halftrackinfo
pictures of your halftrack => post updates on the progress of your restoration => Topic started by: 67tank on September 09, 2014, 08:42:39 PM
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Just joined the forum. Bought a M2A1 last month from the PO in Chino Hills, California. Had it brought up to Northern California and started the project. Have most of the front armor, plus a crate engine, two transmissions, spare front and rear axle, and a whole bunch of parts that I am learning where they are supposed to go. Outside of removing armor and sending parts to the sandblaster, I am spending most of my time doing research - have gone thru a lot of posts here, Andy's build thread on Military Surplus forum, the Steel Soldiers forum and many others - realize I have a lot to learn.
I am a former Armor officer 3/67th Armor, (both 1st Cav and 2nd Armored Division) (attached a photo of my tank near the Kuwait-Iraq border 1992) and am going to restore the halftrack to the BN HQ section of my old unit. 3rd battalion's motto was "Hounds of Hell" so figured "Hell Hound" would be a good name for the battle wagon. Just need to figure out the numbering for a HQ halftrack - but I am a long way from stencils.
Look forward to picking your collective brains
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Welcome aboard, where in northern California are you? There are several owners up in that area. It's always good to hook with other owners, Having held makes a world of difference!
Keep the pictures coming!
Don G.
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Good luck for your project
Prestone
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Welcome,
You have a nice project there, you will find a lot of good information and help here.
Gary
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Finally I get to see pics Pat lol,
Andy
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Welcome to the troop!
Does your vehicle retain the dataplate as I would like to add this to the list. If not at least the frame serial #.
Thanks
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COL H
The PO provided me two complete unrestored dash boards - One had the old data plate with " Car Half Track M2A1 Was Car Half Track M2" MFGRS Serial "No 230709 Ft Crook" ORD Serial No "1380 2 17 45"
On the frame behind the driver's side tire 230709 is stamped on the frame. I will look tonight for other markings.
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welcome to the group.
halftracks had a big role in ww2 and from what i have heard these where the first sent in in many situations.
with the advancements in fully tracked vehicles its not likely they will make a comeback in the modern military.
this fact does not relate to any other vehicle that i can think of. jeeps and tanks continued with changes.
what i am getting at is that you are restoring a one of a kind piece of history.
i hope this forum keeps you motivated through your project.
steve
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Thanks for the data plate info 67tank
If you pm me your email I can send a list of half-trac parts.
Using your ord number off the data plate your hood number should be 4011578
Not sure if you knew this or not
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Welcome to the forum! I think I saw a video on youtube of your halftrack a while back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yHmqi_7Bvg. Do you need a winch? I have two to chose from plus a lot of other parts. If you need help don't hesitate to ask anyone here.
Steve A.
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That's it - that was the PO.
Have a winch - the PO had picked one up. I'm going to tear it apart this winter/strip the paint/rebuild. I do not have the three braces for underneath.
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Pat,
Your halftrack is just like the third one i've owned seen in this video.
http://youtu.be/D-h-Zt_ipw4
What are your plans for restoration, original or as is?
Steve A.
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Steve, Did you sell the red ht you had? As 67tank's looks to match the home made winch bumper, cab and rear bed as his!
Steve
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I ended up selling all three to someone to get the one I have now. The winch bumper on the red one is original unlike 67tank's. The rest of the track is spot on the same as 67tank's. My plane before I sold it was to put a hoist set up from a larger bomb truck on the back and keep it as is. I think that would look great in my opinion. Who knows, it could have happend in WWII with a junked track. It was also my first driveable halftrack. It was a blast giving rides to every one. I used it to push the other two on a truck a block away for shipping east.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxAGHzSOQz8&list=UUEn32PkWfuFNLcL_frAx9UA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRtZfI443P8&list=UUEn32PkWfuFNLcL_frAx9UA
steve A.
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Steve
The plan is to restore this back to original condition and marked up as a 67th Armor Regiment halftrack (France late 44)- LONG way to go
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Finished up for today - almost all armor off. Broke 3 drag link sockets and my giant bolt cutters. Mounted the winch as a test- figured the front bumper was home made after looking at the welds and photos on this site. Going to leave it for the time being. Took some photos of some of the jerry rigging from the past 50 years or so. Doesn't look like the rear spring is stock and have no idea what the lever crudely welded on the driver side frame is - thoughts?
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That lever is for the factory winch to engage it. Only thing i can think is there may have been a winch located out back and that engaged it. That pic with the spring looks like the early rear sprocket tensioner type, front bumper is definitely aftermarket.
Im sure others will chime in
Andy
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Wow, that halftrack has a bunch of very early stuff on it. It looks like it was never up graded. First off the bracket outside the frame by the brakes is for the early style vacuum assist brakes, It was never converted to a hydrovac. Looks like the lever welded to the frame is someone's attempt to add a winch lever. I would suspect that because of the home made winch bumper. They did the same thing to mine. So your winch lever will not be where an original set up would be.
Now looking at your rear spring set up, Its possible that what you have there is a piece of halftrack history It looks like it was one of the first conversions from the non-sprung fixed rear idlers to a sprung rear idler. If you have Hunnicutts book it talks about how the first conversions were done in the field by a Maintenance company using springs from a crawler tractor. It was done until the factory modification was made. If it is the is very unique. There has one other post I've seen where the half track still had the fixed idler. But if we could see some more detailed pictures that would help. All indications are your halftrack is a very early one.
Don G.
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Don
1. Rear spring - Interesting. I will keep as is then. What photos would you like to see of the rear setup?
2. Hydrovac - I have a hydrovac and the brackets in my garage - but since this one was never converted - should I keep with the early style or make the conversion?
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Pat,
Your better off with the newer style hydrovac. The earlier style is problematic and can lead to problems. As for the rear suspension there is no way to put tension on the springs with that set up. I know the earlier suspensions were prone to cause to throw a track. As for removing the armor bolts. I've had good luck heating the nut and then using an air impact on the nut. Foe the slot screws I use bits from Harbor Freight. When the brake I exchange them. Another trick as to not damage the bolts is to use a good air chisel and split the nut. This doesn't damage the bolt much if you do it right. Reproduction nuts are available from several vendors for $.90 each.
Steve A.
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Hi Pat. Steve is right the early system was actually a vacuum cylinder that assisted with the brake pedal, there was some monkey motion that is part of the brake pedal that had to be adjusted. The hydrovac is cleaner, If you don't know the history of the hydrovac probably wouldn't hurt to have it tested.
On your rear idler could you get some shots of the attachment point on the idler arm and see if it has the idler stop on the back also.
Don G.
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Don
Photos of spring - as requested
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I brought the transmissions and the ordnance manual over to a trans shop in San Francisco. The owners of the shop fought for the South Vietnam Army back in the day - think the last time they saw a halftrack or halftrack parts, it might have been operated by the French.....they are long time friends of the family and going to do it right - I hope.
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Hi Pat that may the original spring set up before the factory modification. That is really interesting. May Kevin L has a thought on this?
Don G.
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That's the early spring set up on the idler. It's illustrated on page 40 in Hunnicutts book.
Gary
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I have been making some progress. Used a friends cheap plasma cutter and started removing a lot of the farmer additions. That plasma cutter failed and went out and bought a new one. Have to finish removing the rear bed and I-beams. Most of the armor has been sand blasted and primed. Few pieces had cracks or needed some repair - Steve-O is welding the cracks, fixing the mounting tabs on the firewall, and welded new bolts onto the windshield. Big shout out to him and his metal skills.
Transfer case is rebuilt, PTO is redone and the Transmission is waiting for an input shaft and a few internals from Col Halftrack - who also supplied a new PTO lever, mounting bracket, all new bearings, shifter knobs, and a complete new exhaust. Thanks Col much for your patience and assistance.
Front axle is almost complete - all new race, bearings, seals, brakes, and got the new tires mounted on the split rims - just waiting on the hubs to come back from the sandblaster.
Dash - When I bought the HT it came with a new speedo and a complete NOS instrument cluster. Had a tach that was a little beat up. I visited Rod Shaver down at his home in Arizona over Thanksgiving and picked up a banged up Voltmeter (and drooled over his scout car and Hellcat) .
Steve-O has rebuilt both the Tach and Voltmeter. Just need to track down the "panel Light" switch, fuel switch and electric brake control.
Also had a chance to meet Steve1973 while he was down in the Bay Area and picked up a set of new headlights - he graciously helped me identify some of the parts I had and where they went.
After having it pointed out that the front bumper was a home made job, have decided to remove the whole piece and picked up a complete original winch bumper from Steve-O. Might as well do it now while i have everything off.
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Pat,
Keep up the good work. I had a great time visiting you also.
Steve A.
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looking good.
i don't think many people use the brake controller even if they had it wired in and working. i have some that would fill the spot on your dash but may not work.
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Perfect - Doesn't have to work. Just needs to look the part. Will not being towing an artillery piece any time soon.
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Here is a pic of what the complete early brake booster looks like.
(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/936/medium/m2a1-booster.JPG)
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Duck/Pheasant hunting season drawing to a close so hope to be making more progress in the next few months.
