halftrackinfo
pictures of your halftrack => post updates on the progress of your restoration => Topic started by: R.E.Co. on June 27, 2016, 09:30:25 PM
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Hello, I am new to the site but wanted to share a picture of the next project that will take over my life for the next couple years. It's great to be joining the Halftrack community!
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Nice looking start!
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Welcome to the halftrack world. That is a great looking halftrack and love the dump bed on it. I hope you plan to keep it that way. I remember when it first went up on eBay almost 10 years ago. I was out bid on it. I ended up getting another one on eBay in 2008. This is a great forum to get info for these vehicles. Many people hear willing to help out.
Steve A.
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I have already taken the bed off of it. I plan on putting the rear armor back to its original state and using the bed as a trailer to pull behind it!
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Great to have you on the forum.
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Welcome aboard! I'm, also starting a M2A1 restoration.
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I guess I'm alittle over due on posting an update but there hasn't been alot of progress made until I get me gauges back. I've pretty much got the dash and windshield read for primer. Three window frame studs were broke off so I drilled and welded new bolts in. Got my window frames filled with glass and have stripped most of the original wiring harness off. I think it will be just as easy for me to prime and paint as I go rather than take everything apart and paint individually. As they say, stead as she goes.
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When I redid my halftrack I primed and painted as I went. Then when I was with everything I scuffed sanded all the parts again and gave them a final coat. I found that sometimes my finished parts got scratched as I was removing or installing other parts.
Steve
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Got my gauges back. Had them done locally and they turned out great! Tach was rusty and the faceplate was holey. Everything's looks new again.
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Finished up the windshield today. Got both glass panels in and the rubber gaskets.
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The gauges look great. Who did you have do them?
Gary
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Gary, there's a place in Machesney Park, IL that did them. Instrument Service. They did a really nice job too. It cost around $450 to do the speedo and the tach. I got the cluster gauge from David Yuma.
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Looking good!
Don G
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Finally after a winter's work getting our shop finished (enough ;D) to work in, this morning I got my track in and ready for tear down. Got alot of parts begging to be primed painted and put on now just need to find the time to actually do it!
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Hot durn! Good times ahead! Have fun and post lots of pictures.
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Nice progress what are you doing as far as wiring. I picked up the HalfTrack kit from vintage wiringof Maine and it was well worth it.
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I did the same. Gosh those wiring harnesses are expensive! But without a doubt it is the best quality and easiest to use. Vintage wiring of Maine also give you a very organized and detailed list and each wire section is labeled and each in there own bag. Couldn't be simpler!
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They are great stuff! Just got done installing mine.
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Made some what I'd call serious progress these past two days. Man working on this track by myself is taking longer than expected! Lots of things to do. I removed the left track, left boggie sets, rear axel drum and started disassembly of the boggies.
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Good job! This is looming on my half track and just looking at these pictures makes my joints ache. I've been shooting a little Liquid Wrench on all the fasteners and shafts every now and then as I walk by in hopes it'll seep in a little and help. How bad was yours to get apart this far? Did you have to torch anything?
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Good job! This is looming on my half track and just looking at these pictures makes my joints ache. I've been shooting a little Liquid Wrench on all the fasteners and shafts every now and then as I walk by in hopes it'll seep in a little and help. How bad was yours to get apart this far? Did you have to torch anything?
Luckily my track has very little rust so no I didn't need to heat anything up. After I figured out the lug nuts on the wheels were right hand thread, they came off easy. Taking the tracks off was super simple. Take off the nut on the idler spring and remove the spring, take a winch and attach it to the front axle, fasten the other end of the winch to the pivot on the idler arm, winch it snug, remove the outside idler sprocket and the track comes right off. The rest tears down pretty smoothly. you'll need to have something to lift the track off with though.
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Thanks for the information. That's pretty encouraging. Hopefully mine will come apart similarly. Good luck with the rest of yours!
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Nice work, a lot of heavy parts there.
Gary
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Nice work. Everything heavy and dirty. Don't get discouraged it always takes longer then you expect. I'm still plugging away after over four years but it's worth it.
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My goal is to have mine done by next fall. I was fortunate to already have a fully running HT so the engine sounds great! Just need to do cosmetic and body work. Im hoping to get alot done over the winter.
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And I complain about the few items that I have to replace on my Israeli mortified HT which is about 95 % correct , built, and running. I am a spoiled American!!
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Great progress! I'm a one man show as well so I understand the difficulty!
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Spent 3 hours on the track yesterday and got the right track removed, rear sprocket off and started taking apart the boggies. Starting to look pretty bare!
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That gantry looks like a godsend.nice progress
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Awesome - echo the comments on the crane. Wish I had that in my garage.
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Awesome - echo the comments on the crane. Wish I had that in my garage.
Most important tool in my shop is that crane! Couldn't lift the heavy armor safely without it! 9ft tall 10 ft wide it's a must!
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I don't even have a 9ft tall 10ft wide shop! Ha! I'll be using a skiploader!
