Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: M43 Ambulance 

"rock island auction company" flashbacks of thousands of gun jesus videos

"My Door Glass Regulator Handle." "It regulates." "The door glass." This needs to be printed on a shirt. xD

the chieftain: hurting himself on military vehicles so we dont have to bless you chieftain

Up next, a WW2 German army bicycle. Complete with, "oh no the bicycle is on fire" test...

We used our towing pintle on our ambulances a lot, towing trailers with our medical equipment and tents for the aid station. It’s a fantastic option to have, since your capability is often limited by the equipment you bring along for the docs. Of course you detach the trailer before you go evacuate casualties.

Now do the "Oh God the tank is on fire" test.

Oh bugger , the ambos on fire. Damned tire.

For what little its worth, the guts to make a door window go up and down is still known as a regulator mechanism. I just had one replaced in my 95 Maxima, and the line item was "replace right window regulator".

Nice to see something on the logistics side. Often people forget who feeds the soldier or carries their ass to a doctor when they need it. Is it possible that we’ll see more vehicles like this?

Free floating - the drive axle only carries torque loads, not gravity loads. Gravity loads are carried by the axle housing rather than the drive axle. Hypoid - the ring and pinion are cut in on a bias (a modified helix) rather than straight cut.

How do you tension the track?

Good assessment. One thing many folks forget on WWII Jeeps and others into the 60's is that the steering wheel shaft is a solid piece of steel. It does not collapse in a front end collision and many drivers were killed or badly injured when the shaft impaled them. So don't go driving into trees and other fixed objects.

The rock island auction company? Did you get to speak to Ian from forgotten weapons by any chance? ;)

An ambulance would tow a trailer with an entire field dressing station in it Or resupply medical kit/fuel/water or rations. None of which would breach the Geneva Convention.

[Hums the M.A.S.H. theme]

Ah yes, my favorite tank

Forgottenweapons collab when?

Forgotten weapons frequents rock island, chieftain starts going to rock island. Collab of the century on the horizon? well it would be a tie between the inevitable C&Rsenal forgotten weapons collab

I drove one of these back in 79 thru 94 for what started out as Disaster Service Agency (DSA) which morphed into Emergency Management Agency (EMA) in Lake County Ohio. We had two. We tricked one out as a Light truck with lights mounted on top and a generator in side and the second was an equipment carrier. It had 3 trash pumps and 4 generators plus the cord and hose to run the equipment. What the Chieftain missed was that there is a lever just behind the driver’s left arm that released the spare tire. Also, just behind that is where the rifle storage for the driver is so this truck is not unarmed. I think there is also one on the left side for the “co-driver”. I was also told that most drivers went armed with a side arm, so no one went unarmed. I loved / hated to drive this truck. I could go anywhere, thru just about anything up to its axels. But at that time, we were talking about a 40-year-old truck that had issues. 24-volt system, hard to get parts, vacuum wipers, no power steering, non-synchromesh transmission, the list could go on. But it made you feel alive. You felt everything. You don’t get that today.

It regulates :3

My late friend, Bernie, was restoring one of these when he died. Thank you for this reminder of happy times.

cant spell wimp without "MP" that's cause when we get hurt, its up to "doc" to make us feel better. 3 MOS's you don't mess with: 1) Cooks - they make the food 2) Supply - cause you wont get your stuff 3) Medics - They fix you when you break nice vid. so can you tell me where I can get a "Door Glass regulator handle"? I got some door glass that needs regulating

The pintle was a fine attachment point for an M-100 trailer -- a nice box that medics could fill with whatever supplies they desired.

Very nice! Glad you got that window glass regulated. As we all know what a menace unregulated glass can be!

Wait Rock Island is there a Forgotten Weapons connection coming ?

I like your inspection of vehicles. shows the designers thoughts and highlights the difference of design philosophy. gentleman and a scholar

Ouch, those old split rims are the stuff of nightmares - they could be outright deadly if fitted incorrectly.

just because there isn't a turret, you thought you would be safe? great video. trucks don't get a lot of love in history. i wonder if there was a release for the tire behind the driver? if you reached back behind the seat and there was a handle to release the tire from the inside.