A couple of my front armor plates had some cracks - Steve-O spent a lot of time repairing the original armor.
My firewall had two busted "feet" - Steve-O used another firewall as a template and recreated the footings.
Dash is coming along - PO had purchased the Vintage Wiring of Maine Kit - Just waiting for a few more items
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Right on Pat looking really good!
Don G.
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Air cleaner done. Steve-O made the conversion to a paper cartridge on my late style air cleaner - of course, I realized after I just completed painting this up that my firewall does not have the cutout for the air to be drawn from the inside of the cab. Has to be cut otherwise the air cleaner wont' sit properly - Anyone have the dimensions of the cut in the firewall ?
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The weather was nice so spent the weekend working on removing the farmer mods. The front bumper was removed (still need to remove the 8 rivets and bracing along the frame) and tackled the old gas tank and what remained of the bed. It's slow going. Wish I was 20 years younger.....
Should be able to get the passenger side and rear I beam removed this upcoming weekend then go back and grind down the welds.
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Great work Pat. BTW, your serial number 230709 was built as an M2, and should put you in 1941 that your track was made i believe, not 45 like in your sig. All the early parts would point to that too!!
Andy
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In your last picture does that front crossmember have a factory half circle notch in it for the winch driveshaft? My crossmember had been cut out and I replaced it but there was only a little on each end remaining when I removed it so didn't know there was this notch. I'm at the point I can fix that easily now before I go any further.
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Not on mine, and mine was untouched
Andy
In your last picture does that front crossmember have a factory half circle notch in it for the winch driveshaft? My crossmember had been cut out and I replaced it but there was only a little on each end remaining when I removed it so didn't know there was this notch. I'm at the point I can fix that easily now before I go any further.
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Yes the cross member has a factory cut notch in it plus a little torch cut from the farmer mods. I will take a photo tonight and post.
Andy as far as the serial number - thanks. I was wondering when the halftrack was originally built. What I don't understand is that although the original dash plate indicates that it was a factory rebuild to a M2A1 in early 45, the Halftrack has the the early parts (rear track spring, fender mounted lights etc) and no holes in the frame for the late style hydrovac mounting plates....
Only a couple hundred M2's were sent back to the factory for the conversion - besides the removal of the skate rail and the addition of the pulpit what else was mandated in the factory rebuild?
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The main change to make it an A1 is the pulpit. Maybe it was a quick filed upgrade. Who did the upgrade per your ID plate and does the number on your plate match your frame? Not sure if this was brought up before. If the numbers do not match then it is not the correct plate. Not all M2A1's had all the extras such as the newer suspension, mine racks, pedestal lights, later brake hydrovac and so on. I know of two others in Northern California that my be similar to yours. I will have to check the next time I pass through.
Steve A.
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In your last picture does that front crossmember have a factory half circle notch in it for the winch driveshaft? My crossmember had been cut out and I replaced it but there was only a little on each end remaining when I removed it so didn't know there was this notch. I'm at the point I can fix that easily now before I go any further.
WayOffTrack
Did you mean this?
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The main change to make it an A1 is the pulpit. Maybe it was a quick filed upgrade. Who did the upgrade per your ID plate and does the number on your plate match your frame? Not sure if this was brought up before. If the numbers do not match then it is not the correct plate. Not all M2A1's had all the extras such as the newer suspension, mine racks, pedestal lights, later brake hydrovac and so on. I know of two others in Northern California that my be similar to yours. I will have to check the next time I pass through.
Steve A.
Steve - see page one. Serial number and plate match. Was the serial number stamped on the frame by the factory...that is the real question.
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Pat, Im sure when they went thru refab there were still blank plates avail and were stamped fresh. You definitely have an early halftrack, and the frame serial does put it in '41. Your lucky to have a updated plate, most M2 and M3 halftracks were converted to A1 in the field and no info who or when was recorded
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Hi Pat,
Yep that is the notch I was asking about. I was wondering if it was necessary for winch driveshaft clearance.
I think when they mounted the winch on the homemade bumper they didn't get the correct angle and had to make that notch in the crossmember for the driveshaft to clear. Your track may have started life as a roller model.
Thanks,
Clint
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Finished removing the side and rear i-beams today. Exposed the added on 1/2 inch thick plates which are supported by more welded on i-beams underneath. So far I haven't damaged a bracket nor the frame. This is going to a little bit harder.
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Had a friend over on Sunday and we ground off the rivet heads and he carefully cut the weld along the frame. Then we just pried off the remaining bumper from the frame. As John cut the weld, he was engulfed in a rust cloud. Just need to cut the rivets down a little bit, drill out the center, heat 'em up and punch them out. Thought I only had 4 per side to contend with but someone had already grind down the heads (on both inside sides of the frames) on the two furthest forward rivets- they didn't show up until we pried the frame apart.
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Wow!! Looking great Pat. Keep up the good work.
Steve A.
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Nice work, you're making good progress. You should be able to grind the rivets flat and push them out. When I did mine I drill the center and took the head off with an air hammer then pushed them out, they are soft. If you plan on using some rivets I have some extras you can have.
Gary
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great ;D
looks like you are about ready for a front bumper.
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Thanks to Steve-0 I acquired a correct winch front bumper - he spent some time cutting/straightening/welding and then off to the sandblaster. Installed it today. Bolted it first, Need t make some adjustments (it was a roller model and some of the holes are different) and then going to give a try at installing hot rivets Thanks to Gary (YD328) for some rivets and instructions....
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With the help of two friends, a plasma cutter, sawzall, cutoff wheel and an engine hoist, the last of the farmer mods was removed. Only some grinding and cleanup remains. Feels good to finally get that monkey off my back and some real progress can now be made.
Tearing the winch down was a lot more involved than I thought. The bolts and nuts holding the winch to the brackets were so badly mauled and rusted that I had to grind some of the heads off and punch them out. Fortunately since the winch was a "H" model and not a "G" model, the mounting brackets were wrong anyways and I could grind away. Broke 6 of the bolts holding the cam and cam plate cover and could not remove the nut holding the worm gear. Went up to see Steve in Knight's Landing, and after three hours of some welding, application of heat, and a little torching - the winch was completely taken apart. Steve was even kind enough to throw the brake drum onto a lathe and bring it back to life. Off to the sandblaster for some cleanup and then should be able to put this all back together.
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great progress pat.
you will be ready for your second halftrack restoration in no time. :D
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Looking good Pat. See you Friday. ;D
Steve A.
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Firewall starting to be put together. The surge tank had a little rust in it - so used a three part process kit (de-grease, de-rust and then sealer) to keep it going. Need to install the 12v to 6v resistor for the blackout lights. I have seen it mounted facing the cab and facing the engine behind the voltage regulator/surge tank- anyone know what it should be for a White M2A1?
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pat
there where 3 places that the resistors where mounted.
you are not using the coil box or the early breather for the hydrovac that was mounted inside the cab so any of the 3 places should work for you.
just depends on where your holes are located unless you want to drill new holes.
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Steve
That helps on two issues. One I did not know that there was the spot right behind the surge tank - looks like I had holes there once and should be able to easily clean that up. There are n holes on my fire wall for the resistor and I'd rather not drill new ones.
Second - didn't realize that the surge tank had support braces underneath. Had two - didn't know where they went. Now I do.
Much thanks.
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Nice job keep up the good work. :)
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My M2A1 was rebuilt by B&M and were in the location shown in the last photo. Looks good, keep at it.
Gary
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Pat,
looking real good. Keep it up! ;D
Steve A.
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Love seeing another HT go back together!! Keep posting pictures! ;D
Don G.
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Thanks all
Hydrovac mounted. After I mounted it spoke with Steve and few others and realized I have the older style power booster lever currently mounted. Fortunately the PO had purchased the later hydrovac lever and all the correct parts (I think). Hopefully will tackle this problem today. Have new master cylinder, brake light switch etc (thanks to the lead from posting details under brakes by YD328, Steve-O and others) and should have the brake system completed soon. PO had also purchased the armor to protect the brake/clutch housing (mounted in photo) . Not 100% sure if it will work with the late style hydrovac setup - anyone?
Also had the farrmer bracket hack, poor attempt at a PTO lever mount, fixed. Just need to drill holls and can re-mount the support bar.
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Pat,
Looking good. As for the guard, it should work just fine. Mine is the same as yours. The older pedal assembly with newer hydrovac. I just finished taking mine off the frame. I have some photos I can post Tuesday. Friday I removed all my brake lines, remnant wiring and anything else that can be unbolted from the frame. I hope to have my frame cleaned and painted by the end of the month. You will need the guard as it bolts to the outer cowling for support. I found this out the hard way. Keep the photos coming.
Steve A.
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Prepping /Painting all weekend. Engine Painted and ready for install. Front half of the frame cleaned, primed and painted. I will finally pick up my rebuilt trans this week. The trans was more of a project than I thought it would be. Had to track down some hard to find parts. Thanks to Steve-O my winch is finished and almost ready to go on. Hoping to get engine and trans in within the next week or so.
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Pat, it's looging great! I hope to see it at the convention next year. Keep up the good work.
