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White M3AI Scout Car
One of the earliest armored vehicles of the World War 11 period was the White M3AI scout car first created in1938 by
the White Motor Company. Based on a commercial truck chassis, it was an easily built vehicle.
The White was basically an armored truck with a face-hardened 1/4in armor-plated body. Plates were bolted on individually
with a series of reinforcing steel brackets and dowels underneath; hardened armor screws of several
lengths held the body together. Floors were made of heavy steel and sheet metal: aluminum diamond plate was used in
early models; later units had steel diamond plate. Seats, cabinets, and radio mounts made up the spartan interior.
At the front of the vehicle was a spring tension roller, designed for "unditching" the truck when it went into
a deep ditch with steep sides. The roller system prevented the front end from becoming stuck in the bank of dirt. Tow hooks
were mounted just behind, it for pulling the truck when needed.
Armored shutters covered the radiator for combat and could be opened or closed when needed. A lever with stops for certain
positions was located on the floor below the dash by the passenger's right foot.The front fenders were heavy sheet metal and
the hood was a butterfly type opening on each side. The windshield was made of two panels of 1/2in armor plate with vision
slots on each side.
The battery box was located in the right side of the vehicle with an armored cover. On the outside of the unit, pioneer
tools-an axe,shovel, and pick-were strapped under each door with canvas or leather straps. Each rear fender had a cabinet
with a lid over it for storing amunition, section tools, and spare parts.
The doors featured hinged upper halves that folded down. The top halves contained vision slots with covers on the inside.
Side curtains with pyrolin windows covered the upper door halves when the armored upper door was lowered.
Rear armor was bolted on and had a solid rear plate with no rear access. Tripods for the .50 caliber and .30 caliber machine
guns were strapped to the rear plate, with a bumper or shelf below. A standard military taillight was on the left, and blackout
lights were on the right. The standard military pintle hitch was in the rear for towing a trailer. A canvas top and bows were
strapped on with footman loops.
The interior of the truck had a conventional automotive layout. The instrument panel used round civilian gauges, consisting
of a speedometer with odometer in one cluster and a second cluster containing the fuel,' amp, oil pressure, and temperature
gauges. A voltmeter was used on occasion or installed when vehicles were rebuilt. An electric trailer brake control was mounted
on the dash
with choke and throttle cables. Many scout cars had heaters under the dash and a glovebox located on the right ,side.
The main data plate was to the right of the glovebox door.
The steering column mounted a black plastic steering wheel with a horn button reading "Ross" for the steering
gear manufacturer. A four-speed manual transmission with a two-speed transfer case had floor-mount levers. A disc-type parking
brake was mounted on the rear of the transmission.
The rear interior of these trucks had six bucket-type seats with seat and backrest cushions. The radio antenna base was
located in the center. An SCR506, 508, or 510 radio set was mounted just below it.
Around the top of the body and traveling completely around the interior was the skate rail for the machine gun mounts.
Each mount sat on a trolley with a hand release so it could be moved around the entire vehicle. A .50 caliber machine gun
with pintle, cradle, and skate was normally mounted, at the front, with two water-cooled M1917AI or air- cooled M1919A4 .30
caliber machine guns in the rear. A Thompson submachine gun was also provided. Approximately 8,000 rounds of .30 caliber ammunition,
750 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, and 540 rounds of ammunition for the .45 caliber Thompson were carried.
The powertrain of the scout car was standard truck design. A Hercules JXD six-cylinder gasoline engine was under the hood,
cooled by a fin-and-tube radiator with a six- blade fan and an overflow tank. A Zenith Model 29 carburetor fed fuel to the
engine; Donaldson provided an oil-bath air cleaner for the carburetor. Ignition came from a shielded, 12-volt system; Delco
Remy of GM made the generator, voltage regulator, and starter. The clutch was a single disc setup, coupled to a Spicer four-speed
transmission
with synchromesh in second, third , and fourth gear. The two-speed transfer case was mounted separately from the transmission
and was unique because of its "full-time" four-wheel-drive. High and low range were provided with a ratio of 1.00:1
and 1.87:1.
The truck was propelled-by Timken differential assemblies running on tapered ,roller bearings. The differentials were
of split de-sign, meaning that one half had to be unbolted from the spring to service the unit. The differential ratio was
5.14:1, which gave the truck a high top speed. Drum-type brakes were used with a power vacuum booster, which was mounted on
the frame. Conventional leaf springs suspended the vehicle with the front springs on the top of the axle housing and the rear
springs under the rear axle to lower the height in the rear. Early units used standard truck wheels with large vent holes,!
later models were equipped with combat wheels. The combat wheels had a bolt-on lock ring and a bead lock inside to keep the
12-ply nylon 8.25x2O in tire from collapsing when shot out, providing enough support to get out of harm's way. Top speed of
the M3AI was 60 + mph. Fuel capacity was 30gal
giving a range of approximately 250 miles. The fuel tanks were located under the driver and commanders seat.
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