These supposedly came out of Camp Shelby, and the story is that as they were being crushed and de-milled, some of them made it onto the bottom of the truck intact, and got covered up by crushed bodies. Included in this sale were one of each.
The crushed one seems to be newer, and had suspension and differentials intact, but driveshaft and axles were cut, apparently because the differential(s) was locked up. Not much there but as a donor there might be some value.
The second is running smoothly, though it needs some work. Clutch only engages at the very top, parking-brake is not engaging at all, rear differential has to come out as it's extremely loose, and the floorboards are rusted through. Apparently even had a plate welded on as a fix in the past from underneath, though that has now rusted through as well. It's got light rust all over, some gauges not working, gas tank leaks at filler tube, and who knows what else. But it runs.
The intent is to totally strip and rebuild this. I have a "good" 1976 M-151A2 that I can use as an example so that will help. With the sale came a ton of used spare parts, but everything had been stored outside for years, so who knows what works and what doesn't.
The data plate on this is blank, so it was registered with a made up VIN. I'd love to dig and try to get it's history before starting to tear things down. Unfortunately, this thing looks like it was painted 10 times over with a brush and the layers of paint are thick. I will try to uncover any original markings by peeling or sanding before sandblasting the body.
The data plate off the engine is clean and legible, but no idea if this is the original or not.
Any help in determining history or suggestions on what to look for to help is appreciated!
