halftrackinfo

armor plate => m16/m16A2 rear armor and bed => Topic started by: steve-0 on June 08, 2012, 01:17:25 PM

Title: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: steve-0 on June 08, 2012, 01:17:25 PM
i thought i had lost these pics but i was able to recover them recently from my camera. (dont press reformat on your camera  ;D)

when i first started looking for an m16 halftrack to take measurements off of so i could reproduce the armor on my m16 halftrack the first one i found close was at the littlefield museum.

i was told by them this one had all original armor and i could take measurements for the price of $75 per hr.

what they have there is an m2 halftrack with an m16 rear bed. the top fold down armor is bad repo and the rear boxes are also poor repo.
the first clue i noticed on the fold down armor was that when its folded down the serial number is in a perfectly placed spot for viewing.
also it looks like they torched out the cutouts in the fold down armor which shrank the metal a bit and they used a ball peen hammer on the inside to flatten it out a bit.

im only posting this to warn others about taking measurements off this halftrack. it a nice looking halftrack but a copy of a poor copy doesn't get better.

i spent $125 for the time i spent drawing up the armor, plus at least $100 on fuel for worthless drawings.
it wasn't a total waste though,, i got to take a tour and they have some great stuff there.


note the hammer marks on the inside of the fold down armor.

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/3239/f1020391.jpg)


note the m2a1 pulpit part on the upper windshield armor

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/3239/f1027527.jpg)


(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/3239/f1003591.jpg)

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/3239/f0989095.jpg)

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/3239/f0990759.jpg)

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/3239/f1038279.jpg)
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: col.halftrack on June 09, 2012, 07:32:10 AM
 Thanks for the photos Steve. I had someone else tell me about this but not seen the pics before. A White M2 rebuilt as M2A1 then restored as M16 and looks like Autocar radiator armor as the White's never did the cross braces. Are you planning to repro the long rear box? I have a smashed one from my M16 which has all the original armor. I need some track armor and tool brackets WW2 style.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: steve-0 on June 09, 2012, 06:22:54 PM
i had the original rear bed for my ht. it was missing all the side armor but i was able to do some trading and get the 4 main rear pieces.
i will be building more of the m16 hts.. those ones i will have to repo the whole back end. its years off though.

http://halftrackinfo.com/index.php?topic=22.0
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: Dinadin on June 11, 2012, 08:05:46 AM
Did you let the museum know that it was a M2 with the repro armor?  I am curious what their reaction was.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: mfrance on June 13, 2012, 12:45:50 AM
Steve another complete m16 arrived last month from east coast with fold down armor to a gentalmen in Vallejo.  he just bought it needs alot of tlc but great starting point.  michael
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on June 21, 2012, 07:31:58 AM
Wow that is really interesting. Makes me wonder about some of the other stuff now.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: steve-0 on June 23, 2012, 01:59:48 PM
Did you let the museum know that it was a M2 with the repro armor?  I am curious what their reaction was.

i think just the fold down armor and the rear boxes where repo. i didnt want to take a chance though with any of the measurement i took off it. i did mention the parts i thought where repo and was told " better than nothing" which is true unless you are trying to get very accurate measurements from original.

i should say that the person that i talked to i doubt had ever worked on a halftrack. this may be a halftrack they purchased as is.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: spillmk1 on July 14, 2019, 07:14:12 AM
Thanks for the photos Steve. I had someone else tell me about this but not seen the pics before. A White M2 rebuilt as M2A1 then restored as M16 and looks like Autocar radiator armor as the White's never did the cross braces. Are you planning to repro the long rear box? I have a smashed one from my M16 which has all the original armor. I need some track armor and tool brackets WW2 style.

My White came with the radiator cross brace and both it and radiator armor fit right in.
It's a 1941 M2 rebuilt as an M2A1 by Wylie.
Is the cross brace not correct?

Thanks,
Keith
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: mfrance on July 14, 2019, 07:55:22 PM
White came with radiator cross brace.    Autocar did not
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on July 15, 2019, 04:15:29 AM
I have two Autocar's both have the cross brace, my White does not.

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/934/autocar-m3-75gmc.JPG)
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: Tapper02 on July 15, 2019, 11:40:32 AM
White came with radiator cross brace.    Autocar did not
I have two Autocar's both have the cross brace, my White does not.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: spillmk1 on July 15, 2019, 11:43:33 AM
White came with radiator cross brace.    Autocar did not
I have two Autocar's both have the cross brace, my White does not.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Thanks guys for clearing that up!!!

