Sheet Metal Smoker Plans Wanted

by Danny D
(Chattanooga, TN)

I am currently using a store bought side box smoker. It is of fairly sturdy design and it was in the $250.00 price range. It is my first smoker and I have had some triumphant successes with it as well as some dismal failures. Win, lose, or draw I am definately hooked on the smoke. All in all the discount club smoker has served me well, with a certain few exceptions. It is fairly difficult to keep at a constant temperature, and the fire box is a bit small.
With that said, I believe I am ready for the next step in my smoking habbit. A friend and fellow smoke enthusiast and I have been toying with the idea of entering a local barbeque competition in the "patio" division. We will, of course, be using my old faithful companion, but I dream of a new and improved version. One that has the mass to hold temperature and a box big enough to hold at least a couple of hours worth of hickory. A smoker so grand that it has it's own wheels and requires a trailer hitch just to transport it. I know I can make it reality if I could just find the right plans!
I was a welder and fabricator for years and I'm certain I retain the skills to weld this beauty together. My delima is locating the print to chart out my masterpiece. I think I have a pretty good idea of how I would like it to function, but having a working prototype out there somewhere would certainly take a ton of trial and error out of my equasion. There are a ton of sound enough looking plans out there for propane bottle smokers, but I want it all sheet metal just because it is available to me and the propane tank is not. I scoured all the free plan sites I could find but nothing too convincing came out of the search. I would love to see plans for the all time greatest sheet metal smoker! Or, I suppose good pictures from all pertinant angles accompanied by a detailed description would also get the job done. Anyone have a smoker to brag about?