M151A2 in its new home

rob love · #1 16-05-13, 01:17

Seatbelts were mandatory in all vehicles after 1970/71. The seatbelts on the Cdn M151A2 rollcage are from a Dodge van of the 1978 era, and the rear belts are the simple non-rewind type. They are available from many places....vintage auto stores, and I think even boats have the same seat belts.

Punch in a google search for universal seat belts, or check on ebay. The seatbelts normally have to be backed by a fairly substatial washer...about 3 or 4" round if I recall.

Scott Bentley · #2 20-05-13, 22:59

We're multiplying....

After a morning of making some adjustments, we've got Steve's back on the road:

maple_leaf_eh · #3 21-05-13, 00:20

And you didn't call me?

(Actually I would have had to beg off a road move on Monday. My son asked to go to the range and shoot a little. He had better luck on paper with the 10/22 than the Zombie rifle. And, we had some father son puberty talks. A bunch of rusty old trucks just wouldn't measure up to these moments of family investment.)

Scott Bentley · #4 21-05-13, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

And you didn't call me?

(Actually I would have had to beg off a road move on Monday. My son asked to go to the range and shoot a little. He had better luck on paper with the 10/22 than the Zombie rifle. And, we had some father son puberty talks. A bunch of rusty old trucks just wouldn't measure up to these moments of family investment.)

This was a case of getting Steve's from storage to his house for some further maintenance. Still a little bit yet before a full scale convoy is in order.

Did you get a clean bill of health on yours?

maple_leaf_eh · #5 21-05-13, 00:42

YES! Plated with a veteran's plate too.

Eric left a binder of CFTOs which includes one on licence plate holders. Time to start bending sheet metal.

maple_leaf_eh · #6 21-05-13, 03:35

The titles of the jpegs are the stages. The shots are all at the discovery and destruction stages.

The inner battery box bottom has a big diagonal repair through it from the re-militarization. The outer battery box bottom is half eaten away by rust. This is where the safety inspection poked into rubber matting.

The tray itself is loose, and in really good condition. However, it has 2 dimples to drain the expected spilled battery acid. These dimples get in the way of any repair panel I was prepared to build in a week's time with my limited welding skills.

maple_leaf_eh · #7 21-05-13, 04:30

So the first sequence took the loyal MLU viewer from discovery to 'now what have I gotten myself into?'.

The next sequence doesn't quite capture the thought processes. Should I replicate the good battery box? Could I make origami with sheet metal? What gauge of steel, the 22 gauge panel I bought or the salvaged pieces of 12-ish gauge from some long-forgotten trailer?

In the end I decided I had neither the time or inclination to make a fancy cake pan-like piece. Time was pressing to get the vehicle back in for inspection before the long weekend. Make it flat. Make it simple.

I convinced my brother to come over and weld for me. The heavy gauge steel was free and strong enough to support the batteries without reinforcements. The resulting welding had a fair amount of spatter, but there are no voids of pinholes. The bumps and zigzags were ground off, and looked nice and shiney.

I painted the fresh ground metal with Rust Killer spray paint. Which is not Rustoleam spray paint. The outer layer on the bottom is asphalt rustproofing spray.

The inner battery box depression, the intact one, is now concealed under a loose piece of heavy gauge steel.