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Where did you get your crane? Thanks, Rob
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Where did you get your crane? Thanks, Rob
Bought it on Craigslist. Came with two winches one 1000lb and the other 2000lb
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So I was gone for 6 months in 2018 which meant not muchange got done on the track. I'm finally seeing progress again! Bogie wheels are coming back soon and I'll be priming the frame with POR15 shortly. Slow and steady.
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That picture looks like miserable work. I guess that means you're doing it right! Keep up the good work, glad to hear you're able to work on your track again.
Corey
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Well its not perfect but it is for me! This will not be a perfect museum piece as I want to have mine a working restoration with chips and scratches so I can do field exercises with it! But otherwise its going well, with three coats of paint now and I am starting to reassemble the crab and bogies. Alot of work ahead but once you've got paint, you can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully less than a year left now!
Jon
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I ended up going with 33070 paint, I kinda like the 34087 better after shooting that track but I'm not about to order more paint haha. Here's a few more pictures.
Jon
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Nice work!!!
I'm about as far along as you are on mine.
Have the bogies and tracks back on.
So only a bazillion more things to do!!!!
Keith
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Great work! You're ahead of me but i'm on a roll right now. Should have my bogies back soon.
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Made great progress today! 9 hours of work with just my trusty crane. Sure feels good to be cruising along!
Jon
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Looks great, you got some heavy work done.
Gary
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Looking great!!!
And doesn't it feel good just to step back and look at it???
Keith
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Now for the tracks.....
A WWII bowflex machine!!!
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Very nice!!
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Wow! You already got your bogies back on! I need to pick up the pace!!!
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I was thinking the same thing as Smadge! Everyone is making great progress on their tracks and I feel like I'm getting no where!
It's looking great! Keep at it.
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Today, was a very painful slow day, took the entire day to get both tracks on so it can get the halftrack outside. Time to clean the shop and finish painting the rest!
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Yes we all have those days! I had to take my tracks off 3 times due a bad seal surface. But you’ll get there!
Don G.
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Yes we all have those days! I had to take my tracks off 3 times due a bad seal surface. But you’ll get there!
Don G.
I remember that day. We got very proficient in putting on and taking off tracks. ;)
Steve A.
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And folks pay for memberships to go and workout!!!!
All they need is a half track!!!!
Keith
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My new bed for my m2!!! Also have my new skate rail!!! All orginal parts! Super stoked and ready to finish this restoration!
Jon
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Score!! Looking forward to seeing you put the finishing touches on the restoration.
-Tom
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Nice find, looking forward to the restoration.
Gary
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Moving right along on the floor! Go alot of bent pieces straightened and things welded, the things that dont belong cut off. Lots more work ahead but i will have this bed primed and installed on the track before January! As a part time project thats ambitious for me but I'll make it happen!
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Awesome! Nice floor!
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Slowly but surely! Floor goes into the sandblaster sunday. Then the assembly should move right along!
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It looks like you have all of the appropriate tools lined up, big hammer, wrenches, torches etc..
Gary
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Looks like a M4 ring , nice found :)
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Rear bed and rail was sand blasted, just finished priming! One step closer to completion. Next step, assembly, then paint!
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Nice,
That was some quick work.
Gary
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Looks good Jon! Moving along!
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Just alittle work lately but steady work at that! Bulk heads have been dry fitted. Just waiting for armor bolts to arrive and I'll starts fastening things together. I will say its alot more fun building the bed than working on the track itself haha.
Jon
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Just alittle work lately but steady work at that! Bulk heads have been dry fitted. Just waiting for armor bolts to arrive and I'll starts fastening things together. I will say its alot more fun building the bed than working on the track itself haha.
Jon
If you left the bolts in the bed and tried to take it apart, it would be more like working on the track. ;)
Looking good!!
Keith
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Paul Jacob's products are absolutely top notch!!! No one else makes better ammo lockers and reproduction parts hands down. These laser cut pieces bolt perfectly to original pieces. Ive had to do very very little hole reshaping to make them work. So far, the passenger ammo locker is bolted down. Waiting on armor plates from the shop in town then I'll start bolting in the armor! One step at a time.
Jon
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Looking great!
Paul
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Nice job Jon! It’s sure a lot more fun when you get to the point of bolting all the nice, clean parts together. Agree with you on Paul’s parts. Everything I’ve gotten from him has been perfect. Have fun!
Jon
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Looking great.
Got the rear floor system back on mine. Getting ready to mount boxes and start on the side armor.
Not greasy or rusty....but still a BIT heavy.
Keith
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Looking fantastic, can’t wait till we get to this point....
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Looks great.
Gary
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Awesome!
Don G.
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The best marriages are the ones who dont separate. Love this marriage for my halftrack!
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Looking really great!!!
Keith
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This assembly moves pretty quick!
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Someone's been playing in the mud! ;D
Looking good...
-Tom
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Someone's been playing in the mud! ;D
Looking good...
-Tom
Guilty! Had to move the track back to this shop. It was a long journey and involved significant mud unfortunately haha.
