M24 Chaffee Ground up Restoration

[artillerydan]

Oliver, Yes thanks for the info. I have been trying to buy that from him for nearly 2 years.He wanted to keep it for a spare....or a display item, yeah I know. Good news is he finally broke and he is selling it to me. Now to round up all the items I have in Europe and get them shipped back here to the US.

Here are more pictures. These are the new and used parts I have been buying for the past few years.

[Kevin Lockwood]

Love the thread Dan P. thanks for letting us see your progress.

[T72E1]

Hi Dan,

I am Cornelis from Holland, i also own a Chaffee still in the same condition as yours....

Still no time to start the restauration.

If you need the technical drawings for the front little fenders so that you can make them i have them.

will try to post some pictures from mine Chaffee.

Regards.
Cornelis

[T72E1]

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k ... directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w ... directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u ... directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/p ... directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n ... directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6 ... directlink

[John Neuenburg]

Nothing a little WD-40 and a Victor Wrench can't fix.

Dan you should be commended for tackling a project like this. Every rare MV that is saved means enjoyment by as many generations of viewers and riders as gets to experience it before time and mileage causes it to revert back to a "useless" hulk. What - 100 years? 200?

If you get it done in 20 months how about showing it off at the 2016 MVPA National Convention in California?

[artillerydan]

Cornelis,
Thanks for the great pictures, look forward to talking with you as my project goes along. I am having a bunch of "sheet metal" parts made up right now. Bob Bubino of Mil-spec is rebuilding an M24 right now and has one sitting there for patterns for some of the parts I need. please check out my M24 Chaffee site. I would like to get a running list of everyone working on M24s right now so we can help each other on repo parts, used parts, seals and bearing numbers and such. http://www.m24chaffee.com


Right now I do have a goal of March 2016. I see that as being very attainable so we shall see. I will be bringing the M114 over for the convention if nothing else.

[T72E1]

Dan,

No problem will make some more pictures from mine.

Can you help me with the Hull number T 714, i do not have find the serial number of mine M24 and also can you tell me the rerial number by hull number??

I need the fenders on the left and right hand side of the M24

Cornelis

[artillerydan]

Here are photos from 1 to 2 months ago

















ALSO HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE SERIAL NUMBER AREA. I NEED THIS INFO TO HELP YOU Cornelis. The "Hull build number" is not completely accurate for finding the registration number

[T72E1]

Nice photos Dan,

Mine is i think a Cadillac, a guy told me when there is a weld on the outside of the lifting hooks that is Cadillac.

Is the serial number on a Cadillac on the same location??

[artillerydan]

Yes it is in the same place.

Until I had my hull sandblasted, I thought mine was a Cadillac with a SN of 127. The rust and dirt had made it hard to read. I used sand paper to bring out the numbers but it was not enough.

[artillerydan]

Well I did not take any pictures like I should have, but we flat towed the M24 behind my M925A2 5 ton to the sand blaster. Luckily my sand blaster guy is literally only two miles away from my office / shop. Was quite the interesting site.

[Dave M38A1]

Progress,
Things look so much better when the metal is cleaned.
If that tank could talk, some interesting history in those
scars and dents. This is interesting to see this tank reborn.

I like following this post. Thanks for posting.

Dave

[artillerydan]

Well I can tell you that getting it blasted and clean was a serious motivation booster.

Now I am starting on retapping all the welded on bosses and all the threaded mounting points for the suspension components. Oh there are A LOT of threaded holes I have been doing 20 -30 a day after work for the past few weeks (I was on vacation for a week). You would think it would not take that long to run a tap. Well most of the "holes are an 1 1/2" to 2" deep, and the outside suspension and related are 3/4 NF bolt holes..... Lots of lube and lots of turning...Ahhhh.

On a side note good for me bad for ACE Hardware... an Ace Hardware near my office was closing and had all their nuts and bolts on sale for 80% off. Oh my . I have 1000's of new grade 8 fine thread bolts and nuts to finish this out. I got most all the 3/4" bolts I needed the 5/8 and 1/2" wow what a score that was.

Heating and straightening a few more components. Then by December I should be welding on the new fender mounts, light guards, brackets etc....

[artillerydan]

OK... Well this will bring us up to current on the restoration.

Tapping holes.. ..... Due to this sitting a long time with no bolts in some holes and rustys bolts in others I decided I needed to retap all the holes in the hull. OMG I have not done a count, but we have to be talking 400, everything from machine screw (where the radio boxes mount) to 3/4 16 NF (for the suspension arms). I did the 3/4's with an impact set to low. I am 90% done with all the outside tapping and die stuff but only 60% on the inside.

[lkyfwd]

Looking Good there guys, keep the pictures coming and do not forget to write down all the engineering challenges you have in a log book. Will be a great record to look back on some day.