MUTT madness

[refit1701]

I had the chance to sit in a M151 this past weekend, at the Gulf Coast Show. I was recently very disappointed to find that I cannot get behind the wheel of a WWII jeep nor a M38 or A1 due to being 6'3" tall.

Turns out, there is plenty of room in the MUTT. This was quite a surprise since they always looked smaller than the other jeeps. Now I have MUTT fever, fueled by the fact that a club member has one he's trying to get rid of for only $500. It comes with a spare, running engine and transmission and will need some TLC to be back to fighting trim but no more than what I've been faced with on the M37.

The jeep is complete and an early model at that.

So now I am all about 151's, in addition to the '37. Just a week ago, I was wanting a M211 or M135. My, how love is fickle....

I seem to have a knack for finding projects no one else will bother with.

Maybe if I go have a lie down it will pass.......

[Lifer]

I know how you feel! I discovered last year that, at 6' 10", I cannot drive an M38 or M38A1, either. I can still squeeze into an M151, however. It's a bit snug, but I can do it. Like you, I want one!

[MSeriesRebuild]

I had the chance to sit in a M151 this past weekend, at the Gulf Coast Show. I was recently very disappointed to find that I cannot get behind the wheel of a WWII jeep nor a M38 or A1 due to being 6'3" tall.

Turns out, there is plenty of room in the MUTT. This was quite a surprise since they always looked smaller than the other jeeps. Now I have MUTT fever, fueled by the fact that a club member has one he's trying to get rid of for only $500. It comes with a spare, running engine and transmission and will need some TLC to be back to fighting trim but no more than what I've been faced with on the M37.

The jeep is complete and an early model at that.

So now I am all about 151's, in addition to the '37. Just a week ago, I was wanting a M211 or M135. My, how love is fickle....

I seem to have a knack for finding projects no one else will bother with.

Maybe if I go have a lie down it will pass.......

M151, A1, A2 are not great vehicles, lots of reasons why. The M211 & M135 GMC trucks you mentioned are yet worse. Not trying to discourage you at all, just letting you know that unless you have a never ending trail of cash to support these hogs, look in another direction. The early M151 is not something you will love, more likely the contrary. A fellow told me years ago that love was like lightening, just as soon to strike the out house as the rose garden, this is true of man & the early M151.

[refit1701]

I like the analogy, Charles! Ever since I got in to restoring old cars (66 Mustangs first), it was obvious that these vehicles, while stylish symbols of different eras, all seemed to be maintenance hogs.

Military vehicles are even more demanding, since the gov't had a "free" source of labor to constantly work on them.

Short of a 151, I cannot see any other small "jeep like" vehicle which would work for me.

I can appreciate your advise as my buddies here in Bama seem to never be done fixing on their MV's. So goes it, I guess. From my point of view, at least a Mutt is small and relatively simple compared to me trying to work on a 211 or even a M35.

I'm gonna give it a try. It'll keep me busy anyway. I still have to finish the M37 first.

[Nickathome]

I had the chance to sit in a M151 this past weekend, at the Gulf Coast Show. I was recently very disappointed to find that I cannot get behind the wheel of a WWII jeep nor a M38 or A1 due to being 6'3" tall.

Turns out, there is plenty of room in the MUTT. This was quite a surprise since they always looked smaller than the other jeeps. Now I have MUTT fever, fueled by the fact that a club member has one he's trying to get rid of for only $500. It comes with a spare, running engine and transmission and will need some TLC to be back to fighting trim but no more than what I've been faced with on the M37.

The jeep is complete and an early model at that.

So now I am all about 151's, in addition to the '37. Just a week ago, I was wanting a M211 or M135. My, how love is fickle....

I seem to have a knack for finding projects no one else will bother with.

Maybe if I go have a lie down it will pass.......

M151, A1, A2 are not great vehicles, lots of reasons why. The M211 & M135 GMC trucks you mentioned are yet worse. Not trying to discourage you at all, just letting you know that unless you have a never ending trail of cash to support these hogs, look in another direction. The early M151 is not something you will love, more likely the contrary. A fellow told me years ago that love was like lightening, just as soon to strike the out house as the rose garden, this is true of man & the early M151.

Well, I think the man should follow his passion and be allowed to form his own opinions. Facts aside, he may just find this vehicle to be just the ticket he was looking for.

I sat in a Mutt at the Cape May NJ aircraft museum several years ago. I found it to be very comfortable. I'm only 6' feet tall, not like you Sasquatches out there, so maybe it was built for guys like me.

Refit;

I know how you feel. I keep seeing this old Ford(I think its a Ford) E100 cabover van truck in a back yard near my son's ball field, and have really been thinking about approaching the owner. It seems to be in very rough shape, but who knows. I know its not military but its a cool old vehicle nonetheless that deserves a more dignified fate than to rot, neglected and forgotten.

