Vietnam Era Guntruck!

[SMOKEWAGON66]

Soooo...i know its been ages since i was here last...and ages since ive been able to cruise the deuce around, but here i am! I have given it alot of thought, careful consideration, and some research and planning, and have come to the conclusion that I want to turn my M109a3 into a replica Vietnam Era Guntruck. I know 109's werent guntrucks im gonna ditch the box and find a bed. Anyways, in the spirit of "Eve of Destruction" and the like, im gonna weld some armor on, and find some dummy guns to mount, all the while trying to keep it as accurate to the time frame as i can. I came to this realization the other day when i started thinking about why i have the truck, what i wanted to do with it, what i am doing with it, and just how bad-arse it would be to cruise to Vet's day parade in something like that. Guntrucks have had a special place for me since my first tour in Iraq....having "gunned" myself on over 75 missions behind a MA-DEUCE. This project would be like a tribute to those who came before, those i served with, and those who will go. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Smoke

 

[John S-B]

First thought is your're gonna need money. Lots of it. They had replica M2's at the Dayton show and they're around 1500K. The gun truck in the Arena had a Quad .50, 2-M2's, M-60's and a small minigun. Not to mention a real nice paint job and a lot of steel. But if you got the money, the sky's the limit.

 

[mcmullag]

google is your friend

maybe google 'vietnam gun trucks' or other combinations.
I know I have seen so much on them just by reading on here for years.
there are many pics on the internet of veet-nam gun trucks, deuces, 5 tons, M-151's, M-37's......
tons of info and some sites, start the journey grasshopper.

here is a webpage to get ya started.....

http://vietnamguntruck.tripod.com/

 

[Danger Ranger]

Second thought then is reading. There are many other threads on here about people wanting to make guntrucks. Wouldn't hurt to read the M37 ones either. Talk to Papabear, Maddawg, Driver, and JaTonka. They stand out in my mind on guntruck experts.

Also, will it be a tribute, or replica truck. (made-up or real)???
And you know the drill, we want pics, and details.....

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

Also, will it be a tribute, or replica truck. (made-up or real)???

This is gonna be Era-accurate as best i can with all the pics ive found from the period. Im gonna try to use only what they had back then and kinda make my own configuration since there were no set plans for gun trucks back then and crews just kinda made their own set ups.

As for the tribute or replica question, this will be a replica of what they had, with my own flare tied into it but, it will be my tribute to past, present and future guns and crews. So it wont be exactly like any other truck and ill give it a unique name etc...but nothings set in stone yet so, we shall see how it goes...and of course there will be progress pics and finished product pics.

 

[Driver523]

Why not a gun truck from the Iraq period ?----none around I know of, and in the begining there were all sorts of styles and it would fit in with any got together. Just a thought-----------------------Driver

 

[Awesome Possum]

maybe google 'vietnam gun trucks' or other combinations.
I know I have seen so much on them just by reading on here for years.
there are many pics on the internet of veet-nam gun trucks, deuces, 5 tons, M-151's, M-37's......
tons of info and some sites, start the journey grasshopper.

here is a webpage to get ya started.....

Vietnam Gun Truck Psychotic Reaction

I built Psychotic Reaction back in '03-'04, but had to sell it back then. It still gives me thrills to see that it's still being enjoyed by so many. (The bottom three pics of the replica were from when I owned it). I think it was the first deuce replica at the time.

As for building one: GO FOR IT! It was a blast and is a still a thrill to see it. My guns were kinda' crappy, made mostly from odds and ends, with a few M60 parts. Don't get caught up in getting every detail, it may or may not come depending on your $$$. Just do it. It's a memory I'll always enjoy!

 

[Driver523]

Glad to see yer still around Jeff------Larry ( Driver )

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

Why not a gun truck from the Iraq period ?----none around I know of, and in the begining there were all sorts of styles and it would fit in with any got together. Just a thought-----------------------Driver

..I thought of this. I know what you mean by all sorts and styles, when i went to iraq the first time, i saw, and gunned in many different types...mostly hillbilly armored pickup body HMMWV's or 939 series 5 tons. My company was the first transportation company to get 3 actual manufactured (built as armored-not bolted on to an existing truck) up armored HMMWVs( 1st gen up-armor)...they were green flat top trucks that looked like a pickup with a campershell of steel lol. 2 of my friends were killed by an IED in one of these flat tops as there was no turret armor..it was just a hole on top with a ring mount. The gunner, Spc. Torey Dantzler was killed instantly by the blast, and the driver Sgt. Tatjana Reed died a few hours later of her wounds. The TC, whose last name i cant remember for some reason, was seriously wounded in the throat but survived by shear luck and timing.

