I'm taking parts from this World War 2 M15A1 half-track to use in fixing up my M3A1 / M16A1 halftrack project. I started taking off a few parts here and there, and ended up stripping it down to the bare frame.
I think it's strange this channel hasn't got a couple of 100K more subscribers but I'm sure it will get there soon. It's slow at first but the more subscribers it get the more viewers it get and as soon YT starts to "sponsor" or show the channel everywere then it will explode. I'm not sure how that works but I know the channels is more visible the bigger they are...not exactly like that but I think you know what I mean (a little hard to explain in english, I'm swedish) But one thing is obvious, the content on this channel is good for at least 500K viewers! It's just the matter of beeing seen amongst thousands other channels but you have done the hard part and that is the first 2-3 years getting a foundation on subscribers, now it will start to grow quicker and quicker.... and I'm in for the ride!👍💪 This has become my favourite channel, really love the things you do and the most importand thing, you seems to be a very nice person. I don't know how many hundreds of channels I've tried to watch because they do fun and interesting things but I can't stand the guy😅. I always gets a happy feeling when I see you have a new video out so keep doing what you do, please! I've watch about all your videos the last few weeks since I discover your channel and it's kind of sad I'm running out of videos to watch😅 but you do make new ones not just as fast as I would like ha ha. Have a good day, sir!
@@markuschampos5750 Thank you, I really appreciate that. I'm just happy that I can spend more time on fun projects, and I'm glad that other people find them interesting, too. I've got years worth of projects already lined up, so I'll keep making videos as long as people want to watch!
Man, that is WAY cool! I would really love to see you pressure wash it so we can have a detailed, up-close look at this very interesting drive line and chassis. Your videos are always so interesting and informative. This would be a great "skeleton" project, where you get it running and only bolt a couple of seats to the frame to show off that great running gear!
The gearbox has a spring support only because the half track drive axle was bolted to the vehicle frame and didn't move or have suspension, therefore the spring support was only there to support the gearbox when the engine flexed on its mounts with revving or the clutch being dropped. I only know that because my Dad, who was the Australian Pacific manager for white trucks used to talk about it, the half track didn't have a bolted down gearbox support whereas the white M3 scout car did.
No idea if you know it, but that pre-atomic bomb armor plate is actually pretty valuable. They use it for geiger counter and other "nuke sniffers" type instrumentation housings. All the steel from that tear down is premium scrap.
@@69uremum steel refined before atomic bomb explosions has high value for technical use, so long as it isnt alloyed with later production steel. all ww2 and earlier steel (pre 1945) falls into this category, but armor, due to the alloying metals used, is especially desirable, as are tool steels
@@bl7355 Nope, all pre-'45 steel. It's the production of the metal that introduces the isotopes from the air. As long as it wasn't melted since '45, it's good.
Thank you for showing everything thats not original on this. It's irritating when somebody comments about not restoring junk. You're not responsible for the mods made in the last 80 years to something. It's commendable you're even working on this as it would've ended up scrap in most yards
The 3-D printed manifold cover is genius!! Either you will thank yourself one day, or someone you've never met, 100 years from now, will be very thankful! (Maybe Mustie3 or 4?). 😂
I've been binge watching your videos and really love them. It's hard to believe that you've been making such fun videos for as long as you have without reaching more people, hopefully that is about to change.
With the 3D printed rain cap, stick some grease on the mating surfaces as a cheap gasket and load up the nuts to stop water sitting in them. Its cheap to do and help keep water out.
When fighting with rusty bolts I’ve never seen anything better than mixing acetone with transmission fluid 50/50 and dousing the threads. Works miracles
Love the disc e-brake. I had a CJ-3B with a 2-A body and a hood scoop to accommodate the tall engine. I could never get the e-brake to work good enough to hold on steep hills. I found a pinion disc brake that bolted up to the t-case in place of the original drum. A pull lever between the seats activated the e-brake. worked fine. Love your content.
Back in the 1960s and 70s we used to see a lot of half-tracks used in the logging industry in Nor Cal, Oregon and Washinton. Bought cheap as WW2 surplus, they were modified in the field to do the job at hand, and used until completely used up. I have seen them used a skidders, pulling smaller logs to a landing, fuel carriers, and even tool trucks for rough terrain to reach broke down equipment in hard to access areas. I am not surprised to see the upper structure of this one so heavily modified. I have seen far worse. By the 1980s, sightings of half-tracks in the woods business really dropped off. They were worn out and cast off. No telling how many got scrapped, probably a huge number.
Enjoy seeing one man work his A---- off saving everything for the next person that really needs something from this beast. You never know what small part that will be needed by a collector or just some good old guy that needs that part. I too am a horder of stuff that I need to save for someone I do not know..
Sad what they did the vehicles after the war. There were a lot of them and they were dirt cheap so folks did what they wanted to make them work for their purpose. 80 some years later there aren't many left and what are are pretty picked over. My 41 Power Wagon had a huge hole cut in the center of the dash and a round gauge cluster from a 34 Plymouth jamned into the hole. The bad part is the factory gauges were there in the proper spot and worked, even the speedometer. I'm pretty sure I still have the instrument cluster I pulled, and the extremely rare blackout light bracket that mounted on top of the left headlight cage that protected the headlight and glass. I never broke a headlight even pushing through thick brush and small trees.