[refit1701]

Nick-

If I stopped and bought every cool old vehicle I saw, I'd be living in one of them and divorced! I like old stuff, especially '50's stuff now, even though I wasn't born until the mid 60's. I believe my Mustang was built a month after I was born so we get along pretty good.

Old stuff is cool....I just can't get away from it.

[Paul in Kempner, TX]

This dummy likes M151's.

I guess the author “rank” assigned to me is based on my lacking knowledge or experience on the topics presented here. I would have thought that my actual experience driving M37’s starting back in 1964 and continuing with the four currently on hand here at the Kempner Power Wagon Museum might have earned me more than “flea wings”. One explanation is that the rank is determined by how often you utter, and not how correctly you utter.

In October 1964 I was assigned to the 7th Military Intelligence Detachment, Camp Casey, Korea. Before some of you “butter bar” level participants get excited and try to find the correct spelling of “oxymoron” let me add to this vocabulary conundrum with the information that I was a Counterintelligence Special Agent.

As such, my rank was classified and I served in civilian clothes. The nature of my duties afforded me considerable latitude with regard to adherence to certain regulations. For example, my “trip ticket” advised all who might have occasion to check it that I was authorized to operate after curfew, operate off MSR’s, transport contraband, and carry indigenous personnel. Very specifically, this document stated that the driver would not be questioned about the nature of the mission on which the vehicle was being driven. Can you say, “Blank Check”?

The Detachment had just received several M151A1’s to replace some used-up M38A1’s that I had done the paper work for their turn in. Of course, my rank still influenced some aspects of Army business within the unit and I was not assigned one of the new AM General M151A1’s. Instead, the primary vehicle assigned to me was the Ford M151 that had been assigned to the Commanding Officer. At that stage of my life, my personal vehicle was a Ford Galaxie 500 and I was pleased to have another Ford to drive.

In addition to a GMC M211, the Detachment had a M37B1 w/w. These were seldom driven. This was my first acquaintance with an M37 and I immediately liked it. I frequently drove it, particularly when there was some challenging terrain to conquer. Rat Patrol was a well known TV series. Because there were no restrictions imposed on us, we often did “cross country” training. There was a wide river bed near by with plenty of sand. Usually the river was a narrow flow and we had a huge “sand box” to enjoy. The M37 did very well in the “sand box” and often had to retrieve an M151. There were also some mountain passes in the area that provided some white knuckle mileage.

Several times, the river was flooded and parts of the “Ville” were inundated. Some of the guys had “Class B” dependents down there and I was the one who drove the M37 down the flooded back streets to “rescue” them and their belongings.

I did more than play with the M37. Our Detachment had a small club. Because I was the only one who drove the M37, I was afforded the opportunity to make the supply runs for the club. There was a district on the north side of Seoul where “slicky boys” attempted to loot supply trucks. Many units hauled supplies in ¼ ton trucks with trailers. “Slicky boys” would go out in the street to slow or stop the small vehicles while their associates cut the tie downs of the cargo covers and made off with loot. It was amazing how the winch and bumper on a M37 discouraged these enterprising individuals from getting in the street to slow or stop traffic. Because the M37 hauled a good load, no trailer was needed and there were no maneuverability issues. Also, the wonderful sound of a Dodge “L” head motor under acceleration was a definite help. I don’t know how I’d have done with Elliot Ness, but I never lost a drop of liquid supplies for the club.

Because I had a choice of M37 or M151 every day, I learned to drive them much faster than the typical Army driver. Because I was exempt from Military Police scrutiny, I drove them both much faster than the typical Army driver. The point is that I was able to explore the capabilities of these vehicles.

If you look at the speedometer dial face on a M151, you will see the words “MILES PER HOUR” at the bottom of the dial. I can honestly say a M151 can be driven at “PER” by someone who understands the nature of independent four wheel suspension. It is also important to note that I raced dirt bikes and can read the ground ahead. You drive the M151 through a situation. You do not hit the brakes in a panic. I have jumped the ditch and landed without incident in a rice paddy when an oversize vehicle came around a bend and was well onto my side of the road.

I did things to make “my” M151 safe to drive energetically. First -and very important - I had all the tires the same, not just the tread type, but all the same brand and the same amount of wear. I kept the brakes well adjusted. And I drove in four-wheel-drive at all times except when I was on DRY pavement.

I loved the M151. Ford was introducing their four-wheel drive vehicle while I was in Korea. One of the first things I did when I got back to the states (but not the first) was head to the Ford dealer to see if they had used the M151 type mechanicals. The new Bronco was sweet, but it was just another Jeep with solid axles.

In subsequent Army assignments, I drove M151A1’s and M151A2’s. They were alright, but I never was in the situation again where I had the joy of that first M151. Oh yes, I was also the Unit Property Book Officer and “owned" 40 M151’s and had the additional duty of Unit Maintenance Officer dealing with M151’s and M880's. Sadly, the M37 was gone.