Oh god the bloopers, we need more bloopers

What a thorough resto. Started with exterior paint and stopped short of hood welting and cleaning up the fuel tank and chassis. Correction- the military version of the T245 was rated at 78 horsepower. The 24v "sealed" ignition system had no vacuum advance and was governed at 2600 rpm. The 94 horse figure pertains to the civilian T245s offered in the Power Wagon. I'm tearing through the '52 M37 my dad bought back in '96 and left parked in our garage for 25 years before I came back to evict the spiders and start a frame off resto on it.

Different. But you did an interesting video on paint drying, so you can make a video on anything.

I've always loved the look of these. I grew up watching M*A*S*H and loved these vehicles. Thanks for the look.

Among the things I learned in the Army were: A) Never piss off the Medics, B) Never piss off your Heavy OR Light Vehicle Mechanics, C) Never piss off the folks in Supply, D) Never piss off the Mess Hall people, E) And never piss off the folks in Finance if you ever expect to get paid again....

I'm about 40 years out of date, but back in the 1960-1970's the North Dakota Civil Air Patrol had a very similar line ambulance (1953 version) that one didn't have the winch. Yes, the driver-side spare tire made it much easier to go out either the other side or out the back. The side walls and roof were double layered 16gauge steel, IIRC, and had some insulation material in between them. The rear barn doors towards the bottom were very thick metal, capable of stopping a few rifle caliber rounds (we had the dents to prove it). The windshield wipers were vacuum driven and the faster you tried to drive, the slower they would go. In the passenger compartment, the truck we had had the stretcher and bench to the Chieftain's left (12:00 mark) removed and replaced with equipment stowage and radio racks (forward). The side to his right kept the stretchers. Underneath (forward) was a petrol fueled heater that operated separately from the engine, but used the same fuel tank. It was very, very effective in keeping the entire vehicle warm even in -20 F (-30 C) temperatures, and below, with winds in excess of 45mph (75kph). Steering manual no power (hydraulic) assist makes this truck a bit difficult to turn. All in all however, a nice bit of history.

Next thing we know is Nick hosting top Gear on BBC. “Oh boy, the truck isn’t on fire and there is no wheel/track tension either! It’s just a truck. Not much to see here. I’ll see you on the next one.” :-D

Do one on the M8 Greyhound!!!

gotta love the noises of these heavy steel latches and panels. They are lovely.

Thank you as always for risking bodily injury, to bring us great content. Always excited to see a new video of yours come out, regardless of the topic!

One thing I know about this series of vehicles Dodge built with that engine family. The exhaust system hangers should be regularly inspected ,like with every grease job. The cast iron exhaust manifold is easily broken if the piping is allowed to hang from it,and undamaged manifolds are pretty much unobtainium as it was an endemic problem. Replacing exhaust hangers takes a few minutes. Removing, brazing or replacing a broken manifold is enough of a pain in the ass you really do not want to do that. The flathead Dodge engines were much liked for their rugged reliability,but rebuilding the distributor and ignition system was something that also needed to be periodically done. Modern vehicles are so trouble free that most people simply do not understand any vehicle from the period needs enormously more TLC than what we are used to. Other than that,I hope whoever buys this drives it and enjoys it.

R. Lee Ermey had his jeep. The Chieftain should have this M43. Wargaming should buy it for you, and replace the red Cross with their logo. It regulates.The door glass.

We had something similar at the army parachute club at Ft. Campbell, KY. It was actually a Kaiser ambulance was but more or less the same thing and was gifted to the club by the army.

Well I do hope that Greyhound in the background will be on the list.

weee wooo weee wooo weee wooo weee wooo

And here I was thinking "At least he can't hurt himself by banging his head on the tank". Also, D- for no engine deck to sleep on. Just remember with that door, if you break it you buy it.

I would think being an ambulance, the driver may have had help getting in and out. And when in action, the driver may not have gotten out. The driver would take wounded to the M.A.S.H. unit, and staff there would get the wounded out, and he would be cleared to drive off to get more wounded. Can't imagine how many lives these trucks saved.

That was a pure delight to watch. Ive always wanted one of these, as a diehard Dodge/Jeep fanatic. To watch a tanker crawl over one is epic.

Love seeing so vehicles other than tanks! Thanks! When I was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet our Squadron in Oregon had one that was set up as a commo rig. My Dad was a Senior member and the Commo Officer so it was always parked in our driveway. Pretty cool old rig.

