Mystery M170 tail gate. Radio USMC jeep?

[Kaiser Krazy]

This tail gate was in my stash of M170 ambulance tail gates. It has an extra round hole on the drivers side and several small carriage bolts and holes along the bottom of the litter holes. Would this be a tail gate used by the USMC for the M170 radio jeep conversion? Don't know if the round holes was for an antenna mount or antenna cable pass through?

Thoughts?

[Bill H.]

This tail gate was in my stash of M170 ambulance tail gates. It has an extra round hole on the drivers side and several small carriage bolts and holes along the bottom of the litter holes. Would this be a tail gate used by the USMC for the M170 radio jeep conversion? Don't know if the round holes was for an antenna mount or antenna cable pass through?

Thoughts?radio tail gate.JPG

M38A1C maybe?

[Kaiser Krazy]

The M170 front line ambulance was a free standing model using a 20" stretched M38A1 chassis. From the bumper back to the windshield, it is basically an M38A1. The tub contains floor mounted litter racks and provisions for two additional litters, one behind the drivers seat and one suspended from the top bows.
The two elongated holes in the M170 tail gate allow for the tail gate to open and close over the litter handles of the passenger floor mounted stretcher. The extra round hole on the drivers side of the tail gate in question is what is of mystery to me.

The USMC would take the stretched M170 and use the extra rear tub room for massive radio racks and units and mount several antenna, but the tail gate would be left with the two litter rack holes in them, covered up with radio racks on the inside of the tub..

After spending time researching the M38A1C, a basic M38A1 outfitted with a recoiless rifle mounted in the rear and a split windshield, every photo I see is a standard M38A1 tail gate. No holes at all. There would never be a reason to put a modified tailgate for litter handles on either an M38A1 or an M38A1C.

What makes you think this tail gate would be for an M38A1C? Am I missing something obvious?

[Bill H.]

Not missing anything. I was only guessing. I'm not up on M38A1-Cs or M170s. Thank you for the detailed comment on the M170.

[Ken Perkins]

M38a1's don't have tailgates...M38 is the only tactical jeep that had a tail gate...

[Bill H.]

M38a1's don't have tailgates...M38 is the only tactical jeep that had a tail gate...

The M38A1 C didn't have a tailgate either.

[Kaiser Krazy]

Well, I can't compete with the experts here, but I keep seeing a tail gate with a spare tire and a radio antenna mount on the pics of these USMC MRC87 Forward Control radio jeeps. Must not meet the definition of "tactical" . Or, if the tail gate is bolted closed, it stops becoming a trail gate and starts becoming a rear panel. But the hinges remain, and in some cases, the chains as well.

https://www.militarytrader.com/military ... mrc87-jeep

[Ron D]

The M38 also has a tailgate......bolted shut.
Can't open it with the spare tire and jerry can mounts in place.
Might as well be a "rear panel", but the Army manuals still call it a tail gate.

[D Pizzoferrato]

It'a an MRC 87 tailgate. Although I didn't restore this one, I sold it to the restorer. https://www.militarytrader.com/military ... mrc87-jeep

[Kaiser Krazy]

It's a different color than the project MRC87 jeep that I have in the yard, so I will put it with it. Don't think I'll get around to this project, so will probably offer it up to a new home. But, that's a different thread for future consideration.
Thanks for the ID confirmation.

[D Pizzoferrato]

There should be a steel plate bolted to the inside to help support the antenna.

[Frank USMC]

In the manual for the M38A1C conversion. The M38A1 has a tailgate, but the panel has to be removed to install the 106 recoilless rifle.......no joke in the manual, it has the soldier removing the rear panel with a hammer and a chisel!!.....
One of the few, Frank USMC RET