M2A1 Restoration

[RocnTJ]

My latest Project - Fire Extinguisher restoration.









I got a slight wrinkle in the decal that I could not get out, but other than that I was happy with the result.   I decided to stay with red rather than OD.  There seems to be a debate on the proper original color but I thought it just seemed right to have the fire extinguisher red plus it adds a little more color to the inside of the track 

Tom

[vj]

I want one,  Looks great. 

[Tapper02]

Nice job Tom...I agree with you on the color choice. 

-Tom

[steve1973]

Looks great Tom. Is that the decal I sent you? Where did you get the one on the back? Is yours charged? I had no problem getting mine charged.

Steve A.

[RocnTJ]

Thanks guys.  No I made the decals myself from another co2 extinguisher I had.  I used your decal to scan the little hand holding the extinguisher picture then photo shopped it in.   I have some extras that I can give to you.

Tom

[RocnTJ]

New Canvas Top.

The last big missing piece in my halftrack restoration was the canvas top.  I had contacted all of the major canvas suppliers in the US and none of them were interested in making a top for an M2-A1 halftrack.  Generally they did not want to deal with the pulpit as apparently there are several different versions of pulpits in the halftrack community.

I then turned my search to the UK which apparently has several military canvas manufacturers.    I first contacted John and Mary Worthing who had previously supplied a very nice canvas cover for my Ben Hur Trailer.   They told me that they did not do halftrack canvas.  Next I contacted Jim Clark at Allied Forces Canvas.   Their website is


http://www.milweb.net/go/alliedforces/

I e-mailed Jim and he said that they indeed did produce M2A1 canvas tops.  He thought they were about the only canvas supplier that had the pattern for the M2A1.     It took me several months of waiting to final get my top into production,  apparently they have a large backlog of orders.    Once they started working on my top Jim had me confirm all of the footmen loop locations as well as the antenna location to ensure that the top would fit properly.  Our goal was to have the top ready for the Tower Park event which I planned to show my halftrack.  Unfortunately the top arrived the day after I moved the halftrack to Tower Park, but I was able to drive home and pick it up and have it on the halftrack in time for Friday's heavy rains.

The following are some pictures of the top:


Here is a side view of the top installed on the halftrack.   The side windows are NOS from David Yamulla


Here is a close up showing how the straps attach to the footman loops.


Here is a close-up showing how the top fits around the pulpit.


Here is a close-up showing how the window canvas connects to the lift-the-dot connector mounted in the side armor just ahead of the doors.   It was a challenge getting the canvas behind the mirrors and onto the pin but there is room to make it work.  If you are installing mirrors on your track you need to make sure there is clearance for the window canvas if you plan on using it.

 
Here is a picture with the side rear window unzipped and rolled up.   Although it would be possible to use the guns with the top installed it would be challenging to get a good aim as there is very little clearance over the top of the gun.


Here is a shot of the rear window.   The vertical strap in the picture is the strap that runs from a loop on the back armor to a loop on the back of the windshield.   There are two of these straps that help support the top between the bows.   I have a set of these straps designed for an M2 and I need to get the shorter strap for the right side which connects to a footman loop on the back of the pulpit.


Here is an overhead view of the canvas top.


Two of the attachment straps at the front of the pulpit are longer than the rest to come up and secure the cover around the 50 Cal machine gun.   I have discussed the length of these straps with Jim Clark and it appears that they are too long.   I will probably shorten the length of these straps and put a new metal ends on them.


Here is an overhead shot showing the pulpit canvas rolled back.    This allows the use of the 50 cal with the top installed.  Many of the WW2 pictures show this cover rolled back with men manning the 50 cal.


Here is a close-up of the pulpit with the cover open.   As discussed previously the strap running across the pulpit should fasten to a footmen loop at the back of the pulpit.  I need to get a shorter strap and install a footman loop on the back of the pulpit.


Here is a close-up of the pocket for the radio antenna.   This pocket is not high enough to cover the antenna base that I currently have installed.    I am talking to Jim Clark about making a taller antenna pocket that would cover the antenna base.   This is the one measurement that we did not verify.      The antenna pocket is zippered to allow the installation of the antenna with the top installed as was the case with the original tops.


Here is an overhead shot from the rear.

Overall I am very happy with the fit and finish of the top.   It is a very close reproduction of the original tops produced for the M2A1 halftracks.   It is very high quality and besides the antenna pocket every thing fit perfectly.   I should get many years of use out of this canvas top.    Price was right on this top also - a little over $2000 delivered to my doorstep.     I am just about ready to call this project complete and start looking for my next one.    As mentioned previously it will not be another halftrack.   One halftrack restoration is enough for any sane person 

[Tapper02]

That looks fantastic Tom....bet it feels great to wrap up the project!  So are you saying that Don and Kevin are crazy???

