Tank graveyard par excellance!

[Maurice]

Some bits are almost not available anymore , like gun and gun mount , turret ring and turret also don`t come cheap , what about the rear engine deck , especially the cast cover for over the radiator etc etc. The same person also had already the M31`s on E bay , no bid , starting bid 30000,- very twisted side etc .also no turret or recovery crane.

[ajmac]

If you want a collection of cheap tanks you have to do what I did and get them twenty years ago!

That's hardly positive is it Mr B?

Rick, all you need to do is find and restore something German, lets say a StuG III, no, to be on the safe side, find one of the big Panzers, once you've completed it you'll be able to swap it for any piece of Allied armour you care to think of. A very constructive approach, don't you think?:angel:

[Adrian Barrell]

That's hardly positive is it Mr B?

Rick, all you need to do is find and restore something German, lets say a StuG III, no, to be on the safe side, find one of the big Panzers, once you've completed it you'll be able to swap it for any piece of Allied armour you care to think of. A very constructive approach, don't you think?:angel:

 

I don't really see my role in life as putting a Sherman on everybodies drive. I got mine through hard work and putting myself in the right place at the right time, that may be harder now but there is no easy way I'm afraid.

 

To be fair, when they were plentiful and cheap, nobody wanted them. Seeing other peoples restorations on show has made them more desirable and with that comes a price increase. I would not want to try to do what I did now, I simply could not afford it.

 

As you have found, if you want something rare, you either have a shedload of money or take on a real basket case.

[eddy8men]

basket cases are the way ahead

i have a plan to start up a group of tank enthusiasts, (the armoured heritage group) basically the members will be guys that want to get involved in ww2 armour but can't afford to get a tank or don't have the facilities to get it restored. we'll restore and display the tanks as a group that way we all get what we want. my personal aim is to raise awareness of british ww2 armour this would be virtually impossible on my own and i don't have the bank account to sub it all out to the professionals, so it's the group or nothing and if it all goes tits up i could always sell the lot and buy a dodge viper :-D

[Niels v]

it looks like some of the vehicles, from this yard are for sale now.

http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=56623&cat=1

http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=56556&cat=1

[Enigma]

The Lee in the pic is a early one?

Because it seems to have firing ports for MG's in the front plate?

[steveo578]

Enigma

The Lee in the pic is a early one?

Its standard for a US M3 series vehicle -which retained 1 hull fixed MG throughout their life- including the M31 shown. It is also hard to determine without a serial number whether this one is an early model modified by replacing the hinged side doors with blanking plates or most likely a mid production M3 which were manufactured with plated over side door appertures. as far as I am aware the side doors on remanufactured M3s irrespective of their final use retained the hull configuration that they were built.

 

As it is an M3 gasoline radial engined model it was remanufactured from existing gun tanks -last M3s produced in August 1942 first M31 built October 1942, with a small number of diesel engined M3A3-A5 built as new on the production line at Baldwin. most M31 either diesel or gasoline were rebuilds.

 

Unless some-one knows of a M3, M31 or a CDL/T10 turret (or as a long shot a Grant turret, Grants are different but needs must) lying around the only other option would be to make it an example of the substitute standard artillery tractor M33 -which was a stripped down turretless M31 TVR used mainly in Italy for towing 240mm howitzers in place of HST M6 .