Working On The M561 Gama Goat

[frank8003]

I missed it
When was your GG built?
Cost was way over big bucks when new.
Overall, some 15,274 Gama Goats were built at a cost of US $8,000 each in like 1960?
Is that like $100,000 now?

 

[mkcoen]

I missed it
When was your GG built?
Cost was way over big bucks when new.
Overall, some 15,274 Gama Goats were built at a cost of US $8,000 each in like 1960?
Is that like $100,000 now?

The actual production run of Goats went from 1968-1972. The first 4,000 delivered were not accepted by the military due to serious defects and were put in to storage until they could be fixed.

Mine is a 1971 USMC Goat. The Marines took about 1500 of the 15k produced.

In today's money the 1968 $8,000 comes out to about $55,500.

 

[Another Ahab]

In today's money the 1968 $8,000 comes out to about $55,500.

You're on target.

Found this calculator on-line http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=8000&year1=1960&year2=2015

 

[mkcoen]

You're on target.

Found this calculator on-line http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=8000&year1=1960&year2=2015

I found something similar but mine came in about 2 grand higher.

 

[Another Ahab]

I found something similar but mine came in about 2 grand higher.

Economics (YMMV):

- It's as much art as it is science

 

[mkcoen]

Economics (YMMV):

- It's as much art as it is science

Yep. Wife has a Masters in Econ. As they say, "figures lie and liars figure" (not speaking of the wife just goes with economics).

 

[Another Ahab]

Yep. Wife has a Masters in Econ. As they say, "figures lie and liars figure" (not speaking of the wife just goes with economics).

Yeah the line I always liked is:

- "An economist is a person who can tell you tomorrow why what they predicted yesterday didn't happen today."

 

[mkcoen]

Well the weather held out but I didn't. Working on and off as much as I could I still only got about 4hrs (probably closer to 3) in between 7am and 5pm. So instead of getting all of the inside of the carrier done I got less than half. It'd be nice if I could manage that much 5 days in a row and I could get it all knocked out. As it is I'll probably need the weekend to recover so I can hit it again Monday. TexAndy will be up Wed and hopefully the steering box will have arrived so we can try and get that in.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Looking at all the work you are carrying out makes me think I should really start to go through some of my stuff. It just seems to get harder the older you are.

 

[mkcoen]

Looking at all the work you are carrying out makes me think I should really start to go through some of my stuff. It just seems to get harder the older you are.

Unfortunately I don't have any kids to help out so I used to borrow a friend's. He's grown up and working now and has his own MV to deal with so I rely on other friends as much as possible. Keith_J did the lion's share of work on the wife's M37 and TexAndy and M813rc helped me go to recover this one (TexAndy and Keith_J have already been working hard on it as well). If you can get the next generation to be excited to learn how these machines work you might get some free labor out of it, or if not free then at a minimum of buying them lunch.

 

[papabear]

Well the weather held out but I didn't. Working on and off as much as I could I still only got about 4hrs (probably closer to 3) in between 7am and 5pm. So instead of getting all of the inside of the carrier done I got less than half. It'd be nice if I could manage that much 5 days in a row and I could get it all knocked out. As it is I'll probably need the weekend to recover so I can hit it again Monday. TexAndy will be up Wed and hopefully the steering box will have arrived so we can try and get that in.

View attachment 547518View attachment 547519

That's exactly why I try not to make any of my MV fixer uppers a "timed event". I've learned to do what I can...as much as I can...when I can...and the rest will just have to wait until the cycle can be repeated.

 

[Another Ahab]

Well the weather held out but I didn't. Working on and off as much as I could I still only got about 4hrs (probably closer to 3) in between 7am and 5pm.

You might be interested to know how long some of the Medieval cities took to build their Cathedrals; 50, 100, 150 years and even longer.

It's all looking good. Slow and steady gets it done, and once you're done no one will know how long it took; only how good it looks. You go, mkcoen!

 

[papabear]

You might be interested to know how long some of the Medieval cities took to build their Cathedrals; 50, 100, 150 years and even longer.
It's all looking good. Slow and steady gets it done, and once you're done no one will know how long it took; only how good it looks. You go, mkcoen!

Heck...I heard it took dern near a year to build Rome!! I know it wasn't built in a day cause that's a saying folks have.

 

[Another Ahab]

Heck...I heard it took dern near a year to build Rome!! I know it wasn't built in a day cause that's a saying folks have.

 

[mkcoen]

Heck...I heard it took dern near a year to build Rome!! I know it wasn't built in a day cause that's a saying folks have.

Rome, GA was't built in a day. I heard it took 72 hours just for the strip clubs

 

[Another Ahab]

Rome, GA was't built in a day. I heard it took 72 hours just for the strip clubs

Are those the "pole" barns in GA you're always hearing about!?

 

[turnkey]

Great thread to follow and lots of good info on the gamma goat. My hats off to you, who work so hard... I am past the get r down stage...So iffn that was my gamma goat ...It would be off the the paint shop.....Comes back like new......Getting old sucks...Best wishes on this rebuild will follow along..

 

[Another Ahab]

Well the weather held out but I didn't. Working on and off as much as I could I still only got about 4hrs (probably closer to 3) in between 7am and 5pm. So instead of getting all of the inside of the carrier done I got less than half. It'd be nice if I could manage that much 5 days in a row and I could get it all knocked out. As it is I'll probably need the weekend to recover so I can hit it again Monday. TexAndy will be up Wed and hopefully the steering box will have arrived so we can try and get that in.

View attachment 547518View attachment 547519

mkcoen, check this out; I just stumbled across the video completely by accident.

Might want to look into this method!

https://youtu.be/l_9nITRz--0

 

[mkcoen]

mkcoen, check this out; I just stumbled across the video completely by accident.

I hadn't heard of dry ice blasting but would imagine it's even more expensive than soda blasting. I'm waiting for the blaster to get free time to start on mine but figured since he charges by the hour not the job I might as well get some of it done myself. If he keeps dragging his feet I might just have it all done any way.

 

[Another Ahab]

I hadn't heard of dry ice blasting but would imagine it's even more expensive than soda blasting. I'm waiting for the blaster to get free time to start on mine but figured since he charges by the hour not the job I might as well get some of it done myself. If he keeps dragging his feet I might just have it all done any way.

Good strategy:

- You'll have it all completed.

- Without having endured any of the dread anticipation.

Because, in your mind, you were figuring the whole time that it was all going to be done by the blaster.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant.