My Guntruck build.

[barrygar8]

smokewagon66, I thought the back of my truck is full of stuff but the 37mm, water cooled 1919 and the rifle in
a jeep uncle sam got me beat.

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

LOL yah no doubt...big things do come in small packages i guess...i bet it packs a pretty good wallop.

But what do you think about putting one of them 37MM in my deuce?

 

[barrygar8]

I have not seen a cannon in the back of a truck like that before but it would be somthing to talk abought it needs to be up high so you could shoot it from side to side and out the back.

 

[minigunner64th]

Hey Smoke, I served on 2 guntrucks in VN, Highland Animals and Mighty Minny, we stuck everything you can imagine on our trucks. If that 37MM had been available I'm sure someone would have tried it. Not sure how practical or usefull it would have been, though. Most of our firefights were fairly close range and I think most arty rounds have to travel a certain distance to arm itself. Would look cool though. Anyway, thanks for building a guntruck.

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

...it needs to be up high so you could shoot it from side to side and out the back.

Yes, the idea was to place it to the rear near the tailgate, without putting armor plating on the sides back there, similar to a quad 50 setup, that way it wouldnt have to be much higher then the sides of the bed, and i would put stoppers on the sides so it couldnt rotate far enough to aim toward the other gun placements...

Hey Smoke, I served on 2 guntrucks in VN, Highland Animals and Mighty Minny, we stuck everything you can imagine on our trucks. If that 37MM had been available I'm sure someone would have tried it. Not sure how practical or usefull it would have been, though. Most of our firefights were fairly close range and I think most arty rounds have to travel a certain distance to arm itself. Would look cool though. Anyway, thanks for building a guntruck.

mini, the idea was that you guys back then just stuck what you could on the truck, more is better, bigger is better, etc...thats the attitude i had when i gunned in Iraq, but regulations wouldnt allow it..had what they gave you and that was it. The arty probably wouldnt be effective at close range for the HE rounds but im sure they would have worked great for hardened targets in ambush kill zones, i dont know if the VC ever used any kind of built up areas to attack from, but i think the M6 would been awesome for that. If for nothing else, shock and awe lol. I need to draw up a floor plan for the bed to see if all this would fit, and how it would work. If i do, ill post it here.

And Thank You for your service on Guntrucks!

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

Ok heres a little update:

After much consideration, discussions, and research, I have decided to scrap the idea of a fictional truck, and replicate one that existed in VN. With that in mind, and scouring pics for one that I want to replicate, I have made up my mind and decided to copy the Deuce and a half version of "Highland Animals" from the 68-70 time frame. Ive been trading PMs with one of the actual crew members from this truck and will get as much info about it as i can so its as close to authentic as possible. Heres a couple pics i found online of the truck....

 

[minigunner64th]

Glad you're building the early Animals. Those 4 pics you posted are from my album on the Guntrucks site. The one with 3 guys beside the truck, that's me on the left.

 

[Driver523]

Here's one from Larry Lofts album-----

 

[Driver523]

Here's a little different photo of the Animal truck----good shot of the graphics on the door armor---see anything else?

 

[WarrenD]

Are you talking about the little piece of armor at the cab corner?

 

[Srjeeper]

Here's a little different photo of the Animal truck----good shot of the graphics on the door armor---see anything else?

The armor extends down the inside of the door instead of on the outside??

 

[Driver523]

Naw----Its on a 5 ton------see that little strip of armor on the rear of the box?--is that the same piece on Tarkus just ahead of the tail armor?

 

[Vintage iron]

Great project! Keep the pictures coming!

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

Naw----Its on a 5 ton------see that little strip of armor on the rear of the box?--is that the same piece on Tarkus just ahead of the tail armor?

I was gonna say that it was a 5T...i was looking at the door and its plate, then the mirrors, then the small corner peice, then i saw the gas tank. If i had a '54 id build both versions

 

[Driver523]

The photo in post #29 (the 5 ton) is from the album of Tommy Canada, he was with the 572nd trans, thats the first time I have seen it on a 5 ton, shortly they had three gun trucks, The Gypsy Bandit (was turned in as The Ace of Spades then shows up as The Gypsy bandit) Tarkus, and a truck painted camo that was later named Pleasure Seeker's-----I just think that the Animal truck ended up being Tarkus, the other truck just don't show those kinda lines, it'll be hard to tell but I just don't see that 6 to 8 inch strip of armor on the camo truck thats on Animal.

 

[minigunner64th]

Driver, I think you may right about Animals and Tarkus. That sure looks like the twin 60 setup that Roger Holley put on the Animals. I kind of hurts my feelings that someone didn't like the name Highland Animals but it wouldn't be the first time it's name changed. Maybe I'm just too sensitive. LOL

 

[Driver523]

A sensitive guntrucker-----I hope that don't get out

 

[minigunner64th]

A sensitive guntrucker-----I hope that don't get out

We'll keep it our secret.

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

 

[Darwin T]

not quite as cool as these but i am working on putting an M66 on my M109a3.