Need help with canvas top straps

[8683jb]

I recently got the canvas top for my M2A1 and I need a little help so I can order the two canvas straps that run front to rear to support the top between the bows. I've never seen them, but I've learned that the one on the driver's side attaches to a footman loop at the back of the windshield frame in front of the perimeter rail and runs to the rear over the bows and then drops down after the rear bow to attach to a footman loop on the top of the perimeter rail. The right side has a loop on the rear of the pulpit but I don't know where it goes from there. If it dropped down behind the rear bow like the other side, it'd interfere with the gun. There's no loop on the rail on that side and no indication there ever was one. Does it just attach to the rear bow above the gun or what? Thanks for any help.   
Jon



Back of the windshield frame in front of the perimeter rail





Back of the pulpit





Rear perimeter rail with the driver's side loop shown on the right

[steve1973]

Hi Jon,
So, for those who don't or didn't know, there are two straps that go from on top of the windshield over the three bows and attach to footman loops on the outside of the rear armor. this helps support and removes some of the sag between the bows. These straps are used on all M2 and M3 variant halftracks. To answer your question Jon there are two footman loops on the outside of the armor to attach the straps to, circled in red. The footman loops circled in yellow should be on the inside. This is a mistake I see on many M2 halftracks. These footman loops actually have special straps that can hold either 30 cal. ammo cans or water cans. The straps, both top and the five on the bottom, can be purchased at Weebee Webbing, http://www.odcloth.com/products.html.



The bottom image is of a Scoutcar and it's top and related straps. This is in the M2 Base Shop Data Book. Instead of reinventing the wheel for each manual they reused some images from the Scoutcar manual as they are the same.



Hope this helps.

Steve A.

[8683jb]

Thanks for the help Steve! That's easy enough to do. Is an M2A1 the same way? That would put the strap almost directly in front of the gun pintle on an M2A1. Plus, I see so many M2A1's with the footman loop on top of the perimeter rail on the driver's side instead of on the rear armor. I don't know what else it would have been there for.

Jon