M332 rehab

[JCKnife]

I'm going to spend this spring / summer working on my M332 trailer, getting it back to a Vietnam-era look. This'll serve as a good practice on paint and body work (although it doesn't need much) before tackling the deuce.

2 questions to begin with:

1. I'm removing all the little tie-down hooks (there are about a million of them) because the fasteners are all rusty. I'm drilling them out because they can't be turned (my only help is little kids who aren't strong / heavy enough for real torque). Once I have them off, I was thinking of chucking them in my brass tumbler to take the paint off them. Suggested media?

2. At the back of the M332 on the floor is a plate that is bolted down that is showing surface rust. This is really the only rust on my whole trailer. I can see bolts to remove the plate but at the rear it is welded to the frame. What is the purpose of the bolts, then? This whole apparatus seems like nothing but an invitation to rust.

I know this thread is worthless without pics. Here's one from when I picked it up and one I found from Vietnam.

 

[Wildchild467]

I am not fimilir with the ammmo trailers. why were they so small? how were they used? what ammo did they carry that a M105A2 couldnt carry or was it for howitzer style ammo?

 

[JCKnife]

I am trying to learn these things as well. Not a lot of info on the web about them. I do find TONS of links to a modeler who scratch-built one behind a tank, which is kind of annoying.

Pic from a collector in the UK though...

 

[Wildchild467]

what was the rear hatch in them for? its like a small hatch like some dump trucks have. you could double it to haul coal or something. haha I know you are going to paint it up real nice, so that might be a bad idea. cant wait to see it done. What other special features did these trailers have? they just look low slung and a undersized box on them. that small of a box must mean its meant to take a heavy load. -insert joke here-

 

[maddawg308]

I am not fimilir with the ammmo trailers. why were they so small? how were they used? what ammo did they carry that a M105A2 couldnt carry or was it for howitzer style ammo?

They are so small because ammo is much denser than most normal cargo. If you have a HUGE trailer meant to carry ammo, it will get too heavy for the deuce to easily tow over rough ground. They were mostly used for artillery ammunition, this explains why there is a separate fuze box just forward of the box itself above the tongue. The M105 trailer and M332 trailers weigh about the same, and can carry about the same in terms of weight, but if you load 1.5 tons of ammo in a M105 cargo trailer it becomes topheavy easily, hence the reason why the M332 is so low to the ground.

 

[maddawg308]

what was the rear hatch in them for? its like a small hatch like some dump trucks have. you could double it to haul coal or something. haha I know you are going to paint it up real nice, so that might be a bad idea. cant wait to see it done. What other special features did these trailers have? they just look low slung and a undersized box on them. that small of a box must mean its meant to take a heavy load. -insert joke here-

The rear hatch is to provide ease of loading, as opposed to lifting heavy ammo crates high up on your shoulder to load in a deuce bed or M105 cargo trailer. They are great for hauling bricks, rocks, landscaping dirt, etc.

 

[Castle Bravo]

The rear hatch is to provide ease of loading, as opposed to lifting heavy ammo crates high up on your shoulder to load in a deuce bed or M105 cargo trailer. They are great for hauling bricks, rocks, landscaping dirt, etc.

I thought it was to clear the rear pintle and glad hands.

 

[maddawg308]

The hole in the rear tailgate is for that, yes. I thought the question was about the whole rear loading gate.

 

[JCKnife]

Here's a snippet of info I found online. I will look for this book--does anyone here have it?

There's a writeup about the M332 ammunition trailer on page 294 of David
Doyle's book "Standard Catalog of US Military Vehicles". The photo is that of a
factory-fresh M332 in 1962 so I would hazard a guess that they made it to
Vietnam

 

[jasonjc]

I have the book and just reread about the M332. The only thing it says that has not aready been said here. Is that it replaced the WWII M10 ammo trailer. And that its made of steel ect ect.

 

[maddawg308]

Also, another fact about the ammo trailers in general, is that they were made with thicker steel bodies than the cargo trailers. This is to armor the trailer a little bit more than the standard trailers, since these would be hauling ammunition, mainly artillery ammunition, and you wouldn't want a stray round in the field possibly setting off a chain reaction detonation of your ammo and trailer.

I would like to eventually get another M332 trailer in my stable. I found it to be a good sized trailer for hauling stuff to and from shows, and since it's low to the ground it's a lot easier to load than the M105. I miss my old M332s...

 

[JCKnife]

I appreciate all this info. I still wonder what the bolted-on plate at the rear is about. I'll have to get a pic posted soon.

 

[maverick]

I am trying to learn these things as well. Not a lot of info on the web about them. I do find TONS of links to a modeler who scratch-built one behind a tank, which is kind of annoying.

Pic from a collector in the UK though...

Thats my trailer from a few years ago, I'm not sure about the plate either ????

 

[JCKnife]

maverick, have any more pics of it (esp. showing the markings)?

 

[maverick]

Try these ?

 

[Wildchild467]

OOOHHHH! i finally understand why the hole is in the tailgate! i asked before but still didnt understand.... i got it now! picture is worth a thousand words!

 

[maddawg308]

maverick, that's a beautiful job you did on that M332. Wish the two I had looked that nice! Just what I need for the Vietnam hooch, a M332 painted the part and loaded up with ammo crates...

 

[JCKnife]

Yeah, where did you get the crates?

Also, Maverick, what paint did you use?

Thanks for sharing.

 

[maverick]

Thanks for the kind words, I try my best with my restorations, I always speak to Veterans and look for the photos of the item being useed.

The crates belong to a friend of mine who has a 105mm Howitzer, but since buying the trailer I have brought a M1 A1 155mm Howitzer so the plan is to fill the trailer up with Vietnam Dated steel cans that the bag charges were stored in ???

The paint is a colour we have made here in the UK, a sample part with Vietnam paint on it was brought back from TJ Murrys yard for matching.

Glad you like it.

 

[JCKnife]

That's amazing. I find it so strange, you can't own an AR-15 but you have a live Howitzer?

Back to my little trailer, I've got about half the tie-down brackets drilled out and they are in the brass tumbler with 5 lbs of roofing nails. Seems to be doing a good job taking off the rust and old paint (layers) but it hasn't been a full day yet. I'll post pics of results.