Steve A.
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so close to starting it for the first time ;D
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Looks good Pat.
Gary
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Pat she looks really good. Love to see the progress pictures. I see you have part of your louver section up. I would suggest that you build the louver section on the bench as a unit, much easier to manipulate.
Don G.
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Big day today. Steve came over and honestly without him i would not have figured it out. Engine and trans installed. Felt like I have finally made some real progress. Now will it start??
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Pat she looks really good. Love to see the progress pictures. I see you have part of your louver section up. I would suggest that you build the louver section on the bench as a unit, much easier to manipulate.
Don G.
Thanks Don - Steve said the exact same thing today. Will do.
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So no start attempt today? Post a video when you do...we all want to hear!
-Tom
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im glad i could help today.
after you have the cooling system hooked up and oil in it i would suggest you take the top off the oil filter and fill it to the top.
some people have had a problem with the oil pumps self priming when they sit a long time. adding oil to the filter and letting it sit for a bit seals the pump and lubricates some parts on the way.
and also have that oil pressure gage mounted.
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Looks good. Its nice when the big pieces go back on.
Gary
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Steering before and after. Thanks to Steve and some application of heat and cutting torch - was able to save the steering shaft. Planning to start engine soon. Will post video of the 1961 crate motor test.
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Wow Pat…that was some serious rust! Nice job.
-Tom
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Nice work, that looked nasty.
Gary
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And the dash coming together.....
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Pat,
It's looking great! You should hsve it up and running soon. Can't wait! Again, great job!
Steve A.
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After tracking down some of the missing parts for the mechanical brake, I cleaned up/painted the transmission and installed all the shifters/ linkage. Need to find the small brake return spring and then set the mechanical brake.
Steve and I had to use his forklift to separate my front and rear driveshafts. - afterwards had to remove 70 years of frozen grease and strip the paint. Dropped them off at a local driveline shop to see if the shop can order the cork/felt grease seals.
Going to clean up the main shifter tomorrow, install the PTO, and then fill the trans with 85W140. Hope she doesn't leak.
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Looking good.
You may want to re-route the speedo cable as I think that sharp bend will cause trouble.
Steve
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Outsider.
Was going to - just put it that so its not in the way. I was going to route it over the bracket and then clamp alongside the trans housing in two spots.
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Nice work. It's starting to look like a new ht.
Gary
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Making room in my garage.....
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Big day today. Exhaust bolted on. Installed firewall. This was a huge pain. Wished I owned a forklift or gantry crane. Just an engine lift, an old Army buddy and his 6 foot 4 in 16 year old son who took a nap half way thru the day.......Scratched up a few items but nothing a little sanding and paint won't fix. Put three qts of gear oil into the transmission and have a small Class III leak coming from the PTO face plate. Will have to pull tmrw and fix.
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Looks great, I'm trying to clean up my garage the same way ;D
Gary
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Big ticketed items are starting to roll in. Had 2 of my four machine guns arrive today. The Ma Deuce and the 1917 .30 Cal. The two 1919 .30's should arrive in a day or two. After reading some reviews and comments here and on G503, I went with Hoosier Hot Shot non firing. Pretty happy with what arrived today. New track also arrived. Four strategically placed hand carts, some cursing, and I rolled them right into the garage.
Spent Veterans Day up at Steve's place getting schooled on how to start the White motor, run the battery cables, and plumb the surge tank correctly.
Getting close to the engine start.....Hope to have it started before Thanksgiving or immediately after. Will video.
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Looks like Christmas has come early. The tracks are like worms when moving them on the dollies, been there.
Gary
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Beautiful! Betcha can't wait to see them mounted. Gives you a little more motivation, doesn't it?
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Since the tracks in the picture are the new ones from Europe, can you give us your opinion on them as well as the new flanges. Since the maker and seller won't tell us anything , also is there any names or makers mark on the rubber tracks. Oh and your track is looking good.
Thanks, Jeff
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Jeff - I'm happy with em - but what do I know. I'm not an expert. Someone else with much more experience with HT tracks would have to see them and give their educated opinion. The only way I know if I am truly satisfied with this end product will be when I take it out on an inaugural hunting trip. If they don't break, remain on the drive socket, and have minimum wear after a long weekend running around in the woods....I'll be able to give a better answer to your question. Sorry I can't be more helpful. And i haven't found any maker marks on the tracks.
But hey, if you are in Northern California, stop by and check it our for yourself. Bring a wrench - can always use another hand working on the HT.....
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Thanks for the answers, I guess only time will tell on the tracks. If I was in northern California I sure would stop by, but I am in Texas and that's a long way off. We were planning a trip up to see the redwood Forrest, but put it off due to all the wild fires up in that part of the state. Maybe try again in the spring. Keep up the good work and be sure to post lots of pictures. We all like pictures
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Had an old army buddy come over today and give up his Sunday helping me with some stuff that needed a second pair of hands. Bolted on the windshield armor, tightened up a ton of little odds and ends, some radiator work, etc.
And thanks to HenryVIII's detailed posting on hood latches, some pins from YD328, and new leather pads from COL Halftrack - riveted the rebuilt hood latches to the side armor and put them on.
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W/s plate is a heavy piece, that's gotta be worth a few beers ;D. Nice work.
Gary
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Wow! Lots of progress! I have soooo far to go!
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Wow, Nice work :)
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Big Day today. Better than Christmas. My rear armor arrived from Oregon. Don (who fabricated the rear) and his friend drove down in the middle night over the Oregon/California mountain pass to avoid the three storms coming. Had to get a forklift from a local heavy tow company (who also handles all the transportation for the Garbarino WW2 Collection in San Rafael) to safely get the armor off and into my garage.
Fall 2015 was expensive as far as this project goes. Four machine guns, Final payment for rear armor, seat canvas and pioneer tools from Beechwood Canvas, 1917 .30 caliber tripod/cradle (original from WWI), and an early WWII original M49 ring for the pulpit. I think a high end sports car would be cheaper to restore.....
When it warms up I get to take it apart, paint it, and put it back together.
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More
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wow that looks very complete.
I think a high end sports car would be cheaper to restore.....
ya but you can't pick up chicks in a sports car. ;D
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SAAA-WEEEEEEET!! Man, you're going to be chomping at the bit all winter to get to that….what a tease!
-Tom
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Wowser ;D That is awesome!
Don G.
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That certainly is a nice piece to the puzzle. It looks great, fuel tanks and all.
Gary
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Excellent
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Engine Start today.
I have been moving steadily to this day. Both waiting with excited anticipation and also dreading it. If the engine failed to start, I would have to pull it and start over. If all went well... well then drink heavily, smoke a cigar, and move on to installing the wiring, completing the engine bay armor, and continuing moving parts from the garage to the HT.
Big Thanks to Steve who walked me thru the wiring process for an engine start as well as teaching me how make the original battery cables, I prepped everything over the past couple of weeks. Worked late into last night - Finished the radiator overflow return line, adjusted the fan belts, and ran some temporary 14 gauge wire for the coil.
Big shout out to my buddy Greg, (who is also a M1A1/M60A3 tanker, Gulf War vet tank platoon leader in 1AD, and MORE IMPORTANTLY someone who spent his summers working for his dad's big rig maintenance bay rebuilding diesel engines) came on over and we spent the day on this.
Cranked the engine over at first with no fuel to see if she would move as well as to get it aligned to set the points (Andy said his French motor was not set). Set the points, poured some gas in the carb and did it again. No spark. Tested to coil as per Steve's directions - no go. Dead coil. Off to Napa Auto. Replace the condenser, coil and the points. Test - now we have spark...
Fired it up. Initially smoke everywhere (poured oil into the cylinders a few months ago and she is running rich). But running. Sounds awesome. Everything seems to be working like it should. Going to pull the carb and rebuild it. (everything is 55 years old). Exhaust manifold paint burnt right off - no surprise. The rod for the linkage between the carb and firewall is too short. Will have to replace. Minor stuff but I am VERY HAPPY.
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Video of it running. First start in 55 years.
I still a little bit of a contact high from the fumes.
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Pure satisfaction :)
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Excellent work, the heart of the beast is alive. 8)
Gary
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Pat, Congratulations!! She runs!! ;D Sounds great!! I hope to see your track at Tower Park. No excuses.
Steve A.
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cool :)
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Have spent the last two weekends with a grinder, wire wheel, and various sanders. Finished cutting off the remnants of the i-beams on the rear frame, removing the rust and grime, and then putting a coat of POR15 on the metal. While I was at at, decided to take the right side track off - wanted to see if I could do it alone. Used the BF Goodwich free manual and followed the directions - was pretty easy. Took the early track tension springs off and removed the hardware - upon close inspection, you can really see that this was done pretty hastily in the field.
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Pat, you have really done a out standing job. Thanks for the pictures. I was a tanker in the past, m60 m1, then went to hueys and blackhawks
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Thanks VJ - always good to have a fellow tanker join the site. Working on your track, you will learn quickly how much you truly miss the M113 and M88 with 5-6 tank mechanics following you everywhere you go.....
