M-Gator Presented to OUR FRIEND.

As stated in a different thread, the USMC M-Gator we had restored, was restored for the use by a Dear Friend of ours, Carlos Manning. As most of you in the greater TX/OK/LA/AR/NM area know, Carlos has been a driving force behind Re-enactors, and Military Vehicle Collector activities for a number of years.

We felt that it was only appropriate that he use a true "military" vehicle for transportation at events, instead of a golf cart, now that he is having mobility issues.

Today, we had the pleasure and honor, to present the M-Gator to him. It still needs a couple of small things, and then it will be delivered to his house. It is his to use, for as long as he likes, at no cost to him. (other than fuel)

What a nice gesture, Super vehicle for a super chap by the sounds of it. You all deserve a BIG pat on the back/s there too.

Great story for a good cause!!

That's great to hear. Very nice project and a wonderful thing to do for a good person.

How nice is that! That might be another good reason to become a senior.

What a great thing to do! Mr Manning is a wonderful man, finest kind of gentleman, and dearly loved by many of us.

Cheers

Outstanding!

We have finished the final parts installation, and final art work. (RORY, any resemblance between Kilroy and a certain Coonass in Lampassass is ENTIRELY INTENTIONAL, although Kilroy's nose is still smaller than Alan's)

Delivery to his home is expected to be done next week. We added the Medical Red Crosses on the sides and rear because my business partner actually used it for that purpose. He took it to a Re-Enactment in North Texas, to break it in, and make sure everything was working properly, and wound up having to transport a re-enactor who was suffering from Heat Stroke.

Great job! That's one nice looking machine!

What a good deed. What a bunch of nice folks on this site!

Good person , nice mv and great story !

UPDATE ON THIS THREAD: Well,,,, it's been 3 years and Carlos has used this Gator, as was intended. He recently moved and remarried. Aaaaand his loving new bride made some comments about condition. Paint was peeling, etc. Also, he informed me there was a overheating issue. So we swapped out M-Gators, and he took our other to The Museum of the G.I., while we took this one to John Deere. The overheating issue was due to a fan motor burning out. But what started out as a "fix" turned into an entire engine rebuild. Now we're gonna do a repaint. The dark color the USMC painted it with has mostly flaked off, so we will be going with the M-Series O.D. that Carlos prefers. Here are the before picts:

Re do is now finished. We replaced the lights on the ROPS, (roll bar), New Head lights, New Fire Extinguisher and Mount. Got all new Warning Decals from Dealership, Originally we had "Sgt. Manning and M-Sales" on the front plastic fenders, using vinyl lettering which flaked off. This time we went with painted on Stencils on the side of the bed behind the seats. The Cargo net on the front Litter Carrier was his idea, and we left it there. While this isn't a "Perfect Restoration", it was never meant to be, so there's paint over sprays, etc. But we're thinking about taking it to MVPA anyway.