U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Modifications by service branch
Post Reply
User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Sun May 17, 2015 7:18 pm

More paper models, this time the mounting brackets for the remote control unit that mounts in the glove box. These were simple and didn't take much time at all. The metal counterparts will be easy to make.

Image
Image
Image


The mounting holes in the glove box are exactly 8" CC. When fitted to the remote control unit, the holes marked out on the bottom of the models measure 8" CC, which means they came out right.
Image

Image
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator


User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Wed May 20, 2015 2:24 pm

Some original parts arrived today. I purchased these from Jay at Jays WW2 Jeeps. Two tie down ring brackets (A-5091) and radio cable clamps (A-9347). These are from an early NOM-12 Jay had purchased but was not slated to be restored as an NOM-12. Jay was nice enough to sell me these parts for my radio jeep. I'll have to make rings for the brackets, but I'm still very glad to have original brackets. There is still remnants of the original green paint on the clamps, which is noticeably greener than that on my MZ-2. What's notable on the cable clamps is that the mounting holes are drilled both high and low from the bottom edge.

Image
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Wed May 20, 2015 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Boyso
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1386
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:32 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Boyso » Wed May 20, 2015 4:51 pm

Great work with the paper model. Another alternative, I don't know if you've used it or heard about it (used it a few times myself on other project) is called Pepakura Designer. It's a software that transfers 3D models to paper cut outs with the little tabs to glue them together and all that. For more complex shapes, it could help you out :)

Great work so far !
44 GPW 231738 10/23/1944
MVPA #36162

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Wed May 20, 2015 5:44 pm

I have not heard of it, but that would definitely be a good thing to have to test cut and bend patterns! I may look into that, it would be great for this and future projects. Though the radio cabinets may be too big a part to print out. What I had been doing was basically plotting and cutting everything out by hand testing the CAD drawings my friend Dave made.

I actually just dropped off the finished models to him earlier today to finish the drawings. The gentleman doing the cutting and bending is waiting for those drawings, he will be cutting the parts out on a CNC machine. He was pretty happy to have the paper models to reference.

I did make a bunch of revisions to the angled box. This is what it looks like now.
Image
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Mark Tombleson
MZ Radio Operator
Posts: 9836
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2002 7:58 pm
Location: Selah, Washington

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Mark Tombleson » Thu May 21, 2015 12:08 am

Great finds and work!

I want to remind you that the hardware and gaskets for both types of antenna boxes are in volume 2 page 478 & 479. You can tell them apart easily in print as the square box cover (WO-A-4865 Box) has 12 screws while the triangle box cover (WO-A-12443) has only 11 screws.

The clips (WO-A-9347) to hold the remote control cable to the body and hardware for same are also shown on page 479.

The hooks, rings and hardware are shown on page 470.

When I built my box I sure wish I had those close up photos of the box lock. Someday I will have to refit mine to the more accurate looking lock.
MB-NAVY-MZ-1 352625 - 07/20/44 (DOD est.)
U.S.N. 133818
2nd place Restored Class 2008 Portland Convention
MVPA Hall of Fame - 2013

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Sun Jun 07, 2015 2:47 pm

I took the time to redraw the TCS Installation Diagram. There are a few parts on this document that are not listed in any of the parts lists that I can find in the Vol. 2 book, and it included measurements to make these parts that were unreadable.
This is almost an exact copy but with some corrections, additions to help clarify the drawings and especially some clear measurements of the three parts listed on this diagram. The special mounting brackets for the loading coil, transmitter and receiver joining plate, and antenna insulating block that attaches to the top of the transmitter. There is one detail I failed to correct and that was the placement of the cable clamp on the R.C. speaker cable plan. The original drawing depicts it attached to the side wall brace, it's supposed to show it attached to the right of it. I may correct that later.

I've included a few attachments hoping for the best view possible. Unfortunately my computer is notorious for distorting the clarity of my drawings. The center photo, though cut off, will show its entirety once downloaded. My computer skills lack in some areas, otherwise I'd share one big clear copy.

Image

Image
Attachments
Installation Diagram TCS.jpg
Installation Diagram TCS.jpg (37.47 KiB) Viewed 14400 times
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Mon Jun 08, 2015 4:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Tom Wolboldt
banned
Posts: 8353
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2004 2:36 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Tom Wolboldt » Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:26 pm

Hi Farrell,

Remember that this drawing is dated Feb. 13, '43 which was after the test vehicle was built up but perhaps before actual production would have begun so the drawing may not not match reality 100%.

