Now we are just waiting on the two power packs to be delivered by Bil F and we can complete the M151-LC at long last.
1962 Ford M151-LC project Part 2
Moderators: rickf, raymond, Mr. Recovery
1962 Ford M151-LC project Part 2
Now we are just waiting on the two power packs to be delivered by Bil F and we can complete the M151-LC at long last.
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toptiger
- Colonel
- Posts: 1853
- Joined: December 6th, 2007, 9:39 pm
- Location: ~Heaven~Frostproof, Fla., Paris and Grasse france
its coming together pretty good- and you saved another 151, even though highly modified, it will live on. Great work Bleddyn
Author M-151 MUTT, The Vietnam Jeep
Paper edition http://www.blurb.com/books/1646321
IOS ebook iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id598605516
2 M151A2s, M416 trailer, M274A5 Mule,
Former Army Aviator, Bien Hoa, VN 1968-69
Mustang Gunship Platoon Commander
68th Assault Helicopter Company 'Top Tigers'
Central Florida and France
Paper edition http://www.blurb.com/books/1646321
IOS ebook iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id598605516
2 M151A2s, M416 trailer, M274A5 Mule,
Former Army Aviator, Bien Hoa, VN 1968-69
Mustang Gunship Platoon Commander
68th Assault Helicopter Company 'Top Tigers'
Central Florida and France
Even though not a Demil she was very beat up.
If the body had been in better shape Nate and I would have insided on restoring this Jeep to stock.
The front floors and passengerside were torn and rusted out.
Sure we could have gone stock and replaced the floors and side panel, but fining the front fenders was not a real easy find, nor was repairing the damage to the body from a fork lift..
The Uni-frame was intact and un-cut so that was a positive aspect, we had a flexible uni-body to play with in the shop.
We knew this Jeep would never quite make a show peice unless we poured thousands of dollars into the body panels and floors, so at that time we decided to make her into a M151-LC.
We had all the material and the blueprints and factory photo's to follow and no one else was doing it, TNJ Murray was building XM408 type 6x6's so another one would not be special.
We wanted a rig almost no one else had and it was then we decided to forge on with the project.
We went through several modification plans including mounting the uni-body on a solid frame from a Bronco II.
The solid frame allowed for a natural lift kit and it looked wild...but!
The concept worked but the ride was awful.
The Bronco II frame combination made the Jeep ride like a tank.
So after a few times out on the trails we broke everything back down and began again.
To keep the M151-LC uni-body from any modifications that would deter the original vehicle design was never a option.
We wanted this Jeep to be completly reversable to stock condition.
So without the option of hacking, cutting and torching at will we were under many restrictions to what we could and could not do.
The biggest obsticle was finding a powerful power pack that would fit under the hood.
We had a 4.0 Jeep Cherokee engine and tranny slated for instalation, but the engine would just barely mount without mods, but the tranny was just to large and just too long.
Seating the tranny would have meant dropping the engine lower then the uni-frame, so we would have had to space the uni-frame and that was not acceptable to Nate or I.
The tranny would not seat in between the mid body section of the tranny tunnel unless it was lowered or we cut a section of the uni-frame away to allow the tranny to fit.
That was not going to happen as that would weaken the uni-frame as well as make the M151-LC a partial demil.
So the perfect solution was to find either a Engine from a Ford Pinto, or a Japanese 4 cylinder engine.
We wanted both speed and power and easy access to a 4x4 tranny so the Pinto engine idea was scrapped in favor of a Nissan engine and 4x4 tranny.
The power pack is small and will fit into the M151-LC with relative ease, has plenty of power and speed and was scored in a trade.
Conversion kits are also availible to allow for the tranny to work with the set of Dana 44's.
We went with what would work best and would cost the least to achieve...LOL
Godzilla power pack or not this will be one fun M151 series vehicle when she is completed this time around.
The front floors and passengerside were torn and rusted out.
Sure we could have gone stock and replaced the floors and side panel, but fining the front fenders was not a real easy find, nor was repairing the damage to the body from a fork lift..