Think I'll leave the brace in and say it was a special White prototype that Autocar copied. ;D

Keith
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: colkking on July 15, 2019, 12:43:58 PM
Now I'm confused (although that is not hard to do!)

I have a White...M16.
NO X-frame on my radiator--never had one.

Can someone confirm that cross brace was truly a White, for all Whites?

I have picked up additional sets of front/radiator armor, and I have found some to have four bolts on the front vertical radiator armor, and some have three.
Please make me smart.
kk
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: steve1973 on July 15, 2019, 04:55:45 PM
Do you have fender mounted headlights still? If so it was never converted.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: col.halftrack on July 16, 2019, 08:30:14 AM
I do not think any White had a cross brace. Perhaps in a rebuild program a Autocar nose was used on a White. But not normal for a White to have this. White used angle braces on the outside of the side triangle armor.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: spillmk1 on July 16, 2019, 09:26:40 AM
My White has an X brace and the side supports....so I guess it's a "mutt". ;D
Also.....notice I have the mounting pads for the front braces under the winch....but they were never drilled through.
Is that also weird??

Thanks,
Keith
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on July 17, 2019, 10:11:17 AM
Very interesting. Seems like there are lots of little differences here maybe as a result of being thru rebuilds, hard to say. I do have a half-track that left the factory with a roller and when it was rebuilt into an m3a1 by E.W. Wylie it was changed to a winch model. It's a Diamond T and no X brace.

(http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/1007/medium/IMG_54193.JPG)
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: col.halftrack on July 17, 2019, 04:45:22 PM
Keith,
 I am curious can you see the makers stampings on the inside surface of the radiator surround armor? That may be Autocar armor.
 Kevin
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: colkking on July 17, 2019, 07:55:23 PM
i have pedestal headlamps, and the angle irons on my side triangles....ok, so i guess i am not supposed to have a cross-brace (which it didn't have when i got the track)....
phew...minor crisis averted.  :-)

thanks!!
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on July 18, 2019, 04:27:28 AM
i have pedestal headlamps, and the angle irons on my side triangles....ok, so i guess i am not supposed to have a cross-brace (which it didn't have when i got the track)....
phew...minor crisis averted.  :-)

thanks!!

If it had an X-brace the frame crossmember in front of the radiator will have a hole on each side for the bottom part of the brace.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on July 18, 2019, 04:29:07 AM
My White has an X brace and the side supports....so I guess it's a "mutt". ;D
Also.....notice I have the mounting pads for the front braces under the winch....but they were never drilled through.
Is that also weird??

Thanks,
Keith

It might have had the winch added since the winch frame extensions are welded to the inner frame and they didn't leave the factory like that.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: spillmk1 on July 18, 2019, 10:59:19 AM
It might have had the winch added since the winch frame extensions are welded to the inner frame and they didn't leave the factory like that.

Good point.
Thanks!!
Keith
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on July 18, 2019, 04:17:34 PM
I looked thru all the pictures in the David Doyle books and it looks like Internationals all had the x-brace, I think I saw one White that had one and it was a test bed for the quad mount program. Both my Autocars were rebuilt into M16A1's during the 50's so I bet they were added then.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: spillmk1 on July 22, 2019, 05:31:41 AM
Keith,
 I am curious can you see the makers stampings on the inside surface of the radiator surround armor? That may be Autocar armor.
 Kevin

Kevin,
I got this shot off one of the louvers.
Tell you anything?

Thanks,
Keth
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: col.halftrack on July 22, 2019, 11:43:07 AM
 That piece certainly belongs on a White manuf. Trac.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: WayOffTrack on July 22, 2019, 12:44:36 PM
On my Wylie roller to winch model conversion the winch frame extensions are bolted on, no rivets. I see yours is also a Wylie rebuild so maybe the same thing? The cube symbol above the stamped numbers means the piece was made by Diebold which was the supplier of armor to White Motors for half-tracks and scout cars.
Title: Re: warning about the littlfield museums m16 halftrack
Post by: RB-058 on April 12, 2020, 01:22:23 PM
Interesting comment about the cube symbol! Did not know that, was wondering what it meant this afternoon!

Rob