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M-60A1 main battle tank from "project" to running and registered

DoctorCheney223

Active member
134
118
43
Location
Henderson, NV
I bought this M60A1 project from the widow of Steve Preston's after he suffered from a catastrophic accident in his M-41 Walker Bulldog and passed away. I didn't go looking for it but it was offered to me and because it had all the proper release paperwork from the USMC and Department of Navy, I went ahead and purchased it. It was demilled according to the rules at the time in 1993 by cutting out the armor where the driver sits and making deep torch cuts into the hull and the turret. Included with the purchase was a NOS power pack and a conex full of spare parts.

Even with ALL the parts we received, I still had to search and locate more parts from various dealers. We used 3" thick still to replace the armor that was removed the hull where the driver sits. We didn't need to go that thick even though the original armor was a bit thicker but we figured we might as well do it as close to original as possible. All of the torch cuts throughout the hull and turret were "V" cut with an angle grinder and filled with LOTS of weld. After all the welding was done, we dropped the engine and had to source new wiring harnesses from from various parts dealers. Some of the sellers were only used to selling to foreign governments and were surprised to find out that we had a complete and ready-to-run M60 that was legal. The keyword being legal, so they sold us all the parts we needed.

The original main gun had a cut breech ring and the barrel was torch-cut in the breech portion. Just as luck would have it, another collector named James DeGroat actually had a registered M68 breech ring and barrel. I didn't say a word about me owning a M60 (that just happened to need a M68 ring and barrel) and told him that I wanted to add it to my collection. We agreed on a price and he drove it out to Vegas after the transfer paperwork was by the BATF. My staff went to work right away and got everything swapped over and rebuilt the cylinders to keep everything safe from the recoil. One of the guys that was on the restoration team was a M60 tanker in the US Army from 1976 to 1982. Brett was a real help putting it all back together and making everything work. The main gun is live and we fire 105mm rounds with a 26-pound inert projectile. It REALLY give a thump and kicks up all the dirt and dust around the tank.

One thing that I take away from all this is the safety and precautions involved in making tanks live again. There are no short-cuts or inexpensive ways around shooting tanks. I've heard various sides about Steve Preston's catastrophic accident and I don't know what did or did happen but it DID set the standard for how we do things. We never fire main gun from inside the turret. Everything we do is done from the rear deck on top of the tank via a remote detonator (M60 tanks had remote detonators in the event they lost all power, they could still fire rounds). This was our first live-fire tank restoration and again, it set the standard on how we do things. If any of you ever find yourself in the possession of a live-fire tank, PLEASE reach out to me and get all the information you need. I would have no problem with you flying out to Vegas to get understanding of how things work and why they work. There is no room for error in the big bang collecting game.

The first pic is what it looked like when we received it and the others are of us using it at our "FOB" and Big Sandy.

V/R
RonM60 with front open.jpgDad firing M60A1 BigSandy 2018.jpgM60 blowing rings 1640px watermarked.JPG
 
Last edited:

INFChief

Well-known member
721
1,343
93
Location
New York
Spectacular!

As you probably know, the front glacious on tanks are sloped to help prevent rounds from penetrating. The thickness of the metal ends up being thicker due to the angle of the slope as the plates are layer down at an angle. Measuring the slope(s) on a horizontal plane reveal how thick they really are. It’s just like measuring a 2x4 that’s perpendicular to the ground and then measuring it again after rotating the 2x4 30 degrees and measuring on the same horizontal plane.

The M1 family were built with flat plates at angles versus the round (turtle like shell) because of the deflective characteristics of flat plates.
 

fuzzytoaster

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
4,208
2,876
113
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
DoctorCheney223 Excellent synopsis and a heartfelt congrats on seeing this project through. I had the opportunity to restore an M47 some years ago but in the end it was too much. I managed to get the gun grandfathered and registered with the BATFE before transferring her to a new home. I'd love another attempt at armor one day and the M60 hits the sweet spot in MERDEC.
 

Guyfang

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
15,686
21,630
113
Location
Burgkunstadt, Germany
What a Beauty. We had lots of them in Bamberg. 2/2 Cav. The Cav had their own compound. We unwashed masses, could not enter it. ONLY Cav. Whenever the on call Squadron got called out, the gates would open and out they thundered! Belching smoke, roaring like a demented Rinos! Left pivot turn at speed, and off to the Bundestrasse 505 and then toward the boarder, (Hof). What an impressive sight.
 

snakeyes

Member
57
17
8
Location
ohio
I bought this M60A1 project from the widow of Steve Preston's after he suffered from a catastrophic accident in his M-41 Walker Bulldog and passed away. I didn't go looking for it but it was offered to me and because it had all the proper release paperwork from the USMC and Department of Navy, I went ahead and purchased it. It was demilled according to the rules at the time in 1993 by cutting out the armor where the driver sits and making deep torch cuts into the hull and the turret. Included with the purchase was a NOS power pack and a conex full of spare parts.

Even with ALL the parts we received, I still had to search and locate more parts from various dealers. We used 3" thick still to replace the armor that was removed the hull where the driver sits. We didn't need to go that thick even though the original armor was a bit thicker but we figured we might as well do it as close to original as possible. All of the torch cuts throughout the hull and turret were "V" cut with an angle grinder and filled with LOTS of weld. After all the welding was done, we dropped the engine and had to source new wiring harnesses from from various parts dealers. Some of the sellers were only used to selling to foreign governments and were surprised to find out that we had a complete and ready-to-run M60 that was legal. The keyword being legal, so they sold us all the parts we needed.