The Uni-frame was intact and un-cut so that was a positive aspect, we had a flexible uni-body to play with in the shop.
We knew this Jeep would never quite make a show peice unless we poured thousands of dollars into the body panels and floors, so at that time we decided to make her into a M151-LC.
We had all the material and the blueprints and factory photo's to follow and no one else was doing it, TNJ Murray was building XM408 type 6x6's so another one would not be special.
We wanted a rig almost no one else had and it was then we decided to forge on with the project.
We went through several modification plans including mounting the uni-body on a solid frame from a Bronco II.
The solid frame allowed for a natural lift kit and it looked wild...but!
The concept worked but the ride was awful.
The Bronco II frame combination made the Jeep ride like a tank.
So after a few times out on the trails we broke everything back down and began again.
To keep the M151-LC uni-body from any modifications that would deter the original vehicle design was never a option.
We wanted this Jeep to be completly reversable to stock condition.
So without the option of hacking, cutting and torching at will we were under many restrictions to what we could and could not do.
The biggest obsticle was finding a powerful power pack that would fit under the hood.
We had a 4.0 Jeep Cherokee engine and tranny slated for instalation, but the engine would just barely mount without mods, but the tranny was just to large and just too long.
Seating the tranny would have meant dropping the engine lower then the uni-frame, so we would have had to space the uni-frame and that was not acceptable to Nate or I.
The tranny would not seat in between the mid body section of the tranny tunnel unless it was lowered or we cut a section of the uni-frame away to allow the tranny to fit.
That was not going to happen as that would weaken the uni-frame as well as make the M151-LC a partial demil.
So the perfect solution was to find either a Engine from a Ford Pinto, or a Japanese 4 cylinder engine.
We wanted both speed and power and easy access to a 4x4 tranny so the Pinto engine idea was scrapped in favor of a Nissan engine and 4x4 tranny.
The power pack is small and will fit into the M151-LC with relative ease, has plenty of power and speed and was scored in a trade.
Conversion kits are also availible to allow for the tranny to work with the set of Dana 44's.
We went with what would work best and would cost the least to achieve...LOL
Godzilla power pack or not this will be one fun M151 series vehicle when she is completed this time around.
Replicate and enhance strenth mods.
Nate, Micki and I did not only replicate the M151A2-LC based prototype, we took the concept design futher back in vehicle design as well as futher ahead in the overall vehicle construction.
We used a non-demil 1962 Ford M151 instead of a M151A2, as our uni-body of choice for vehicle.
The M151 did not have drop fenders, nor ROPS, both included in the modifications.
The 1/4 steel skid/blast plating and the bottom reinforcements are a personal design known as a "WELD LIFT SUPPORT" that increases the flexibility and strength of the uni-body.
The weld lift support is a design that allows lift in a stable enviroment, greatly reducing roll over enertia, by shiffting all uni-body weight to center.
The weld lift support also eliminates uni-body to uni-frame vibration, reinforcing the uni-frame solid axel adaptation and 6 inch lift platform.
The end result is a faster, higher, stronger, safer more fleixble M151 Jeep that has great stability and can jump and land without uni-frame warping at higher rates of speed.
We just made Tech advancements to a already fantastic prototype design.
We used a non-demil 1962 Ford M151 instead of a M151A2, as our uni-body of choice for vehicle.
The M151 did not have drop fenders, nor ROPS, both included in the modifications.
The 1/4 steel skid/blast plating and the bottom reinforcements are a personal design known as a "WELD LIFT SUPPORT" that increases the flexibility and strength of the uni-body.
The weld lift support is a design that allows lift in a stable enviroment, greatly reducing roll over enertia, by shiffting all uni-body weight to center.
The weld lift support also eliminates uni-body to uni-frame vibration, reinforcing the uni-frame solid axel adaptation and 6 inch lift platform.
The end result is a faster, higher, stronger, safer more fleixble M151 Jeep that has great stability and can jump and land without uni-frame warping at higher rates of speed.
We just made Tech advancements to a already fantastic prototype design.