Sand Blast It (04/03/2014)

Most of the sandblasting is done. All I have left is the tub, frame, and fenders. 

Recently I took some pictures of the upper shock absorber bracket on a M100 Korean War vintage military. They gave me an idea of what the bracket looked like and I drew up a plan that showed what I wanted to have fabricated. Just yesterday I discovered a web site which sold these parts for $25 each (much cheaper than the fabricated price I'm assuming) and I ordered them this morning. If they are not satisfactory for some reason I can return them within 30 days.

Here are the sandblasted wheels, axle, brake drums, lug nuts and hub caps (both attached to the brake drums), and backing plates. Both wheels rims were dinged. One was able to be repaired. The other wasn't (too big a ding). So the hub was cut out and welded to a new rim.


Here are the sandblasted spring parts. They include the dismantled springs, the brackets that hold the springs to the frame, the brackets that attach the springs to the axle, the shackles, and the bumper pads. I will have to buy new u-bolts and nuts to replace the ones I had to cut off. I will also have to buy new bolts that clamp the springs together. I may be able to use the spring clips which tie the ends together. We'll see if I can put them back in place without breaking them.

Here are the sandblasted tongue rails, yoke (recently I discovered this is called the receiver), standing leg, standing leg pivot, lunette, and safety chains.





Here are the sandblasted brake handle parts. They include the handle in its swivel frame, the bracket the swivel frame attaches to which itself is attached to the frame, a couple of cylindrical spacers, a flat iron piece, the j-bolt, and two clips which hold the brake cable to the baking plates.


And finally, the sandblasted reflector bezels. Each bezel is stamped "GROTE MFG MADISON, IND SAE-A MS35387."

Oh No, It's Coming Apart (12/31/2013)

In order to restore this M416 it needs to come apart. So that is what it has been doing for the last couple of months.

Tub

The first item to be removed was the tub. It was fairly easy; it is only attached to the frame by 14 bolts. You can see four of the tabs sticking down from the side. 

Remainder of Trailer

Here you can see all the rest of the parts of the trailer.

Tongue Rails

Here are the tongue rails.

Tongue Parts

And here are the rest of the parts associated with the tongue, safety chains, yoke, standing leg, standing leg pivot, and lunette. The standing leg is bent.

Standing Leg and Reflector Bezels

I had the Standing Leg straightened.

Fenders

Here are the fenders; one needs to be straightened.

Brake Cable Parts

The original brake cable was broken. Here is the replacement along with the J-bolt and the equalizer. Also I borrowed a friend's Bell Crank and had this one made at a local machine shop.

Wheels & Tires

I had the tires and tubes removed at Les Schwab's store. The tires are 700x16 while my Jeep tires are 600x16. Both wheels are in the shop. The one on the right has a ding in the rim like it hit a curb; it can be fixed easily. The rim of the wheel on the left is so out of line (1/4") that the shop is going to cut the center piece out and put it in a new rim.

Left Backing Plate

This is the left backing plate and brake shoes before removal from the axle. To me it is interesting to note that there are two eccentric adjusters for each shoe; one at the bottom (or left in this picture, the other 3/4s of the way up. the upper ones aren't visible in this picture.

Axle & Spring Parts

Here are the axle and spring parts which include the plates which are used to clamp the springs to the axle, the rubber bumper plates to protect the frame from bouncing, heavy loads, the shackles and the brackets which attach the springs to the frame. 

Frame

And, finally, the frame. Tada!













I didn't show you the hub caps and the lug nuts, but the next step for most of these parts is sandblasting and priming. The tub needs some rust repair, one of the fenders needs straightening, along with two of the mounting tabs, and the Bell Crank pivot hole needs to be re-established in the frame.

M416 Military Trailer Bumper Numbers (12/04/2013)

The back of the M416 military trailer frame is painted white and contains three sets of numbers as shown below.

Bumper Numbers

The number on the left is called the Army, Corps, and Division Code. It has been difficult for me to make out exactly what it is. I sent an e-mail to the Museum Director at Fort Lewis, WA to see if he can give me a reasonable interpretation.

Army, Corps, and Division Code

The number in the center is called the Regiment or Battalion Code. A telephone call to the Museum Director early last month determined that this code stands for 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. (A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of three to six battalions plus supporting elements.)