Jim Clark is who I plan to go with when it finally comes to getting a top.  It's great to hear that he is so interested in making sure the fit is right, verifying measurements in the process.  Like you said, there are many variants of the pulpit, both original and repro, not to mention the varied radio/antenna locations depending on the halftrack setup.  So kudos to him.  I also like the fact that he is interested in making sure you are 100% satisfied with the end product, and is willing to help make alterations for that perfect fit.  Says a lot about him and his products.  Crossing my fingers that he's still making them in a year or so.

BTW, how was the A&W run this year?  Did you get a solid workout with your clutch leg?

-Tom

[RocnTJ]

Hey Tom,
A&W run was awesome.   I had the only halftrack this year but we kept up with the group no problem.   I drove on the way there and another Tom drove on the way back.  It was warm that day and as you know the drivers seat gets very hot on long runs, so I was happy to turn over the driving duties on the trip back.  Track ran great.  Still had an issue with coolant leaking out around the radiator cap.   Not as bad as last year, but enough to cover the windshield.   Decided it was the result of a bad radiator cap this time around - working on getting a replacement.  Hope all is well with you and your family.

Tom

[col.halftrack]

 Awesome job! You can be very proud. As for my sanity?? My wife works in the mental health profession. I have had all the "tests"

[RocnTJ]

Thanks for the compliment Col. Halftrack - I appreciate it.   I tip my hat to you and Don and all the others who take on multiple halftrack restorations.   Not only would my sanity not survive another one but neither would my back, my bank account or my marriage.   

[spec4don]

Awesome job! You can be very proud. As for my sanity?? My wife works in the mental health profession. I have had all the "tests"

Uh-huh remember some of us have met you! Of course I have NO room to talk! It was great to see you Tom, wish I got to talk to you and Carman more. But I had to run off Saturday and came back with:



Clark CA-1 Airborne Dozer

Yeah......... Kathy was thrilled when I got home, luckily I have a tent!

Don G.

[yd328]

Tom,
The top looks great and the fit looks good. Now you could go out for a ride rain or shine .

Gary

[67tank]

The top is incredible.  Thanks for the photos and the info on where to get one.  Didn't think anyone was doing the top for a M2A1.

[RocnTJ]

Doing the happy dance tonight 

In my mailbox was a vehicle registration from the California DMV for a 1942 AUTOC with a vehicle ID of M2441 !

Yes it is possible to register a halftrack in the communist state of California that was purchased out of state on a bill of sale.    It does however take a considerable amount of patience and persistence.

I started this process back in early April and just now received the registration.   I still have not received the historical vehicle license plates which are apparently being custom made in a prison somewhere.

For those that are so inclined to get their tracks registered here are some tricks I have learned from 4 previous military vehicle registrations and talking to numerous mv owners who have gone through the same process.

1. Find a small town DMV.   Go in and explain to them that you want to register an old military vehicle that has never been registered in CA and ask them what you need to provide to do that.   They should give you a list of three or four items to Bring in and tell you it is no big deal.   If they do not do this search for another DMV.   If have had great success at the Auburn DMV registering two vehicles on the first trip in.   However, at SF Bay Area DMVs it took me 3-4 trips to get a registration and one vehicle I finally just gave up.

2. You will need to get a VIN verification.  If you know a CHP officer who will do this for you that is great.  I did not know one and did not want to haul my halftrack to the local CHP office to get a vin verification.   This sounded like a death wish for sure so I paid a private vin verification firm to come out to my house and verify the vin for me.   I paid this firm $100 for the service but it was money well spent.  I was fortunate to have an original data plate with a serial number that matched the one stamped in the frame.   If you do not have two matching serial numbers on the vehicle registering it may be more of a problem.   I provided the vin verifier published information that indicated my vin was an Autocar I'd built in 1942.  I have not had success with the DMV accepting build dates off of data plates or published data.   They usually want to indicate a build date of 0000 on the registration because the model year could not be determined.   This was another plus of using the private vin verifier.

3. Have all of the required paperwork with you when you go to the DMV. They will try to find an excuse not to register your vehicle so it makes it more difficult for them to do this if you have all of the required documents the first time.   I had an original bill of sale, a certified vin verification form, a title search from Oregon DMV indicating that the vehicle was never registered in Oregon, a certified weight certificate, a statement of facts indicating what I knew about the history of the vehicle, it's approximate value and that there were no liens on the vehicle,  I also had a few pictures of the vehicle.

4. Only give the DMV what they ask for.   I ended up only needing about half the documents I was told to bring in.

5. I got historical plates rather than normal plates.  I thought that this might make the process easier but I am not sure that it really mattered much.

6. Call the vehicle a truck with a utility bed or just a plain utility vehicle.   

Hope this helps someone.

Tom

[steve1973]

Way to go Tom!!! That is great news.

I was in the same boat with mine being out of state and from Auburn, CA. It was easier for me to register it in California and then do a title transfer in Oregon. When I did mine I needed a VIN inspection which I was able to do in Oregon and send to California, weight certificate, same thing done in Oregon and sent to California. I was very fortunate that the previous owner was willing to help me by making the numerous trips to DMV for me. I got the CA title a few weeks later and took it in to Oregon DMV and did a title transfer and was done in no time. I also went with the historical plates.

Steve A.