That's also why tractor pulling has been dominated by Allison V-12s and Pratt 18-cylinders for *decades*. Hordes of these engines were sold off for basically scrap value in the years following WW2 and hotrodders hoovered them all up for all kinds of shenanigans.
Wow I can't believe how much I enjoyed this video. Where there is a Will there is a Way. And You Good Sir have an abundance of Will. You earned my subscription, can't wait to see more. I love these old halftracks.
The one wire to the rite side frame rail is for the passenger side fuel tank gas gauge fuel level sender. I know about halftracks. Your video's brings back a lot of memories.☺🙂🤔
I'm new here, as a new pair of eyes I can see that you might have have taken on too many jobs. Your Crane and forklift need to be finished before you start something new. The close up of the forklift tyres as the virtually crumbled before our eyes was hilariously funny. The Forklift is a necessary tool, please fix it up. You'll look very professional.
You can never have to many projects going on! Also, gathering parts for these kind of things takes time, especially if a guy wants to keep the cost down. Therefor it's possible having many projects going on at the same time.
I can not imagine a more fun project. MAN i hope i can find something fun like that. I would do a frame up rebuild. CUstom as much as possible to make it truly one of a kind.
considering it's too far gone to restore, it'd be kind of cool to put a 50s white truck cab on it with a flatbed, and some kind of more modern engine that's more regularly usable.
Nothing is ever too far gone to restore in the mil-surp world, it`s all about how much money and how many tools you have. Though your idea would look cool. I`ve seen some that took old WWII era light tanks and put various truck and car bodies on them and they look really good and have quite a modern touch too.
I've never seen a motor block like that unless it was in a boat a lot of boat motors are like that maybe the military knew something that we didn't lol 🤣
I have a 1/35 model of one of these and wanted to make it something rough and butchered like this. The parts are more valuable than the whole vehicle, glad your not throwing anything away.
Watch your channel growing is awesome!! If you have the time, it would nice to see you throw parts in theblaster, paint and renovate them, like everything from the frame to the smallest thing, an then put it in store for some furhter use. Cheers from Sweden!
Just found your channel, my personal idea for something like this if it was in my possession, would be keep the half track trans but take a Chevy 350 with a 2wd transmission and make a adapter to go to the half track trans. With some tractor tires on the front wheels and what ever body on it. I'd love to own that.
10:20 for nuts and bolts like that, i smear grease all over to keep the water out. I have a srew conveyor that transports salt, water condenses to salt and its covered in salt saturated water. you may imagine how quickly it will rust :) I have smeared to whole thing with grease as the bearings and whatnot require changing quite often, even after years the bolts havent rusted at all and will open easily. Before i did that the heads would get rounded within months from rust
Thanks! You're very close, 3 boat tanks and 3 batteries. Though 2 of the boat tanks are semi-permanently in vehicles (the tow tug and red Jeep), so I only have 1 that moves around normally...
You look so much like the famous author, David Hatcher Childress! All you need is a "👽" in the pocket area of your T-Shirt! I am a big fan of both of you, by the way. Actually, David looks like you, but I am pretty sure he can't rebuild a half-track. 😲You're Awsome David Childress!
Do you know what would look absolutely amazing on that frame? An early power wagon stake body, 1940s may be 1950s also have the stake body be a dump bed
Hey are you in Albuquerque by any chance.....there’s a guy down in the south valley off of Rio Bravo that has two old half tracks in his back yard.....they are in pretty decent shape.
How TF ive missed your channel is beyond me ... Must be YT and it failing to promote good stuff ... I eat this stuff up! I Subbed to you mate .. Cant wait to watch more :)
I'm thinking something could be done with the back axles.Maybe make the lower half into a runner, and if you live in snow country, make it into a snow plow.Maybe stuff a regular truck cab on it so you could have working doors and such, then a flatbed above the tracks. Motor wise, 12 valve Cummins could motivate it.
Still some good meat on that chassis - as you know. A full set of serviceable running gear and rubber tracks is a great score for a start. Is it possible to get the tracks 're-trod' with fresh rubber, or do they have enough miles still in them?
These tracks should be ok for now, as long as I don't go to fast. They might start flinging off chunks at speed. I do have a spare track, so I'm good for a while.
Most people say I have an ultra screw loose! There's something I really like about those fenders. They'd be good for something, I just don't know what....
27:27 I say you take another stab at getting the engine running. Drop the armor plate down off the pan, drop the pan, figure out the oil pressure. If it's fixable down there and you have a viable engine, then put a quasi-comfy seat on the frame and roll around in just a frame for a while! Hell it'd be a neat thing for parades and such, drive around just the bones of one so people can see what makes them work.
Yeah, I agree. I need that armor plate for my other one anyway, and now I can remove it a lot easier. Then I'll drop the pan and see what the damage is.
@@LowBuckGarage Will be a good video looking up inside an 80 year old engine that likely hasn't had very good care done to it in any one of those years. My guess is there's trash caught in the oil pickup. Sludge or somethin' that sloughed off of a counterweight when you went to revive it(Or even just towed it home) that got sucked in there and plugged up the works. If that's the case, easy fix.
To be honest I would really like to have a halftrack. Heck I would even like the one you have just to make it into a flatbed for around my uncle’s farm.