The reason i want to do a Vietnam era truck, is since they were the first real gun trucks, and my deuce is a 1967, i figured it fitting...but thats just me

 

[gunboy1656]

Sorry about your friends.

As for doing the gun truck, I would make it up as one of the deuce versions not base it off of a 5 ton. One of the units that mover on the FOB I lived on in Iraq had an M813 done up as a GT. Kick myself for not getting some pics of it.

Everything was done up just like the VN era trucks except it was on an 813. Had 4 M2's mounted in the corners, radio mounted in the bed.

If I could find the funding that is what I would build.

 

[73m819]

you should be HERE at the VIET NAM GUN TRUCK gathering, we have 4 trucks here (3 5t, 1 deuce), gun truck crews that crewed in NAM, plus trans drivers,

 

[Madfarmersson]

Cool! I love Vietnam gun trucks. If mine did not have a good camo paint job
I would do a vietnam era truck and if I had the money it would be a armor gun truck.
Not sure what kind of guns you want on it but I think IMA usa had resin
m2 HB's for a couple of hundred dollars I think, but there plastick.
Do post some photos of the before and after.

Madfarmersson.

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

you should be HERE at the VIET NAM GUN TRUCK gathering, we have 4 trucks here (3 5t, 1 deuce), gun truck crews that crewed in NAM, plus trans drivers,

...i wish i was there...with or without a truck....got nothing but mad respect for you guys

 

[Derrickl112]

They had replica M2's at the Dayton show and they're around 1500K.

$1,500,000?????

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

So i was thinking today and i wanted to run this by the board and see what people thought of it.

Since i have a 109 and cant quite afford to go buy a bed, i was thinking of shearing the top of the box off and using the sides as a base to weld some armor plates...hide the box with armor using the frame for the box as supports on the sides etc....wouldnt be too hard and i wouldnt have to spend alot of cash....would that be doable/acceptable? what do you guys think?

 

[WarrenD]

I think you need to get copies of James Lyles' books Hard Ride Vol 1 and 2. I seem to recall seeing a deuce with "external" armor plate that hung down over the side of the bed. If true, then what you want to do would be correct for that truck. If not, what you propose might not be historically correct and if that's the case, you are not doing the hobby of MV collecting any service. Just my

 

[John S-B]

So i was thinking today and i wanted to run this by the board and see what people thought of it.

Since i have a 109 and cant quite afford to go buy a bed, i was thinking of shearing the top of the box off and using the sides as a base to weld some armor plates...hide the box with armor using the frame for the box as supports on the sides etc....wouldnt be too hard and i wouldnt have to spend alot of cash....would that be doable/acceptable? what do you guys think?

NOOO!

Sell that 109 box and buy a bed! You should have some extra money out of the deal to buy some steel. Making that box out of the 109 would be akin to building a Pinto from a Mercedes. Not nearly as many 109's as there are regular beds, and there have been several I've seen for as low as $200 in usable shape. From all those bobbing trucks, there should be plenty availible. Some have some rust or dents, but that could probably be covered by the plate steel. And since it's a replica, the plate steel wouldn't have to be more than 1/8". (Unless you plan on leading the revolution...)

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

NOOO!

Sell that 109 box and buy a bed! You should have some extra money out of the deal to buy some steel. Making that box out of the 109 would be akin to building a Pinto from a Mercedes. Not nearly as many 109's as there are regular beds, and there have been several I've seen for as low as $200 in usable shape. From all those bobbing trucks, there should be plenty availible. Some have some rust or dents, but that could probably be covered by the plate steel. And since it's a replica, the plate steel wouldn't have to be more than 1/8". (Unless you plan on leading the revolution...)

Well this was the original plan...but there doesnt seem to be much call for 109 boxes out here on the westside. At least none that ive seen...and i doubt anyone would want to travel a long way for a less then perfect box. I emailed 100dollarman because hes nearby to see if he has a bed and maybe ill give him the box and he can sell it or whatever. Im waiting to hear back so....my above statement about using the box was just an idea anyway...im just trying different angles.

 

[SMOKEWAGON66]

Well the Deuce got a new bed today...went down and payed a visit to Mr. 100dollarman and gave him my van body and brought home a really nice bed...

took some doing to get that box on the trailer without any MHE, and unloading reminded me of my time in service..."Combat-Offload" lol....chained it to a pole and slid it off the back. Got back home and threw the bed onto the truck. One of the bolts took some finessing but theyre all in and the bed looks good. So one thing down and several to go.

heres some pics...

 

[John S-B]

Well since you did a swap, I'll only charge you $50 for using my idea!!