M4A1 restoration project in france

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doudou
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:03 am

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Andy Howell
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by Andy Howell » Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:25 pm

i bet these trucks think we humans are crazy. we build them, send them to war so we can blow them up. we drag them back to the shop, repair them & send them back for more of the same. if the truck is lucky enough to survive the war, it is re-built into a newer & improved model & sent to the next war. it it survives that one, it gets retired to civilian service. then here comes buba. armor torched off, frames stretched, cranes installed, plows pulled & when worn out again it gets pushed off to the side & forgoten. then a new generation comes along after the truck has been "resting" for 25 odd years WOW! what a FIND! the truck is drug off to yet another shop for a complete de-bubafication & yet another re-build! we sell pre-coveted items to finance the resurection of the newly acquired find, lay in the mud, burn ourselves, spray paint in our eyes, scrape knuckles, make wives mad- all for what? well for me it may be a sickness. i love these old trucks & while eveyone else is in the recliner watching the game or playing with moma i am usually in the shop or out hunting down another part i need. keep up the good work doudou! i didn't know buba had made it to france too! :roll:

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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by Spec4Don » Sat Jan 26, 2013 3:07 pm

Andy I think you just wrote my Eulogy :mrgreen: (not too soon I hope)

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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by DDTrustee » Sat Jan 26, 2013 3:52 pm

Rod Shaver "Scout Car Rod" will have a lot of NOS and take off parts for your track..... scoutcarrod@cox.net 602-421-0858 and so will
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by Joe DeMarco » Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:27 am

Hi Ed,

Officially, all of the M4A1s were built with winches, & period photos suggest they all had pedestal headlamps. Only 600 were made, from May thru Oct 1943. I think of May 1943 thru about March 1944 as the "sweet spot." New, unused, ready for issue AFVs of this vintage would have been the ones available for overseas shipment as the Western Allies built up for D-Day.

Most surviving AFVs in the US would have been used for training & would have remained here. Any surving US built AFV that is in Europe probably has half a chance of being a WW II combat veteran. Do you have any idea of the history of yours? Any chance of uncovering the USA Number from the hoods?

Only 110 M21s were made from Jan thru March 1944. The Ordnance Dept finally "got it right" with these by using the longer M3 frame & mounting the mortar to fire forward. I suspect nearly all of these were shipped to the ETO, with France getting exactly half of them as Lend Lease. Presumably these would have equipped Mortar Platoons of newly arrived Tank Battalions, maybe starting in Fall 1944. One would think a few would have survived the scrap man. Have any of you French gents ever seen one?

Joe

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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:34 am

My m4a1 was used bye the DGA ( delegation generale pour l'armement). French MoD. For Nuclear and bacteriological cleening. It was equipped with a tank to clean the contaminated roads. Unfortunately i'm not able to give you us registration number as the hood, because these were rebuilt in aluminium,exactly the same but much easy to open and close for a single man. The same was done for the doors, and the front winch bumper was cut so noway to find orignals painting ..... :?

I"m looking for interior photos as i'm staring to rebuilt the complete rear body. Needing measurement of the back armor plates, the ttroops seet around the mortar seems to be less large than the ones on the m3 or m2.

If you can help me !!

Thanks
Ed
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:56 am

I got a problem, when you look at this photo, i don't understand something

It seems that the mortar base mounting seem to be directely fixed on the frame. But you also see that the floor pans are at the same hight. So 2 explanation:

- A part between the mortar base mount and the frame should bolt between the two.

- the floor should be lower than on the m2 or m3

The difference hight between the floor hight and the frame renforcment part is about 2”1/2

Is somebody could give me the good explanation ?

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Ed
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by iron bender » Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:51 am

I'll take a pic of mine tonight. Mine sits on the floor but is bolted to the frame.
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:31 am

Hi Iron,

Did you had time to have a look ? maybe taking a photo under the vehicle could tell us the truth.

Ed
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:34 am

I've nearly finished to cut all the post war modification, now starting to rebuild the rear body


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doudou
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:04 am

Hi iron ,

Did you have time to take photos ?

Thanks
Ed
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by iron bender » Tue Feb 05, 2013 5:49 pm

Here's a nice dark pic with flash. Sorry but I've got a major juggling act going on right now. I still need to get complete measurements on the base and also rear armor for you. Thanks for being patient.
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IMG_0309.JPG
IMG_0309.JPG (113.42 KiB) Viewed 987 times
'42 M4A1 track (sold with a tear in my eye)
'44 WC63 6x6
'77 wife
'06 boy
'10 boy

doudou
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Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:27 pm
Location: Angers-France
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Re: M4A1 restoration project in france

Post by doudou » Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:48 am

Hi Iron,

Did you had time to take photos and measurments ?
Lafayette nous voila!


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