Regiment or Battalion Code

The number on the right is called the Company and Vehicle Numbering Code. The same telephone call determined that this stands for the Company Commander's trailer.

Company and Vehicle Numbering Code

When I finish restoring the trailer I will duplicate these numbers along with reasonable Army, Corps, and Division codes as suggested by the Museum Director.

I Have a Trailer; It's Not a Bantam (10/16/2013)

Well, I now have a M416 military trailer to tow behind BG, but it is not a  Bantam. It is a Dunbar-Kapple. It was delivered to Fort Lewis, WA in December, 1965. So it is a Vietnam-era trailer. The shape and size of it seems to be exactly like the T3(C), and M100 Bantam trailers of WWII, civilian, and Korea. Somewhere along the line other manufacturers must have received contracts to build them. Dunbar-Kapple is one; Stevens is another. Thomas Brown (Chief, Prop. Mkting Br.) of the military sold it (at auction?) to Cliff Tebeau of Tacoma, WA on August 23,1990. Then it ended up in Klamath Falls, OR sometime later where I bought it after finding it on Craig's List. It was shipped from Klamath Falls and delivered here last Saturday, October 12. The following pictures show it from all sides.
  

As you can see it is camouflage painted and believe you me that paint is TOUGH. I have been trying to carefully scrape it off of the aluminum ID tag on the right-rear of the tub.



It has all of the tarpaulin tie-down hooks, four on each side, and one each on the front and rear of the tub. The taillights are modern and 12 volt. So I am going to have to decide whether to convert the Jeep to a 12-volt system or replace the lights with 6-volt ones. The tires have "Which way am I going" tread. The two hand-holds in front are missing; the one on the left-rear is bent.
  

You can see in this view that the landing leg, or foot as I call it, is bent. One of the first things I am going to do is straighten it. Should be easy. One of the fenders is bent a little and requires straightening.

The only rust spot that has to be dealt with is on the upper right corner of the front wall in this view. It is right where the wall folds over the cylindrical top stiffener.

The floor of the tub is in great shape and has very little waviness. The drain holes, left-front and right-rear, both operate properly. The tub can be removed from the frame quite easily.

The lunette is located in the top socket which is used for towing behind larger military vehicles. For BG I will have to install it in the lower socket. I have already succeeded in removing it. The safety chains and hooks appear to be original and are in good shape.

This view shows the brake handle. The brake cable is broken and I have already ordered a new cable, equalizer, and J-bolt. What I don't have is the brake handle movement to the cable swivel; I will have to have one fabricated.

I Want a Bantam Military Trailer (09/20/2013)

I want a Bantam T3 Jeep trailer. Even though I have a 1947 civilian model Jeep I think the military version of the trailer is cooler. The accompanying pictures show a M100 Korean era model that I found in West Richland, however the owner doesn't want to sell it. I'll explain each picture and what the differences are between the military and civilian versions of the Bantam trailer.

Bed Interior

This is what the bed looks like. It is completely solid, no leaks, so it can float across rivers if necessary.

Drain Hole

At the right, rear cornerof the bed is a drain hole (and plug which is operated from underneath) in case water does get in the bed. The civilian model does not have a drain hole, and the bed is not solid. There is a tailgate.

Left Side

The left side view shows four hooks that are used to secure a tarpaulin cover. The civilian model only has three hooks on each side.

Right Side

The right side view is similar but here one can see loops on the vertical corners. Helicopters used these to lift and lower the trailer as needed. The civilian model does not have these loops.

Rear

The rear view shows one hook that is used to secure the tarpaulin. One can also see the loops at the corners.

Front

The front shows the hand-brake which is applied when the trailer is disconnected from the Jeep and parked. One can also clearly see the loops. What is not so clear are the two hooks. The one in the center is used to secure the tarpaulin; the one near the hand brake is turned upside-down and is used to hold the electrical cabling when the trailer is unhooked.

The Foot

The foot can be seen holding up the trailer hitch. It is folded up and out of the way when the trailer is attached to the Jeep and moving. Also seen here is the lunette socket. The lunette is the military trailer hitch. This trailer has been modified with a modern trailer hitch.

Lunette

The lunette is like a large eye bolt and pivots in its socket as needed over rough terrain.

Pintle

The pintle is attached to the Jeep and this picture shows how the lunette is connected to the pintle. The pintle operates much like the clasp on a necklace or bracelet.