What would you do if originality didn't matter?

feel the need to change or modify your mutt? This is the place to discuss it.

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Cerberus
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What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by Cerberus » October 26th, 2015, 2:38 pm

So, I have a Titan m151 I'm rebuilding when a thought occurred to me. Since this thing isn't original anyway and I'm not going to pretend it is, why not mod it up? So far I've gotten civilian tubeless tires, a Pulsetech battery tender and an inverter. I'm planning on doing the K&N air filter conversion as well. I have the LED mil lights and push button lighting control panel. My intent is to "upgrade" anything I can and turn it into an adventure truck. So my question to you all, what ideas have you had or seen that you thought would be useful to do but haven't because you didn't want to mutilate an original vehicle? I have one I'm keeping all stock and decided to have fun with the Titan. Thanks for any input!

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rickf
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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by rickf » October 26th, 2015, 5:17 pm

Lockers, disc brakes and dual circuit brakes, 12 volt conversion for availability of parts when on the road, or off road. Roll cage if you do not already have it.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

Cerberus
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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by Cerberus » October 27th, 2015, 11:18 am

Thanks rickf, though i think some of those are beyond my abilities. I do plan to get a roll cage welded that can accomodate a custom soft top and also a roof rack. I think anything at least mostly bolt on would be best, I should have specified that in the OP. I do like being able to use the manuals and parts for maintenance and repair.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by 199th mp » October 28th, 2015, 9:15 am

everything rick wants to add, PLUS a diesel engine. i wish my small pickup had a diesel, since ford quit building rangers the year after i bought mine. now i don't know what i'll get next, as i have been driving these since they first came out. i think a diesel would help it last longer.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by Cerberus » October 28th, 2015, 11:47 am

Oh I've certainly thought about a diesel. I'm not much of a mechanic which is why I was hoping for things that are a little more bolt on. I would love to throw a diesel in there, I think the Toyota 2L or the like was mentioned as not being too troublesome. I would have to pay someone to do something of that complexity. Same issue with some of the very useful suggestions rickf made. The cost of the diesel conversion might be worth it though.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by sherwan_88 » October 28th, 2015, 3:40 pm

You wouldn't want to put the infamous Toyota 2L in anything except trash. The Toyota 2C and 3C are decent engines but i doubt they are available in abundance in North America.
I put a diesel (Toyota 2C) in my Mutt back when i had it. It was the worst decision i ever made.
The transmission and diffs would not just take it to the 2C. The axle shaft u-joints would just break and limp on the control arms.
The prop shafts kept wounding up. The diffs simply would come to a point where they howled like a mad dog. I had the props and axle shafts fabricated to take to the 2C

Not to mention to make the engine fit you have to change a lot of stuff, sump, tappet cover, flywheel etc etc.

You would have to stick with original transmission since the Toyota ones don't have a integrated transfer case hence they are long as a pole. So a lot of cutting in the middle floor and rails.
If one did manage to fit a Toyota transfer case one would also end up with a tiny little prop shaft only about a foot long. The Toyota transfer cases outputs would hang too low and would hit any reasonable sized hump you once were able to clear easily in the original one.

Now comes the part where the body is just not designed to deal the vibration of a diesel. I've seen spots welds come loose over time. Mountings break and much more.

I have been doing a lot of research and the only candidate which i found best for a donor is this:
Image

Not your typical 4x4 but it does the job pretty well. I owned a Mini variant of it and its just mad on the road and offroad. The 1.1 liter petrol engine and the drive train is small enough to make a good candidate without the need of extensive cutting and welding. Power output is nice at 80hp with 75 ft-lb of torque and you get an option of 5 Forward Manual or 3 Forward Auto with the option of a manual transfer case for Low, Highs,4x2 and 4x4 option.

The power pack is definitely not a killer on the road or the track but makes a good candidate for the mutt to turn into a vehicle which you could take to the mountains every now and then and now worry if somethings gonna break anytime. Don't get me wrong the mutt is still road worthy in its own right but up to a certain extent. One cannot drive it on a daily basis due to the fact that it requires a lot more parts which are getting rare by every day and maintenance. The fuel factor plays its part too.
Sherwan

1982 M825 (Former)
Muttless at the moment. :(
The Last Of Its Kind. A Ton Of American Steel.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by rickf » October 28th, 2015, 5:06 pm

Sherwan, Glad to see you are still hanging around. Cerberus, if you do a search of Sherwan's name you will see more modifications than you ever thought possible on these vehicles.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by sherwan_88 » October 28th, 2015, 5:53 pm

rickf wrote:Sherwan, Glad to see you are still hanging around.
You can't get rid of me that easily. :wink:
Just Kidding :D
Sherwan