Spent yesterday up with Steve at his shop getting a class on how to finish tackling the rear suspension. While I was there, he also helped me finish out the rear cross-member on the frame. He showed me how to straighten out some chain-towing damage and then "rivet" the face plate. Initially, I was going to hot rivet this section but since some of the holes were damaged, and the plates were tweaked, Steve suggested using his technique of rounding off the heads of grade 8 bolts and then bolting the three plates together. Came out great and looks like the original.
Bolted it back up to the rear of the HT today. At Steve's, he sowed me that I was actually missing a support piece of metal which bolts to the inside of the interior crossmember - have to sandblast that and finish bolting it on. You can see where I had to cut out and weld in a small 4X3 piece of metal in the frame- could not get the remnants of the ibeam out from underneath. That was the last piece of the frame I had to do. Just need to finish primer and paint.....
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that looks great!!
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Pat, Nice work. Getting closer to putting the body on.
Gary
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I took apart the right side bogey suspension. Everything came apart relatively easy (for a halftrack). However, could not figure out how to safely remove the 8 road wheels from the 4 hubs. The nuts holding the wheels to the hub studs came off without a single problem so figured this would be easy. Spent the day yesterday, spraying PB Blaster, using brass drifts, wood and a sledge to see if they would just pop off. Trying to be careful not to damage anything. Nothing moved. Got frustrated and decided to walk away for the night and not think about it.
At work today, it dawned on me to strap a wheel down to a table and use a sledge to see if it would pop. Couple of whacks, spin em, strap down again and a few more whacks and within 45 minutes I had all four hubs clear of road wheels and ready for the sandblaster.
Picked up 16 new road wheels from SuperJeep (Paul) and all new bearings/oil seals from COL Halftrack. Photo below is the old next to the new. Get this all cleaned up, painted and I'm ready to put the right side suspension back on. Now that I got this figured out, left side should be easy........
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Sometimes you just have to walk away. ;D Now it will go back together nice and easy. Good work
Gary
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Keep at it
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good work.
sometimes it takes 4 or 5 beers before i can get things apart like that ;D
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"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer". May need to make that the theme song to this restoration.
When Steve came by my house a few weeks backs, he gave me a hand taking a few suspension parts off. We (ie Steve)noticed that the driver side inner idler wheel was worn abnormally for a HT and was beyond repair. I was not going to pull the idler shafts but upon close inspection of the driver side, the outside cast iron housing had a bent "ear" and three of the four bolts were slightly bent. Fourth bolt was snapped off. Shaft looked straight but something was definitely wrong. Passenger side looks solid so will stay as is.....and after the ass pain of removing the one shaft, not in a rush to take on the other.
Spoke to a few owners and looked up YD328's posts on the subject, and thought I had a good grasp.
Day one - Remove nut. Easy. 12 ton bottle jack. Not enough reach so add some wood. Crush wood. Okay, add something laying around. Ahhhh a receiver hitch for towing my boat. Bad idea. Crushed receiver hitch, broke bottle jack.
Day 2 - 4 ton porta power and acetylene torch with rosebud tip. Nothing
Day 3 - 10 ton porta power and acetylene torch. Lots of sledge hammer and lots of heat - bingo. Out she came. All looks good except for outer cast iron (see photo - right side ear bent). Have a replacement lined up as well as the inner idler wheel.
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I just pulled mine out of the frame. Haven't popped them from the cast housing I'm not looking forward to that. Took a 10 bottle jack and lots of heat just to get them out of the frame. Nice work.
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They are stubborn to get out, but they go back together much easier once they are cleaned up.
Gary
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Fresh paint.
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WOW,
That looks great, nice work.
Gary
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Coming along nice.
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With the help of three friends.....
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Pat,
It's starting to look like a halftrack!! You have done a great job!! Keep up the good work.
Steve A.
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What did you do over the Memorial Day weekend?
Scuff, Clean, Paint - bolt on. Repeat.
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Looking good Pat! It's great to be able to watch these projects come together.
-Tom
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Very nice
perfect job
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Great seeing the pictures Pat!!
Don G.
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The halftrack looks great, at this rate it will be together in no time.
Gary
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I see your using the leaf blower painter. Always my favorite.
It is looking good
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First - thanks All for the kind words/vote of confidence.
Spent the last week at night painting bolts and nuts after a lot of prep. Was able to get two good days in this weekend painting parts and bolting a significant amount together. Surprisingly for this project, coming together fairly easily. Most importantly, garage is free again for my jeep to go back inside. Very satisfying weekend.
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More
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Nice I noticed your armor is pattern off of factory m2a1 armor. I would hazard a guess that most are m2 converted.
Cleaning paintsmall hard ware is the hardest part
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I just noticed you have a full set of tripod brackets, have you found a source for these? I could use a set, M2/M3.
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Looking good! I remember painting all my bolts too!
Torque, Woodwalker has most of a set of M2 tripod brackets for sale if you are looking for a set.
Steve
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Thanks for the shout out but they are spoken for.
Looking at the rear armor I see how thethelight holder brackets are to be bolted on. But on converted m2 they were welded to perimeter rail
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My tripod brackets came complete with the rear armor from Gary. I saw a post somewhere that there is a difference between brackets for the 1919 air cooled machine gun tripod and the earlier tripod for the 1917 water cooled - true?
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YES BRACKETS ARE DIFFERENT
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Summer has been a little busy. Spent a week on a 4wd trip out in the Nevada desert and then went up to Bend Oregon for a week of relaxing and hiking. In between all of that have been spending the remaining free time wrenching on the HT.
Last Sunday I tore the drivers side rear suspension off and then took it all to the sandblaster. That was my last trip up to drop parts off. Feels good to wrap something up on this project. Should be ready in a week, then paint and bolt back up. Everything came apart so much easier on this side - now that I know the little quirks of getting it all broken down. Got the pulpit put back together and will hopefully get a couple of friends over in the next week or so to help get that mounted.
In April, I sent my .50 cal trolley/carriage to Paul Greenstein in LA to have him restore it. He let it soak for a few months and just started to finish breaking it down. I was able to break it down to a point but didn't want to go further - was afraid of breaking the original parts and so sent it to an expert. Paul advised that its coming along nicely. Hopefully I will have that back for this years Vet's Day parade - plan is to run the rig in the Petaluma parade.......
My replica tommy gun arrived (bought it from Denix for $200.00).
Anyone have the strap lengths/dimensions for the Tommy gun mount (1 strap) and the 4 straps for the luggage racks?
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Summer has been a little busy. Spent a week on a 4wd trip out in the Nevada desert and then went up to Bend Oregon for a week of relaxing and hiking. In between all of that have been spending the remaining free time wrenching on the HT.
You were in Oregon and didn't stop by? ??? Just kidding. Your track is looking great. Hope to see you at the convention next month.
Steve A.
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Nice to hear your almost at the end of your build. The Tommy gun looks right at home.
Gary
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Big paint day yesterday - weather was perfect so was able to make a lot of progress. Couple of weeks ago, I broke down the driver's side suspension and had it sand blasted - now painted up and have started to remount the crab. Only 8 oil seals/8 bearings left to go. Should have the wheels and suspension done by the end of the week. Drive Hubs are already on, and the new bearings are set.
Last weekend we mounted the new carb and re-started the engine. Fired right back up without any issues. In the testing process we have been bypassing the mechanical pump. Not sure if those 50+ year old seals are anygood so going to send that this week to Then And Now Auto for a rebuild. When it returns, it will be time to start hooking up the wires and the fuel lines for a final start with everything back in it's proper place.
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Looking good Pat. Good choice sending out the fuel pump to now and then. I had them rebuild my carb and used their kit for my fuel pump.
Gary
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Took yesterday off from work to finish drivers side
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Looks great. See you at the convention today.
Steve A.
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Big shout out to Tom's (RocnTJ) post on how to register a halftrack in California. Followed his directions and now have my project registered with DMV - just waiting on the Historical Plates. Nice to get that monkey off my back......
Tracks go on this weekend - I set the brakes on the track drive axle with a .008 feeler gauge, and set the idler wheels 1/4in 'toed' out.
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That's great news Pat. It was great to see you at the convention. Can't wait to see her roll on its own power!!
Steve A.
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Congrats on the successful registration Pat. I felt the same when my registration was finally complete. One of those tasks which are not entirely under your control like bolting parts back on a hlftrack
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Congrats Pat…that's a relief I'm sure. One last thing to keep you up at night.
You're making great progress…keep up the charge. I'm enjoying your thread.
-Tom
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Thanks all -
Track and pulpit went on today.
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Looks great Pat. Keep those photos coming. :D
Steve A.
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Wouah
it really is a beautiful work that you realized
I'm jealous of the results
Prestone
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I see in the photos you are doing the restoration inside a canvas shelter. I am thinking of going this way with mine, when ever, and "if" ever I start on it. All my buildings are full, and I just do not want the finished vehicles getting in the way. Would you tell me the size you went with, and what you would do different with the shelter now that you are under way in the building of the halftrack? So, I hope to learn from any mistakes.
Thanks.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET
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I think it is the one Costco sells. I know Don has a halftrack in one.
Steve A.
