Very early XM-706

[B3.3T]

A very early 1965 XM-706 in Colorado. I completed this restoration to the owner's request about 6 years ago. No longer any connection but the only early model I know in private ownership.
http://www.armyjeeps.net/V100XXX/V100.htm

 

[Monkeyboyarmy]

Nice

 

[M813rc]

Many interesting features - major items of note are squared wheel wells, very early style turret, one piece rear hatch, pioneering kit where side hatch is on later models. Many detail differences inside. Unique amongst preserved examples (that I know of).

B3.3T, do you know what the bracket next to the shifter is for? Original?

Considering what you started with, I must say you did a great job fixing this one up!

Cheers

 

[marchplumber]

looks REALLY nice!! Thanks for sharing the photos

God bless,
Tony

 

[Karl kostman]

Beautiful inside and out, easily the nicest I have ever seen!!
KK

 

[B3.3T]

Thanks, Rory. You nailed most of the features. The bracket was for the original jump seat. Other features included flat driver hatches, tapered edges on the firing port covers and the firing port knobs are larger. The lack of left rear engine access door is a real pain. And I don't like the one-piece rear door.

 

[B3.3T]

Here was the beginning.

 

[M813rc]

The lack of left rear engine access door is a real pain. And I don't like the one-piece rear door.

Since I spend quite a bit of time leaning in through that side hatch during servicing, I imagine not having it would be a most royal PIA.

While using said hatch, I did learn not to hook up the batteries whilst touching the hatch edge with my sweaty upper arm!

I don't think anyone else liked that rear door either, particularly the smaller stature folks like the Vietnamese. I gather it was rather difficult to open, and to close.

Thanks for sharing the 'before' pictures too.

Cheers

 

[marchplumber]

Those before pics tell the real story of your amazing work! Thanks for sharing
God bless
Tony

 

[baseballump]

Rory Great eye but you missed the Molotov cocktail cover on the engine cover. Is the rear top door on your V is it flat? It is a great job in restoring a V. This is from a Driver of one in Vietnam with the 630MP CO. 1970-71.

 

[M813rc]

Louie, I saw it wasn't there, but that went on in production for quite a while.

My V is early mid-production (around a third of the way through the total production run), it was built with flat driver hatches, no Molotov cocktail 'pagoda', and a few other details which it has now. I make the presumption that it received the later items when it went through its refurb in Saigon in 1969, since those were all "bolt-on" items. They couldn't, of course, change the extra vision blocks ahead of the side hatches, so it still has those.

Cheers

 

[baseballump]

Rory Let me tell you, you don't know how many time that thing was hit by a foot.
Didn't know they did refurb in Saigon. We had one with a blow up engine they sent it to Japan for repair. It was a pain to get it ready to go.
Travel Safe
Louie

 

[Rickv100]

I never saw orders to rebuild in Saigon either. Most were deadlined for lack of parts. That was a common complaint of the MP's. Under the ENSURE contract the ARVN was responsible for parts and support to the US Army MP V100's. That totally failed in practice.

I have deadline sheets from 1969-1970 for a bunch of V100's with parts missing listed.

Rick

 

[baseballump]

Rick Rory When it came to parts to keep our V s on the road we did what ever it took. We would trade with the ARVNs, we would go to the dept. were new V s came into to Cam Rahn and borrow parts off V s that were going to the ARVNs. We were going to give them back at some point. And, if he had to change something with the wrong part we would make it work (sometimes it did sometimes it didn't). Now from what I have been told when thing got into late 1971and 1972 The guys that were there Started to take parts off of our V to keep as many running as they could. As the time when by few and few were out on convoys.

 

[Rickv100]

That was the problem with the X designation. Parts are not standard stock items. The MP units campaigned to have the V100 accepted as a stock item so parts could be carried as normal items. Unfortunately CadGage was not able to
keep up with demand from ARVN, Army and Air Force demands.

 

[swbradley1]

B3.3T, Is that the one I got pictures of when it was shipped up through Gratis?

 

[B3.3T]

It could have been that one.

 

[M813rc]

I may have misunderstood the Saigon rebuild bit. That information came to me from another, who was looking at old invoices and found my hull number. Since the address was a depot in Saigon, I made the assumption (perhaps rashly) that the work was done there.

All of the parts involved would have been bolt-on (hinge-pin on?), like hatch covers, so it could have been done in a non-specialized shop. There would have been some welding involved though, as I understand that replacement hatch covers came with the hinges separate, to allow them to be fitted to individual vehicles.

Anyone working on V100s has found out that you might be able to switch a hatch from one to another, and you might not! That is why the vehicles original doors have the number of the hull they belong to stamped on them.

Cheers

 

[wgtactical]

All of the parts involved would have been bolt-on (hinge-pin on?), like hatch covers, so it could have been done in a non-specialized shop. There would have been some welding involved though, as I understand that replacement hatch covers came with the hinges separate, to allow them to be fitted to individual vehicles.

Anyone working on V100s has found out that you might be able to switch a hatch from one to another, and you might not! That is why the vehicles original doors have the number of the hull they belong to stamped on them.

Cheers

I have a few NOS replacement hatches for the V and all the welding is complete on those.

 

[M813rc]

Later "standard" hatches? My late parts manual shows them as one piece units, but an early one mentions that the hinges are part of the kit, but separate and needing to be fitted to the vehicle (though the diagram shows them complete).

One of the current V restorer/owners had some front hatch springs made, based on measurements of his V, and gave me a set for mine. They fit fine on his, but they would not fit mine without a little re-bending.

But my V is an earlier one, with two vision blocks ahead of the side hatches. It would have come from the factory with flat driver and engine intake hatches. I would guess that the later production vehicles were easier to swap parts on.

I can only imagine the trials involved in trying to maintain a fleet of non-standard vehicles. Good on you Louie, and the other fellers, for a job well done!

Cheers