Truck update and doing work

[ez8]

I've been getting my truck ready for the annual X-mas parade by putting the troop seats and side stakes in the back. I volunteer with the local honor flights chapter showing vehicles for when the vets go through their orientation luncheon. One of my best memories from the truck was showing it at one of the Honor Flights pre-meetings and a Vietnam vet came up to me and said "My buddy got shot 8 times in one of these." I thought I had dredged up some bad memories for someone, but he followed up with "My grandson looked him up on Facebook - he's living out in Oklahoma now!"

As you can expect there haven't been any flights for the vets in about 20 months - some kind of bug going around. But when the chance to be in the parade came up I leapt on it. Originally they wanted to put folding chairs in the M101 trailer, but I nixed that idea and quickly sourced the parts I needed to get the back end in order. I have to say I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I also bought a new top from John at Midwest Military (great product, very impressed) as well as found a spare tire carrier through a member here on the forums. The current thinking is to get 4 vets in the back throwing out candy while the trailer acts as a music resource carrying a generator and a sound system belting out Christmas music...or patriotic music...or patriotic Christmas music.

Today I went to a friend's house to pick up some trees he took down as I burn wood in the winter. He's got a hilly property, but 4 low and those big military tires ate it up. Funny enough some neighbor kids were playing "Army" next door and stopped what they were doing to watch me trundle by with a full load powering up a hill.

Anyway, she's coming along and I'll be manufacturing some top bow uprights for bows and getting some canvas in the near future, also from John. I've also got an original winch to put on it so there's that too. One step at a time I suppose.

[John Mc]

When you go to put the PTO winch on, you can convert your original bumper to the winch bumpers. I had a local fab shop do mine, since his welding comes out MUCH better than mine. To get the radius on the inboard edges of the bumpers, he split a pipe of the appropriate diameter lengthwise and welded that onto the bumper.

[ez8]

Did you have a drawing to work off of or just measurements from the truck? They look great and that's the route I'm going to take since they keep the original bumpers with the hen's teeth.

[John Mc]

Tim Holloway of Distinctive Restoration took dimensions from the bumpers on his M37 truck with winch. The fabricator got his sketch along with a sample winch bumper from a Power Wagon (different overall dimensions, but it had a similar radius on the left side edge for him to compare)

[ez8]

That would be appreciated. It would give me something to go by at least.

[powerwagontim]

Send me your address and I will mail you what I have.
Tim

[Cal_Gary]

Such a great opening post, EZ8! We appreciate your contributions to the veterans out there! Those are some great photos too!
Gary