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Frank
Shelter Logic from Amazon
I think its 12 feet wide by 20 feet long. Lots of options on size. The first tent I got was a cheap one that leaked and eventually fell apart. Shelter Logic has a very sturdy frame and the covering is tough.leak proof (so far).
With a friend or two over I can move it front to back/side to side to create more work space for whatever side I am working on.
If I was going to do it again I would get one of their tents that was 2-4 feet longer. M2A1 with the luggage rack installed is rubbing on the ends. M3 would not fit in mine.
PK
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Pat,
Good work, the track looks great. Your in the home stretch 8)
Gary
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Early this year I picked up an original WW2 era M49 ring, trolley, mount and ammo can holder from Rick at BMG. The ring, mount and holder were simple to clean up and paint. The trolley was another matter. I soaked and tore it down as far as I could but couldn’t go any further without my dumb ass breaking something I couldn’t replace. I called Rick and he recommended Paul Greenstein in LA. Paul agreed to take on the trolley as long as I wasn’t in a rush. He soaked the trolley for months, then applied hat and more soaking. After some gentle persuasion, he got everything loose without breaking anything. He then had to EDM the pins out of the shafts to release everything…..I did not know what EDM was (electron discharge) and that alone told me I had done the right thing by sending it to him. Sandblast, paint and re assemble. He gun blued all the hardware and wheels, and the rest is painted with manganese phosphate as original. Paul stopped by this past Sunday with my “new” carriage. Great guy and very pleased with his outstanding work.
Time to mount the .50
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And pretty much completed the inside/rear. Had to weld in two new bow studs for the M2A1 since the M2 bow studs were now located under the side .30 caliber mounts. Easy. Tanks are now wired and plumbed in.
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WOW!! LOOKS GREAT PAT!! ;D ;D Can't wait to see it in person next year.
Steve A.
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OMG :o
Pat??? look what you've done now!
You have built a awesome half-trac.
WTG
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That is great work, your halftrack looks terrific. 8)
Gary
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Thanks all. Much appreciated. Did not want to wrench today so worked on getting some stencil work done. I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to mark the track up. I loved the sand /OD camouflage and over sized invasion stars that 2AD applied on their vehicles for Operation Husky - however, that would be July 1943 and the 2nd Armored would not have received the A1 versions of the M2/M3 - at least I have never seen a photo of one in Sicily.
I received a bunch of photos of 2AD tracks getting ready for and then going ashore for Normandy - a few tweaks for the invasion - giant yellow speed numbers were applied to all division vehicles, the Landing Ship Tank (LST) that the vehicle was assigned to was stenciled onto the front bumper. As far as I can tell, most of this disappeared seven weeks later when 2AD applied a black camo pattern before Operation Cobra.
So I decided to capture what the vehicle would have looked like (as best as I can) before it rolled up onto LST 1030. Which went to the bottom of the channel when it hit a mine at Normandy.....
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My progress to date.
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For the back - 2AD Halftracks have a custom built storage box on most of the tracks from the ref. photos I have seen. As much as I like it, just not going down that rabbit hole (right now) so tried to capture the essence of the rear markings.
Now I just need to finish out Speed Numbers on the ammo doors/stars on the side and then tackle the Hood. Rick (from Military Stencils) has provided all the stencils and he and I had a long discussion for the star. All of the photos I have seen has the cirlce "cut off" on the side of the hood since there is not enough room. Due to the printing machine, Rick can either produce a 36 in star or a smaller star with a 36 in diameter circle. the later is just not big enough - It needs a 36 in star and then the circle. Looks like I will be puting a lot of tape down and cutting out my own circle after I put down the star......
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Coming together nicely Pat.
Can you post up a pic of the stenciling on the battery cover?
What is the marking on the driver's side fender in that last vintage (Combat Reels) pic?
-Tom
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You've done a wonderful job and your work will be inspiration for my M2A1 restoration!
Paul
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Coming together nicely Pat.
Can you post up a pic of the stenciling on the battery cover?
What is the marking on the driver's side fender in that last vintage (Combat Reels) pic?
-Tom
Tom
As requested - Photo of battery box with shipping stencil. (stencil from Rick Larsen)
I wish I knew what those small markings were on the fender from that photo. I am still confused on what exactly the board over the that light is supposed to signify??
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I wish I knew what those small markings were on the fender from that photo. I am still confused on what exactly the board over the that light is supposed to signify??
Pat,
On the right fender next to the headlight could be the yellow bridge plate marking with number 9 in black in it. Looking at the board over the headlight, it has 3 rows of info. The center row says LCT 67. LCT is short for landing craft tank which is most likely how the halftrack came ashore. Just my thought. the rest can mean order of placement and/or unit number or something I guess. I did a quick search for LCT-67 and believe it or not I got something. Here is a link to the site: http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/18/180067.htm.
Steve A.
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Steve
I know that is the bridge marking on the passenger side fender. I think is an eight - not a nine??
What I think Tom was talking about is the markings in the driver's side fender just to the left of the light guard....I have no idea.
as for the three rows of info on the light cover itself, it just doesn't make sense.
1. I cannot make out what the top row is at all
2. The second row makes sense as a Landing Craft Tank but not LCT 67 (that LCT was in the pacific according to your link) Additionally if you google LST 1030 or LST 1003 (from another halftrack's bumper at Normandy) both of those ships come back to the Pacific Theater so I am even more confused.....
3. Lastly. I thought maybe the bottom row was the date of June 14th but 2nd Armored Division came ashore on June 9th at Omaha Beach (according to Wikipedia which is never wrong....)so that makes no sense.
Thankfully I am not marking mine as a second battalion vehicle
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Not much extra to add but.
Left fender three colored bars are tactical bars that specify unit/loading order etc. Someone has published an article or two on this topic. Not sure what the white marks/letters are above the bars.
I would have to look for other photos but most half-tracs were marked either 9 or 9/10 if assigned a trailer.
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Thanks Kevin - Do you have that article somewhere? I'd like to read it and see if I need to add the colored tactical marks for what I am trying to achieve.
I normally don't disagree with you (because that would be foolish) but most war time photos I have seen of M2/M2A1's are with the a Number 8 not a 9. I have even seen one track with a 10 ("Avenger", the one damaged going ashore with the weird 'amoeba' camo paint job)
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Left fender three colored bars are tactical bars that specify unit/loading order etc. Someone has published an article or two on this topic. Not sure what the white marks/letters are above the bars.
No kidding! I thought about that but since the track has all it's unit markings on it, it didn't make sense. But if you think about it, they could have applied the markings after embarking...or after hitting the shore.
Pat, there's a book that has all the markings collated. The article Kevin is talking about was discussed on the G.
-Tom
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I think I found the article you referenced on the G
Invasion or Unit Bar Codes on 2nd Armored Vehicles
http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?uid=57260&f=24&t=65402&start=0
Stripes to be stenciled horizontally, approximately 1” by 4” in size, in the colors allocated to the number as follows:
1 Buff
2 Olive Drab
3 Yellow, bright
4 Green, bright
5 Gray
6 Blue, dark
7 Maroon
8 Red, bright
9 White, lead
0 Brown, dark
Found this GREAT site on WW2 Prep for Overseas Movement POM that has multiple units for 2AD including 66th AR Regimental HQ, 1st, 2nd, 3rd BN, G and H Company's marking system as well as 41st Infantry 1st Bn but nothing yet for 67th unit's
http://www.med-dept.com/pom/index.php?currentpage=1&pagecount=50&sortorder=`unit` ASC
So the marks above the colored strips are numbers indicating the Unit's assigned serial number - possible 44473??? Now I need to do some research and figure out what 3-67th unit serial number was and what colored bars they used. Great, another rabbit hole to go climbing into. Stand by.
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This is the thread I was referring to…should have put it in my original post but I didn't have great connectivity where I was (shhhh).
http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=273823
I recently ordered the book so when it comes in I might be able to help.
Very similar to the thread you posted, which is interesting in itself. Yep…rabbit holes are fun…sometimes!
-Tom
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I bought the damn book. Thanks to my credit card, Amazon and UPS it arrived today. The 2nd Battalion vehicle in question would be 43918 Buff - red - buff. 3rd Bn, 67th is 44460 Dark Blue - dark brown - dark blue. Ordering the stencil tomorrow.
If anyone needs to know what Unit serial number/color code would be assigned to a specific company coming ashore D+1 thru D+14, send me a PM. Book has markings for all the units assigned to the 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions, 4th and 102nd Cav groups, various independent tank battalions that were attached to the Infantry divisions, etc.....
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Didn't see those on Rick's website…are you ordering it as a specialty stencil?
-Tom
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Yes - told him to make up a stencil with three 1" x 4" horizontal lines spaced 1/2" apart. And then a separate 5 digit stencil of 1" numbers a little longer than 4 in to match up the 2nd Bn photo. Easy. Also, he has a lot of stuff that isn't listed like the M1A1 Anti tank mine stencils.
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That looks incredible!
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More Stencil work. Front POM and side Speed Numbers in place.
Now that I know to look, I see a few photos of the POM markings on various half tracks front fenders at Normandy. Seen nothing on the rear of HT as of yet - anyone?
