A man spent a year and 50 thousand dollars to build a tank in his garage (photo) (4 photos + 2 videos)
Cameron Swinney has said he has always been interested in history and welding. His tank project allowed him to combine both passions. 
Cameron Swinney, 34, from California, spent $50,000 to build his own 16-foot-long World War I tank in his garage.
The man has been fixing classic cars since he was 15. He never went to college, but he always had a passion for history and welding. He was able to combine his passions in his project to build the FT-17, which is called the world's first modern tank. 
The military vehicle with a 360-degree turret, a crew compartment in the front, and an engine in the rear is still in use today.
"It's also the first American production tank built under license from Renault. The Jeep f134 engine spins a hydraulic pump, the flow of which is regulated by spool valves that go to hydraulic motors. Each hydraulic motor holds 16 gallons of hydraulic oil per minute at 3,600 psi. It took me about a year to build the tank, but I'm still working on it and improving it," Cameron said. 
Cameron started by buying several sheets of plywood, half-inch steel sheet, bolts, steel plates and nails. The tracks were taken from 1930s tractors. In total, the installation cost the American $50,000.
"Since it has steel tracks, it has to be off-street and only used on private property. It's basically a tractor. And it's safe to say the local community loves it. I even took it to a car show and won one of the categories. Everyone who's seen it loves it and people say it's a cute little tank because it's really the size of a sedan," the American added. 
The man plans to make more tanks in the future.