1982 M825 (Former)
Muttless at the moment. :(
The Last Of Its Kind. A Ton Of American Steel.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by sherwan_88 » October 28th, 2015, 6:40 pm

Mods i would recommend retaining original setup:

1. Add busing in the diff mountings. A one inch thick bushing on all for points between the body and the diff makes a huge difference. Smooths out the ride and way less noise.
2. Mr.Recovery's carburetor mod. Most market carbs in the market are Chinese and dime a dozen. All of them useless for dyed E10. There are more carburetor manufacturers in the US so hence there is a lot of availability and reliability as well.
3. A custom made exhaust manifold for better flow, Basically custom extractors. The original one has too little flow and the tubular design just makes it inadequate.
4. Anti-Roll bars. Almost every double wishbone suspension system has anti-roll bars and there have been a lot of cars manufactured with that design. The trick would be finding the right one rest should be easy.
5. Disc brakes. A bit of lengthy job but doable.

You can do all these and retain the aesthetics to original and improve ride quality by quite a lot.

As for adventure mods here is a few a which i will must do.

1. 4000lb electric winch upfront
2. 2kva genset top of rear left fender.
3. Mount two spare tires instead of one on the back. Stack them back and front.
3. Have two jerry cans.
4. Have a portable 24v compressor and a tire puncture repair kit.
5. Have a high lift jack
6. A detachable snorkel. Good for crossing small streams.
7. A working heater. After all who doesn't like to shoot a bit of fowl in the winter.
8. A 50.cal ammo box bolted right between the center of the seats to serve as a console.
10. Digital gauges with sensors.
11. Last but not the least a 24v kettle for the winters. Who doesn't like tea or coffee. :D

Things i think don't really work.
1. Bigger tires, especially wider ones like 265s 285s etc. Crappy ride. Crappy control. Original NDCCs are best for off-road and good on-road. They just don't like sand. You'll sink faster than you realize. A/T type of 205s (max 225s) are best all round.
2. Suspension lift. One ends up screwing up the whole ride with little control.
3. Roll cage is nice until you bang your head hard against it going over bumpy terrain. Hence my point. Who doesn't like to go with the top and windshield down at 30mph. A bug here and there stuck in your teeth but you got a big smirk on your face. Nothing beats that.
4. After market filters. The OEM filter does good of a job than any other. Aftermarket filters tend to restrict or improve airflow which is not really necessary. Old carburetors just don't like modern after market filters at least that's my experience.
Sherwan

1982 M825 (Former)
Muttless at the moment. :(
The Last Of Its Kind. A Ton Of American Steel.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by rickf » October 28th, 2015, 6:41 pm

Oh, I could, with one click. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by csmith » October 28th, 2015, 9:11 pm

Nice to see you again Sherwin. When are you going to get another 151?
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!!

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by Cerberus » October 30th, 2015, 1:52 pm

Thanks for all the input, a whole bunch of very appealing ideas! Some of which are even within my abilities haha. Thanks for the input on the engine swap sherwan, sounds like the best bet would probably be to just maintain the engine well and and get to know it intimately.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by ltsimp » October 31st, 2015, 8:50 am

I have an aftermarket M151 and have done a few things to it. I put HMMV seats in for comfort. Lifted front 2 inches. Radial tires, rides great. New exhaust breaths easier. Swing out spare tire carrier. Added a Hilft jack. I really only drive it a few times in the summer and go to several shows with it. Probably 2500 miles each year. I like some of the suggestions that are put forward here and may try to incorporate a few in mine.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by Dsk65 » February 15th, 2016, 9:33 pm

I would put electronic fuel injection on that Titan. Retro fit a TBi from a 4 cylinder like an S-10, or find an aftermarket kit. Howell fuel injection systems are good, and Holley makes them too, but I don't know about for 4 cylinder engines.

The e.f.i. would make for easy starting, no choke issues, nice off camber off roading, but deep water fording would be OUT.

If I had a cut Mutt, I sure would like a stretched wheelbase, add 2 feet in length for cargo capacity.

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Re: What would you do if originality didn't matter?

Unread post by eflexter » February 18th, 2016, 5:44 pm

Interest in military vehicles is what got us here. I'd say that keeping some military theme is the cool way to go. But you could go for a more "edgy" theme, such as a fast attack vehicle with a fairly radical camo pattern like Tiger-stripe jungle pattern, or the angular greens of the Danish vehicles. I'd make the mods seem like a natural evolution of the M151 (M152?) as if it hadn't been replaced by the porky Hummer.

I'd probably add a third axle to the back as well. Go for some traction enhancement.
1967 M151A1

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