You definitely have a gift in the way you trouble shoot problem and explain it. A person can really learn alot from your video. I believe the icing on the cake, is the fact that there not everyday vehicle. She looks amazing, you do great work. I get a kick out of your humor as well. Take care and thank you!
@@LowBuckGarage oh man DAD could have used your talents fixing jeeps when the Waffen SS shot him and the captain and jeep up GOOD FRI 1945. He flipped it saved his life
Something that I learned about the star and codes were that they were simple stencils taped onto the body, a quick spray of paint, stencil ripped off and out the door. Fancy / perfect decals were not used back in the day. I learned this when I was doing the "fancy" recreation paint on my motorbike. I ended up making my own stencil on my printer, cutting with an Xacto knife, using a 3M spray glue (like for Post It Notes) to stick it on my bike, spraying over it with paint and peeling the stencil off. Looks perfect at 10' away which is all I needed
You are by far my favorite mechanic/ builder to watch.. your calm attitude and the way things just fall together are almost comical! Keep up the good work man love the show and especially the builds
I have to remember your motto when working on mine and others' stuff....if you are not having fun, you ARE doing it wrong! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy!! Dig them 1/2 tracks! Came across one this summer in the mountains
I love this channel because its about having a good time and it not costing alot of money! The humor is great too. Makes me feel great about progressing on a difficult build!
Nice to see it's running and working again! And it seems to run pretty good without an accelerator pump, too. Speaks volumes of the internal condition of the engine, the ignition system, timing, and all of it is accolades.
Thanks! I've never run a carb without an accelerator pump before, but quite honestly now I don't know if I'm going to bother hooking it up. It works just fine as-is.
The size of the National Symbol that You chose looks great! Thanks James for the shout out and the link to my channel. If there is anything else that I can do to help You with Your 1/2 track, please let me know. That gauge cluster fix that You thought up James is brilliant and it looks the part too!! Keep up the great work my friend...
I appreciate the help, and I'm glad my "its not right but good enough" fixes didn't ruin the vehicle! I'm sure I'll be hitting you up for more info on a future project...
@@LowBuckGarage Ya know something James, You rescued 2 halftracks and made one of them useful again. You also understand the importance of saving the "parts" and You're having fun with your projects. Other folks are watching your channel and receiving enjoyment and entertainment from what you are doing. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT. W.W. 2 military vehicles were built for 1 purpose, to go to war. After the war, EVERYTHING should have been turned in for scrap. I'm happy they weren't though.
That gauge kit looks a lot like a $35 (plus exchange rate... Canada) kit I ordered for my m38. Your wiring explanation for the ammeter was the best explanation for what I needed to add a simple fuse panel to my m38. Mucho Appreciated.
Thanks, glad it helped! It probably is the same kit, they're are a lot of them available. Used the same kit before in my CJ-2A, with a different color.
Just spitballing, but MOST likely the idle mixture screws were out at 2.5 turns to compensate for the main butterfly shaft being so woggled-out and loose leaking vacuum ? you can remove the shaft and get a small seal and bore and counter bore the hole, and press in a bronze bushing and seal, I've done this a bunch on old carbs.....
Frequently, the jobs you do scare the hell out of me, even though they work. This job was a proper repair, replace and refurbish! You are one smart number, and you have good equipment that materializes when you need it. Great job!
Just love your videos…. Something about the looks of the half-track is awesome. It’s not a truck, it’s not a tank,but just right. You have the great mechanical ability to fixing thing the correct ways. Love your shop and the small plasma cutter in your shop,I’ll be looking for more of your videos,thanks.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👏👏👏👏👏👏🍺🍺🍺🍺🍻🍻🍻🍻☮️🥰
Great job all around and love your new cluster, knobs and decals !!! And thanks for the explanation on the "Star vs Star and Circle" ... did not know that ... will remind all my French friends they'll be needing the Circle.
