcantara wheel, and you of course don't have a rack-n-pinion steering. those are reused codes that meant different things back in the day.
honestly, if my plan was to use the truck kinda rough and cover up scratches with a rattle can, I'd probably use a rattle can for the whole thing.
scuff, clean, paint, let dry.
but then, I'm not one of those paint gurus you seek.
I mean, we've covered just about every leak at some point in time here, but the knowledge is scattered and so each time we talk about it it becomes "could be anything, you just gotta figure it out". I'm sure we can do better than that. It only seems like there are infinite possibilities.
I was thinking of something a bit more noob-friendly with photos and arrows or circles.
and tips, like drilling a hole from teh engine bay through the wheelwell to keep water from pooling up in this area:
seems to be a google account but I can't see them, even if I copy/paste the address. you can host them here at the comancheclub. just upload them from your computer.
also, howdy friend! good to see ya!