The Ressurection of a LEGEND....The Virginia Beach Beast Monster Tank (56K BEWARE!!!)

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Trixter said:
man i am speechless I got butterflys just looking at the pix you are the man
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Rick i thought i told you about this..........if i didn't....forgive me! i still have that 57 Ford truck if you want it.....
 
Man, that is gonna be interesting...
Every page I've found about the Virginia Beach Beast say it's based on an M4 Tank Retriever. No such thing. Try finding parts for an M4,and most places that handle those are gonna send you bits for a Sherman, and it definitely isn't that...
For the last few minutes, I've been looking at M2, M3, and M5 photos trying to figure out what mish-mash of parts could come out looking like those bogeys and that idler, and the lack of armor around the drive-wheel gearboxes confused the hack outta me. Even the swing arm for the idler was wrong... Then I remembered seeing an odd troop-carrier/tractor kind of thing once at some museum...
55962862.CIMG0785corrected.jpg

You've got yourself an M4 High Speed Tractor. They were designed to tow artillery pieces off-road and into bad terrain where trucks would quickly bog down and become mired.They were emphatically not up to the task of tank recovery. The small block and tackle on the rear was for moving shells from the ammo box on the back.

So, are you going for a full ground-up restoration to perfect condition, including the modifications, or are you just looking to get it running? Personally, looking at the condition of the K5 up there on top, I'd rip the truck off and replace it wholesale with one that is in better shape. K5s being cheap as dirt these days, it won't be hard to find one with a blown motor and less rust. At the very least, I'd buy a parts truck.

The lower half is another story. If you decide on a full resto, you'll need to strip it down to the hull and find some place that can do media blasting on something that size. All the mechanicals should be fine, considering how robustly they built the M2 variants. Clean em off, repaint what needs painted, put it back together with new hardware.
 
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Ascender said:
So, are you going for a full ground-up restoration to perfect condition, including the modifications, or are you just looking to get it running? Personally, looking at the condition of the K5 up there on top, I'd rip the truck off and replace it wholesale with one that is in better shape.

.
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well Mr. Ascender....first off let me congradulate you on findind that info....a lot of people didn't know that including me until last week! i am gonna try to do a full ground up resto....the haard parts to find are more tracks.....but until i can find or afford them.......i'll deal with what i have.

now as for the body..........dude...that's NO problem. i'mm worries about the lower half (which i shouldn't) more so than the body. i deal with companies like LMC Truck and Keystone with has parts for these things at a dime a dozen. the body is the LEAST of my worries. the only bad spots are the hood (i can find them out here in the country), the lower door sills ($19.21 A PIECE FROM KEYSTONE!!) and the front winshield brace (fiberglass & some metal and i'll be good.

you have to undersand.....i really don't want to take from the originaliity of it. sure i can buy another Blazer....hell....i know where one is right now for $500....but that take from the originality of the Beast. The Beast has been through a lot.......a new body to me just wouldn't feel right....cuz it hasn't been "war tested". you have to realize that this body has been through races, truck pulls, mud bogs, and whatever else Willie has put her through. another body would be a slap in the face to her.....and i ain't trying to disrespect it like that. maybe i'm just old fashion or just making more of it than it really is....but that's just the way i see it. i'd just fell like i'm taken away from it's originality. i've SEEN her in person in action....and all i thought of as a child was "man....which i had one!" now dreams are reality....i aint little no more and the rality is I REALLY DO OWN IT!

don't get me wrong...you are right with what you said.......but i can do it that way dude. if i do it my i'll apppreciate it more.

now...not saying that i am not gonna upgrade a few items.......i may go with an all billet dash and try to put Kandy pain the same color just to give it a little more new school look....but the Beast gotta be the BEAST!!!
 
I think this is a photo of the Virginia beach beast in it's younger days.