It sure is a well presented vehicle, and a good looking one at that. I think someone's going to be very happy come a few weeks. RIA have been rather good at permission giving for their images to be used when talking about light arms and I suppose quite a few of the Inside the Chieftain's Hatch viewerbase has heard of them. The slick transitions more than make up for the audio. I must say this felt and looked rather familiar, especially when we got down to the running gear or engine. Gotta say after all these years, it's nice to see you hop into a pleasant cabin rather than some tank that was designed for a contortionist. (well, until the end...)

G'day Nicholas, Thanks for going over this ambulance. US and Allied support vehicles have never been given the respect they deserve for their contribution to victory in WW2. Oddly, the ones who saw the greatest value in these vehicles, especially the 'deuce & a half' were the Nazis! (By the way; Henry Ford would have happily continued to supply the Germans with trucks and other products, even after Pearl Harbor, and well into the war but was, finally and rightly, stopped from trading with the enemy ⎯ Henry wasn't the only US tycoon doing this dastardly trade but that's another story). The Nazi's despite all their PR regarding mechanized blitzkrieg, relied heavily on horses for hauling their ordinance, fuel and stores. German wartime newsreels were forbidden from showing the thousands of horses they needed to achieve their mobility objectives. As a cruel and bizarre example of the Nazi's lust for big, powerful trucks, some senior SS Pooh-Bah (I think it might have been Heydrich himself) offered a Red Cross intermediary the release of several thousand European Jews in exchange for 10,000 US trucks! Knowing the huge logistical advantage this fleet would have given the Nazis the request had to be, regrettably, refused. Anyway, you should do more videos on non-armored vehicles and other bits of Engineers' gear, without which, Allied tanks, and infantry would have been rendered useless. Good video! Cheers, BH

Thank you for sharing vehicles like this! I wouldn't normally picture a winch on an ambulance, but I bet it came in really handy any time there were fallen trees or wire poles blocking the way. Say, anywhere around the Ardennes that saw explosives. I probably never would have thought about that had it not been for this video. That model doesn't look a lot different from the aging G-Wagon ambulances we still use in the Canadian Armed Forces. I definitely feel sorry for any medic that has to ride in the back caring for a full load of casualties.

I'm pleased you're also showing other historical military equipment. I've often wondered what the ambulances were like, and this is very informative. Please do more auxiliary vehicles in the future. TIA.

This video brings back memories. I trained on these vehicles in the Canadian Military in the early 70's. I always liked the vehicle.

Excellent! It's nice to see this old girl get some attention.

I love that you are doing the "Beans, Bullets, Bandages, & other accoutremon" that without the guys with guns will quickly find themselves in the biggest fire drill you have ever seen. Dragon Wagon! An early one if you can find it!

Good stuff is this the start of a new series. Do a Ferret armoured car.

Oh God...the Door Regulator is overheating!!! what a sweetheart of a truck!...old-school in so many ways...'Salute

Great video, I enjoy your humor Nick. I.E. the door glass regulator handle!!

Hypoid = high pressure gearing (where curved gear teeth allow multiple teeth to engage at once) but could also indicate that it was made for hypoid oil (which has high pressure additives in, to stop it wearing out so quickly with hypoid gears).

Everybody loves Doc. He is the one who patches us up after we go and do something that normal people would call "extremely stupid", and yet, is part of the job. Heartfelt thanks to all the Docs out there.

Thanks for letting us know, good work!!!

I have one! Vintage 1952. It was former USAF, painted battleship gray by a retired Navy SCPO who bought it surplus. I paid $4,500 for it. No rust or rot. It runs well, but no one ever accused an M37 or M43 driver of locking brakes into a skid. You best allow for plenty of stopping room. The military tires have poor traction on wet pavement. The tires on the example you show are much better. Mine has no pintle or evidence it ever had one. Also, no winch. Probably because it was AF. Batteries were in a locker in the patient's compartment behind the bulkhead on the driver side. Two 12 volt in series as the M43 was 24 volt. Rear compartment heater was gasoline powered (which is missing). Mine was converted to 12 volt. I intend to restore it to original. Vintage Dodge as everything down to nuts and bolts for military Dodges. Also replacement Budd wheels that are NOT split rims. I am conflicted about restoring it to original Strata Blue as I am a retired USN Chief and don't want to drive around a Zoomie ambulance. I also don't like gray, so I will go with OD without service markings or red crosses. The only Air Force M43 I ever saw was in 1965 at Goodfellow AFB, TX. It was equipped with a really hot blond Air Force 2nd lieutenant nurse (female) riding on the running board. Wish mine came with one...

