Found on CL - (Not Mine) 2020

[mrdibbles]

One would hope there is a forum, or Facebook page, for former employees of AMG to stay connected. I believe that Firefighting Mutt is the real deal and if it is you know 100% there are likely many photos of it.

[rickf]

Well, He is not from Missouri and since he did not say I will not add it in but if he wants to say where he is from he will chime in. I believe it is the real thing, I was just pointing out what others will think down the road based on hearsay.

[Nick_]

BUT! The only provenance is the word of a contractor that worked at, not for, AMG. Nothing on paper, no pictures in service at the plant. And like Horst said, 6,000 miles is a LOT of miles to put on a vehicle in just a few years driving around a small property. So down the line the only proof of provenance is that video. Now, that said, how many other people have ever gotten to talk to someone that was at AMG? The other history he was talking about was also interesting and as you can see a lot of that video was edited out. probably more for time than anything.

C'mon Rick, I held that camera forever! All the content went into the video, there wasn't any story cut out. Edits are resulted from long pauses, changing camera battery, etc.

As for the provenance, I did email a current AM General employee requesting information. He called me but I didnt catch in time, and left voicemail where he confirmed the vehicles story. As they're working from home during Covid, the phone number came up as "restricted" and I could never call him back. He ended up calling me after the Mutt video was uploaded and we chatted for about 20 minutes. A few guys at the plant wanted to buy the Mutt and several prototype Deuces. However, all were sold over a weekend... a bit under the radar if you will. Once this contact noticed the vehicles were gone, he knew exactly where to look. Sure enough, they were sitting right outside the body shop down the road. Nobody knows where Phil sold the Deuces.

Ritch from the video did try and contact some fellow fire fighters from AMG. Unfortunately they have since passed away. We're just far enough in time that only the very young guys from that era are still around.

As for photos, there may be one at the remains of Jeep Acres. Ritch was going to look for us as he is very close with the owner. When the plant closed, pretty much everything was sold or given away. Jeep Acres acquired many things such as the M151 trailer Ritch mentioned in the video.

I think you guys might be reading into this a bit too deep. I work in vehicle manufacturing and we build prototypes and one-off's all the time. To those involved, they simply aren't exciting - rather a common occurrence. When you're finished with them, they simply take up space and resources. We have built and disassembled countless vehicles and don't have pictures of the majority. I'm willing to bet most people at AMG didn't break their necks looking at this M151A2. It was simply a work truck and nothing more. How many of us have taken pictures of our work trucks and kept them in the safe for 30 years? Even Willys practically gave away their prototypes. Many years after production has ended is when it becomes exciting - especially at the hobbyist level.

[lpcoating]

Hello Nick. Thank you for the response. Do you know the buyer's intentions for the truck? I'm assuming they are going to keep it as the fire truck?

Guy

[Surveyor]

I think what Rick is trying to say is that he's from Missouri....

My father was from Texas and I've been around enough Cajuns so I think I can interpret ...

I think what Rick is trying to say is SHOW ME.

[rickf]

I am not saying anything really, other than what I have seen from 50 years in the automotive business and a lot of that involved in antiques and classics. People want paper proof. Personally as far as a military vehicle I don't care. I can also see Nick's point of view. The manufacturer see's these vehicle as a business and that is all they are. To them it is money and nothing else. The money stops once the vehicle leaves the factory so as far as leftovers, who cares?

[rickf]

Nick, Thanks for coming back on and clearing that all up. I was not trying to say things were cut out of the video, I just thought maybe it had been cut down for time reasons. Hopefully the new owner pops up somewhere and shows what he is doing with the project.

[m3a1]

Ya gotta admire the duality of the whole matter.

Where it was born, its value is only determined by its utility. Only when it is finally cut loose by the people who created it, does it achieve any substantial value.

I hope the same paradigm doesn't apply to people. I'd feel awful if we were using the same yardstick with parenting and children.

Well, this has been an interesting story and an interesting topic.

NEXT!........

[muttguru]

Here's my two pence (cents) worth on this vehicle.
The dataplate indicates that the vehicle was destined for the USMC. It has the square-headed hub cores and it also has the brake master cylinder vent-line. Oddly, it has a standard Army/Air Force front bumper so there's a possibility that the long USMC bumper was swapped out, maybe for navigating the narrow aisles in the depot.
It could have been pulled off the production line for quality assurance checks and for some reason it wasn't sent to the USMC. The ambulance extension was added at a later date, otherwise the dash dataplate would have shown the NSN etc for the M718A1 model. As this would have been a vehicle built early in the 1977 contract, my guess is that something was found wrong with the truck and it was kept aside and then later converted for use as a fire truck. I wonder what the floor condition is like under that steel plate? It looks as if the plate was something of a water-trap because even the side-drain areas are rotted.

Whatever the circumstances, it is a nice bit of AMG history...and there doesn't seem to be much of that still around.
Ken

[rickf]

WAIT A MINUTE HERE!!!!!!! Dataplate?! The dataplate is not put on the vehicle UNTIL it is assigned at the military depot!! So this vehicle WAS in the military's hands at some time. Am I right or wrong?

Was this something that was changed with the AMG contract?

[Surveyor]

Well look what I just spotted on ebay...

s-l1600.jpg

[Vzike]

Just to stay in the G838 mode......

The axe and shovel are on the wrong sides on the toy!!!!!

[m3a1]

Surveyor, you are incorrigible!

[rickf]

I TOLD you he can find ANYTHING!!!

[acudanut]

I think what Rick is trying to say is that he's from Missouri....

My father was from Texas and I've been around enough Cajuns so I think I can interpret ...

I think what Rick is trying to say is SHOW ME.

Surveyor, is that the girl from Yellowstone ? That is Michael Landon's daughter. !!!