New member with new carrier
 

Hello to all! First post but been learning here for some time.
Im in Southern Ontario, and finally found a carrier after years of looking.
Ive met some of the Ontario folks over the last couple of years and theyve been a great help. Have several MVs but new to carriers. This one had been tarped sitting up on timbers for decades...

June 1944 Mk2, full uncut orig armour. All data plates, almost complete and some extra pieces too. went at her with sand paper and razor blades to see if I could find any markings. I found a lot, hopefully someone can help with identification. 5 coats of OD paint. Different markings between them all but always the same 83-527 number in different fonts and locations.

Nothin on fenders only bits of colour. Tactical sign on sides, blue square, small red square upper right with RA stencilled. Canadian Soldiers site says RCArtillery, 1st battery, 1st troop, commander. That was on original brown paint. Started picking at paint in front of driver, found a full hand painted Canadian 25th brigade sign with the name ANDREA stenciled across it. Our contribution to the Korean War effort Ive learned. Under the last coat of OD, found "Militia Vehicle Pool". Could never bring myself to paint over 25th brigade sign so thinking on leaving the well used paint as is.

Not sure where it might have been in its life, but it seems to have been around! Have also included pic of torched hole beneath officers seat, could that have been for wasp set up at one time? The cut was all OD so it was long ago. Top torched off top radius of lifting lug on rear deck as well as misc small holes.

Any info Ive gathered has been courtesy of this site, so thank you. Just tried to do some homework before I asked for some help! Any ideas on how to find
whos it was in 44?

Forgot to add, changed fluids, cleaned carb, unstuck some valves, threw in some points, battery & and it started! Wiring looks surprisingly good, for now, and fuel gauge even read whatever goop is still in the tanks.

Any help or input is greatly appreciated. Cant get into it just yet tho, still building a bigger barn for her .....

Doug

Looks like some pics loaded, I'll post again with pics of what was under the paint

more pics
 

more pics wont load....security token thing missing???
will keep trying

Your photos are too large. Put them on a photo editor and bring the size down to somewhere around 900x800 or therabouts.

more pics
 

last pic was too big, 1 more post...

Proper sized pics!
 

Sorry about that all,
Thanks Rob

Hopefully this is better...

pics
 

more right size pics I hope

A very nice find! They're never usually that complete and unmolested, and to fire up so easily!! It's the same as my 44 which has absolutely no history attached and took years to find/make all the missing parts. We've seen them dug up after being buried for 40-50 years and rescued from an island after a lifetime of logging.....And you happen to find one under a sheet!!Lucky guy :)
I'll look forward to seeing what you do with it :thup2: Ron

Now my pic didn't upload! Ron

Very nice find! :thup:

Very nicely preserved original carrier, Doug. Great markings too. It will be interesting to see what history you can discover.

Amazing find, really a time capsule!

Hanno

Regrets Doug,
sadly, you are about to waste your time and money on that relic. Go back and finish your jeeps! I will be over shortly with truck and trailer to save your marriage and need to get a larger shed!

All the best, enjoy the (short) restoration journey.
Welcome to the carrier section of MLU Forum.

M.
:thup:

Yes, I do know how very fortunate Ive been, was expecting Id have to head to a hunt camp north of Sudbury to go after the reported hull carcass with the birch in the engine bay...
Been extremely lucky to find her and if I do take your help to save my work, wallet, marriage etc., It'd have to be very late at night as that's when I had to slip it home and quietly sneek it in the shed....

Focus for now though, going to concentrate on her history and see if I can find out somehow who she served with and if she ever made it overseas and came home only to go over again? Or never left at all??? If anyone can offer any insights on the historical research end it'd be a great help as well.
Doug

The DND number format on yours would indicate it was a domestic carrier during the war. While the 25 brigade crest could (and very likely does) indicate overseas use in Korea, it was also possible the markings were added post war for some form of a memorial or ceremony of that conflict. I have seen this done with everything from Jeeps to APCs.


And I will echo the expressions of the others here: very, very nice find. Those don't show up that often in that unrestored but complete condition. .

Ron your 44 looks amazing, do you have any more photos of her online somewhere? Would be great to see some more pics.
Doug

PM sent. Ron