MV Technical References

On this page you will find links to materials which are found on Olive-Drab and not elsewhere on the web. This page will be expanded as additional things become available. If you have written up a project or have scanned in a manual or otherwise have created something unique, please let me know so we can add it to this resource.

Training in maintenance and emergency repair of halftrack, Ft. Benning, GA, April 1942.

Today in WW II: 25 May 1940 Boulogne, France is captured by the Germans. More ↓

25 May 1941 King George of Greece abandons Crete, relocating to Cairo in a narrow escape from German forces.
25 May 1942 Japanese attack force leaves Hokkaido for invasion of the Aleutians Islands, Alaska.
25 May 1945 Chiefs of Staff of US military set 1 November 1945 as start date for invasion of Japan [Operation Downfall]. The huge casualties of Downfall avoided by use of Atomic Bombs in Aug 1945.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Download Military Vehicle Reference Publications

Clutch Specs from PS Magazine

Thanks to the efforts of Olive-Drab.com contributors, some US military publications are available for download here. These documents originate from on-line military sources referenced elsewhere on Olive-Drab, but are included here because they are especially interesting topics for military vehicles. Documents in PDF format (with extension .pdf) require the Acrobat reader (available for free download from Adobe). Some of these files are quite large so be selective.

TB 5-4200-200-10, Hand Portable Fire Extinguishers (September 1991) has a long list of the fire extinguishes in use for field, vehicle, van and other uses. File size is 117KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TB 9-2300-422-20, Security of Tactical Wheeled Vechicles (August 1988) describes the installation of steering wheel chain locks or other measures for the security of military vehicles in use in 1988. File size is 322KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TB 9-2300-426-20, Hydraulic Brakes PM (November 1989) describes troubleshooting and maintenance of vehicle brake systems. File size is 309KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
This section of TB 43-0213, Corrosion Prevention and Control, describes the step-by-step procedure for rustproofing the M-151 series jeeps. The file is 1.3MB. (This document is provided courtesy of "Buzz" who put in the time to convert it to Adobe .pdf format.) If you have a high-speed Internet connection, you may want the whole TB 43-0213 (December 1990) manual -- it runs 6.9MB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TB 43-0242, CARC Spot Painting (January 1991) has all the hows and whys of CARC painting including all the safety issues. File size is 189KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TB 703-1, Fuels, Lubricants, Preservatives (July 1972) covers part numbers, packaging and usage for all the different types of fuels, gear oils, etc. used in everything from vehicles to zippers. File size is 76KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TB 750-93-1, Functional Grouping Codes (May 1968) is a guide to the part numbering codes that are used in the -P TM's and other manuals. File size is 232KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TB 750-651, Antifreeze in Engine Cooling Systems (January 1997) covers the maintenance of vehicle cooling systems with antifreeze. File size is 177KB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
TM 9-2610-200-14, Pneumatic Tires and Inner Tubes (September 2000) in PDF format. Covers maintenance and repair of tires and tubes of newer vehicles (note the date) including safety procedures while mounting and dismounting from various types of rims. The file is 10.6MB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution).
TM 9-2610-200-20, Pneumatic Tires, Inner Tubes, and Radial Tires (February 1977) in PDF format. Covers the tires and tubes of older vehicles (note the date) including safety procedures while mounting and dismounting from various types of rims. The file is 4.2MB. (Thanks to Brandon Kunicki for this contribution).
TM 9-4910-496-10, Operator's Manual, Towbar, Motor Vehicle (October 1972) in PDF format. The file is 511k. (Thanks to Ron for this contribution.)
TM 9-6140-200-14, Lead-Acid Storage Batteries (July 1989) has the details of support and maintenance for the 2HN, 6TL and other military batteries you will encounter in your MVs. The file is 1.0MB. (Thanks to Ron Johanson for this contribution.)
FM Antenna Tiedown on 1/4 Ton Vehicles describes the correct method to use the antenna tiedown kit for the M-151 series jeep. (Thanks to Ken the Mutt Guru for this contribution.)
Instruction Manual and Lubrication Chart for International Harvester M-1-4-214 and M-2-4-233 4x4 trucks. File is 21MB in PDF format. (Thanks to Bob Friendship, North Devon, UK, for this contribution.)

M-Series Wiring Documentation

Several documents are available on Olive-Drab.com to explain the electrical wiring of the popular American M-Series vehicles:

A list of the M-series circuit numbers that have been used in all US wheeled and tracked vehicles since the 1950s.
Description of the M-series rubber connectors used in the wiring of most vehicles.
Details of the wiring of the M-Series three lever light switch that is common to most American M-Series vehicles, including the pin identification and circuit numbers for the light switch and the related turn signal switch.
Details of the M-Series push button switch assembly that began to replace the three lever light switch in April of 2002.
Pin IDs for the NATO trailer connectors.
ITT Cannon catalog describing the MIL-C-5015 multi-pin connectors used in military vehicles and many other mil-spec applications (649K PDF). (Thanks to Leonard Jones and ITT Cannon.)

Other Reference Materials

In addition to the information available from this page, there is a full Olive-Drab.com section with information on Military Vehicle Camouflage and a very detailed page describing Olive Drab Paint for Military Vehicles.

Using 12 volt bulbs and other equipment in 24 volt systems is described on this page.

In this document, Harris Neil describes How to mount a heater unit from an M-151 jeep into an M-37 3/4 ton truck.

Here, Harris Neil describes how to install turn signals into an M-37 3/4 ton truck.

Mike Sommer provided this write up on converting the headlights in his M-37 to 12 volts. The description will work, with few or no modifications, on most American M-series military vehicles.

Darryl Bauman has written up how to replace a leaking pinion seal, a common problem on MVs.

Courtesy of Richard Notton, here is a diagram of a 24V cooking vessel provided to British troops to prepare food, tea etc. in vehicles on the road.

Richard Notton has written up this information about British lubricants, their US equivalents, and a lot of generally useful wisdom.