*Fantastic* job with the repairs LBG. I really enjoy your humor about things. Especially when it's something like the "temporary" fuel filter that's going to be there for 10 years! 🤣 Dave at WW2 restorations is a great guy. Really knowledgeable on military vehicles. Take care 🔧
A friend of mine has a1945 White half track. He has spent15 years restoring it. I was able to drive it once urns like a Battle ship but has plenty of power Good to see you doing some thing similar.
They use the vin number stamped into the frame. Found that out when I made stencils to paint the registration numbers on all the power wagons I and my buddies had way back in the late 70s. I made my own stencils and painted stars on the doors and the hood numbers. The ready made numbers were harder to find then and the flat white rattle can paint looked great. I don't think most of the vehicles had stars on the doors overseas, just the hood numbers and a hood star. The doors probably made a great target and made the vehicles easier to spot for the enemy I would think, besides being less work to get them in service quickly. I may have used number stickers but I figured out how to make the stars right on the doors myself and made the stencils. Hard to remember exactly what I did now but I do remember doing the stars. And it's possible we found number stencils so I used masking tape and laid them out and cut them but whatever it looked right when I was done. I'm sure they had ready made paint stencils in the military so they could do it or redo them as needed but they usually were pretty faded from the pictures I've seen. That engine runs like new and is so smooth with the new carb and goodies. They were really well built back then and the flat head 230 in my Dodge out of a newer 56 Plymouth ran about that nice when everything was right and had great oil pressure too.
I have never 'mechanicked' a vehicle in my life but, I enjoy watching your amazing projects... A really interesting channel, and I like your easy-going approach to problems... :)
James, you had better hide a spare key somewhere on your half-track! If you don't, you will lock your keys in it at the grocery store and will end up having to walk home! lol I enjoyed the video!
Another great video. I’m jealous of your gadgets you own. The auto plasma cutter, the vinyl cutter and the 3D printer are all handy equipment to help make a project fun
Here is another bit of info that Tommy Hund (parts manager) of the long gone Southern Parts of Memphis told me. All the slotted countersunk screws of the armor on a halftrack should be oriented up & down. This was so water will drain off. And this is a WARNING that Tommy was very adamant about... If you drive a halftrack without a rear bed over the tracks...DO NOT DRIVE IT OVER 15 MPH! If a tracks should break, and I broke one once, the track will whip up, in one case it decapitated a teenager who was drag racing.
Awesome build! I really like your channel. one thing that my father taught me when replacing shift knobs on tractors and old trucks is to put a dab of grease in the threads. that way if you need to take them off again they don't seize.
I remember working on some old military equipment before I joined the USAF in 64. Friends bought some at salvage sales and used it for various projects or on the job sites. Trying to find bits and pieces now days is a blast and nearly. Friend has an Half Track in bad condition but he is determined to get it up and running, It is a WORK IN PROGRESS.
Great job! I really like the fact that you took the time and throut to make your guage adaptor plates and have them clamp into place rather than drill more holes into the dash like so many other people would have done. Very nice !
Your dead-pan jokes are seriously funny. I crack up so much, and I'm sure some of my friends wouldn't even catch it, but it makes it all the funnier to me :D
It's looking better-n-better,👍, from what I can see, the tracks look rougher than a night in jail, hell!, they might last forever, lol, thanks for sharing.
Great videos! A tip for decal application is you need to apply premask to your cut and weeded out decal. Sometimes called transfer tape. The application is then 1000% easier.
I have found plain old pipe cleaners to be a handy addition to my shop inventory. From a smoke shop or the really long type you find at gun shows for gas tube cleaning.
I never knew that about the circle around the star. I bet you never thought your videos would be an educational production.....LOL! Nice! My dad was a tracked vehicle mechanic with the 4th Armored Division. He wasn't fond of half-tracks.😂 He got shelled somewhere between Nancy and Metz. He was in a coma for over a year and just woke up one day. He was listed as KIA until he was able to convince the army he wasn't dead.🤦🤷😅 Cheers Terry
Totally absorbing video and as others have said your humour adds to it all Just wish my attempt at restoration had gone as well years ago And as a blind subscriber I especially enjoyed the sound of the old engine at the end of the video Cheers
A friend of mine has a grader that has a filter somewhat like the oil filter on that halftrack. For the drain he replaced the plug with a small ball valve for easy draining.
