Lighthorse 31

We should put this article in the documents tab so it's easy to find. It's very well written and contains some very useful knowledge! Mark

Did some work in the engine compartment today. I took out two old batteries, the air filter, generator, carb, volt regulator, distributor, ignition coil, and instrument panel. The voltage regulator and generator appear to be replacements as they are not Autolite (can someone tell me if there were other manufacturer electrical components used?). There were MANY mods to the electrical system and the original wiring harness was not up to my liking in many places. You can see the spaghetti lab of wiring they had behind the panel, mostly for added lights inside and out of the vehicle. It also appears that they completely removed the oil filter and never put in a replacement, unless the new one is under the engine and I haven't gotten to it yet. Overall I think things are looking in pretty decent shape compared to some of the other posts I've seen guys have to restore (beautifully I might add). There were two distributers that appear to be slightly different from each other and three coils, all three of which appear to be different.

And here are pics of the engine and driver compartment... Mark

Here are pics of the tracks and suspension. You can see that the tracks are in so, so condition but the pads are dry rotted. Not sure if they can be repaired or best to look at another track set as a replacement. Also, the bogie wheels have slight cracking at the base near the metal. Is this a big deal? In two of the pics, you can see the leaf spring mod I referred to in my last post. Why would they do that? Mark

Hey all. So here's the beginning of my road to restoration! The history, as I know it for this unit, is that it was owned and modified by a power company in Montana for line inspections and maintenance. The orange box is quite ugly, but appears to have protected the interior quite well from it sitting out in the elements for so many years. Here's some things I've noticed so far that I'd love input on to see if they are a huge deal or not. 1. Bottom areas were under-coated which seems to have preserved most of the metal parts (except the very bottom front which you can see in one pic has rusted through 2. The rear wall and associated stock exhaust system has been cut out in order to add a rear access door 3. The unit does not run, but all shifting, high/low gear, and track braking seem to run smooth and fine 4. Original windshield has been replaced 5. All original seats have been removed 6. Some (or all) of the gauges appear to have been replaced 7. The front leaf springs appear to have been modified just behind the idler wheels (see pic) compared to what I have seen other stock Weasels look like. Any idea why they might have done this? I have a few questions though that will help me plan the restoration journey if anyone wouldn't mind steering me in the right direction: 1. Dumb question, but were ALL M-29C models built as amphibious versions? If so mine appears to have had a bunch of parts removed. In other posts of M29C's it appears this may have been a common practice when modified for post-war use. Is this an accurate assessment? 2. My original intent was to restore it to an M29 (before I realized it may have been an amphib). I don't have the need here in Colorado to try and restore it back with floats and everything (if I could even find the parts). Is it worth it to try and restore as close to original at all? Would it be an odd ball it I restored to land configuration even though it was originally an marine version? 3. Does anyone know where I can find seats (I understand Weasel seats are hard to find) but maybe jeep seats or something close that will work? Maybe know of a company that can fabricate Weasel seats? 4. I see from time to time people have old M29 hulls laying around. Are there any still out there, and would it be worth it to cut the rear off an old hull and retrofit back onto mine? Sorry if some of these questions have been answered elsewhere. I've look but it's information overload out there! (that's a good thing I guess) Thanks in advance for all the help! Oh, because of the size limit on pics, I'm going to break this up into separate posts by categroy. Mark

Hi guys. I'm brand new here and just picked up my "new" project! It appears to be in ok condition considering its seen a lot mountain and snow activity thru the years. Here are the data plates to add to the list. Cant wait to work with the group to get this thing restored! Mark