Miss Plaised restoration. 1968 M151A1

[Francis Marion]

Finally got the body stripped and the more I see the more work is needed. Here are the pics.

[rickf]

It has a lot of patchwork on it but overall it is in excellent shape underbody wise. You have a real good platform to work with. Most of the previous, with a few exceptions are good quality which prevented more damage, on the other hand they will be tough to remove for full panel replacement. The underbody kit will replace a lot of the bad rails.

[Francis Marion]

I remember someone saying they were going to use fiberglass in their restore.

Please don't!

This is why you shouldn't:

[WC Matt]

I remember someone saying they were going to use fiberglass in their restore.

Please don't!

Encountered similar on my airportable lightweight (Land Rover) & you're absolutely right! Your A1 body is in much better shape that what I started with on my A1 resto. It's looking good & we really don't see a lot of M151 nor M151A1 restos on here-seems like it's mostly A2s getting "the treatment".

Matt

[Francis Marion]

I just dropped the disassembled power pack off at the machine shop. I didn't want to leave it with just anyone so I picked the guy who restored the engine for the Mormon Meteor. He did mention that he had never seen a head quite like it before and compared the engine to an old tractor engine. Lots of power in a little package.

Next I get the body and parts off for media blasting.

[whiterabbit]

The blaster will tell the truth! That's when the hidden stuff comes to light.
When I was working on the body of my A2 the most aggravating work was removing/repairing bad work. The plane rust spots were easy fixes but scabbed on patch panels were a pain to fix. On the plus side there are some really nice new panels being made now.
Looks like a nice truck!

[Francis Marion]

The plane rust spots were easy fixes but scabbed on patch panels were a pain to fix.

I think that adequately describes my underbody crossmember. Anybody know where I can get a replacement?

[Francis Marion]

I have encountered a couple problems with disassembly of the front suspension.

I have removed the castle nuts from the the tie rods and the manual states, "Strike both right and left steering arms a sharp blow, while pulling upward on the rod ends." I've been striking both very sharply and nothing shows any signs of movement. Does anyone know the secret to removing the steering components?

The shocks have also proven difficult. The nut on the left side easily rotates but is not threading off. The right side is frozen solid and just strips the shaft I'm supposed to keep from rotating.

[rickf]

On the steering arms. Get a medium hammer, Seabee, stay out of this, and hit the steering are directly on the end. Inline with the arm.Put a pry bar between the steering arm and the tie rod, or anything and the tie rod and pry up just a little as you hit it. You do not need a lot of prying force, just enough to lift it up when it pops loose. When you hit the steering are do not be afraid of it but do not hit it with a sledge hammer either. Shock is the key, not force so a smaller hammer with a hard hit will do the trick better than a bigger hammer. Sorry Seabee.Another trick you can use if the suspension is held by something is to thread the nut back on the tie rod, a good idea anyway in case of an errant hit with the hammer. Only thread the nut on until it is flush with the end of the threaded portion of the rod and then put a block of wood against it and pry against that while hitting the steering arm. This is better done with two sets of hands. If it is still on the vehicle them you can put a jack under it and lightly jack up against it and then smack the arm.

[Jay Mallari]

On the steering arms. Get a medium hammer, Seabee, stay out of this,