Hambone's M151A1 progress

[Hambone]

Hey guys,
Here are a few more pics of the progress i'm making on my jeep. Notice she's not on the jackstands anymore and I have my windshields in, which was a pain in the..... . She is not museum quality but she is looking pretty good, I know i'm proud of her. I will be working on an ambulance version A1 next. Hambone

[baios]

woww beautiful hey what made are the tires???

[cstaup]

I'm starting to get Baios' tire fascination. I like 'em as well.

[Hambone]

I will look to see what brand they are. Hambone

[toptiger]

Hambone, looking real.
I think having the original canvas seats with the all the stains, grime, wear and slickness makes for a lot more interesting vehicle, and tells a long story.
Mine have vinyl, which brings up a question- When were canvas seats and tops and side curtains replaced with vinyl? Anyone know.
Back in the service, I only saw canvas - up to 1970.

[ccandgc]

I took the vinyl out of my mutt....it smelled weird and got sticky in the humid summers and chilly winters. I replaced with canvas, which smells much better and IMHO, looks better. A friend has the same type of tires on his mutt...I like them too!

[WC Matt]

When I restored my '67 A1 I went with Canvas (& loved it ) With my '71 A2, it had used vinyl already on it. If I was able to keep it longer ( ), I would have probably replaced it with more canvas.

Top
Your question about when vinyl's introduction comes up from time to time on here and the 503. Even asked it myself . If I recall (& it's probably in the Wiki) vinyl started replacing canvas in the mid 70s(1976?). It may have been itroduced earlier, though.
Matt

[raymond]

Bob Amon over at G503 in a post several years ago said it was while he was in Vietnam in late 1969. He said he was being driven by someone in a M151 who was complaining how the canvas got wet and made his butt wet and how he was looking forward to a more waterproof vinyl seat covers that were supposedly in the pipeline. He said he also thought to himself that in the grand scheme of things over there, it was a pretty petty thing to gripe about.

[WC Matt]

Bob Amon over at G503 in a post several years ago said it was while he was in Vietnam in late 1969. He said he was being driven by someone in a M151 who was complaining how the canvas got wet and made his butt wet and how he was looking forward to a more waterproof vinyl seat covers that were supposedly in the pipeline. He said he also thought to himself that in the grand scheme of things over there, it was a pretty petty thing to gripe about.

Raymond
I remember that story and was going to quote it in my previous post but thought I might miss something so I didn't. Thanks for posting it.
Matt

[toptiger]

We had the local 'Taylor Shop' make vinyl covers for the seats and spare tires for that reason. Most of the jeeps on our base had them, but then it was an U.S. Air Force base, Bien Hoa, and the jeeps were never in the field except for Saigon runs for them whore-i-zontal massages and visits to that mother of all PXs at Cho Lon.

[Crusader_22]

He said he also thought to himself that in the grand scheme of things over there, it was a pretty petty thing to gripe about.

I saw this and just had to comment. One could say that seat covering material is a petty gripe. But in my experience in Iraq, when your whole life revolves around the equipment you live in, and on, and around - gripes like that aren't that petty! Your whole existence gets boiled down to a few simple things. what might have been a small thing under normal circumstances or measures, no longer are. If it made your life just that little bit better, it was a BIG DEAL.

I want canvas for my truck in the worst way, and I will get it, but the Army (well, DoD) saw fit to switch to vinyl, some might have liked it, some not. I do know in some cases it is better. In 110° plus heat here in AZ, I'll take the canvas!!

Jeff

[aceecaus]

Looking good Hambone!!!

[Hambone]

The tires on the jeep are made by Reynolds, probably 20 yrs old.