20,000 pounds of fun!! M2A1 Halftrack project

Hey all.

After looking around for plasma cutters for my project I decided on the everlast power plasma 50. I needed a plasma cutter as it would have bankrupted me in grinding discs to remove years of modification to the frame. Its a 1943 M2A1 Halftrack. It was used as a crane after the war and still has a ton of frame reinforcements that need to be removed before i can reinstall the rear floor and armor. I started using torches but i didn't get far.

I can't say enough about Duncan, the Canadian distributor for Everlast. I bugged him over an entire weekend with countless emails, and he replied to everyone within a short time with all the answers i had questions too!

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0016.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0028.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0038.jpg

I'm told my power plasma should be here any day and will start using it asap.

Andy

That's my kinda toy, everybody should have at least one of those, a little sandblasting and some paint and you could pass it off as a low miler only driven to church on sundays by little old ladies.

That is so cool. What is it powered by, do you plan to drive it around or just a show piece?

That does look great! Is it functional, i.e. running? What is the engine in that beast?

Way cool. May I ask how much it $et you back?

That is just all kinds of awesome.
Imagine if you could get that thing road legal and drive it around town!

Hmm, not sure if they will let this on the road - but the tracks do look like rubber, so it should not chew up the roads too bad. It would be worth the price of admission to see this pull up at a Costco somewhere besides the minivans!

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks for the comments guys.
Here are more pics. Its powered by a 389 ci inline 6, It has around 140 hp with 3 mpg. As you see it I bought it for $8700. In that price I got a brand new engine in the crate from 1961. The engine was a surplus french.
I had to buy NOS tracks due to the age of the current ones (plus one snapped) They were 1295 each. They are from Israel in the 90s when they still were using halftracks in the military. Its amazing what is still available new old stock and whats being reproduced.

As for the question of street lic. It can be done, and in many States and Provinces they are. Rubber tracks help

Here is the link to photobucket. I will be posting pics as I build it.

http://s1093.photobucket.com/albums/...ealpacas/M2A1/

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0022.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0018.jpg

I want to know where the line forms to drive this beast sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool!:):)

When you think about the dollar investment (approx 12 grand) that's a pretty good buy for a toy that will give you hours of pleasure rebuilding, Quads and Skidoos cost that much. In the future I can see some sort of box on the back for the troops and possibly a dump box combination to make it functional. What are you plans for it.

Actually I bought this for my farm. I have a small farm north of Toronto Ontario and wanted to be able to give rides. Most farms that have rides are usually hay, i didn't want to be like other farms. This is also a potential money maker as i can lease it out for events etc. I'm still looking at more armor. I was thinking of maybe an m8 or m20 greyhound. This will be rebuilt back to the way she was in the war. If you do a search on google for m2a1 halftrack you will see what it will look like. I still need to find a few .50 mg's to mount (insert sinister laugh here)

Andy

That is very cool, and I agree with Geezer about the value. 3 mpg is probably comparable to tractors that can't go half the places that thing can. I want one too!

Why replace the armor? (The sarcastic in me is replying "It's just too fast" and "Gas mileage is just too good".) Is replacing the armor part of making it a full and complete restoration?

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Originally Posted by DaveO

Why replace the armor? (The sarcastic in me is replying "It's just too fast" and "Gas mileage is just too good".) Is replacing the armor part of making it a full and complete restoration?

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Rouge cows? :)

Does this one have a continental engine? I know some of those old military trucks used them. I believe you can burn gasoline, kerosene, diesel, or just about any combustible fuel in those things!

I can think of a few. Resale (originality always brings better bucks!), if i ever want to start a war, or those zombies that have a habit of biting :P

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Originally Posted by DaveO

Why replace the armor? (The sarcastic in me is replying "It's just too fast" and "Gas mileage is just too good".) Is replacing the armor part of making it a full and complete restoration?

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Back in WW2 they didnt have that type. Germans had mostly diesel, Americans gas. This is gas

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Originally Posted by SeanMurphy265

Does this one have a continental engine? I know some of those old military trucks used them. I believe you can burn gasoline, kerosene, diesel, or just about any combustible fuel in those things!

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Well the power plasma 50 has done me well. Before and after shots of what I used it to do. The frame had been highly modified after the war for non military use. All the crap welded on top of the original frame had to come off before I can start the restoration and install the floor/rear armor

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0019.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0040.jpg

And finally down to the original frame the way it left the factory in '43

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/.../m2a1-0099.jpg

I know that authenticity may be the goal here, but I'd put a Deutz diesel or something in it out of a tractor. Double the mileage at least.

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Originally Posted by performance

I know that authenticity may be the goal here, but I'd put a Deutz diesel or something in it out of a tractor. Double the mileage at least.

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Or some type of motor where I could drive that bad boy on a regular basis.

iThis is such a cool project. When its done I would drive to get groceries and whatnot. It would be really cool if you could put the M2HB machine guns on a M45 quad mount on there.

That thing is awesome! The least you could do is put a fake Gatling gun on it... :D