My new camping build: m105a2 w/S-250 shelter

[muthkw25]

Well last fall I decided to start a camping build out of my m105a2. I wanted a camper to pull behind my m35a2 when my father and I travel to militsry vehicle shows and for general camping outings. Camping in the deuce is fine but when it gets down to 30 degree weather or pouring rain it's nice to be in something that's better insulated.

I got the trailer from Chambersburg, PA and the trailer was a 2009 rebuild in mint condition. I got it for a steal and asked a friend of mine to help me bring the trailer home. After it was home I decided that I'd like a s250 shelter to fit in the trailer. I liked the idea of having an alumium insulated box to keep us shielded from the weather and elements. I was at Kublos surplus and saw that Kenny Sr. Had a few shelters for sale he just picked up. I immediately picked out the nicest one and went a picked it up. After I got it home I wasn't able to do anything with it until spring because I was in nursing school and nursing school was taking up all my time. Below are some early photos of getting the trailer and shelter. , ,
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[muthkw25]

This spring I got the shelter and trailer out and started working on it. The trailer was in such good shape I just needed to lightly sand the outside and then paint over top of the current paint. I applied two coats and the trailer looks even better than when I brought it home. After painting the outside I decided to work on the inside of the trailer bed. I wanted to make sure the trailer was rust proof so I prepped the surface and applied 3 coats of herculiner. I used two gallons of herculiner and the bed turned out great. Should not have a problem with rust on bed surface.,
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[muthkw25]

After finishing the trailer I started working on the shelter. I Sanded and primed the surface and then applied Rapco 383 carc green to the surface. After two coats the shelter looks better than it did from the factory.

 

[muthkw25]

Once the outside was painted, I started stripping the inside wiring. What a pain but it's all stripped. Now I'm getting ready to sand and prep the surface for paint. I'm going with tan carc paint to brighten the inside up. I'm adding a couple windows for light and the brighter color will help.

 

[CommoChief]

Nice job...looking good.

 

[Deoje]

That looks great. I really have to find one of those shelters.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[4x4 Forever]

Looks good! Please keep us updated!

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

View attachment 635222

OK. I know a "little" about digital photos, posting on the internet, and that sort of stuff.

- but -

What causes a photo to do that?

 

[T. Highway]

If all of the photos had this distortion my guess would be the camera lens. Since it only appeared in this one photo my guess would be electronic noise caused it during the upload to this website.

Bert

 

[Tracer]

Looking for a S-250 shelter for my M-105A2. Please keep progress reports and pictures coming.

 

[muthkw25]

Lol, I have no idea. It was taken with my phone and all the other photos looked fine. Im sticking with the theory of the 95 degree heat haha.

 

[muthkw25]

Looks good! Please keep us updated!

Thank you very much, so far so good. I was able to get the inside sanded and then cleaned the surface with xylene. What a pain. My arms were so tired from trying to sand the ceiling. I almost decided to give up and just paint but I wanted to make sure it had a nice surface for the fresh paint to stick.

 

[muthkw25]

I was able to finally also get the first coat of CARC Tan on the inside. It definitely made the inside a little brighter with the door open. One more coat and I'll be set. I am looking into linoleum for the floor. It should be pretty cost effective and will stop any moisture. I plan on getting the floor in place in the next two weeks before school starts at the end of August. Once school starts the project will be put on hold. I also plan on painting the rims and have the stars painted on the shelter before school starts. The trailer will match the truck. Next spring I can install the electrical and throw the mattress inside so its ready to go for 2017.

 

[CommoChief]

It's basically the curvature of the Earth, combined with the gravitational pull of the Moon as it relates to Venus. Or...
Smoke and mirrors. Or...perhaps the upload.

OK. I know a "little" about digital photos, posting on the internet, and that sort of stuff.

- but -

What causes a photo to do that?

 

[Deoje]

The photo looks fine to me. I think you may be drinking too much. Kidding of course.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[muthkw25]

Well now that the weather has gotten better, I have started working on the shelter and have made a bunch of progress. My father and I made steel tie down cables to hold the shelter in place. We went with the criss cross pattern to make sure it doesn't move. I have been deciding on whether to paint the steel cables or leave them as such.
Getting the shelter in the trailer wasn't too terribly hard. We used a 2500lb winch to assist us in dragging it in the trailer. The herculiner bed liner is also holding up very nicely. I'm impressed with it so far but will continue to monitor and see if there's wear and tear.

With the help of my father, we also installed LED taillights on the m105a2. They were tan and I used Rapco paint 383 green to match the paint on the trailer and truck. Very pleased with how they work. I always prefer extra safety on my military vehicles and these add a modern look to an old design.

 

[muthkw25]

First photo is the truck ready to go for Memorial day before they cancelled due to possible thunderstorms. The other photo is the LED taillights installed. Hoping this week if we have alot of rain to continue working on the inside of the Shelter getting the windows installed and circuit breaker box for power.

 

[Tracer]

muthkw25, looking very good. I've been looking for a clean M250 shelter for my M105A2 but no luck yet.

 

[muthkw25]

muthkw25, looking very good. I've been looking for a clean M250 shelter for my M105A2 but no luck yet.

They aren't too hard to find. Price will vary depending on condition. I see them online or on auctions but you might have to drive or ship one into NV. Alot of them have massive gashes in the side from a forklift so you have to look around a bit to find a nice one.

 

[Tracer]

They aren't too hard to find. Price will vary depending on condition. I see them online or on auctions but you might have to drive or ship one into NV. Alot of them have massive gashes in the side from a forklift so you have to look around a bit to find a nice one.

I've come across some on GL but they are usually on the East Coast. Alex Gordon had one at Idaho Motor Pool, but he was holding it for another customer. I noticed the fork lift damage on many of the shelters on GL, it's a shame because some are real clean except for that. I ended up buying a cargo cover for my M105 for shelter till I can find an S250. It'll have to do for the time being. By chance if you come across another clean S250 drop me a PM............thx.