From: Travis S. (tls2771@attbi.com)
Date: Wed Mar 20 2002 - 02:35:35 PST
I was just going to ask for help in determing the year of my White halftrack
but as I sit here studying the data plate I have more questions. When I
bought the track I was told it was an M16 and it look's like a straight M16,
it has the folding armor and all the armor on it is original ( non-repro at
any rate). The mfgrs. data plate is steel and badly rusted but I can make
out the serial # 297973 and the Ord # 1820, these numbers are small but
deeply struck, this serial number matches the number on the frame. Now the
odd thing is that it's labeled GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M3 and then next to the 3
a 16 has been struck ( no A1 though) the 3 is hard to see and I thought
maybe it was just the rust making a pattern and not really a 3 at all, but
now I think it is a 3 and the 16 was added.The thing that I just noticed
tonight is that there is also a second serial number stamped over the top of
the original one. These numbers are larger in size but shallow and hard to
see, the numbers are 282810 any idea's as to what's going on here? I have a
friend with an M16 parts track and the data plate clearly say's M16 with no
3 and one serial #. I thought that M16's came from the factory as M16's (
not modified but purpose built) and that the M16A1's were made by modifying
M3's because there weren't enough M16's to go around. My track is stamped
with a 16 not a 16A1 and besides, 16A1's didn't have folding armor. So is
this track an M3 that was field modified into an M16, folding armor and all
and then given a new serial # ? If so I didn't know that it was done in
this way.
On another note, is there anyway I can date this track? Anything like
difference's in suspension or running gear or armor that might tell me if
it's early or late war? I'm going to apply for a title and I need to give it
a date, I'd hate to title it as a 44 or 45 and have someone tell me later
that it's clearly early war or vice-versa. I hope that some of this post
made sense and thank's for any help.
Travis.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Mon Apr 08 2002 - 00:28:04 PDT