You were talking of putting a camper on your halftrack and said frame twist would be terrible on the camper shell. However, if the axle or axles were mounted on the back of frame rails, then make a new cross member for the center front mounting, it would serve as a 3 point mounting,
"i'm gonna see if i can get it running again." then proceeds start it up, and drive it away. i guess that answered that question. lol! i'll still watch just to enjoy the drama-rama of it all.
I like how you used the level for the sticker, heard a story once about someone who made a van interior with cabinets all level, on an angled driveway subscribed
Put decals on wet. Spray the surface with water and just a touch of dishwashing liquid. You can easily move the decal until it is where you want it, but the water will squeegee out and dry in a while.
new subscriber here. great job my friend. You work, like I work, do it good the first time and whatever you do, u gotta like what you do . Excellent job working on these military vehicles. very much enjoying your channel.
"They don't make random scraps of metal like they used to." lol, wow. that's amazing. awesome quote.
You definitely have a gift in the way you trouble shoot problem and explain it. A person can really learn alot from your video. I believe the icing on the cake, is the fact that there not everyday vehicle. She looks amazing, you do great work. I get a kick out of your humor as well. Take care and thank you!
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
I'm jealous. I have a passion for old school boom wreckers and WWII. This would be a dream
They don't make random pieces of metal like they used to.
Your expertise is insane I’m glad UA-cam has you as a creator, the half track is amazing
Thank you very much, glad you enjoy it!
I love these old WW2 vehicles thanks for saving them and sharing with us 🇺🇸
You're welcome, I'm glad you like it!
@@LowBuckGarage oh man DAD could have used your talents fixing jeeps when the Waffen SS shot him and the captain and jeep up GOOD FRI 1945. He flipped it saved his life
Love the two screwdriver wrench.
Good job. That engine runs real nice.
Thanks 👍
@@LowBuckGarage
Is this the same half track I just watched you mount a COE body onto?
@@xmo552 No, I had two of them originally. I took the best parts from both to make this one, and the leftover frame is getting the COE build.
The ‘In your face’ exhaust segment is excellent cinematography. Thank you for another great video!
😂how dare you 😂
Something that I learned about the star and codes were that they were simple stencils taped onto the body, a quick spray of paint, stencil ripped off and out the door.
Fancy / perfect decals were not used back in the day.
I learned this when I was doing the "fancy" recreation paint on my motorbike. I ended up making my own stencil on my printer, cutting with an Xacto knife, using a 3M spray glue (like for Post It Notes) to stick it on my bike, spraying over it with paint and peeling the stencil off. Looks perfect at 10' away which is all I needed
Like watching and learning about the old half tracks, always like seeing them in old war movies.
me its SHERMANS
You are by far my favorite mechanic/ builder to watch.. your calm attitude and the way things just fall together are almost comical! Keep up the good work man love the show and especially the builds
I have to remember your motto when working on mine and others' stuff....if you are not having fun, you ARE doing it wrong!
Thanks for sharing! Enjoy!! Dig them 1/2 tracks! Came across one this summer in the mountains
I love this channel because its about having a good time and it not costing alot of money! The humor is great too. Makes me feel great about progressing on a difficult build!
Thats an awesome piece of functional yard equipment. Nice job tiding her up. Cheers from B.C. Canada.
Thanks!
Nice to see it's running and working again! And it seems to run pretty good without an accelerator pump, too. Speaks volumes of the internal condition of the engine, the ignition system, timing, and all of it is accolades.
Thanks! I've never run a carb without an accelerator pump before, but quite honestly now I don't know if I'm going to bother hooking it up. It works just fine as-is.
The size of the National Symbol that You chose looks great! Thanks James for the shout out and the link to my channel. If there is anything else that I can do to help You with Your 1/2 track, please let me know. That gauge cluster fix that You thought up James is brilliant and it looks the part too!! Keep up the great work my friend...
I appreciate the help, and I'm glad my "its not right but good enough" fixes didn't ruin the vehicle! I'm sure I'll be hitting you up for more info on a future project...
@@LowBuckGarage Ya know something James, You rescued 2 halftracks and made one of them useful again. You also understand the importance of saving the "parts" and You're having fun with your projects. Other folks are watching your channel and receiving enjoyment and entertainment from what you are doing. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT. W.W. 2 military vehicles were built for 1 purpose, to go to war. After the war, EVERYTHING should have been turned in for scrap. I'm happy they weren't though.
Love the haft track . Back when things were made. Liked,shared. All my best.
Thank you!
I love your Half Truck.
It’s get nicer every Day!
Greetings from Germany!
Thanks, glad you like it!
That gauge kit looks a lot like a $35 (plus exchange rate... Canada) kit I ordered for my m38. Your wiring explanation for the ammeter was the best explanation for what I needed to add a simple fuse panel to my m38. Mucho Appreciated.
Thanks, glad it helped! It probably is the same kit, they're are a lot of them available. Used the same kit before in my CJ-2A, with a different color.
My OCD kicked in when I saw the gauge adaptors with the bolt pattern inverted. Great content, sir. Please keep it coming.
I’ve really enjoyed following this series on the half track. You have it looking great so you’ll probably get asked to go in a parade soon. 👍👍
Just spitballing, but MOST likely the idle mixture screws were out at 2.5 turns to compensate for the main butterfly shaft being so woggled-out and loose leaking vacuum ? you can remove the shaft and get a small seal and bore and counter bore the hole, and press in a bronze bushing and seal, I've done this a bunch on old carbs.....
It's good to see you finally painted and made it look OEM .
Will be good for parades
Thats a LONG BOOM!! Nice build!
Frequently, the jobs you do scare the hell out of me, even though they work. This job was a proper repair, replace and refurbish! You are one smart number, and you have good equipment that materializes when you need it. Great job!
That is such a sweet truck!
Thanks for the info about spare compatible parts.
Great video,at the end there ,you seem to a big kid,just playing with his big toys,that’s so cool!
Just had 44 mins and 50 seconds of FUN. Thank You.
Glad you enjoyed it!
looks wicked and well done for going the extra mile
cheers
jim
Thanks!
Just love your videos…. Something about the looks of the half-track is awesome. It’s not a truck, it’s not a tank,but just right. You have the great mechanical ability to fixing thing the correct ways. Love your shop and the small plasma cutter in your shop,I’ll be looking for more of your videos,thanks.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👏👏👏👏👏👏🍺🍺🍺🍺🍻🍻🍻🍻☮️🥰
Great job all around and love your new cluster, knobs and decals !!! And thanks for the explanation on the "Star vs Star and Circle" ... did not know that ... will remind all my French friends they'll be needing the Circle.
Thanks, glad it was helpful!
I really can’t believe that you don’t have more subscribers… Your channel is great!
*Fantastic* job with the repairs LBG. I really enjoy your humor about things. Especially when it's something like the "temporary" fuel filter that's going to be there for 10 years! 🤣 Dave at WW2 restorations is a great guy. Really knowledgeable on military vehicles. Take care 🔧
Excellant work installing those gauges! That fuel filter was the worst Ive seen too
Thanks! The housing is still soaking in degreaser, I hope when I take it out in a few years it comes out clean.
Amazing work! Those new gauges and decals look fantastic.
Pretty dam nice rebuild, and useful Old Equipment that last another 50 years
A friend of mine has a1945 White half track. He has spent15 years restoring it. I was able to drive it once urns like a Battle ship but has plenty of power Good to see you doing some thing similar.
They use the vin number stamped into the frame. Found that out when I made stencils to paint the registration numbers on all the power wagons I and my buddies had way back in the late 70s. I made my own stencils and painted stars on the doors and the hood numbers. The ready made numbers were harder to find then and the flat white rattle can paint looked great. I don't think most of the vehicles had stars on the doors overseas, just the hood numbers and a hood star. The doors probably made a great target and made the vehicles easier to spot for the enemy I would think, besides being less work to get them in service quickly. I may have used number stickers but I figured out how to make the stars right on the doors myself and made the stencils. Hard to remember exactly what I did now but I do remember doing the stars. And it's possible we found number stencils so I used masking tape and laid them out and cut them but whatever it looked right when I was done.
