M3A1 Stuart Tank Project

So it's taken a long time to get to this point but I've managed to land an M3A1 Stuart tank.

The old girl Was built in December 1942 and used by the British Army during WW2 and carried the registration T-156312 and was named Gold Mine by her crew.

There's a long way to go (and I have an M2 halftrack to finish first) but if there's any parts and drawings out there then I'd certainly be interested in hearing about them!

The plan so far is just to get her running and moving under her own steam before restoration on the rest of the vehicle begins but that's a long way off yet. In the short term I've a list of parts that I know will be needed.

Driver's Seat (either parts or drawings)
Bow Gunner's Seat (either parts or drawings)
Tiller's
Control linkages
Clutch and throttle pedal
Magneto parts (as one mag is missing the points and base plate)
Tachometer
Turret basket drawings or parts
Turret seat parts or drawings
Unfortunately I also need the rotary junction box but I've no idea where I might find one of them!
Turret hydraulic motor, reservoir etc
It would be nice to find a gun mount and any gun parts as I currently only have a barrel but I think that could be a very long shot!
I also need a few track end connectors and wedge bolts. The tracks themselves will be replaced eventually but they'll be fine for use off road for now with a few replacement end connectors and new wedge bolts.

I'd also be very interested in any drawings that anyone might have available as I'm not stranger to fabricating parts! In particular drawings or patterns for the prop shaft shroud.

Anyway here's a snap of the old girl to show where I'm starting.

Tom

 

Cheers, big project (for such a small tank) but sometimes you have to take the plunge!

 

Welcome. Hope you can post a lot of pictures as you progress.

 

Sounds like a great project, I always liked the early M3s. Is the technical manual not a help with drawings of parts?

 

Where does one stumble on a Stuart? That must be a story in itself.

What has it been doing for 75 years?

Frank

 

Sadly I haven't been able to find out dimensions for the various missing parts in the manuals that I have found on line (will have to get the correct M3A1 manual) but thinks like the prop shaft shroud, there's enough left for me to be able to use the original as a pattern to make a new one. As I say, it's a long way down the road yet.

 

In all honesty I have no idea. All of the parts except the starter motor and the two magnetos are dated 1942 (the year of the tank) which makes sense. The starter and the mags are dated 1943 which makes sense as they are parts which would be replaced surprisingly regularly. So if there was a problem starting the tank one morning for example, someone may well have replaced the starter, still no joy, replace the mags, ah it works now . . .

But then things like the tyres are all 1942 dated and while tyres won't wear out anywhere near as fast as the tracks, I would have thought that over 75 years they would have needed replacing.

I suspect that, aside from the starter and mags, she ran as expected (the M3A1 is a reliable tank if looked after) and at the end of WW2 she was simply parked up in a storage yard as reserve stock. Eventually when the model because properly redundant and wasn't even any use for training she was retired and sold as surplus. I do know that she was stood next to a business signpost for about 20 years and then in 1998 changed owners and was used, again as essentially a sign post but otherwise . . . she's been hibernating . . . about time to wake her up I think!

As to how I found her, well I'll let it slip eventually but for now I'll just say there is a little story there.

 

They did indeed, a couple went to the US another went to Holland (if I remember rightly) . . . Had a few people saying that mine must be one of there's but I can say that it's not from R&R and She didn't come from Brazil. I would be interested in speaking to RR about parts though

 

Not sure yet, especially given the early days. But I'm thinking a generic NW Europe British look. As I said it carries the British T number T-156312 and there's a lot of original green showing through the dirt and grime and later paint.

That said I do love the ragged US Marine Corps look!

 

Are there any AoS numbers or Div Signs showing under the paint that might confirm anyting else.
As per a census number database I have I have T156321 as belonging to 1st East Riding Yeomanry, 33rd Armoured Brigade, 79th Armoured Division. This was via 27th Armoured Brigade Workshops ( thanks to Tom O'Brien on this site ).

Cheers

Kevin

 

Can you get MGs for it? Depending on which place, service, and period you choose you might need the two extra sponson guns to make a total of five.

 

That's awesome information, and such a close number

Surprisingly there is a bit of a family connection to the East Riding.

As to markings I haven't found any yet aside from the number and the name, Gold Mine, but there's plenty of rubbing down to be done yet.

 

Already have one deactivated one and another replica so I'm two out of three already. As mine is an M3A1 She was only ever fitted with three machine-guns. The earlier M3's and M3 Hybrid's did have sponson mounted machine-guns however these were soon found to be a nuisance and were removed by experience crews as soon as possible. The extra space was highly sort after in the M3's and as the M3A1 is fitted with a turret basket, I'm not entirely sure how these extra MG's would be serviced when in action. That said the original M3A1 (which is in a museum in the USA) was originally built as an M3 Hybrid and was pulled off the production line to be modified into the first A1. Very early M3A1's did have the holes for the sponson guns but these were welded up. Later vehicles like mine had a round plug welded over the hole in the right side sponson (for some reason the holes kept getting drilled in the right side sponsons and no-one seems to know why).

As a side, I've been in an M5A1 plenty of times and have seen M3A1's countless times and always figured oh year it does look smaller inside . . . I can't believe how much smaller it is And that's baring in mind that mine is missing the whole back end of the gun!

Going to be a cosy experience putting her back together!

 

How and where is GOLD MINE written? Is it solid stencil and what size are the letters?

Cheers

Kevin

 

Centered above the T number. The letters are in block capitols, painted white and are about 20mm wide (the line thickness that is) and about 100mm high.

I'm going to get a picture this week once I've cleared the paint off a bit more of the muck and grime. I will say the font is the same as the T number however the T number appears to have been originally painted in blue and then repainted white.

 

The reason i asked about the size of the font and style of the name could determine whether it was an official or unofficial name. If it were painted free-hand would make one think it was unofficial. If as you say it was centred above the census number makes me think it was official. Can you tell if the name was painted in blue ( light i take it ) and then over painted in white. Are the census numbers on the side sponsons?

I am not sure which units had M3 A1's during NW Europe but i am sure someone on here will have that sort of info.

Cheers

Kevin

 

The name appears to just be in white. Wouldn't like to say weather it was painted free hand or not (my lass is EXTREMELY neat, even when painting free hand and I had to ask her to try and be rough when she painted the name on my Jeep). If I have to guess I would say probably painted with a stencil.

The census numbers are indeed on the sponsons, with the name painted above.