Jon
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That looks great! I can't wait to be at this point some day ;D
Corey
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This assembly moves pretty quick!
It's a trick to lull you into thinking you're going to be making progress. Mine does that routinely, and just when I think everything's going my way, it all blows up. Don't fall for it.
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This assembly moves pretty quick!
It's a trick to lull you into thinking you're going to be making progress. Mine does that routinely, and just when I think everything's going my way, it all blows up. Don't fall for it.
AMEN!!!!!!
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This assembly moves pretty quick!
It's a trick to lull you into thinking you're going to be making progress. Mine does that routinely, and just when I think everything's going my way, it all blows up. Don't fall for it.
I thought that only happened to me. :P
Gary
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Steady as she goes...
Jon
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This assembly moves pretty quick!
It's a trick to lull you into thinking you're going to be making progress. Mine does that routinely, and just when I think everything's going my way, it all blows up. Don't fall for it.
That is EXACTLY what we have experienced lately. It's quite irritating at times, as we are now going through.
Corey
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All closed up! Next I'll do some washing (because its so damn muddy outside) and then paint tomorrow. Its going pretty smooth!
Jon
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It looks great. Nice shop!
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Awesome!!!
Corey
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It looks great. Nice shop!
Id like to be working on our new shop but it will have to wait until spring now!
Jon
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Looking great!!
Putting up my rear walls this week.
Keith
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Nice job, moving right along.
Gary
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We have paint!
Jon
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Looks great!
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Amazing how a coat of paint changes the look so drastically.
-Tom
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Yay! Paint!
Don G
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Huge step! Looks incredible!
Corey
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Spent my Christmas power washing the track, and cleaning the shop. Which were both much needed. Track is ready for another coat of paint after it dries!
Jon
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A little progress!
Jon
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That looks really sharp Jon! Great job!
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Some big things accomplished today! Rear steps are mounted, fabricated and mounted a rear skate rail bracket, and fabricated and installed my 1 inch of shims under the bed. I'm going to keep rolling!
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Con
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Con
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Looks great, you're moving right along.
Gary
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Good job!
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Nice!!!!!
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Looking great! I need to pick up the pace!!!
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Cushions have been done for awhile but haven't had a chance to post.
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Looking like a halftrack
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She looks right at home in the snow!!
Keith
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Looks great out in the snow!
Steve A.
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Beautiful!
Corey
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Got the driver side ammo locker primed. She's nearing the end folks!
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Lately has been alot of little things I've been working on. The driver side ammo locker is in and hinged. (Please excuse the muddy foot prints) The rear section of the bed is pretty much done now. I will touch up everything with paint once it's nice enough to power wash the halftrack. Luckily I was able to get a new pair of Israeli tracks so those will go on next week. Still need to run a compression test and figure out why the engine is bogged down in high range 3rd and 4th gears. Other than that, dash is coming along nicely. I got data plates from Kevin Lockwood and they look great! This is a strange thing but my track must not have had all the data plates regular ones have because the dash is missing holes for some of the plates including the starter plate. So I guess I'll be drilling holes next week too. I noticed the longer this restoration takes the less I care about perfect but rather just want to enjoy it and make is look good enough for a working vehicle. I can see the very near end!
Jon
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More pics
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More pics
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Your halftrack looks great. All that hard work is paying off. Nice job.
Gary
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That looks awesome! Great work!
Corey
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Fantastic job, looks awesome!
Don G.
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Jon
I relly like to color of the canvas on the seats. Well done.
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Tracks are on! Went for a drive into town today. Interesting fact, took Breezy over to the scale and she weighed (with one full tank of fuel) 12,800. Alot lighter than I thought.
Jon
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Con
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Great job!!
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Windshield armor is complete! More parts from Paul Jacobs' that are superb fit and finish!!!
Jon
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Not sure why the picture didn't post. I'll touch up the paint in the morning but it looks good 8)
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Nice!
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Breezy earned her stars!
Jon
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That is looking good Jon!
Rob
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She looks great!!
Nice job.
Keith
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Love it!
Corey
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Looks great.
Gary
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Awesome!
Don G.
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Quick photo snap while Breezy was in the light! ;D
Jon
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My hope.... if I live long enough....is that my halftrack will look like that....
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My hope.... if I live long enough....is that my halftrack will look like that....
You will!!!! As Billy Joel said, Keep the Faith
Jon
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You will!!!! As Billy Joel said, Keep the Faith
Jon
George Michael said it too, so..... ;D
Track looks great. Thanks for the pictures.
Corey
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Bumper in, winch in. More to do but it looks like a halftrack now!
Jon
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It looks great. Nice job!
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Great job!!!!
Keith
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Bravo! Don G.
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Wow! Looks Great!
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Breezy is looking fine 8)
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Sure is! Nice cover!
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Hopes and dreams for ours!
Corey
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Great looking track! And yes, love the tarp!
Rob
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Your making excellent progress! Please keep the pic coming, love to watch each success.