I'm sure they had ready made paint stencils in the military so they could do it or redo them as needed but they usually were pretty faded from the pictures I've seen.
That engine runs like new and is so smooth with the new carb and goodies. They were really well built back then and the flat head 230 in my Dodge out of a newer 56 Plymouth ran about that nice when everything was right and had great oil pressure too.
That is a super cool project.
I love the drill and grinder wire wheel modification 😂😂
Thanks!
This was just a fantastic video and I loved it, Thank you!
I have never 'mechanicked' a vehicle in my life but, I enjoy watching your amazing projects... A really interesting channel, and I like your easy-going approach to problems... :)
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
@@LowBuckGarage that CAD printer and the Laser cutout machine are boss, do a ep on your tols and equipment no????
James, you had better hide a spare key somewhere on your half-track! If you don't, you will lock your keys in it at the grocery store and will end up having to walk home! lol
I enjoyed the video!
Beautiful job! Love your work and videos.
Thank you very much!
man you do beautiful work. love that machine
That’s a excellent job, looks awesome!
Thanks!
Another great video. I’m jealous of your gadgets you own. The auto plasma cutter, the vinyl cutter and the 3D printer are all handy equipment to help make a project fun
Thanks! I've been collecting/hoarding tools for decades; I'd rather be able to make parts than buy them.
Awesome video!! It runs very nice now.
Thank you!
I'm sure this truck will win a special award at a international tow truck show first prize 🏆🏆 winner for sure especially if its from the military
Here is another bit of info that Tommy Hund (parts manager) of the long gone Southern Parts of Memphis told me. All the slotted countersunk screws of the armor on a halftrack should be oriented up & down. This was so water will drain off. And this is a WARNING that Tommy was very adamant about... If you drive a halftrack without a rear bed over the tracks...DO NOT DRIVE IT OVER 15 MPH! If a tracks should break, and I broke one once, the track will whip up, in one case it decapitated a teenager who was drag racing.
Awesome build! I really like your channel. one thing that my father taught me when replacing shift knobs on tractors and old trucks is to put a dab of grease in the threads. that way if you need to take them off again they don't seize.
I remember working on some old military equipment before I joined the USAF in 64.
Friends bought some at salvage sales and used it for various projects or on the job
sites. Trying to find bits and pieces now days is a blast and nearly. Friend has an
Half Track in bad condition but he is determined to get it up and running, It is a
WORK IN PROGRESS.
Great job! I really like the fact that you took the time and throut to make your guage adaptor plates and have them clamp into place rather than drill more holes into the dash like so many other people would have done. Very nice !
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Your dead-pan jokes are seriously funny. I crack up so much, and I'm sure some of my friends wouldn't even catch it, but it makes it all the funnier to me :D
That is so awesome! I hope you can take it to a show or parade one day. That also applies to most of your vehicles like the covered wagon.
Nice work!! What a cool old vehicle!! Runs so great now!!
It's looking better-n-better,👍, from what I can see, the tracks look rougher than a night in jail, hell!, they might last forever, lol, thanks for sharing.
Great videos! A tip for decal application is you need to apply premask to your cut and weeded out decal. Sometimes called transfer tape. The application is then 1000% easier.
I have found plain old pipe cleaners to be a handy addition to my shop inventory. From a smoke shop or the really long type you find at gun shows for gas tube cleaning.
It was real interesting and gave me some ideas on my restores. Thanks. Have a great day. A pleasant way too spend a Saturday evening.
Thank you, I sure appreciate that!
I never knew that about the circle around the star. I bet you never thought your videos would be an educational production.....LOL!
Nice!
