M551 Sheridan

[WillWagner]

Well, Craig is kinda bummed about not getting the movie rental....so, he wants to start another project! One of the M551's that are in the yard. He has 3, one is a totally stripped hull, one has the drive train but no interior or axles, the other, well, it was drive into place in the shop area a l o n g time ago. Drive train is complete, stops, steers, has the instruments, no ord stowage racks , drivers escape hatch or drivers seat. Should be easy enough to acquire some pieces from Irwin...he kinda has an "in" there and there are a mess of them on the range I guess. Since it's a driptroit, it will start VERY easy, even with low batteries! Gotta ck the trans and cooling system. One of the guys has already gone through the stuff inside and removed it and the stuff from the non stripped one on tank row to see what kinds of parts we have to work with and what we need. There will be pics, be patient! I can't wait!!!

 

[WillWagner]

Had a chance to try and lite the 551 yesterday. Danny has been working real hard cleaning out the tank, going over things in preparation of it running. The exh. pipe tomuffler clamp ws missing, I had one in my box at work that sorta fit it, it was a bit wider at the marmon flange, so we made a foil shim and now it is nice and tight . Danny got the batteries in it and he found a good regulator in the parts shed, now we don't have to worry about getting the one rebuilt that was in it. Anyway, It powered up nicely, all the bilge and fans work. I got ready with the Co2 extinguisher...just in case..and we tried to start it. Gave it a good crank with the FSO pulled to get some oil pressure, then pushed the FSO in and gave it a try....no smoke . The filters were empty, so, we got tthe primer pump out and filled both filters and gave it another shot...still nuttin.
Pulled the return line and had gobs of return fuel. I felt the FSO at the gov housing and it didn't have the right tension on it...something is stuck. Decided to pull the right bank lid. Found #6 injector stuck in zero delivery, pulled the other lid, all good there, it is just #6 injector. We tried to free it up, I got it to move and the buffer bars move, but it will need an injector. Good thing it didn't lite off with the injector stuck in full fuel

 

[hole]

Thanks for not blowing yourself up

 

[dittle]

Need to push the barrel out while you're at it. I think we used a bottle jack on the one at the museum up here.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

I have to get back down there before you start everything.
I love it a short barreled tank. Just my style.
Like Will said thanks for not blowing yourself up.

Craig sure has some cool toys to play with. I have to bring back some tools this week that he let me borrow I will have to check out your new project.

BH/CC

 

[WillWagner]

Need to push the barrel out while you're at it. I think we used a bottle jack on the one at the museum up here.

It looks like it is cut off, but, I will take a peek and see if is indeed pushed back. If not, there are a few options. There are 2 other 551's there, we could a) take the barrel out of one of them, or, b) take a complete turrett out of one of them, or, c) weld a tube on the cut end to make it look "normal"

It has been a decade or more since I messed with a driptroit. I gave all my injector tools away but one of the guys at work...we refer to him as Dr. Detroit can help out, I just gotta persuade him to gimmie a hand

 

[3cavtanker]

I believe that the M551 Sheridans run a 6V53 Detroit, right? Same engine as the M113 Series. I have PDF manuals for that engine if you want them. Let me know if you want me to e-mail them to you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just ran across this thread. Interesting....

My father was in the 82nd Airborn (67-70?) and was the driver for the M551 Sheridan. I think he said they were still experimental then. I seem to recall him saying that they could be air dropped and also had skirting that could put up, so that they could float across the water, driven by the tracks for momentum.

I'll be over there tomorrow for Chrismas, I can ask him more about it while I'm there.

 

[Tankjeepman]

A great little tank, except for the gun system. They were fun to drive.

 

[3cavtanker]

My dad was on the Sheridans in the 82nd (76-78?) He said they were ok, but never worked quite right after being tossed out of an airplane. The weapon system would fire missiles well until you fired a conventional round (kiss missile electronics goodbye) and the fastest way to get the thing to overheat was to start the engine. Still, they gave airborne troops some measure of heavy armor and weapons that could theoretically be airdropped. Wish we still had something like that in service today. I guess the Stryker with its C-130 deployability is as close as we have now.

 

[elkhunter]

I remember them in Alaska

My dad was on the Sheridans in the 82nd (76-78?) He said they were ok, but never worked quite right after being tossed out of an airplane. The weapon system would fire missiles well until you fired a conventional round (kiss missile electronics goodbye) and the fastest way to get the thing to overheat was to start the engine. Still, they gave airborne troops some measure of heavy armor and weapons that could theoretically be airdropped. Wish we still had something like that in service today. I guess the Stryker with its C-130 deployability is as close as we have now.

They were testing them in Alaska when I was there at Fort Richardson near Anchorage in the 1967-1969 time period. They were also at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks and the Cold Weather Testing Station at Fort Greeley, Alaska. i thought they were kinda neat. They were fast. I think they are similar to the "Scorpion" that was in the UK inventory, including Canada. I believe the M551 Sheridan had aluminum armor.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I didn't want to clog up your thread on your M551. So I posted some pictures that I found, from when my father served in the military, in another thread. There's not a lot of pictures, but they are mostly of the M551 Sheridan that he operated on.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/tanks-apcs-etc/62157-armor-pictures-68-69-a.html

 

[WillWagner]

Well, it's been a bit since I updated things. The M551 pulled itself out of the troughs it was in under it's own power. Took a bit to get it going, 1 injector was stuck in the no fuel position. Did a 180 from the parking spot and put it into the shop. There it got a traverse mechanisim, a temporary air filter, an escape hatch and a new barrel. W stole the bustle rack off the hull out in the front. Danny made new hinged covers for the battery and air filter compartments. Some body work was done, fixed a few panels and did some straightening and then a fresh coat of Cardinal Industrial, water based paint along with some new markings. The attached video is of the shake down run. After the track was given a chance to stretch it's legs, we found that we had no power. A quick once over and I found we had a fuel issue. The filter minder was sucked all the way to the red . Brought it back to the shop and pulled the filters, a bit of ugly news, lotsa water in it. The lines got flushed along with the tanks and 30 or so gallons of new fuel went into it along with new filters. Took it out for a second time, it RPMs up OK but has an issue when it gies into 4th and, the road speed falls off while the RPM is staying up. I'm hopin' it's just a dirty trans filter. The oil level is good and the fluid LOOKS clean, but one can never tell with something that has been dormant for this long. More troubleshooting tomorrow!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMidg_WYyMU[/media]

BTW, We are looking for some items still. Air filter, either the V pack upgrade or the original twist lock type, A traverse mechanisim, ord. racks, a new style instrument panel and or the bulbs for the old style panel, road wheels, an axle or two, track, headlights and guards, the MG racks for the outside of the turret....I can think of more

 

[BLK HMMWV]

Sure was great to see and hear it run after all those years. Sure doesn't pound the ground like the M60 did. I wish we could get our hands on an M1A1 . Maybe we can get the Israeli army to donate one to the museum .

 

[BLK HMMWV]

Will you forgot the M176 smoke grenade dis charger's

 

[WillWagner]

Will you forgot the M176 smoke grenade dis charger's

Those too!!

 

[Troll1216]

I need one of those!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[B3.3T]

Sure was great to see and hear it run after all those years. Sure doesn't pound the ground like the M60 did. I wish we could get our hands on an M1A1 . Maybe we can get the Israeli army to donate one to the museum .

The IDF doesn't use M1A1's.

 

[B3.3T]

Very cool to see running. Need a Gunner's Sight for it?

 

[WillWagner]

Very cool to see running. Need a Gunner's Sight for it?

You offering??

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