M1919A4 30 cal in today

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NAM VET
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M1919A4 30 cal in today

Post by NAM VET »

A few months ago, was out at Chili's for dinner with my wife, and she asked what I was going to do with it when I got it on the road. I just said "think I will put a gun in the back." Then decided to go ahead to do it. So contacted BMG parts, who sell just about everything for machine guns, exect the replica's themselves. Ordered a pedestal for the bed, not the really tall one, as I wanted to be able to pull into my garage. And a cradle for the 30, with ammo can holder. This one has locks, so it doesn't need a "travel bar." He suggested a gun from RogueIsland, build by Rollin, the owner. So a call to him, and he made my gun. All steel, no aluminum, some original parts, rivets, not screws. So when the mail brought it this afternoon, it fit perfectly into the cradle. I also bought an American made perfect tripod and T&E from another source. My gun is not capable of firing.

My wife really was against all this, so insisted I check with our local PD to see what they had to say. So, went down and talked with the chief; he said there were other gun trucks around, and just asked to not get too many anxious calls about me out and about. And told me he looked forward to seeing it when done. Had another M37 owner by not long ago, and she asked for his opinion about my plan for a gun, and he said he had one that actually shot. She gave up trying to convince me to give the whole gun thing up. I don't intend to drive around with the gun scaring people. I did get an original canvas gun cover, new in the '55 wrapper for it for some occasions.

Here it is:

NV

[url=https://postimg.org/image/9gpn3im0 ... .jpg[/img][/url]
06boblee
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Re: M1919A4 30 cal in today

Post by 06boblee »

That looks great!
What did you use for your wood sides? Looks like some sort of plastic. I would love to get an M24A2- but they are very expensive-,and I need tires.
'54 M37 wew
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NAM VET
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Re: M1919A4 30 cal in today

Post by NAM VET »

06, I started my rebuild August of last year, right after I had my truck shipped from NE. I am very fortunate, as the prior owner took good care of it and replaced what was necessary in the 25 years he owned it, and kept it out of the weather in his barn. He had driven and maintained M37's when he was in the army, and replaced some of the high ticket items like the radiator, wiring, and other odds and ends. And over the years gathered a large assortment of spares. I am not capable of doing a major restoration like others, doing things like patch welding, trans and diff and such drivetrain rebuilds. All I had to do was a "simple" engine rebuild, and cosmetics. But doing those things to my standards still cost me thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours.

I know the trucks came from the factory with OD painted wood, but mine somewhere since Dec of '52, acquired black painted wood. So, in keeping with some sense of originality for my own M37, or more correctly, a factory M42, I cut and routed the edges of of strong pine, and painted the wood black. I used the old wood as a pattern for length and drill holes, with fresh carriage bolts.

I am very happy with the way my several coats of 24087 Gillespie came out, after lots of sanding. All it had left to do was the windshield and the dash. So painted the windshield yesterday, and will do the dash in a few days. I am going to leave the original dash plates on, after removing them to paint the dash, (the screws on them are not rusted, and only the specific M42 ones are riveted to the glove door.) I picked up a new antennae mount and whip arial last year from Ebay, and just put that on.

I learned in my own journey, now mostly complete, is that in a restoration process, there are lots of things to attend to while waiting on delays, like the machine shop, or this or that part to arrive. It is nice when some project is done, and time to get onto the next, to reach for a painted or acquired or restored part done months before, and just assemble it. For instance, I did the wood last year, and had it stored on the floor of my garage, where I had to step over it for almost a year before I could pick the wood up and put in on.

The only major projects left is to put the stencils on, and fit a new top. I was lucky when I removed the aftermarket metal/fiberglass top a few months ago that it peeled right off, using my new Sawsall, leaving the cab metal unscathed. I am so fortunate that simply removing one steering box shim and snugging up the adjustment took almost all the play out of the steering, and any drivetrain leak is no more than a few drops here and there. I had a lot of help from vendors, and folks like Charles Talbert, John Bizal, and members on this forum. And most of all, I am lucky to have a wife that has not complained when my credit card bills have been thousands of $ every month.

Another shot:
[url=https://postimg.org/image/fix9u0ag ... .jpg[/img][/url]
k8icu
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Re: M1919A4 30 cal in today

Post by k8icu »

Looks great! Wives can be real sticks in the mud sometimes. I'm blessed that my wife would be like 30 cal? You sure you don't want a ma duce....LOL!
M37s are HMMWV in my world!
Drew M.
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Re: M1919A4 30 cal in today

Post by Drew M. »

Needs a M24A3 mount. :)
NAM VET
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Re: M1919A4 30 cal in today

Post by NAM VET »

thought about the M2 50, but I think in "real life" the recoil would have been really hard on the truck, having shot them a lot in my army days. I shot M 1919's in Vietnam, recoil wasn't too bad. Bought the pedestal and gun mount/ammo can holder bracket from BMG parts, they have just about every thing ever made to mount a MG. He recommended against the taller pedestal, as it wouldn't clear my garage door top. My truck has spent the last few months without a canvas top in my garage, but I got a new canvas top from NLC several days ago, put it on and with the rear hoop now on, it won't fit into my garage anymore. I also thought about the gun mount that fits on the front of the truck bed, but then too, it would have been too tall, and I have the bed mounted spare too. I braced the gun's pedestal under the bed with steel bars. Made up a belt of 30 cal ammo to drape over the guns breech, tray top open. Polished the cartridges, then sprayed some clear lacquer on them, to keep them shiny. A functioning quad 50 would have been nice, but they are very expensive too. Besides, I doubt such a gun system would have been mounted on a 3/4 ton anyway. I did pick up a tripod and T&E for ground mounting of my MG.

In mid April, my truck is accepted in the once a year exotic car show down on Kiawah Island, just south of Charleston, SC. Organizer said to be sure and bring the gun with my truck, as a TV car show will be there filming, and my truck will provide a nice contrast to the expensive exotics there.

After church this AM, going with some shooting buddies out to a range, taking my '44 Inland M1 carbine, made up some ammo for it this week, my '44 BYF German KAR 98, made up ammo for that, and my ''46 303 Enfield 303 MK5 Jungle Carbine, one of my favorites, made up ammo for it too. I make my own ammo for every thing I shoot, less .22 rimfire. And chrono some new 5.56 I made up for my AR.

Would be nice to have a "real" full auto M1919 MG, but they go for about $40 K or so. By the way, my NLC top went on easy as pie.

all the best, guys....

NV
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