I have a M60A1 main battle tank... and it works!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I have a M60A1 main battle tank... and it works! (Page 1 of 6)

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:28:54 AM EDT

This was one of the last of M60's released by the Marine Corps through the Department of the Navy. They were demilled and sold as scrap for $3500 in 1994. I have all of the release documents to include the bill of sale, demil requirements and who performed and verified the demil. When I received it, it was in BAD shape but during the restoration I found a NFA-registered M68 breech and barrel assembly. We had to grind away old slag and weld all the demil cuts and replace most of the front glacis plate. Luckily the M60 platform is still in service around the world so finding new parts wasn't that bad. Long story short, we repaired the cuts, installed the new main gun assembly, put a new power pack, got it running and live-firing.

If any of you guys are in the Destructive Device world, you may know Ira and Danger Bob. They were able to come up with a powder load and electric primer system that let us take this beast out for her maiden run since being reborn. Danger Bob knew my wife was NOT happy about taking this out for test-firing and wanted nothing to do with it until the first round went down range. After that, she joined Team Ron and was in a really good mood. We have spent a lot of blood, sweat, tears and almost a friendship bringing her back to life. We still have to stencil the subdued USMC letters and her original name "Krazy Knuckles" to make her look the way she did when released from Camp Pendleton.

The video is 1:11 long so I just cut to the portion where it's firing at the end.

V/R
Ron

[youtube]https://youtu.be/oGHg9YQR4Jw?t=51s[/youtube]

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:30:33 AM EDT

[#1]

Fucking. Awesome.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:30:44 AM EDT

[#2]

Dude....

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:31:21 AM EDT

[#3]

1st.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:31:33 AM EDT

[#4]

I'm jealous.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:31:55 AM EDT

[#5]

I REALLY gotta get to Battlefield Vegas someday

Quoted:
1st.

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Saaaawing and a miss.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:32:23 AM EDT

[#6]

Nice!!!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:32:28 AM EDT

[#7]

Badass!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:32:40 AM EDT

[#8]

Neat! Have you uploaded a vid without the music?

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:33:06 AM EDT

[#9]

Friendship? Everything copacetic now?

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:33:48 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Neat! Have you uploaded a vid without the music?

View Quote

I TRIED to get that video but my staff member who edited put all that damn music in it

V/R
Ron

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:34:50 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
I TRIED to get that video but my staff member who edited put all that damn music in it

V/R
Ron

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Neat! Have you uploaded a vid without the music?

I TRIED to get that video but my staff member who edited put all that damn music in it

V/R
Ron

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:35:04 AM EDT

[#12]

Fuck yeah! If you need a middle aged tanker let me know!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:35:13 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
1st.

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Posted: 5/16/2018 1:35:18 AM EDT

[#14]

Please keep the merdc camo scheme!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:35:49 AM EDT

[#15]

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:36:12 AM EDT

[#16]

What type of projectile are you firing out of it?

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:36:37 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Friendship? Everything copacetic now?

View Quote

Yes, everything is cool now. I had my idea of how I wanted it restored and a good friend was in charge of the project. He has 20+ years of heavy equipment experience plus his time in the Navy as a Seabee. My ideas and his clashed many times during the restoration but we managed to compromise on my "dream" and his reality

V/R
Ron

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:36:47 AM EDT

[#18]

What gets "de-milled" on one of those? Do they destroy the engine too? Was that what the Power-Pack was you changed?

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:36:49 AM EDT

[#19]

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:36:55 AM EDT

[#20]

Yes, your gun is bigger than mine, but you don’t have the biggest gun on ARF. That honor goes to Death Wears Bunny Slippers.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:37:13 AM EDT

[#21]

Aw man...

You got an m60 mbt for how much?!?

Eta: just shot my HDI ak this past weekend. It's still my favorite ak and one of my favorite rifles period. Don't ever change amigo

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:38:14 AM EDT

[#22]

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:38:30 AM EDT

[#23]

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:38:53 AM EDT

[#24]

I just pee'd my pants a little.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:40:30 AM EDT

[#25]

[Deleted]

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:40:31 AM EDT

[#26]

Love it!!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:40:33 AM EDT

[#27]

I like the camo job it looks cool.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:40:44 AM EDT

[#28]

Arfcom Armoured Corps.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:44:47 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
http://i.imgur.com/RxomNKm.gif

View Quote

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:44:51 AM EDT

[#30]

Boy that brings back some memories, both good and bad, but mostly good!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:45:17 AM EDT

[#31]

Hey Ron, I remember when you were bending AK flats in your garage.

You've come a long way, Brother.

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:46:46 AM EDT

[#32]

Is that what I heard rumbling around last week?

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:46:52 AM EDT

[#33]

FPNI

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:47:24 AM EDT

[#34]

when I think Tank
that's the one

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:47:27 AM EDT

[#35]

Quote History

Quoted:
What gets "de-milled" on one of those? Do they destroy the engine too? Was that what the Power-Pack was you changed?

View Quote

The hull had to be "quartered" via demil cuts but it really wasn't in four. Just the terminology but it was four cuts. The armor is so thick that when they torched it, it basically "welded" itself back together. My guy John V-cut both inside and outside cuts and filled in with weld for days. The entire power pack was removed and the front glacis plate was cut out in the manner that the driver's body could be seen.

V/R
Ron

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:48:34 AM EDT

[#36]

Pretty much one of the coolest things ive seen and heard in a while... so freaking awesome.. and ditto on everything everybody said above me!!!!!

You twixed my nethers with this.

And why did you cover up the sound with music!!?!?!

That is like showing a dyno run with no sound and no numbers.
That is like putting music over an f-22 demo

Need BOOOM!!!!

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:50:48 AM EDT

[#37]

In on 1!

Epic!!!

I need to take my dad out there.(3rd armored)

Posted: 5/16/2018 1:55:32 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
The hull had to be "quartered" via demil cuts but it really wasn't in four. Just the terminology but it was four cuts. The armor is so thick that when they torched it, it basically "welded" itself back together. My guy John V-cut both inside and outside cuts and filled in with weld for days. The entire power pack was removed and the front glacis plate was cut out in the manner that the driver's body could be seen.

V/R
Ron

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
What gets "de-milled" on one of those? Do they destroy the engine too? Was that what the Power-Pack was you changed?

The hull had to be "quartered" via demil cuts but it really wasn't in four. Just the terminology but it was four cuts. The armor is so thick that when they torched it, it basically "welded" itself back together. My guy John V-cut both inside and outside cuts and filled in with weld for days. The entire power pack was removed and the front glacis plate was cut out in the manner that the driver's body could be seen.

V/R
Ron

Thank you for the info. Sounds like a whole lot of work for sure.

There is an M60 tank on static display at a courthouse not to far from me. Got to look at it pretty good a few years back. It had a plate on the back of the hull showing it had been reworked at some rebuild place in Germany in the early 90's. Looked it up on the internets at the time and it appeared they virtually re-manufactured the tank when they did that. Every single opening, hatch, track or anything that could move was welded up. Even the tracks were welded to the drive sprocket. Years early I talked to a guy who was involved with the tank when it was placed there and he stated they would drain the oil out of the engine and run it till it locked up. Don't know if this was before or after it was placed at the courthouse. Its awesome to see but makes me sad that its basically a giant piece of iron now.