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Here's my M4A3 Sherman


DoctorCheney223

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She's FAR from pretty and it will be quite awhile until she runs again but here she is. Most of the rocket holes (Russian B40) have been filled since I initially took the picture but the welder will be returning next week to fill the rest.

 

Right now I am in discussion with a gentleman that repairs and restores armor from the state of Washington. I told him that I have no desire to it restore to original condition but to bring her back to life with as many modern updates as possible. I want a Cummins diesel engine and an Allison transmission at the very least but also want modern lights, a mount for a M3HB, front and rear cameras, air conditioning and any other creature comforts we can think of.

 

A little history behind her is that she was rescued over forty years after being put to rest on a target range. Some of the "operatives" were practicing with a B-40 prior to deploying to Southeast Asia. On the second day of practice, they overshot the backstop/berm and a rifle round hit a commercial fisherman in the Virginia River. The range went cold that day and remained cold until the mid-2000's. Three Sherman's were rescued and this was probably the worst of the lot.

 

I paid WAY too much for her but she's mine and I was able to obtain a SF-97 (a form of a US government title) that assured that I legally owned this vehicle. She stands as guard at our range one block from the Las Vegas Strip until we figure out our next step.

 

V/R

Ron M Cheney

 

Rx7TuNi.jpg

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Lovely !!! when you primed us up with that introduction and said she was the worst of the choice on the range???... I was getting ready to see a veritable swiss cheese carcass of a Sherman !.then I scrolled down and !!!!!!!!...

she's gorgeous mate !!! Very envious over here mate :):) ....

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Nice. Looks pretty good on the outside...What's it like inside?

 

It's a rusted mess on the inside. The turrets were open for forty plus years so you can imagine what it looks like. The one positive thing I can say is that the breech block is still intact. The barrel has been demilled but I can get a new barrel and send in an ATF Form 1 and make the weapon live again (that's the plan).

 

V/R

Ron M Cheney

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maybe a daft question but .....I take it you've given her a blow over paint wise ?

or is it really such gorgeous weather in Nevada all year round that she's stayed in such good condition ? :):):):)

anyways...

I think you're exceptionally lucky to have found her in such a 'complete' state...

.......over this side of the water we're more accustomed to the average 'range wreck' looking like a right knackered bag of scrap ........and missing just about anything that can be either blown off by explosives damage or taken by engineers from musuems seeking bits to complete their exhibits with :)

.........and if they don't have a go at anything sitting on a range???.... then there's always the usual opportunistic 'scrap man' who is seldom worried about what damage he may be doing to an historic vehicle :)

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I am amazed you got an SF97 title. AFAIK, every state accepts SF97 as a legitimate title, so you can now get a regular title from Nevada and with some creative form filling, get this registered... perhaps as a farm implement(?) If I were you, I would do that and contact the casinos on the strip. I am sure they would pay dearly to use this to transport some nutty VIP. The limos and such are all stale, but arriving in a tank... now that is only for those who rule the world.

 

Might have to buy a lot of donuts for local LEO though, but imagine the PR this would have...

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Folks,

 

I thought I would give you guys a little update since the last post. I found the running gear to include all of the VVSS suspension, bogies, rear idlers, front sprockets, final drive and even the tracks. We will be installing a Detroit Diesel 8V92 along with an Allison transmission to keep things simple. Guests will be able to driver her around the property (we purchased 162 acres) and I need this vehicle as easy to maintain as possible.

 

Here are some of the pics....

 

IMG_5718.jpg

 

Sherman with final drive and turret.jpg

IMG_5714.jpg

IMG_5723.jpg

IMG_5727.jpg

IMG_5730.jpg

IMG_5732.jpg

Sherman final drive.jpg

Sherman on stands.jpg

Sherman turret on skate.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

Here's an update only a year or so late :blush:

 

We've managed to get new suspension with new road wheels and a replacement transmission. All of the 40mm rocket holes were filled with 40mm diameter steel bar cut to fit, pounded in place and then welded in place. Because this Sherman will be used for guests to drive around the property, we fitted a Detroit 8V92T that's mated to a Allison automatic transmission. My guys fabricated a fuel cell for the left-side rear sponson and the right-side rear sponson will house the batteries and air filter assembly. Also, because of the Las Vegas heat, we are installing air conditioning and fabricated a custom cooling system. The A/C was a brand new unit that was made for a MRAP and we pulled two of the huge cooling fans from M113's.

 

This will be FAR from an original restoration as it was so far gone and I wanted this Sherman to be much more customer friendly with creature comforts of automatic transmission and air conditioning.

 

 

 

Here are some more pictures of the progress....

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=128925&stc=1

attachment.php?attachmentid=128926&stc=1

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=128927&stc=1

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=128920&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=128919&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=128921&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=128922&stc=1

Sherman side view b 750.jpg

Sherman new road wheels 750.jpg

Sherman pack with cooling fans 750.jpg

Edited by DoctorCheney223
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Whether or not its historically correct isn't really important considering your goal.

Your making it so it can be enjoyed by a lot of people which is cool (figuratively and literally).

 

So, well done so far.

Edited by Enigma
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