The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

A place to post pics and descriptions of ongoing restoration projects

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Aswayze
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The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 15th, 2013, 11:55 am

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M151A1 6001 came to us just after East Wind 5.  We had long been wanting to add an M151 to the mix out there since East Wind 2 when Mercer had his M151A2 out that had proven so useful.  Alas, these things don’t grow on trees and landing an affordable one was no easy trick.   This one cropped up on Craigs List in Tulsa Oklahoma at a time when I had no excess money to spend but Dewayne spotted it and secretly snapped it up.  On visiting DDAP a month or so later he surprised me with it.  By that time, I actually had all of our East Wind bills paid and was no longer stuck eating mac and cheese so I was easily able to settle up the cost with him and a few weeks later 6001 was on it’s way up to Dave’s on the back of Brett’s trailer.  

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In what turned out to become a common theme, the biggest problem with 6001 mechanically was a severely rusted out transmission.   As luck would have it my relentless craigs list searching had paid off almost immediately and I scored a complete A2 power pack for the princely sum of $125.   The pics above show it after arriving home in M882 #706 just before Shamus Kelley and I unloaded it.   It took us several rounds of picking up, shuffling it here, moving it there, going up and down stairs with it to finally decide that DAMN M151 power packs are heavy and just splitting the trans and engine apart and moving them separately from there.    

Aswayze
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 15th, 2013, 11:56 am

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By the end of the weekend, 6001 was zooming all around the western vehicle depot annoying Daves wife and entertaining the kids to no end.  

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With the major stuff knocked out 6001 now was able to get hauled over to my house for further work.  (hard to get disabled vehicles up my steep and narrow driveway)

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Now it was time to attack the brakes issue.  The master cylinder was stuck down and all the brake lines were a complete mess.  You can see in the picture all the brown crap that we were blowing out of them.  Sheesh…  

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At the same time, we used the jack out of M35A2 6025 to jack the back fender back straight.  We would soon come to realize what causes this when we caught a tree branch with the antenna mount later in the year.  


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It was a particularly hot summer so we ended up stringing up a hex camo net for shade.  This system has since become the norm here at the house and is the envy of the other shade tree mechanics in the neighborhood.  

Aswayze
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 15th, 2013, 11:56 am

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In no time at all, we had fully functional brakes and were off having some proper Mutt adventures in a rough and tumble little urban valley near my house.  This trip ended up demonstrating how reliable old ignition condensers are…  Subsequent adventures taught us about ethanol in fuel pumps, clogged fuel filters, vapor lock etc.   Each trip generally ending with M882 #706 tugging 6001 back home for further work.  

Napa guy asks me: “So what kind of gas did you put in it”

“The kind that comes from the gas pump, what do you think”

“Well you know, they put ethanol in gas now and it causes some fuel pumps problems”

“Well they should make the fuel pumps able to pump fuel that is sold at the gas stations I would think”  

“Well sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t”

“Well they probably will start doing that if I return 65 of these in the next month I’ll bet”  

He laughed and said he was game for it if I was.  


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Time to finally start dealing with the body…  I managed to nearly destroy my old Porter Cable sawzall getting the darn front hitch off of the thing where the previous rednecks had stick welded it to the front cross member.

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The body quite heavily coated in bondo.  I mean, it was frosted like a wedding cake…  Usually covering either nothing at all, or some extremely minor ding.  Davey and I soon found ourselves going around the thing with a scraper and a propane torch peeling strips of bondo off of places like giant orange peels.  

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The only significant underbody rust was on the rear beam.  Dave broke some metal plates and stitched it up with the MIG.  Later mutts we simply ordered replacement panels for but on this one we did it the hard way.    

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With the body as straight as we were going to get it, we soon set to work getting paint on the underside as well as truck bed lining the interior.  It is perpetually cold, rainy wet and often snowy at East Wind so the added traction of the truck bed liner soon proved it’s worth.  It ended up being a great success that has found it’s way onto many NATO truck interiors and floors.  

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Next thing you know, we have a coat of 34079 forest green paint on it and Trucker was up to do the 4 color MERDC pattern that was destined to become the standard pattern for M151 trucks at East Wind.  

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Next up Field Drab Brown…  

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Then the sand and the black.

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Then of course the stencils as is SOP.  

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Ending up looking like this a grand total of ONE month after arrival in Kansas City.  

Aswayze
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 15th, 2013, 11:57 am

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Before long, 6001 was in the field prepping for East Wind 6.  We arrived on a VERY cold, very muddy, VERY stormy March evening and opted to pull 6001 into the tent and by the heat of the woodstove get it’s grill cover and windshield covers fitted.     Curfman made good use of paint we had on hand to match everything but lacking black paint finished off the cover with a magic marker.  

