From: Douglas Greville (dgrev@ruralnet.net.au)
Date: Sun Aug 03 2003 - 20:25:38 PDT
Claude
> One goal is to provide a reference to owners of M8's and M20's
> seeking their approximate USA serial numbers. Ultimately, I would
> like to develop restoration guidelines for these vehicles, perhaps
> publishing this online.
Not approximate Claude, that only causes a LOT of problems. Do it
EXACTLY!!!!
Easy! (once you know how)
M8s have the chassis number stamped into the glacis below both headlamp
guards and also into the armour behind where the main data plate goes.
The turret number is also cast into the metal, on early ones the
numbers are close, but they cast turrets faster
than they made hull so as production progresses the numbers get out
of sync. The chassis number reads GAK - #####- C
The first M8 was USA 6032230 - S and was hull number 6, the first 5 were
T22s.
Therefore my vehicle which is hull number 2073 would be
6032224 + 2073 = USA 6034297 - S
This formula is correct and has been gleaned from the US national
archives. The Bovington M8 which has never been altered and has it's
original plates and from careful rubbing down of several M8s and it all
corrolates. This theory has also been proved with several random
vehicles which still had their USA under layers of paint. Most
recently a vehicle in England 1 month ago (July 2003).
The first 2 M20s were T26s and as a result the M20 numbers began at
chassis number 2 = USA 60110774 - S
So the formula would be 60110772 + hull number = USA number.
I would like to see a couple of M-20s with genuine USA numbers
matched against their hull numbers just to confirm this.
The above conclusions are mostly the work of an English collector
(Jon Heyworth) who has dropped from sight and I can no longer contact.
I have tidied up the math and done some more verification on his
original work.
He is in possession of a huge US Ordinance report on the M8/M20 which
covers everything about their design with full ballistic testing
etc. I would love to get my hands on a copy but have had no success
in locating him.
Regards
Doug
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Armoured Vehicles Collector
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_/|___|_|___|\_ /____\
/ [___] [___] \ Douglas Greville _/[o]___\_
/\_ [o] [o] _/\ Broken Hill __/=_|____|_=\__
|w||___________||w| N.S.W. /__\__________/__\
|w|\u u/|w| Australia |w| \ / |w|
|w| \_________/ |w| |w|$ \______/ $|w|
[w] [w] [w] [w]
M8 Ferret
dgrev@iinet.net.au
Web Armour site at:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/lsm/dhmg/index.html (UK mirror site)
and
http://www.trackpads.com/heavymetal/index.html (US mirror site)
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