The original main gun had a cut breech ring and the barrel was torch-cut in the breech portion. Just as luck would have it, another collector named James DeGroat actually had a registered M68 breech ring and barrel. I didn't say a word about me owning a M60 (that just happened to need a M68 ring and barrel) and told him that I wanted to add it to my collection. We agreed on a price and he drove it out to Vegas after the transfer paperwork was by the BATF. My staff went to work right away and got everything swapped over and rebuilt the cylinders to keep everything safe from the recoil. One of the guys that was on the restoration team was a M60 tanker in the US Army from 1976 to 1982. Brett was a real help putting it all back together and making everything work. The main gun is live and we fire 105mm rounds with a 26-pound inert projectile. It REALLY give a thump and kicks up all the dirt and dust around the tank.

One thing that I take away from all this is the safety and precautions involved in making tanks live again. There are no short-cuts or inexpensive ways around shooting tanks. I've heard various sides about Steve Preston's catastrophic accident and I don't know what did or did happen but it DID set the standard for how we do things. We never fire main gun from inside the turret. Everything we do is done from the rear deck on top of the tank via a remote detonator (M60 tanks had remote detonators in the event they lost all power, they could still fire rounds). This was our first live-fire tank restoration and again, it set the standard on how we do things. If any of you ever find yourself in the possession of a live-fire tank, PLEASE reach out to me and get all the information you need. I would have no problem with you flying out to Vegas to get understanding of how things work and why they work. There is no room for error in the big bang collecting game.

The first pic is what it looked like when we received it and the others are of us using it at our "FOB" and Big Sandy.

V/R
RonView attachment 870115View attachment 870116View attachment 870117
very nice and thanks for sharing
 

WOT

Member
18
28
13
Location
Reno, NV
I bought this M60A1 project from the widow of Steve Preston's after he suffered from a catastrophic accident in his M-41 Walker Bulldog and passed away. I didn't go looking for it but it was offered to me and because it had all the proper release paperwork from the USMC and Department of Navy, I went ahead and purchased it. It was demilled according to the rules at the time in 1993 by cutting out the armor where the driver sits and making deep torch cuts into the hull and the turret. Included with the purchase was a NOS power pack and a conex full of spare parts.

Even with ALL the parts we received, I still had to search and locate more parts from various dealers. We used 3" thick still to replace the armor that was removed the hull where the driver sits. We didn't need to go that thick even though the original armor was a bit thicker but we figured we might as well do it as close to original as possible. All of the torch cuts throughout the hull and turret were "V" cut with an angle grinder and filled with LOTS of weld. After all the welding was done, we dropped the engine and had to source new wiring harnesses from from various parts dealers. Some of the sellers were only used to selling to foreign governments and were surprised to find out that we had a complete and ready-to-run M60 that was legal. The keyword being legal, so they sold us all the parts we needed.

The original main gun had a cut breech ring and the barrel was torch-cut in the breech portion. Just as luck would have it, another collector named James DeGroat actually had a registered M68 breech ring and barrel. I didn't say a word about me owning a M60 (that just happened to need a M68 ring and barrel) and told him that I wanted to add it to my collection. We agreed on a price and he drove it out to Vegas after the transfer paperwork was by the BATF. My staff went to work right away and got everything swapped over and rebuilt the cylinders to keep everything safe from the recoil. One of the guys that was on the restoration team was a M60 tanker in the US Army from 1976 to 1982. Brett was a real help putting it all back together and making everything work. The main gun is live and we fire 105mm rounds with a 26-pound inert projectile. It REALLY give a thump and kicks up all the dirt and dust around the tank.

One thing that I take away from all this is the safety and precautions involved in making tanks live again. There are no short-cuts or inexpensive ways around shooting tanks. I've heard various sides about Steve Preston's catastrophic accident and I don't know what did or did happen but it DID set the standard for how we do things. We never fire main gun from inside the turret. Everything we do is done from the rear deck on top of the tank via a remote detonator (M60 tanks had remote detonators in the event they lost all power, they could still fire rounds). This was our first live-fire tank restoration and again, it set the standard on how we do things. If any of you ever find yourself in the possession of a live-fire tank, PLEASE reach out to me and get all the information you need. I would have no problem with you flying out to Vegas to get understanding of how things work and why they work. There is no room for error in the big bang collecting game.

The first pic is what it looked like when we received it and the others are of us using it at our "FOB" and Big Sandy.

V/R
RonView attachment 870115View attachment 870116View attachment 870117
Nice Work! Do you have a HET setup to haul it?
 

Guyfang

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
15,686
21,630
113
Location
Burgkunstadt, Germany
This is what one calls "Mission creep". Get a tank. Then a HET to transport it. Then a M813 drop side to mount your two 600 Gal pods and pump unit. Got to have a TPU, or every gas station in a 100 mile radius would sooner or later ban you. Then you need a M88A1 to tow it if need be. Then a motor park for the tank and your "Fleet". You may need to sell a lot of apples to afford this.
 

fuzzytoaster

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
4,208
2,876
113
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
This is what one calls "Mission creep". Get a tank. Then a HET to transport it. Then a M813 drop side to mount your two 600 Gal pods and pump unit. Got to have a TPU, or every gas station in a 100 mile radius would sooner or later ban you. Then you need a M88A1 to tow it if need be. Then a motor park for the tank and your "Fleet". You may need to sell a lot of apples to afford this.
I feel personally attacked by this post. rofl

kZtI3C1.jpg
 
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