sharky47

11111111111111

sharky47

In the last set of pics you can see my dad standing in the hull guiding the turret ring down into position. His gold 944 that I gave him in some pictures as well.....

sharky47

2222222222222

Thaddeus

SFC!

Avenger6

Where do you guys come up with the new roadwheels, track sections, and other wear items?

I am (was/might be again) an M1A1 Abrams tanker, and it is awesome to see these old battle beasts being brought back to life. I hope I'll see some Abrams being done in my old age.....

sharky47

Alot of the new parts (the ones legal to import) were sourced in Europe.

Hopefully I can get some more pictures done tonight, we are just over halfway done......

Todd157k

"Hello, Napa auto parts guy.. I need 3700 cans of PB Blaster, 4500 cans of Brake Clean... oh and do you stock a left front idler wheel for a 1937 Sherman tank.. I only need one"


Wow man, that's flippin incredible. Here I thought my 67 Triumph Bonnie was a big project. Pffft.

Kool

Awesome

sharky47

I should clarify - the restoration is complete, I am over halfway done posting all the pictures.

tresamore

Very, Very Cool!

I love restoration of any kind, especially if it has an engine.

Fishey

I am curious why doesn't anyone ever show the tanks as they where actually used instead of how them came off the assembly line. I mean, the restoration is an amazing thing but one of the coolest aspects to me of any fighting machine is the personal modifications made by crew members during the war. I for one have never seen a restored Sherman covered logs or tank tracks. (As some crews did to beef up the armor) now weather it helped or not? I dunno maybe ask a WW2 vet.

SidViscous

When I was a kid and built models I finished a tank (think it was a Zippo) my grandfather, who was a WW II vet, but in aviation (B-25, built alot of those models too, and C-119 in support of Chennaults boys in China), he looked at my finished and painted tank and said. "During all of WW II I never saw one tank that looked like that. They were all rusted and covered in pockmarks from bullets."

So first I heated up a needle and created pockmarks. Then I mixed up a batch of rust colored paint (yellow with some brown and a hint of red). Painted the tank in sections and wiped it off quickly, so only a little was left in the edges crevesas and seams.

It looked so much cooler after that.

Imo000

They are not restoring it to battle condition but to off the assembly line condition (or as close as they can get it). When you are restoring a race car, are you going to make it look like it did after a race or before it?


Impressive work!!!!! Looks like most of the major componenets were all there in refurbishable condition.

sharky47

Well actually, we are restoring correctly. This tank never left America, it stayed on a training base all it's life before it was sold as surplus. So technically - we are restoring it 100% accuratly......

Riad

Sharky, you and your dad should be extremely proud of the work you have done. I'm so very impressed - which doesn't happen often, and I can't wait until you post the finished pics.

Rob