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:59 pm

Hi Tom,

I'm sure that's the case. Even though the diagram is predated with some inaccuracies, the measurements of the parts are what's really valuable.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Mark Tombleson
MZ Radio Operator
Posts: 9836
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2002 7:58 pm
Location: Selah, Washington

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Mark Tombleson » Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:28 am

The first MB-NOM-12 I see are three in the 206534-206988 range without their original data plates. The only NOM-12 data plate we have is MB-270679 with a 10-23-43 (Saturday) DOD.

If you match up that DOD with normal MBs of that time period you have a 14 day lag between the Standard MB to the NOM-12. We can not use that figure for all the radio jeeps as the NOM-12 did not have the radio installed at the factory(at least that what the BOM shows) but it can be used as a guide that while the Standard MB 206062 that has an original data plate with a DOD of 1-26-43 one of the NOM-12... MB-206534 for example, would more likely have a DOD very close to the date of the drawing, Saturday, 2-13-43.

Now I see sometime I will have to check other known DODs for contract jeeps and see if Saturday is a reoccurring theme. :D :D

No others that I found.

Tom, do you know of any information that would date the radio jeeps closer than monthly?
MB-NAVY-MZ-1 352625 - 07/20/44 (DOD est.)
U.S.N. 133818
2nd place Restored Class 2008 Portland Convention
MVPA Hall of Fame - 2013

User avatar
Tom Wolboldt
banned
Posts: 8353
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2004 2:36 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Tom Wolboldt » Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:05 am

Hi Mark,
Tom, do you know of any information that would date the radio jeeps closer than monthly?
I only have seen the monthly MZ-1 figures at this time. In the case of MZ-1s they could have easily been done on single day each month. There were a lot more MZ / NOM-12's made so that may not be the case in their production runs.

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Sat Jun 13, 2015 8:05 am

G member Florent found his 44 date on his axle so I went to find the one on my MZ-2s front axle and found it. I was previously told they were not dated late in '44. :roll: It is stamped Friday, 11-10-44. Which is also the Marine Corps 169th birthday! Oddly enough all of the ones are upside down. With my estimated Sunday Nov. 26, 1944 DoD, the date would make them almost two weeks before my MZ-2 may have been delivered. Florent's axle is dated 2 days before his jeeps DoD, and with a possible lag time on the MZ jeeps the possible 16 day gap makes sense.


Image
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Sun Nov 29, 2015 6:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:00 pm

I was feeling well enough today to test the drawings for the battery box bottom. This was simple to make but rolling poster board is not easy and did not come out as clean as I would have liked it to. Since originals exists, and drawings were made from original examples, I already knew these would come out perfect. However since the fab shop has never made them before and borrowing an example is not possible, an accurate paper model will be a good substitute for the fab shop to reference. I still need to make the bottom and rear bracket, but since I can't walk outside to the jeep at the moment, I may worry about that later.

Image
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Thu Oct 01, 2015 11:19 am

I acquired an original MZ windshield on Monday. It's in very good shape and even has its original factory installed Dyneto wiper bracket as well as the original hand wiper assembly. Aside from a few extra holes on the left frame tube from a mounted light and one extra hole in the windshield skin, it's rather untouched and going to be easy to restore this. Moreover I'm glad I have an original radio jeep windshield to match my MZ-2.

Seems like every time I take photos it has to be a cloudy and rainy day :roll:

Image
Image
Image
Image
Last edited by Farrell Fox on Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator

User avatar
Fred Coldwell
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2408
Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 5:12 am
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Fred Coldwell » Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:45 am

Farrell:

Congratulations on acquiring a very nice original MZ radio jeep windshield. I've never seen one as original as yours, with the correct Dyneto windshield wiper mounting bracket present. Great score!
Happy Jeep Trails,

Fred Coldwell
1944 CJ2-09 - X33
1945 CJ2-26 - X50
1944 Dodge T233 CC
1945 Dodge T233 Utility
MVPA #283C

User avatar
Farrell Fox
banned
Posts: 4847
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:17 pm
Location:

Re: U.S.M.C. MZ-2 Radio Jeep restoration.

Post by Farrell Fox » Sat Oct 03, 2015 1:25 pm

Thanks Fred, I'm pretty happy with it! I can't wait to get this cleaned and painted.
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division
M1A1 Main Battle Tank Mechanic
M88 Armored Vehicle Recovery Operator
AVLB Operator


Post Reply

Return to “Jeeps used by: USMC, USN, USCG (-NO EBAY-CRAIGSLIST-COMMERCIAL SALES-)”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 48 guests