Patrick Tipton

As always, fine craftsmanship! Nice to see my friend.

@OZM29CJohn - I started a new sticky thread - Float Tanks - here: https://forum.portrayalpress.com/topic/6236-all-things-floater/ Thanks for all of your contributions John - your dedication (and other posters) is what makes the site a value to Weasel enthusiasts!

Folks: If you are working on a floater, please post your learning specific to floaters here! Repairs, accessories, etc...

G125 : Tractor, medium, M1, Allis-Chalmers HD-74. Seats look fantastic - congrats!!

You can probably order the blueprints from the Studebaker Museum. I am sure there are several drawings and they won't be cheap, but that is the way to go!

Gents: I am feeling great, my shop is about as clean as it gets, all of the "honey-do's" about caught up with....back on the Weasel this weekend. I can't wait! I have two immediate projects: finish the repairs to the last couple of interior body panels and get them in primer and touch up the paint on a few areas on the hull that were blocked by the rotisserie. I have made a grid using original pictures for the black camo and will start cutting out shapes and taping them to the hull in preparation for applying the actual paint. Onward!

Kevin - I am betting that the solenoid kept the gear/starter engaged... and then the gear eventually failed. Double check your wiring. Not sure about the fitment issue...are you sure you have a correct starter/solenoid combo?

Welcome aboard Tim. I am pretty sure your Weasel is an early M29 - one of the first 1,000 or so. They were badged with a T-24 hull tag! Talk soon!

Greetings @42rocker Tim.....so the side skirts are likely not original on this machine...I am still not sure. It is an M29, the earliest of which came with 15" tracks and no side skirts. The bolt holes on the sides are for parachute brackets - found on the T24 and also the early (maybe first 1000) M29's, although the M29's never had the actual brackets - just the holes and mounting points on the inside. I left you a VM, but am heading to the shop. Talk soon.

Great stuff...thanks for sharing!

Thanks @OZM29C I am looking forward to getting back after it. Weird thing about this pandemic....of the 14 or so people who came down with Covid from the wedding we attended, almost everyone was vaccinated. Go figure. Patrick

Thanks John....on the mend. Should be back in the shop by the weekend.

Appreciate it John. They are going back to do some checking - we will chat later in the week.

OK. I would not remove the starter. That being said...the manual suggests that an assistant raise the rear of the engine for clearance - you don't need to remove the engine to remove the starter. I would bolt the starter back up and then focus on solving the electrical problems. I am will to bet big that the starter is not the problem. Let's chat tomorrow - or I can chat with you and your step father. You need to do a little diagnostics.....happy to walk you through it. Patrick

Maybe I should bring my engine hoist when I visit you. We could pull it. Worst case, I'll bring a working starter and we can replace it real time. The starter will 100% be repairable....one way or the other. Before we go any further, what is going on with the starter that makes you want to pull it? Patrick

Kevin - that square thing is the oil pump. It is a pain in the arse to remove (there is a snap ring on the shaft) and you won't be able to remove it with the engine in the vehicle. I have never taken a starter off in the hull - so hopefully someone will chime in. Regards, Patrick

Welcome aboard Chris @Beepbeep! Glad you are here and please make this forum your own. Forums succeed because of an engaged membership so post and comment regularly! Look forward to seeing your machine. Patrick

Good stuff Dan. As you know, this is a marathon...just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Patrick

One more session on the floor. It is coming together pretty well. I have about another session and I should be able to hide this repair. It will still need a little glazing compound to hide the deep pits, but once painted, I think it should look the part.

I love the way you always seem to hit these projects before I do. Mine needs to be painted white and I figured it would be easier to take it apart. I was wondering what I would get into! Thanks John! @OZM29C

Appreciate it John @OZM29C! As you know so well and demonstrate time and time again, one little step at a time, done well.

I am cleaning mechanical parts and fixing the last bits of metal work. One issue I have/had is that I did not have a correctly early rear floor panel without the front access hole. I did have a junk piece of an M29C floor panel though with reasonable intact beads and another nice one to modify. Fired up the TIG welder. The metal on the donor piece was so pitted that I cut just about everything off but the bead. This made it easy to get the bead lined up correctly and installed but means more seams to hide. I will be out in a bit to work on this a little more. Should come out pretty well.

All of the M29C's were painted in OD. That white and black camo is post war.

I have an M29 project for sale to a good home. The hull number is T24-2003 which makes it at the end of the first gen M29's - very similar hulls to the T24. Norwegian mods. The good: Undercarriage appears to have been gone through and all of the bogies and springs etc. appear to be in good condition and in need of only routine maintenance. Missing bogie set in picture will be replaced. Comes with decent examples of most panels other than the engine cover and the rear floor panel. I may be able to supply those two panels in poor condition, but no promises. Complete or nearly complete engine in need of rebuild. Internal condition unknown. Two WW2 era 20" tracks. They are in need of repair and banding and may have breaks, missing road pads and bent grousers. That being said, they could be nice if banded and a few grousers replaced. Final drive appears to be in good condition and turns freely. Original hull tag. The dataplate is a repro and has incorrect information on it so useless by my calculation. The bad: The T90 transmission looks ugly (rusty) but might clean up. Parts are readily available for this transmission. The hull needs extensive work. Hull was skinned on the front and rear panels by a PO and then had those panels removed (rear) and partially removed (front) by another PO. I believe the front is salvageable but will need repairs. I would probably replace the entire rear panel. I do have the removed sheet metal which has the pioneer tool brackets - they look homemade to me. There is a good amount of rot on the floors and hat channels. I would expect to replace these floors and most of the hat channels. The hull has side skirts. I have not spent enough time to know whether this hull should have them (think no, but?) and whether they look original. Adding them certainly makes the job of installing a new floor pretty easy. You could probably do some quick repairs, band the tracks, rebuilt the motor and transmission and go play. Or, replace the floors and do a little work on the front and back and have a sweet example of a 1st gen M29. $4000 OBO

I think the soldier sitting on a soon to be unobtanium surf shield and very expensive windshield should probably move and/or the gunner needs to work on his muzzle awareness 🤣