My dad was a tracked vehicle mechanic with the 4th Armored Division. He wasn't fond of half-tracks.😂
He got shelled somewhere between Nancy and Metz. He was in a coma for over a year and just woke up one day. He was listed as KIA until he was able to convince the army he wasn't dead.🤦🤷😅
Cheers
Terry
Troubleshooting wiring anything carburetors troubleshooting is a art
Good job !! Really like this series !! Thank you for your videos !!
I'm glad you like them!
grate video nice to see the half track working
Thanks!
You have done a great job and have very good tool!👍❤😉
You have one extremely COOL recovery vehicle !! Good job.
Thanks!
The brass brushes for gun cleaning are great for cleaning small holes
Nice ! she is looking good .I am JB welding bearings back in a pivot linc suspension so i can go dirt bike riding .
Nice! I like that kind of repair, and dirt bikes in general...
Totally absorbing video and as others have said your humour adds to it all
Just wish my attempt at restoration had gone as well years ago
And as a blind subscriber I especially enjoyed the sound of the old engine at the end of the video
Cheers
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
A friend of mine has a grader that has a filter somewhat like the oil filter on that halftrack. For the drain he replaced the plug with a small ball valve for easy draining.
That things awesome. Like a life sized matchbox.
You were talking of putting a camper on your halftrack and said frame twist would be terrible on the camper shell. However, if the axle or axles were mounted on the back of frame rails, then make a new cross member for the center front mounting, it would serve as a 3 point mounting,
Cool Half-track!!! Pretty dam good when a 77 year old military vehicle can still run and drive!!!
New parts ?? Say it ain't so . Lol looking good cool rig !!🇺🇲👍🙏
Yeah, I splurged on this one, but it just seemed to deserve it. Glad you like it!
"i'm gonna see if i can get it running again." then proceeds start it up, and drive it away. i guess that answered that question. lol! i'll still watch just to enjoy the drama-rama of it all.
"it's temporary, it'll probably be there 10 years or so"
Our Farmall lol, it's supposed to have a sediment bowl.
_supposed to have a sediment bowl_
Shared the link with a friend who is rebuilding an early war halftrack.
Thanks!
I like how you used the level for the sticker, heard a story once about someone who made a van interior with cabinets all level, on an angled driveway
subscribed
Nice job 👏
Thanks!
When we lay down our decals we use tape to hold the top line . We also use a water mister bottle to move the decal around.
Glad you have the arrow feature. It really makes the video.
You ought to enter that half-track wrecker in Matt's off road recoveries games.
We like it, having fun watching! U R AMAZING! THANKS...
Thanks so much!!
this guy is just fantastic
Pretty cool gotten it functionality working
The screws on your selfmade circles, three each.. You must time them exactly the same as the other😉, the ones for the gauges.
Love your work👍
Thanks! I timed them to make it easier to install, I avoid working under dashboards as much as possible.
This was pretty darn cool. Pity about the speedometer but then it's hard to measure a walking pace with a speedometer.
Soapy water helps you locate the Decals till you squeegee the surplus out, same as fitting reflective window film.
That's what I should have done, I'll give it a shot next time, thanks for the tip!
Okay, wasn't expecting the Willys to lift without the axles and tires! And the end... ;-)))
I had forgotten that bolt, I thought I was clear and looking forward at the time. Only looked back when I heard the crashing metal...
The knew knobs were my favorite parts.
That was the best, looks awesome 👌 👏
Thank you!
So meticulous. Really enjoyed this video. Logically fixed each problem.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Spray on soapy water, to adjust stickers. A few drops of Dawn (dish soap) in 16oz of water.
Also works for window tint.
This guy's stream of deadpan jokes is incredible.
Another great program thank you
Glad you like it!
Looking good i would love a half track until then I have a 1943 dodge wc63
Put decals on wet. Spray the surface with water and just a touch of dishwashing liquid. You can easily move the decal until it is where you want it, but the water will squeegee out and dry in a while.
I knew there was something I was supposed to do, thanks for the tip! I'll do that next time.
new subscriber here. great job my friend. You work, like I work, do it good the first time and whatever you do, u gotta like what you do
. Excellent job working on these military vehicles. very much enjoying your channel.
Thank you, I sure appreciate that!