Half track information

[beerman]

Hello all, my name is jeff and i have gotten bad case of halftrack fever. Dont really know that much about them as far as the different models.I am looking for my first project,probly a cab-chassis, as i can't really afford or wife won't let me start out that big.I am looking forward to any advice any of you have to offer,and if there are any projects for sale.I live in north east texas, i have a 43 willys Mb that i just bought to start restoring and before that i bought a 46 CJ-2A.I have always wanted a halftrack, so i said the hell with it, why not.As far as what i want in the end is just the plain troop transport model.Thanks in advance for the help.

  Jeff Martin

[Outsider]

Greetings, There is a lot of good info here, and also lots of HT owners to help you out with your questions.
Steve

[Dinadin]

Greetings Jeff,

My suggestion is to look around A LOT before you buy one.  There are a lot more halftracks out there than you might think.  They were used by farmers and utilities back in the day.  Ask around some farmer might have had or know of one.  I also heard that farm tractor collectors are a good source, because most of the time they are looking tractors and not interested in the other stuff the farmers may have, but they see them.  A friend found a halftrack which was used by a local farmer and just left in the field.  There were a tree growing up through the back of it and he got it for a steal.  After a little effort he got it running.  Another friend just got one which has been in a barn for the last 15 or more years.  I bought my first one from a major dealer and a month later I found out that a local MV guy had two for sale and ended buying one of his also.

[spec4don]

Jeff if they tell you it was used for logging, walk away unless you can get it for a song to use for parts. Loggers are not kind to equipment. (voice of experience here, I used to log). Also check the G there is a thread on there about this very subject. It will probably take 3 to make 1  and buy as complete as you can afford Not my rules but sage advice that I have learned on from others on this forum and the G503.

Good luck on your search and don't be afraid to ask questions. 2 of the good ones have already chimed in Dinadan and Outsider. I would suggest you get Hunicuts book on halftracks and get some backround on the history and development of the the Half track. I wish I'd done that before I bought.

Don G.

[beerman]

  :)Thanks for all the help, i jumped the gun and bought the one off ebay thats from grants pass,oregon. Bob gillard has it now.i may be wrong but down here in this side of texas i don't ever see any halftracks for sale.I am trying to find a shipping company to bring it to me,but not having much luck.Can any of you offer any help.I guees if i have to i will go get it,sure is a long way off.It has the rear diff moved to the back and tires mounted,so i will be needing to find the equipment to convert it back to a tracked vehicle.it is suppose to run and will need the transmission checked and probly overhauled.Can anyone offer any advice on where to look for the track equipment and transmission parts as far as a dealer, or another  fellow owner.Wanted to ask here before i started posting in the wanted section.I need a steering wheel for it bad ,as the one on it is broken, if anyone has one in decent shape let me know.Will post pictures of it when i get home.

Thanks again, jeff

[Tapper02]

Jeff,
  First off, congrats on your purchase.  I've had mine for 5 years and am still working on it.  It was mostly complete but it had to be torn down to the frame and built back up on a new frame as the old one turned out to be nearly rusted through in a few places.
  Anyway, check the halftrack trading post first, here on the forum.  There are a lot of spare parts out there and you won't pay the prices you would from a dealer:

http://halftrackinfo.com/index.php?board=61.0

If you can't find it there, the old standby's are:

Rod Shaver - No website, look for his ads in the MV Magazine
Gary Hebding (www.halftracks.com) - most popular and well stocked here in the US
Liberty Engineering Services (www.libertyengineeringservices.com) - International seller, but Dave Pojta is a great guy to deal with and even with import fees and shipping, you can beat a lot of domestic dealer's prices.
Ebay - Obviously, buyer beware.  Do your research and know exactly what you are looking for and exactly what you are buying.  A lot of guys are selling stuff with inaccurate descriptions.

Also, if you haven't found it yet, you need to join the G503 forum.  It started out for jeeps but has expanded to almost all MV vehicles, past and present.  It has a great tracked section, but is not exclusive to halftracks like this site is.  Still, there is a wealth of knowledge out there.  (www.g503.com/forums)

Good luck...Tom

[steve-0]

i contacted bob and asked for pics of the rear frame, he had mentioned it might be and m3, its not. what you have purchased is an m2 halftrack. they are the most common halftrack on the west cost. east coast seems to have more m3/m16 halftracks. the frame on yours doesn't look to bad. you will need the rear stuff but its fairly easy to find. try to find the rear parts from a member here or elsewhere but try to avoid the dealers and you can save a bunch of money. this site is really about alternative sources to halftrack parts suppliers and promoting member sales and trades.  but if you have to i listed 22 halftrack parts suppliers here.

http://halftrackinfo.com/index.php?action=links;cat=2

here are some of the pics he sent me.
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/0106.JPG
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/00926.JPG
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/00254.JPG
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/00445.JPG
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/00646.JPG
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/00163.JPG
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/00540.JPG

[Outsider]

I have a set of the main castings with the cross tube that the bogie clusters attach too, along with some extra bogie hubs that I'll sell on the cheap, but shipping from Michigan might be a killer.
Steve

[steve-0]

tapper02
i haven't dealt with libertyenginering.
they say they have nos tracks, do you know if these are the ones that gary sells came from? are the prices for them about the same?

[Tapper02]

tapper02
i haven't dealt with libertyenginering.
they say they have nos tracks, do you know if these are the ones that gary sells came from? are the prices for them about the same?

I don't know about his tracks.  I got a rebuilt engine, an NOS radiator and four complete bogie clusters with BF Goodrich rubber on the wheels.  I also just recently bought the Fuel and Oil Pressure gauges for the gauge cluster from him.  Dave is top notch....wish he was over here.  The only drawback to dealing with him is the conversion rate for payment as he doesn't use PayPal.  My first big transaction with him I used OzForEx.  The second smaller one was a little easier...I used Western Union to wire the money.

-Tom

[beerman]

Thanks. I am waiting until i get it home, then decide what to tackle first, i think it will be getting it running again,and the transmission,back into it.The smile on my face will be priceless when i take it on its first drive.I guess the rear wheels are gonna help make it alot easier to move, untill i get the track parts.I would like it to be driveable before i start on the major body panels.

[WayOffTrack]

For hauling try Mike Popovich although that might be close to his weight limit which is about 9500lbs. I highly recommend him he will take good care of your stuff and his rates are very good.

732-245-8317

He hauls a lot of stuff between California and the east coast so Oregon to Tx should be no problem for him. He has hauled a couple of scout cars for me from Colorado to FL.

[yd328]

Jeff,
I'll second Mike Pop, he's moved a couple of large parts for me from the West. Good luck with your project. The one problem you might have if you get it running first is that you might not want to take it apart, just drive it . 

Gary

[beerman]

Well fellows,  :'(I have had to back out on the one from bob gillard, fuel cost  to have it shipped was more than i was gonna pay for the halftrack.Dam diesel prices through the roof, and wich doesn't make since ,i work in the oil and gas industry,and the drilling is very slow due to the oil and gas prices,but diesel and gas are up.But i have another deal in the works,plan to go get it this coming weekend,and its within driving distance.I still wish i could get the one in oregon for parts as it has a running engine and,another one to go with it.I like have spare parts laying around.Any of you in the oregon area intrested ,all i really want is the engine out of it, maybe some of others like carb,starter gen,rad,fuel tank,and piping.
  So when i get the other one home,i will post some pictures.

[col.halftrack]

 beerman,
 I have an m2 in Kansas I would sell. Not sure what you are looking for. You can call my shop if you want. 1-800-466-2126 ask for Kevin.