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If this is an M2A1, why didnt you mount the headlights on the sides of the radiator armor rather than the fender?
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If this is an M2A1, why didnt you mount the headlights on the sides of the radiator armor rather than the fender?
I like the look of the fender mounted lights. And not all M2A1 conversions switched over to the later style lights. I've seen photos of M2A1s in the 50's still sporting the fender headlights. Since the halftrack was originally built in 41 I figured I had some leeway.
The 2nd battalion track that I used as a reference was a M2A1 with fender mounted lights.
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It's really coming along Pat...nice job.
Great justifications for your markings and configuration. I know what they say about "it's my vehicle and I can do what I want with it", but it's really nice to hear when someone has done their homework and can historically back up what they've done with their vehicle.
-Tom
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Looking good!
Don G,.
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The stenciling looks great. Thanks for the education on them, I didn't know what the numbers on the ammo doors were.
Gary
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nice job :)
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Haven't posted in a while. With rain and cold rolling into NorCal, the holidays, and the opening of pheasant/duck season, I decided to take a little break from the project. Outside of checking on my tent during the wind storms as well as the condensation on the HT after the rain, I have done very little in the past two-three months. Did receive my order of crates from Martin in the UK and am extremely pleased - just figuring out the order for the rear storage. Also picked up an original M1A1 mine box is good condition - but not sure where to put it. Don't want a 70 year aged box next to brand new C-rations/K rations pine.
With all the rain, I have had finally had enough of doing this project outside. I have had no luck finding storage locally, so contacted a buddy of mine who is a contractor to enlarge my garage and garage door in order to house the HT.
Hope all of you had a great holiday season.
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I think you need to put the new crates outside in the sun for a week or two. It will help them yellow up a bit so they look more like the middle crate on the left side. They would have never made it to the front in such pristine condition.
Steve
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Did receive my order of crates from Martin in the UK and am extremely pleased - just figuring out the order for the rear storage.
Pat,
Can you send me Martin's info...or post here. Thanks.
-Tom
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It looks great with the new supplies on board. Nice find on the mine box also.
Gary
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Steve - Great idea. As soon as we get the sun back for a couple of weeks, I will put them out to 'age'
Tom - WW2 Boxes in the UK http://www.wwiiboxes.co.uk/index.html
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Big weekend. Sun is out and I am ready to finally get back to work on this project. Steve came on over and we spent Saturday getting the steel properly aligned, shimmed and correct. I could not have done this without him. We had to shim four of ten rear body to frame positions as well as drivers side cab mount. Additionally Steve pointed out I was missing the 1/8 in shim under the front of the hood three bolts which was causing me some issues with the radiator. Corrected that and now hood and doors are all lined up correctly, and everything is bolted down.
I have a 7/16 in gap between the perimeter rail and the upper windshield. I used washers to shim the gap for the 9 bolts but plan to correct this with a flat bar in the near future.
Spent Sunday mounting the fenders, and attaching the small stuff now that the steel is all set.
Felt good to get back to work.
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It looks great Pat!
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Rock and Roll Pat!
Don G
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Looks good, I like the stencil work also 8)
Gary
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That looks fabulous! The Stencils look great too! Did you get those through Larsen?
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Darth Kitten
Yep - ordered all the stencils thru Rick Larsen - His work is great. The only problem I ran into is that his printing machine can do the large star for the hood, but cannot do the large star AND the invasion circle. Most 2AD halftracks I see from the WW2 photos in the ETO had the large star and large diameter invasion circle which cuts off at the left and right edges of the hood. So I will use the large star stencil (which I think is the 36in star) and then come up with a way to cut by hand the correct circle. That should be a pain in the ass.
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With the Halftrack getting closer to her first test drive, I needed to increase my garage door opening from 7 feet to 8 feet. Haggerty will not provide insurance until it is in a locked garage. I guess that don't want teenagers taking an eight ton vehicle for a joy ride at 2am. So had the header raised and new garage door comes in Tuesday. Should be able to get her into the garage next week or so.
Did have plans to get some small stuff done on the track today but it is raining and don't feel like being outside in the tent. Instead I'm working on running canvas straps thru my camo net in the greek pattern. Not fun but has to get done.
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you are getting close to being done...
almost time to start thinking about your second halftrack restoration project ;D
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I don't envy you on that job....I think I read somewhere that it takes ~60 man hours to properly garnish the net for the halftrack, which is why I haven't started that job yet. Take it to Petaluma and get a group of guys together for a garnish party...you supply the beer and brats! I'm sure it will be worth it! ;)
-Tom
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Adjusting the track. Manual says put 160 lbs on the track and when the track sags 3/4 in, you're good. Well I put 152 lbs of dumbells on and am getting close to the 3/4 mark. But I am wondering if the manual is for the production springs, not the early field mod springs. Anyone know if there is a difference in the sag for the two types of springs?
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Hi, The manual has a guy standing on the track. With the weight like you have there the weight is distributed over too large an area so the tension will be wrong.
I don't know though if the tension is the same on both style springs.
Steve
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To set proper tension you are supposed to drive the track back and forth several times, no brake if can be helped, to neutral out the tension,slack, in the track then have someone stand on the track to take measurement.
Steve A.
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Spent the last week or so taking care of little things - setting the front brakes, bleeding the lines, putting the last fuel line in etc to get it ready for a test run and then move it into the garage. This past Sunday we spent all days working out the kinks and started her up. Put it into first and released the clutch. Nothing. Couldn't get it into 2nd or reverse. Seems that the pressure plate/flywheel are stuck together. After speaking to a few folks it seems that this is a common issue with French rebuilt motors. I had rebuilt the carb and the fuel pump, but hadn't thought about this possibility....two options. Hard. Pull the trans and clean everything up with some steel wool. Easy. start it up in gear and see if I can drive around until it pops (or something breaks)
Meantime, a friend came over with a heavy tow rig and helped me get it out of the tent and into the garage. At least that went right.
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Put the machine guns on. Put a smile on my face.
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Meantime, a friend came over with a heavy tow rig and helped me get it out of the tent and into the garage. At least that went right.
That's a heck of a tow rig...and a hell of a friend! Can't imagine having to pay for to that.
Good luck with the clutch issue...keep us updated on the solution.
-Tom
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When your buddy was there did you try putting it in gear with the clutch pedal pushed down and then have him try and pull your HT? That will sometimes get clutches to let loose. Gentle is the key so you don't break anything.
Steve
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Nice job Pat. Your halftrack looks fantastic!! If you decide to pull the transmission it should be a 2 to three day project taking your time. A few years back I had to do a clutch change and did it in a day. It was a long hard day though. Keep us up to date on your progress.
Steve A.
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Beautiful half track Pat! Boy...I have a LONG way to go!
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Pat,
Amazing job! I'll be using your progress posts for my project.
Paul
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The halftrack looks great Pat. 8)
If you have to pull the trans you can use some long bolts with the heads cut off, bolted to the engine, to help guide it back together. I also have a clutch alignment tool thats plastic that you can use. Its a time saver.
Gary
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One step forward, two back.
Interesting day. Took the day off and had a buddy come over - plan was to bleed the brakes, start halftrack and see if we could get it to move (or use a truck to help 'pop' the clutch). All my wiring was completed so we hooked up the battery and were about to test fire and we noticed burning/hot electrical smell. As my buddy went to disconnect the battery I noticed both the generator and the Voltage regulator SMOKING. Generator remained hot to the touch for at least an hour. Big clue - Something must be wrong. Removed both and headed to Napa Auto parts. Old High school buddy owns the local store and he was laughing when we brought it in. He was actually able to test the generator and it's bad. Off to a local shop to see if it can be rebuilt. We checked the Volt Regulator - nothing's burnt but we disassembled and cleaned everything up.
At least we bled the brakes and have that set.
Big shout out to Woodwalker pointing me over to Crane Technology - tracked down an original short pintle 30/50 cradle. Fresh coat of paint. Then with Rick at BMG providing the ammo can bracket/mount as well as new pins - I have a correct mount for one of my 1919's. Eventually I'll replace the M48 mount on the other side.....
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Sorry to here about your electrical problem. As I stated before, your track looks fantastic!! It was great to see it in person on my last visit. I know about that one step forward and two steps back. I run into that all the time working on my track.
Steve A.
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The MGs look good. I think the step back is the nature of the beast unfortunately. Was it a NOS generator?
Gary
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Gary
The generator was part of the 1961 French rebuild crate motor that came from the PO. I never checked it (shame on me).
Carb rebuilt - Check - good to go.
Mechanical fuel pump rebuilt - Check - good to go.
The two items I glossed over have come back to bite me in the ass.
Generator tested - nope. Failed.
Pressure plate/flywheel inspected - Nope - stuck together
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Thanks Pat,
I haven't checked mine, its a NOS unit. Probably a good idea to have it checked.
Gary
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Wow 67tank/ Pat! Just went through your thread and your HT looks amazing!! Wonderful job! I am still looking for my own Halftrack, but you certainly inspired me! Rob
*edit. Spelling
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Thanks Rob - welcome to the group. Let us know when you find a HT project. Where are you in Europe?