Chieftain, I drive an M151A2 every day. Ever find yourself in Huntsville, AL you should do a video on it!

You actually look comfortable in there. That is a first. Maybe a second or third, still, rare. Nice to see some of the greater logistics, support vehicles make it to the channel. Looking forward to some more.

I love the front end of these things. Such a classic look

In ANY car in the US the mechanism that raises and lowers the window is called the "window regulator" which you will discover if you ever have to replace it, as I did on my 1974 AMC Gremlin. I was surprised, too, but it is standard nomenclature in the auto industry. Great video.

We had one of these assigned to our local Civil Defense unit. The siren button was in the middle of the floor in such a place that you frequently hit it when when you finished shifting and placed your clutch foot there. There was an interesting gasoline powered furnace in the patient compartment, could be really exciting when it fire up.

I was issued two M37s . Loved them,brakes were so so

I love this episode! M37B1 has the side spare mount and is much sought after aesthetically but is indeed less than practical.

Love the outtakes

As usual a well detailed and interesting video. Hat doffed to you.

alot of cars/vehicles made before the 1970s tend to allways have that varying thread setup. the idea was that it would make one side less likely to loose a wheel or two. or so i heard. but then again, IT STILL HAPPENED.

Why do I feel this started out life as a joke but then turned into this, which is funny and amazing.

Please for the love of god say you did a video on the M7 in the background.

They're called door glass regulators on civilian trucks too. The left hand (US driver's door) on my trusty old pickup needs one.

Enjoyable. Thank you.

A very entertaining video, very informative too. I love the shirt!!

#Good to get a vid that is a little different now and again. Looking forward to some more like this.

Am I the only one of M*A*S*H when I saw this even though it is the wrong ambulance.

Great to see an 3/4 ton review, something different! I have an ex-USAF 1952 M37, this video has told me a couple of things I didn’t know about. The 4wd arrangement is wrong however, the levers are pulled back for 4wd, then low; you can’t have low range whilst in 2wd, rather than 4wd in high.

Fire it up. I want to hear the engine roar to life.

Looking forward to more of these.

What are the odds that when the acution rolls around that he'll have brought this home and he'll have to sleep on the couch?

I not surprised that the military ambulance hasn't changed much. The new FLA (four litter ambulance) that we currently use has the back set up more or less the same. Except we had a diesel heater that didn't work or worked so well it'll melt the plastic ducts right off. Good old if it's not broke don't fix it.

14:52 I'm sorry chieftain, I'm laughing my ass off on that reaction of yours, too funny and just priceless

I enjoyed the explanation on how to "bore sight" the headlights

Like the doorframe mounted waistline trimming device ("Holy lurve handles Batman, another fine scrape!" : )

My brother and I went camping in one these when we were in high school! It was blast!

Back in the 90’s the company I worked for had three 1950’s Dodge military pickup trucks. They were anvil solid and simple and I’ve never driven anything that was as capable of plowing through snow and mud.

that truck is lovely!

You should try too track down a Canadian Military Pattern Truck to do a video on.

nice hopefully we will get more vids on non fighting military vehicles over time as this was fascinating stuff

10/10. That is some well regulated door glass.

As with a lot of videos filmed at Rock Island, I’m constantly distracted by cool stuff in the back ground!

I have never seen a door glass regulator handle that regulated door glass so effortlessly!

My favorite MASH ambulance!

my grandparents had a "meat wagon" on their ranch that they got post war as surplus. By the time I was a kid in the 70s it was out to pasture but I was thought it was cool that a piece of WWII history was sitting around on their property.

The bloopers are gold

In a subtle way, this vehicle reminds us of the sacrifices our servicemen make.

I drove a Contact Truck that was mounted on the same chassis with the spare tire on the driver side door.You are right it was a pain in the butt to open. The contact truck was a unit that mounted a welder carried a bunch of tools and was primarily used by Engineer units to repair machines in the field.Good truck, but I still have a small scar where that projection grabbed meas I was getting in the truck.

A friend of mine has a '42 Dodge WC52 (like the 51 but with a winch), it's a really cool truck. The Dodge WC's were used by the Norwegian homeguard up until the 90's, and some times seen with a mounted MG34, which was also used up until that time.