I just thought I would apologize for having only a “flea wings” level of knowledge. That is obvious when you see that I am such a fan of the M151 but have such limited knowledge of them.

[Cal_Gary]

Great story Paul! Let me share my MUTT experience:

Some might recall from a previous post that my unit at Ft Ord still had an M201 when I was stationed there in '77-'78. I also doubled as the CO's Driver/RTO (yeah yeah, I hear some of you now-CO's Boy, brownie points, etc) but I got to put a couple thousand miles on an A2 and found it to be a solid performer and Paul is right-it will motor on, as I wound the speedo up and around to the "S" in "Miles" one time at the CO's insistence-how young and dumb we were! Anyway, that turned out ok and I knew then how fast it would move. What really surprised me was an incident at Camp Roberts where the unit before us pulled out of Sherwood Forest (yes that's the name) and didn't refill the fox holes. Anyway, we convoyed in using b/o lights and all of a sudden the MUTT went passenger front and back wheels through an open foxhole, tossing me into the secured windshield and my weight flooring the gas pedal! I want you to know, that Mutt did NOT roll over but climbed out the other side of the foxhole with no effort at all! I was doggone lucky, and we saw the ND track right down the center of the foxhole the next morning-a wild ride to say the least. On another occasion I learned not to dump the clutch in 2nd gear because I broke a U-joint on the left rear axle shaft-too much torque.

Anyway, I loved that MUTT and would love to have one today-the buyer must beware and try not to get one that has been "cut" because the Government still doesn't want them in civilian hands.

Thanks for letting me ramble,
Gary

[refit1701]

Nice write-up, Paul. Everyone's experience is different so their point of views often come from different angles.

If I get a 151, I'll have both that and my 37...best of both worlds perhaps!

[m-37Bruce]

Now you guys know I am not, nor have I ever been a motor sgt., just a hippy sgt.
We had several mutts/151/151 a1, in the late sixties, early seventies, at CCK, AFB, Taiwan.
Our biggest problems/issues was rollover, in one year we had two Airmen almost severed in two, seems the left turning ability and hitting the brakes at the same time was a disaster waiting to happen.
This made seat (lap) belts mandatory. I always stuck to the 37's & the M-43's we had. Later a ROPES option was installed on all of them as well.

[MSeriesRebuild]

I had the chance to sit in a M151 this past weekend, at the Gulf Coast Show. I was recently very disappointed to find that I cannot get behind the wheel of a WWII jeep nor a M38 or A1 due to being 6'3" tall.

Turns out, there is plenty of room in the MUTT. This was quite a surprise since they always looked smaller than the other jeeps. Now I have MUTT fever, fueled by the fact that a club member has one he's trying to get rid of for only $500. It comes with a spare, running engine and transmission and will need some TLC to be back to fighting trim but no more than what I've been faced with on the M37.

The jeep is complete and an early model at that.

So now I am all about 151's, in addition to the '37. Just a week ago, I was wanting a M211 or M135. My, how love is fickle....

I seem to have a knack for finding projects no one else will bother with.

Maybe if I go have a lie down it will pass.......

M151, A1, A2 are not great vehicles, lots of reasons why. The M211 & M135 GMC trucks you mentioned are yet worse. Not trying to discourage you at all, just letting you know that unless you have a never ending trail of cash to support these hogs, look in another direction. The early M151 is not something you will love, more likely the contrary. A fellow told me years ago that love was like lightening, just as soon to strike the out house as the rose garden, this is true of man & the early M151.

Well, I think the man should follow his passion and be allowed to form his own opinions. Facts aside, he may just find this vehicle to be just the ticket he was looking for.

I sat in a Mutt at the Cape May NJ aircraft museum several years ago. I found it to be very comfortable. I'm only 6' feet tall, not like you Sasquatches out there, so maybe it was built for guys like me.

Refit;

I know how you feel. I keep seeing this old Ford(I think its a Ford) E100 cabover van truck in a back yard near my son's ball field, and have really been thinking about approaching the owner. It seems to be in very rough shape, but who knows. I know its not military but its a cool old vehicle nonetheless that deserves a more dignified fate than to rot, neglected and forgotten.

Nick, I'm not trying to talk him out of the vehicle, I'm just passing on a heads up. After working on many, I know they aren't a great vehicle. Just thought he should know it too before investing. I have no problem whatsoever with what he buys, his dollar.

[refit1701]

I didn't intend to get a stink started. I take eveyone's advice in the spirit it is given: to be helpful. I enjoy reading everyone's opinion!

[Cal_Gary]

I don't see any embers burning on this topic from any of the posts. I'm sure we all agree that ANY HMV saved from the scrapper/crusher is a GOOD thing! I know I was tickled to finally get my M37 back in '04 even though it was a basket case at the time, and would have been just as thrilled to have purchased any HMV of any kind that I could afford.
Gary