Pat
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Thank you Pat! I'm based in the Netherlands. Two days ago I was in France to look at a HT. I'm still in doubt, it was butchered but the frame was ok. Can't get it out of my mind though.. I will follow your progress in the mean time! Rob
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Old generator is being rebuilt. Will use it as a spare. Ordered a 'new' generator - shielded which is correct for my setup. Came in its original factory packaging. 72 years later and no rust, no peeling, no issues. Was like opening a time capsule.....felt bad tearing opening the top of the wood box.
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New boots and metal bands from Big Mikes Motor Pool. Went on easier than I thought. Fits perfect. Took the guards off in order to clean out the old grease and cut off the old boots. Had to use a press to get out a bad dent in one. Plugs came out easy. Based on some of the posts about this process I was really anticipating all sorts of issues that failed to materialize. Minor victory.
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That looks great Pat. It's encouraging that it went well - I'm getting in the mindset to start on mine and I've been sorta dreading it. Maybe I'll luck out too! Bound to happen sooner or later!
Jon
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Very nice Pat. That generator is mighty fine eye candy. Got a lot done on mine today. I hope for an engine start in a few weeks. ;D Have you tried freeing the clutch yet?
Steve A.
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IT IS ALIVE
Little bit a trouble after the original generator was bad and smoked. We put in the new generator 2 weeks ago and turned on the ignition switch - POOF, there went the ignition wires in a cloud of smoke. Thought maybe the coil was toasted when the original generator went tit's up so put in a new one. Also decided to bypass the fuel gauge for the time being. Today it started right up. Everything looked good. Oil pressure where it was supposed to be. However the temp gauge and the Amp gauge are not reading - fix those later.
Still had the clutch issue. So we pulled it out of the garage with a tow strap and tried bump starting it. Put in in first and it went backwards. Pull the trans plate a couple of times to get the pin and forks to line up just right. Finally on the third attempt all good. Try bump starting it again backwards. Close but battery was getting low and we figured it was time to get a heavy wrecker or pull the trans.....so we hooked up a second battery to bump start the HT into the garage. As we were almost back int to the garage the pressure plate/flywheel broke free and we now could move under our own power. It only took two former Army tankers and one Marine grunt (and a bunch of call to Steve-O) the day to get this right.
Drove it up and down the street. Neighbors were out with the cameras taking video. One old lady was not pleased at all with the track running down her street.....
Will try to post some videos later or if they are too big some links.
Have some issues to work out including some gauges, the driver side support roller not moving at all, and some minor Class 2-3 leaks. But all in all, great fucking day.
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When it finally broke free.
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Video of first start all wired up (almost correctly).
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On the street under its own power
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Wow, That's great Pat! Glad to hear yours is up and running. ;D After you run in your engine in a bit you should re torque your head bolts to 75 ft-lbs. This will prevent a future blown head gasket. You going to try and get in a veteran's parade in a few weeks?
Steve A.
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Petaluma Vets day parade. One of the bigger Vet day parades around. Should be 2-3 Halftracks in it including Mike France. There's a bunch of us at work that are combat vets - mostly Desert Storm, OIF and OEF that are planning to ride in the track. Army and Marines will ride inside - May hook my little M416 trailer behind the track for the sailors........
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glad I could help but it is very minimal compared to hard work you have put into this project.
looks great and now it drives. ;D
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Great job Pat. Congratulations!
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Petaluma vets parade we should have Tim S. m2. ..Jim B m3.. Dave A. M3 ambulance.... Michael F. M16a1... And your m2 pat... and with peter f. Scout car
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The halftrack looks and sounds great. Excellent job. 8)
Gary
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Good friend of mine who has been an extra set of hands on this project gave this zippo lighter last night as a Congratulatory gift. Zippo from the 50’s when White and Autocar merged. He found it on EBay and sent it back to Zippo for a rebuild. Turns out Zippo rebuilds old lighters free of charge. Adding this to the track as my lighter for cigars.
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Jealous!
Don G.
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As I said earlier the 2nd AD halftracks in Normandy had the extra large invasion circle on the hood. The issue is that the Rick Larsen couldn't produce a stencil large enough that matched what I wanted to accomplish. Rick sent me a 36 inch star and then thanks to Tom's (Tapper2) suggestion to try a beam compass to complete the extra large circle, I think I may have matched the original pretty close. There's some overspray and cutting tape with an exacto knife isn't as clean as a machine but considering that the soldiers in England did this by hand as well, I'm pretty happy with the end result.
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I did the exact same thing (except I had to make my own star).
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The stars look great, nice work.
Gary
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Nice job Pat...glad the idea worked!
Yours too Darth...no one says they have to be perfect...they're combat vehicles after all!
-Tom
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Petaluma Vets day parade 2017. First public showing. Did not break down. Michael France does an amazing job getting everyone together. He had three other Halftrack owners out making it a total of 5 tracks. Great day
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Jeepers those pictures look amazing! Love that track, its obvious you took alot of time to make her look that way.
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http://www.northernrecongroup.org/Petaluma_Vets_Parade_2017.html
Above link to Petaluma parade some photos
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Pat,
Great job! Glad you had no issues during the parade!
Paul
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Congrats! First mission a success!
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Great job Pat!! ;D
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https://youtu.be/MHAdm4fUaFU
Above link to a short video of parade
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Nice weather here in Northern California so took the track for a 2 mile test ride in the neighborhood. Ran great. Now have a total of 8 miles on the speedo (as well as experience behind the wheel).
Been working on a couple of small items for the finishing touches.
1. Thanks to Tom Gunther, I picked up most of the original bracket for the passenger seat 'tilt' mechanism. Can't find shoulder rivets anywhere so may have to make my own....
2. Picked up some original horns - tore them apart and spent couple days soaking, scrubbing, rinsing to remove 70 years of dried grease and grime. Was even a hornet (maybe termite) nest clogging one up. Paint is finished and ready for install.
3. And finally acquired all the pieces needed to finish the Shielding system for the distributor/spark plugs/coil - just cleaning and painting and will be ready for install.
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Horns
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Thanks for the pictures of the tilt linkage, I will need to make a setup. If you could post measurements that would be great, Thanks
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Nice. Thanks for the info on the seat tilt.
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Horns restored, installed and working. Initially forgot to install some star washers and remove some paint where the mounts bolt up to the firewall and couldn't understand why they weren't working after testing so many times... Fixed that and both mounts grounded and now horns work awesome.
Finished up the shielding system for the distributor/coil tonight. Will test tmrw and make some minor adjustments. Turns out I'm missing one braided cable from the coil box on the firewall to the distributor. Have to track it down. Steve and Gary (yd328) were a big help walking me thru the process. Thanks guys for the assist.
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Looks fantastic Pat. ;D
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Great job Pat!
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Looks great
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After all the new wiring we took it for another 2 mile test ride in the neighborhood. Ran great. An angry fat middle aged woman drove up in a Prius and told us we “were fucking assholes for driving a vehicle like this”. Made my day!! Got to love NorCal.
My cool neighbors took this video.
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Awesome video!!! Sounds great!!
Steve A.
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Shove her planet-saving ass off the road.
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You should have thanked her for rationing fuel for your halftrack ;D
Gary
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I knew I had a leaks from the seals on the outer wings of the exhaust manifold so I picked up new metal seals and tore down the carb. intake and exhaust manifolds. After getting it all apart, noticed a small exhaust manifold hole in the "New French rebuilt engine." So much for factory quality control. Took it to a local welding shop and had it repaired. Installed new seals and put the system back together. Leaks are gone and was able to finally set the carb correctly. Manual states that the idle should be around 400 RPM but I have it around 700 RPM - otherwise it stalls out....May be another small vacuum leak in the system.
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Great job Pat!! I have my idle between 500 and 700 also.
Steve A.
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Gauges/Dash
Almost done with getting all the gauges and switches operational. Today, I replaced my non functioning temp gauge with a beautiful NOS gauge from David Yamulla. Oil and Amps work. Voltmeter is operational as well as the tach. All interior, blackout lights, brake lights work as they should. My only inop gauge remaining is the fuel gauge....Took a look at it today and may just try to find a new one. Regardless, I'm about done with this restoration. I'm going to set up a day over at a buddy's farm field to conduct a driver's training course for me and all my buddies who helped work on this over the past 3.5 years and see how many miles we can put on it in one day. (Then track maintenance and change the fluids) Will post some photos of the day and then wrap up this Restoration Post.
If anyone wants to try to restore the broken temp gauge (2nd photo - I'm thinking the probe needs some TLC) send me a PM with an offer (plus shipping) and I will send it your way.
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That instrument cluster is a jewel! You guys kicked butt to produce that beautiful half track in just 3-1/2 years, considering what your early pictures show that you had to start out with. Fantastic job. Now you get to wear it out. Looking forward to seeing the driving episodes.
Jon
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Gauges came out great. Looking forward to the training videos 8)
Gary
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Great Job Pat!
Don G
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Your getting there . Nice work on the guage one of these days I’ll get to working on mine.