Virginai-Beach-Beast.jpg


Style Chevrolet Blazer body, a 1942 M4 Tank Retriever Base
Engine 454cubic inch supercharged engine

Home city Virginia Beach, Virginia
Year created 1987
 
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Dude that's got to be the best project ever bet your feeling on top of the world every time you get one step closser to geTting her done. From one motor head to another you got my full support and I'm so showing her off to all my gear head buddys to loveing it tc my man happy bashing with her.
 
maximusraylius said:
Dude that's got to be the best project ever bet your feeling on top of the world every time you get one step closser to geTting her done. From one motor head to another you got my full support and I'm so showing her off to all my gear head buddys to loveing it tc my man happy bashing with her.
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+1 on that man.
 
I guess the K5 body is in better shape than I thought. Keep as much as you can original, by all means. I'd add the leading edge of the roof to the list of bits that need work. A patch panel should be easy to find.
BTW, I believe the M3, M5, M4 Sherman, and M10, among others, used the same tracks.
Also, that Weiand supercharger is still made, I believe, and you may be able to get it reconditioned.

I wish i could take on projects this size. I'm insanely jealous.
 
What do you need tracks for? Is it gonna be a show piece, or you gonna drive that thing?

Better get a good seat, HANS, & helmet cuz?
 
Bulldaddy said:
What do you need tracks for? Is it gonna be a show piece, or you gonna drive that thing?

Better get a good seat, HANS, & helmet cuz?
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hey dude....i called and didn't get a answer. i'm gonna drive her.......my friend has the engine now!!
 
well...what did i do to her tonight?? took the engie to the engine builder! now the real fun starts. i have to document everything for my person record and books....so here's the engine & trans going to my R & T Motorsports Shop!!! don't worry...that big block won't look like this for long!!

Picture142.jpg

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take your time kidd!!! no rush....
 
i went to talk to Willie today and he was just telling me some history on the Beast. he actually showed me the cartoon picture where he got the idea from to make a tank monster. it was pretty cool to see that! he ran me off a copy.....as soon as i can find a place to scan it (my drive is broken) i will scan it and post it. just think...there probably would've been no monster tanks if it hadn't been for this cartoon drawing....pretty cool. i am not gonna rush this....i though about it and said i would take my time and do it right. i was trying to have it ready for a truck pull in Jan....but i don't want to do anything wrong because my name is on it....and the Beast's well known name is on it also. he also told me why there was no front winshield in it.....he said the body flex made it pop out....that's why it had the Nascar style braces in it at one time. he got tired of puttiing it back in....so the last two years or so this Beast was ran without a front window. i was thinking of maybe adding a scoop to the hood to give it a little meaner look...what do you guys think?
 
I think you should get the cartoon airbrushed onto the hood or somewhere to keep the history alive......resserect the origin as well
 
the cartoon picture that inspired the original build of the tank truck
 
Grumpy1822 said:
Good, that looks like a school bus engine. I want to see some good heads and real carb on that beast.
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Grump....you just won the prize!!! you are correct......it is out of an old C60 truck. i chose that engine because they are torque heavy , forged bottom ends, and run all day long at 4000 to 4800 rpm with no problems. i have 69 Z28 3931063 head and a four barrel intake to go on it......and a Comp Cam 259H 4x4 torque cam. not to much......just wanted to open her up to breath more and a lil more torquey.
 
I personally would like to thank Jennings Transmission for sponsoring the Beast!!! Thank you very much for helping this project come back to life!!!!
 
i had a dream of an idea for a hood mural for the Beast....i'm gonna see if i can get Robbie or Steve to post it for me.....it's just a sketch concept.....i was at work when i did it......had to put it on paper!!!!!
 
here it is.....she's just a rough sketch. it is Poseidon the Greek god of water raising the Beast from the beaches of VA. i wish i had coloring pencils so i could really show the thing....but the Beast will have seaweed and everything on it with water being splashed up .....kinda like the Davey Jones ship in the Pirates movies when it comes out.......

hoodmural.jpg





whatcha think???
 
soulja55 said:
here it is.....she's just a rough sketch. it is Poseidon the Greek god of water raising the Beast from the beaches of VA. i wish i had coloring pencils so i could really show the thing....but the Beast will have seaweed and everything on it with water being splashed up .....kinda like the Davey Jones ship in the Pirates movies when it comes out.......

hoodmural.jpg





whatcha think???
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Genius.....
 
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