M2A1 Halftrack restoration-- dialup beware

[alpaca andy]

Well I hope you enjoy looking at the progress of my halftrack restoration as I am building it.
Im trying not to replace every part but when you get in this deep its hard not too. every part is either reconditioned or replaced. Its like restoring an old car, but to remove and install some body parts etc a hoist/bobcat with forks is needed

Info:
History
This started life as an M4A1 81mm Mortar carrier in 1943, Built by White motors. This is the winch model. After the war is was surplussed and converted to the civilian market. The rear floor/armor was removed, and it was heavily modified with I beams. I believe it was used as a hydro truck carrying wire through the bush. In the 80s it was bought out of the US by a excavating company in Brantford Ont. I don't believe they used it for work. They eventually sold it to a fellow in Brooklyn Ontario who rented it out for work (I understand a movie in Montreal shot around 84ish called "day one" about the atomic bomb in WW2. In 1987 it was rented out for a tv show called Captain Power shot in a gravel pit in Brampton. It was used in a few episodes, one where they blew it up (i will include the clip)
It again transferred hands in the early 2000s to a fellow in Cornwall Ontario with the intention of restoring it. Alas it sat and not much was done other than pull the drive-train. Fast forward to Dec 2010. I found it on Kijiji, where it was for sale for some time. I contacted the owner but they didn't seem interested in selling. They eventually told me the sale was on hold. May of 2011 I got an email out of the blue asking if i was still interested. I made a deposit immediately without seeing it in person (it isn't easy finding something this big and cool in Canada) It came with NOS engine in a crate that was sealed in 1962 and never opens since. I was the first to open it. It was a complete power-pack from clutch/pressure plate to carb to oil pan. It was a complete drop in. It even included a new fan and fan belts

Once I got it home:
I had a local towing company pick her up on a flatbed. After calculating the weight It just was in limits of his truck.

I didn't touch it for awhile, sat in my shop and I did research all summer. During that summer I did locate NOS tracks that came out of Israel. They were made in 1994 (stamped on them) There military were still using half-track into the late 80s, and had bought the equipment to make the tracks. I understand the fellow who owns the molds will still make them for a minimum order.

I started to strip her down in the fall of 2011. I had to purchase a plasma cutter as there was way to much to cut off with torches.
Since last summer I also started collecting the parts I would need. Turns out there is still alot of NOS stuff out there, still wrapped in cosmoline. I'd say 70% of what I can get is NOS parts, with the rest being reproduction.

As i'm sure Claven2 is already thinking, enough talk more pictures


Here is a picture from Southern Parts in the US. They surplussed off alot of military parts/vehicles. Look closely at the doors! This was shoot circa 1970



and now mine

Not the same halftrack, but the doors did come from that one!



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Here is a link to the Captain Power clip


More to come!!

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