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Looks great Pat,
I love your meticulous diagrams, labels, and photos. I have to admit that I'm envious of your video! Where did you get the data plate that goes on the regulator?
Corey
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Made the local paper (online) for the 4th of July parade.
We drove it to downtown for the parade - put 18 miles on the track. Had a wrecker on standby just in case....
Fortunately we didn't need it. Was a pretty good run. Temp never got over 180 degrees even with a steep hill climb. Have a few issues that we identified that need to address.
1. Speedometer showed that we were doing 25 MPH but our chase car advised we were doing 31 MPH. 6 MPH off. Going to have to address that.
2. Carb is a little rich, needs to be leaned out. Ran a little rough after idling for a bit.
3. Broke one "track center guide'. As soon as I heard that 'klink' I knew exactly what it was. Have had a few of those break, as well as end connectors go flying, in my days on tanks......Ordered a replacement and some spares.
4. During our drive to the parade staging area, we had a 2 mile straightaway where the halftrack would not go into third gear. Drove up a hill in 2nd and then third gear was back for the rest of the day. Driver error or gremlins.....not sure yet.
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That’s Awesome! Looking forward to the day we get to take ours to a parade! Thanks for the motivation....
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Congrats on your successful run! She looks great!
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Mission accomplished. Job well done!
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Nice another warrior out and about
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Great job, the halftrack looks great. It's good to see the troop compartment loaded up. I'm sure it was a great experience for the riders.
Gary
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BII Layout
Anyone who has done time in the service knows the quarterly BII (Basic Issue Items) Layout. Tanks, Bradleys, M88's, Mechanics chests, with all the issued equipment, tools, weapons, etc, etc laid out on tarps in dress right fashion for the chain of command to walk the line asking for the crew to hold up "Item #25, wrench, 1/2 in". Check, next item.
I'm not a purist (NOR AM I AN EXPERT) but I am trying to get a good representation of the original tools and equipment issued to the halftrack. Tonight, I did a layout of what I have picked up to date, and have made up a list of what I really would like to get, what I can replace with modern tools, and what would be nice to have if I find it and a reasonable price. The 9-710 Manual has a good "representative stowage list' which I will use as a baseline
Gun tools: got most of this from Hayes Otoupalik
45 caliber: nothing yet - working on a what I want to find.
30 Caliber: extractor, ruptured cartridge and Browning M6 Combination Tool NEED cleaning kit and associated rolls
50 Caliber: case cleaning M15, extractor, ruptured cartridge, wrench combination M2, head-space and timing gauge (not shown),US M10 Tool and parts Roll.
Vehicle Equipment:
NEED: The 2.5 lb fire extinguisher with trigger, trouble light, front wheel bearing nut wrench, 18 in adj wrench,cross cut saw, 4 lug spindle nut wrench, track chains, front tire chains, towing chain, towing cable
Nice to have: original 5 ton jack, grease gun, tire pump, M3 Binos with M17 case.....
Have:
rim nut wrench handle, rim nut socket wrench, adj wrench 12 in (not original), winch drive shaft shear pin (2 spares), spark plug wrench, rear axle sprocket hub bearing nut wrench, cross cut saw canvass cover, pioneer tools on vehicle, 32 oz ball peen hammer (new), snatch block, Track Spring Adjusting Wrench (since this is an early spring type halftrack I don't think I need this tool), Bogie Wheel "C" Clamp Tool, Volute Spring Compressor, track center guides (2 spares), original 24 unit medical kit complete (needs to have the cover stripped repainted and new stencil applied), fuel nozzle (aka 'Donkey Dick') with cover
Wrench double end:
Bryan Austin over at redarrowarmyparts.org sent me two double end wrench's 5/8 x 25/32 and 3/4 x 15/16 that are perfect. I'm still looking for 3/8 x 7/16 in, 7/16 x 1/2 in, 1/2 x 19/32 in, 9/16 x 5/8 in, 9/16 x 11/16 in, 3/4 x 7/8 in and 1 1/16 x 1 5/16 in
Now I have something to look for at Tower Park and Petaluma military events.....
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Drone footage from Veteran's Day weekend. Ran over 30 miles taking Vets and their kids for rides around the farm fields. No more shine to the paint. Layers of dust and dirt on everything. Halftrack ran great. Some minor repairs to be done and a little track maintenance.
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View from the turret and the cab.
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Pretty cool video Pat! Half track looks great.
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Pat,
Great video!!!!!! Absolutely loved it. Your track looks better than ever. ;D
Steve A.
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Daaaang! Great to see that baby on the road!
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Great stuff!
You are giving me motivation to get this thing rolling over here. :-)
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Cool video Pat....interesting choice of music! Not sure if you can compare your halftrack to the Firebird but.... ;D
Looks like a great day out. Who was your passenger in the pulpit?
-Tom
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Pat,
I have 2 each 1 5/16. X. 1 1/16 wrenches. Top one, closer to the paper, is larger and has “Fairmount. USA” on it.
Send me a pm with your address so I can mail it if you are still in need of one.
Paul
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Cool video Pat....interesting choice of music! Not sure if you can compare your halftrack to the Firebird but.... ;D
Looks like a great day out. Who was your passenger in the pulpit?
-Tom
Tom. Thanks. Buddy made the video and chose the musical tribute to the bandit.....I laughed when I heard it too. The man in the pulpit is my Australian ex-pat neighbor Frank. He served in Vietnam with the Aussie military. Great dude.
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Pat, Great video! The halftrack looks great loaded and running down the dirt roads. Big question is, how many cases of Coors can it hold ;D
Gary
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Fixing Issues identified during test runs:
I have had two issues bothering me since having the halftrack up and running. Transmission and Track.
First was the intermediate issue of struggling with second to third shifting - sometimes it shifts smoothly, other times it wouldn't go into third at all. First gear was pretty much non-existent.....No big deal, I was starting in 2nd gear anyways. But I knew I needed to fix this. The trans was rebuilt, so I had confidence in it. Steve and I discussed the symptoms, and he had similar issues with one of his tracks. Steve had simply replaced the trans top cover and problem solved. I had not rebuilt the actual top cover, so I decided to pick up an inexpensive rebuild kit from COL Halftrack and tear mine apart. Pretty easy - just followed the power trans manual step by step. And of course, it wasn't until the last part that I removed ( the small spring under the ball bearing on the reverse shift rod) that I found the problem..... One busted spring with several small broken pieces of metal was the root cause of the issues. Top cover reinstalled. Issues resolved.
My buddies helped - and of course one of them accidentally let something slip and break the speedo glass in the process......something else to now fix.
Next track maintenance. Have broken a few center guides during our runs. COL Halftrack advised to check "toe out' on the rear idler. Should be 1/8 to 1/16 in toe out front to back. It was not - made some adjustments to the rear buckles. Going to run the truck for a couple of miles and re-check. Should fix this minor issue.
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Pat,
Just put my shift cover back together last week and had one broken spring too.
Where did you get new track guides? Do you have the new tracks?
Thanks,
Paul
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Paul
I picked up three old track guides from David Yamulla couple of months ago. I sand blasted off the rust, put on a fresh coat of paint and put them in the storage area as spares. So far, I have used 2 of them. If anyone has some old track out there that they are going to scrap - I'd be interested in grabbing a dozen or so of the old center guides. I like keeping spares on board. If there is one thing being on tanks for five plus years taught me, is track maintenance, track maintenance, track maintenance....
I have the new track and the old center guides matched right up - no issues.
PK
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Nice work, good find on the broken spring. Now that you're driving it you'll be working out all the little bugs.
Gary
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Good info. Thanks!
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Been about a year since I posted. Have had the war wagon out at the hunting club where we get the old beast out every month or so for rides around the property. Runs great and is a big hit with the club members and their kids. Have had some minor maintenance issues over the past year or so but nothing major.
Looks good covered in mud and dust.
I just moved to Colorado but the track is staying here in California at the club for the near term. Cold but sunny ride this morning and then to the clubhouse for cigars and burgers. Good day
Merry Christmas all.
PK
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Excellent! Fun to get them out and doing what they are supposed to do!
Don G.
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Great times! Merry Christmas to you.
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Looking good Pat!! Merry Christmas!!
Steve A.
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Looks great. It's nice to see these playing out in the dirt.
Gary
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Looks fantastic!
Paul
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As of Monday, "Hell Hound" is now in Colorado!!!! Thanks to Kevin Lockwood's recommendation, I contacted David Moore (David Moore Trucking out of Oregon) and had my halftrack transported from NorCal to the mountains of Colorado. David did an first class job. Highly recommend him if you need transportation. Halftrack is now safely parked in her new shop.
Need to figure out if I need to re-jet the carb or just lean it out - went from sea level to 7200 feet and she is running rich and extremely sluggish. Also need to figure out how to get it to the Air Force Academy for the next Army-Air Force game but I don't think they are coming back to Colorado until 2023??
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I'm happy for you Pat! Good job getting the hell out of CA. I'm still looking and hope to be outta here soon too. Have fun up there!
Jon
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Looking right at home in her new digs Pat...happy to see you reunited!
-Tom