The ersatz SdKfz 251D, or Czech OT-810

    11. Kompanie currently fields one ersatz SdKfz 251D.  The vehicle was purchased from its first private owner in England by a group of unit members in 1994, and shipped and imported, with all of the fun that that entails, in 1995.  The OT-810 arrived at the Port of Houston, TX, in December of 1995, after an ordeal that only one who has exported military equipment from England can truly understand.  As one condition of export, the owners had to provide a notarized document to some relatively obscure Commonwealth Officer to the effect that the vehicle would never be used by us to employ, deliver, or transport Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical weapons, nor to be used in conjunction with any system designed to employ, deliver, or transport Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical weapons.  This condition extends to the point that we can not sell the vehicle to anyone we know, or suspect, intends the vehicle to be used for the above purposes.
    For all of the excitement that purchasing and obtaining the vehicle turned out to be, it was nothing compared to the hilarity that began with actual delivery.  Two of the proud new owners were on hand the day the shipping container arrived at the shipping company terminal.  The vehicle was extracted by chain and forklift, and left parked in the warehouse in all of its off-green, paint flaking splendor.  The tracks rolled easily as the vehicle was towed around, but the front wheels would not turn.  This first, ominous sign was overlooked by the joyous new parents, I mean owners.

    The comedy began in earnest with the transport of the vehicle from the terminal to the Bluebonnet Military Motor Pool, the MVPA chapter clubhouse where we had joined and rented space to undertake conversion of the track to '251 configuration.  It was a dark and rainy morning, and cold as hell.  We trained the smallest member of the ownership team on the operation of the only functioning controls (the emergency/steering track brakes), and began trailering our new toy.  With the trained OT-810 pilot sealed inside, we gently pushed the vehicle to the edge of the warehouse ramp, and let Galileo power our first drive (on smooth cement, covered with cold rain and oil, with steel tracks to provide sole braking impetus).  The "driver" could be plainly heard expressing his enthusiasm from within the armor, especially when the '810 slid a good 10m with locked tracks.  We then positioned the vehicle at the foot of the 18-wheeled trailer's ramps, hooked up the winch, and pulled.  And pulled.  And then pulled some more.  The '810 stayed at the bottom of the ramps.  Again, the excited owners suspected nothing.  Then a small forklift was dragooned to push.  Again the '810 stayed largely put.  Finally, a very large, ship channel type forklift was employed to push on the smaller lift with one of its forks, while the small lift pushed on the '810, which was painfully winched onto the trailer.  Again, the owners suspected nothing.

    During transport, the trailer was noted to have a protracted list, and sparks issued from those components which occasionally contacted the paved roadway.  Finally the vehicle was removed from the fractured, underwinched trailer at its new home by a bus rated tow truck, but only after the '810 was nearly flight and roll tested.

    Within a week, we had the engine started, and soon after we pulled the completely seized steering box out for a rebuild.  The hydraulics were all removed: the master clutch cylinder, which had been sheared from the firewall by someone's misstep (whether in the U.K. or on the Continent, we know not), its corroded slave, the destroyed steering master (left open to the elements, with all of its fittings missing), and the corroded steering slaves.  The airbraking system was pulled and rebuilt.

    When the clutch went back in, we moved the vehicle inside using its own power.  The engine smoked hideously.  While tooling around the lot, we discovered that the steering (actuated manually, as the steering hydraulics were out for remanufacture) was inconsistent.  We soon came to the conclusion that the differential was shot.  We pulled the differential, also known as "The Bride" for its lattice of weld scars left from some previous catastrophic failure and rebuild, or "The Piglet" due to its greasiness and ease of gripping and lifting.  Of almost arcane construction, the differential required new retaining nuts and locking hardware for the six cross-shafts inside.  Upon reassembly, it was noted that the shafts were bent slightly, causing perpetual loading on the differential.

    With the rebuilt drive line in place (all of the U-joints required a rebuild of some description), conversion began in earnest.  Conversion included: roof removal, removal of MG mount and repair of forward roof contour, conversion of side vision blocks to slits, removal of firing ports, new rear end, new doors, replica muffler on driver's side, new and concealed muffler on passenger's side, conversion of side panels to close-out/storage box configuration, proper mud guards, crew handles at compartment top, paint removal, and repainting.

    Restoration work included:  rebuilt differential, rebuilt steering box, replacing 4 engine cylinders, total hydraulic rebuild, total air system rebuild, total drive line rebuild, cooling system overhaul, electrical system rebuild, all road wheels pulled and bearings greased or replaced, fuel system overhauled, transmission adjusted, clutch adjusted, shift linkage rebuilt, and still going.

    After two years in the field, the differential failed again, and this time with greater feeling.  All six of the geared cross-shafts stripped, and the unit was pulled and taken to a specialty machinist.  It seems as how typical drive line gears are Rockwell tested to 35-38, the OT-810 components tested out at Rockwell 8-10!  New shafts were made, and all components were re-treated to the appropriate Rockwell hardness.  The unit was fitted, rebuilt, and replaced.  The ersatz '251 was back on the road in six months.  Oh, yes, the whole drive line was rebuilt again, and the air system is next in line for a second rework by the most experienced OT-810 mechanics on this continent.