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129 1302 05 February 2013 Backward Glances Rear Mounted Radiator - Photo 42010294

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  • The radiator for the rear-mounted engine faces backward, which protects it from bullets on the attack but not on retreat. The pintle hitch gave the XR311 a tow rating of 1,500 pounds on the highway and 1,000 pounds cross country. Test photos show the XR311 towing artillery, including a 105mm howitzer. The vehicle is marked as belonging to the 1st Cavalry Division. Some XR311 models were tested by operational units but it isn’t clear if this one was actually tested by 1st Cav personnel.
The radiator for the rear-mounted engine faces backward, which protects it from bullets on the attack but not on retreat. The pintle hitch gave the XR311 a tow rating of 1,500 pounds on the highway and 1,000 pounds cross country. Test photos show the XR311 towing artillery, including a 105mm howitzer. The vehicle is marked as belonging to the 1st Cavalry Division. Some XR311 models were tested by operational units but it isn’t clear if this one was actually tested by 1st Cav personnel.
Equipped with the weapons of your choice and the aluminum armor kit, this could be the perfect zombie hunting vehicle. If zombies aren’t your game, then this is one heck of a collectable. It rides and drives well, is fast and is bound to cause spinal subluxations wherever it goes. The ring mount can carry everything from a .50 caliber machine gun on down. Ammo stowage for 600 rounds is behind the seats. The “XR311T” designation on the side indicates it was built to carry a TOW missile. The factory-installed winch came from Thor, a long-defunct winch manufacturer of the ’70s. It was a T-200 8,000-pound electric worm gear unit with a 24-volt motor and 3⁄8-inch cable. The two sections of windshield are stowed as they would be for combat. No glass is better than flying glass from bullet impacts. An aluminum armor kit could be fitted to the passenger compartment. Both the front and rear torsion bar suspensions are similar to the ’66-’78 Olds Tornado design and, in fact, used the exact same CV axles and many other suspension parts. Likewise, the front and rear 11-inch disc brakes are off-the-shelf Toronado pieces. The service manual for the XR311 even refers you to the ’71 Toronado service manual for brake repairs. By military standards, the XR311 is comfortable. The nimbleness of youth or the motivation of incoming fire is required for fast ingress and egress, however. The standard military 24-volt electricals and generous dash space allowed the fitment of long range communications as would befit a recon vehicle. According to the owner at the time, this unit was originally fitted with a 318 but this 360 was added sometime later. Like the 318, it’s fitted with a specially prepped off-road Holley 600 carb. Gross power was about 215hp with this setup. The air horn on the carb does not match the one shown in factory photos. The alternator is a 24-volt, 60-amp, Leece-Neville high-duty-cycle unit. The radiator for the rear-mounted engine faces backward, which protects it from bullets on the attack but not on retreat. The pintle hitch gave the XR311 a tow rating of 1,500 pounds on the highway and 1,000 pounds cross country. Test photos show the XR311 towing artillery, including a 105mm howitzer. The vehicle is marked as belonging to the 1st Cavalry Division. Some XR311 models were tested by operational units but it isn’t clear if this one was actually tested by 1st Cav personnel.
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