1968 amg m35a2 m66 gun ring install help

I just purchased an nos m66 gun ring w cradel,mounting arms are on route.My truck is a hard top and I was going to convert to a soft top untill I saw an m35 live firing a 50 on youtube,it was also a hard top.Would that be a field modification or were there conversion kits issued?I also installed a prc 25 rodio with amp and tray,it lined up with the bolt holes in co drivers floor pan,bonus!I noticed 2 more holes in front of the radio beside the tranny hump,could they be for mounting a holding bracket for coms gear,ie,headsets,mics,etc,if so I could use any photos,pams or info I can get so I can start fabricating or searching parts.

How far apart are the two extra holes that you're curious about? If they are about 1-1/2" apart, then they're probably for an LS-454 speaker mounting bracket.

Nope,holes are 2 and a half inches apart,rear hole is 1/2",front is 1/4".The 1/2" hole is pulled out slightly.I'm thinking they must have mounted something fairly tall or heavy or both.

Make sure you have the gun brace installed in your cab before you install the ring!

hndrsonj said:

Make sure you have the gun brace installed in your cab before you install the ring!

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Ditto! Even with the plate installed in the cab, there is a lot of flexing of the cab with that heavy ring up there. You will tear up your truck for sure if you don't have the plate installed.

glcaines said:

Ditto! Even with the plate installed in the cab, there is a lot of flexing of the cab with that heavy ring up there. You will tear up your truck for sure if you don't have the plate installed.

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I had 2 M66 rings. After seeing their sheer size and some messed up cabs, I got rid of them. If I was going to install a gun ring, i'd do the M49 or nothing.

Here's a M49, alot lighter.



(Well that pic turned out bad)

I live on a gravel / dirt road that is mostly large rocks and potholes. Everytime I drive down the 1/2 mile road, I can feel the cab flexing and screeching, even when I keep it down to 2 - 3 mph.

The first deuce I bought had a hardtop that had been modified with a "Redneck gun ring hole" made out of a 55 gallon drum with a locking ring top. It was a PP design and leaked like a sieve.

I know I have seen some hardtops modified with what looked like a professional cover....it had still been installed aftermarket but it had a removeable cover that looked to be hard plastic.

I don't know if you actually plan to fire a "Ma Deuce" from your ring but I can tell you from personal experience that it will cause long term damage.

When I was at Fort Benning we had a 800 series 5 ton with a ring mount on it. We took it to the 50 cal. range and fired over 50,000 rounds through several 50 cals. I was in an ammo unit and we were firing bad lots of ammo to get rid of them.

The cab was litterally beaten to pieces (it had the plate installed).

When we got back to the Motor Pool we found that the glass in the passenger side had been cracked as had the right front windshied (we did night fire so the damage was not seen until the next day).

There were several stress cracks in the sheet metal of the cab tub and the passenger door would not shut completely.

I have a ring mount that I intend to install on one of my trucks but I will prob not do a lot of firing off of it. I go to a machine gun shoot twice a year and there are guys there that want to fire their 50 cals off a vehicle.

Thanks for the input,I was told by some surplus guys that originally there were no cab support kits installed until thousands of 50 fired, stress cracks started to show,recoil was blamed.After loading the 300 lb m66 into my pickup,minus m2 cradel + 50 I realised the sheet metal cab will not take it.I've been restoring my old girl for 7 yrs now,she's been a work truck on my farm but after adding a winch,troop seats,bows,radio,paint,etc;I can't stop.I'm scared to take her off road anymore.I want this truck ready to go back to Vietnam.As far as I know this will be the only gun truck in Canada,it's the only m35 in my area.To get a gun ring in country,let alone radio gear is virtualy impossible,I lucked in huge.Our military never had gun trucks or m35s so she's tough to piece her back together without a visual.

All good gun ring info here Bushman.

The thread title you have 68 AMG, 68 is Kaiser-Jeep. AM General did not exist until late 71.

Sounds like as nice truck, we like pictures....................

If you want a cab reinforcement plate they are available in the classified section. I don't imagine there would be an issue shipping to Canada other than the price.

An m49 ring is almost impossible to find in Canada,I'll have to make do with the m66.

Dang! Now you got me second guessing myself.The truck is registered as a 1971 amg and believe it or not its insured as a Jeep Wrangler because there was no classification for it on computer.I know I saw a data plate on it somewere but can't find it now,any idea where it might be?The date of manufacture on the engine is 8-80 so im assuming its a replacement.I'm going to take some pics of her right now and download them.

Thanks for the heads up.I don't intend to fire an m2 from my truck,I wish I could ,but according to Canadian law I can only mount a demilled paperweight,witch I plan to do.I have been asked to bring my m35 to parades in a few local towns but refuse to do so untill she's complete.She's a rare bird up here in the land of ice and snow.She's a head turner already but I still need paint and stencils.It's impossible to get OD paint across the border as it is classified as a hazard's material.It's been a long,slow,expensive,frustrating build.

I'f your selling i'm interested,but getting it across the boarder is the problem.

BUSHMAN04 said:

I'f your selling i'm interested,but getting it across the boarder is the problem.

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If you're talking the plate: I would NOT install a ring without it.

PICS, we need PICS!!!!! Please?

I took some pics a couple days ago with my new Kodak,plugged it into my pc and found out I did'nt get a memory card with it.Untill I get one I'll try using my cell phone cam. but I'll have to wait till my daughter comes home tomorrow to show me how to download from it.Please bear with me as I'm a little technicaly challanged,I just bought my first pc this past Christmas,lots to learn,thats why I like working on old millitary iron,simplicity.

I would like a blueprint / drawing to machine the M49 ring and hardware. If anyone knows where to get a set of plans, please let me know. If anyone in So Cal has one I can copy, that would be OK too. Thanks -Ken