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The next day 6001 was out laying telephone wire and getting all of the little tasks done needed to get an East Wind event off the ground.  

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At East Wind 6, 6001 as well as 6021 both pulled tons of duty, running here there and everywhere in support of NATO troops.  By the end of the event 300 miles had been put on the odometer with all but a few miles being off road and many being cross country.  6001 did have a few troubles during the event, one bad ignition module and the rather constant issue of the fuel pump losing prime on longer and or steep inclines.    

**A quick note on grill covers** We add these at East Wind mostly so that we have an effective way to keep airsoft pellets from damaging radiators. 6021 has it's cover just zip tied on, I decided to use the winter cover since it allows me to slip the grill cover in and holds it quite securely in place without having to modify anything permanently.
Last edited by Aswayze on July 15th, 2013, 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Aswayze
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 15th, 2013, 11:58 am

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After it’s return home, we began to address some of the issues.   We moved the rotary fuel pump down into the tank and while we were there, we added in a new sending unit.  


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Next up was a steering gearbox overhaul as well as finally catching up with some of our tires that needed replaced.  6001 now has Kansas antique plates so we want decent rubber on it for “real” driving.

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While waiting for steering gearbox parts, the gauges were pulled off and their faces polished up using a headlight renewal kit that we usually use on our composite lights.  I had to order more paint since Staggs Mutt ate up much of what we had sitting around, once it gets in I'll be repainting the dash again so it will look right.
 

lablover
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by lablover » July 16th, 2013, 2:06 pm

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing with us.

csmith
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by csmith » July 17th, 2013, 10:17 pm

Thanks, nice jeep and nice post!
1976 M151A2 4 Color Cammo Mutt, aquired August 09
1976 or 7? M151A2 "Miss Sandy" Driver, aquired May 2010
Former owner M151A2 "Miss Saigon" Vietnam Rescue Sold Sept 09
Fond appreciation for the M151 Breed!!

mharris162
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by mharris162 » July 18th, 2013, 4:02 pm

Wow, I love this stuff!

Good job giving that Mutt some new life!

Aswayze
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 18th, 2013, 10:52 pm

Thanks guys.

Got the steering bits all done and together tonight, everything is working spiffy right down to the horn. I am going to rig up my license plate holder this weekend and do a little tooling around the neighborhood in it. Might even take it down the hill to the drive in movie theater, sort of a tradition with my mil trucks.

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rickf
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by rickf » July 19th, 2013, 3:23 pm

Damn! You still have drive ins?!!! I knew I liked Canada for some other reason than the trains and scenery.

Rick
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

moose53
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by moose53 » July 19th, 2013, 4:33 pm

I have one just a few miles from my house in NY too Rick.... its just NJ that hasn't got much of anything anymore lol

Jim
Zigzag50, Northeast51, KC2QDZ
MVPA # 30032 G838.org

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1971 G838-M151A2 1966 G857-M416
1968 G748-M101A1 1976 G748-M116A1
1990 MEP-701A

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Real jeeps have horizontal grille slots

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rickf
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by rickf » July 19th, 2013, 5:35 pm

OH, NJ has plenty of some things. Corrupt politicians, Taxes, Gun laws, Taxes and more taxes.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

Aswayze
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Aswayze » July 20th, 2013, 6:52 am

I am in Kansas City, nothing Canadian about the heat around here right now I assure you.

Glad you thought that though since it pointed out that I needed to put my location into my user profile. :)

This is our drive in: http://boulevarddrivein.com/wordpress/ not only is it a successful and perfectly nice drive in, it is literally just down the hill from me so I can drive even my whackiest vehicles there to see movies or to go to the Swap and Shop on weekend mornings. They have really kept the faith down there over the years and maintained the place well.

armybuck041
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The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by armybuck041 » July 20th, 2013, 11:23 am

Aswayze wrote:I am in Kansas City, nothing Canadian about the heat around here right now I assure you.

Glad you thought that though since it pointed out that I needed to put my location into my user profile. :)
I thought the same thing for a minute when I saw the grill screens on your MUTTs. Then I realized they were A1's.



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Scott Bentley
M151A2 CDN, SN 43813, CFR 74-09195
Gone but never forgotten: Sgt Shane Stachnik, Killed in Action on 3 Sept 2006, Panjwaii, Afghanistan

Floyd
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Re: The consolidated story of M151A1 6001

Unread post by Floyd » July 20th, 2013, 11:28 am

"Beer: Bud Light, Modelo, PBR as well as Frozen drinks: Margarita’s, Pina Colada’s, Strawberry Daiquiri’s and Pink Lemonade." Now that's my kind of drive in. 8)

Floyd
1961 M151
1967 M416
1988 M35A2C
VFW Life Member
NRA Life Member

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