Canadian M151A2's ...... ??

[WayneR]

As a retired tanker from the West I just have to ask about the funny looking plate you have on the front. Doesn't "Ubique" translate into RUN!!!

Just Kidding!! As for the MUTTs we only had I believe 5 (OC of each squadron and the CO's rover) in our Regiment and the rest were all M38. When the got rid of them they just disappeared off the base when the Iltis appeared. A shame, they made good bush buggies.

The word we got about the MLVW was that they stopped being road worthy due to the air over hydraulic brakes as well as they found excessive rust inside the split rims. We were told that we could still use them but were not allowed to carry troops in them any longer.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Wayne

[servicepub (RIP)]

Service Publications would be interested in publishing a "Weapons of War" title on the Canadia M151 (http://www.servicepub.com/weapons.html)
If interested in writing 6,000-6,500 words on the acquisition, use, variants and disposal of this vehicle please let me know via PM.
Thnx,
Clive

[BCBlitz]

well this is quite the bunch of answers to the MUTT question, thanks all.

so where can a person find new sheetmetal for them or is there even any ?
for floors, side panels, rear corners etc etc ?, or is it owner fab ??

So from what I read there are not too many cut or uncut ones around that are OEM Canada ?, so maybe this is something a fellow should grab should a person find one ? as not like they are gonna make any more eh ?

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by BCBlitz

well this is quite the bunch of answers to the MUTT question, thanks all.

so where can a person find new sheetmetal for them or is there even any ?
for floors, side panels, rear corners etc etc ?, or is it owner fab ??

So from what I read there are not too many cut or uncut ones around that are OEM Canada ?, so maybe this is something a fellow should grab should a person find one ? as not like they are gonna make any more eh ?

They aren't a needle in the haystack to find, but finding a unit worth restoring is the real challenge. I guess it all depends on what your definition of restorable is. Because these little guys have a Uni-Body, there are serious limitations to what can be done to save a very rusty one.

I bought 2, one with a fairly clean body and another (Rusty) in order have enough parts to minimize how much I would have to buy. Its not like an MB/GPW, M38 or 38A1 where you can just plunk down the cash for a new reproduction Tub if the current one is BER. I guess thats what makes them a special labour of love. Having built this one, my advice would be to avoid anything that is rotted out in the ass end, especially underneath. Thats the only area that would be hard to fix without screaming. There are lots of "little details" in the original body that really stand out if all new metal is installed. The other is the Uni-Frame itself. Reinforcing a clean but cut one is easy, trying to repair a rust out one is not easy nor safe.

The panels are fairly easy to get, there are 2 shops in the US that make some (Jeeppanelsplus and Florida Tactical), and then another in Europe (Name esapes me, but its Nordic) that makes nearly all the panels you could want. I ended up buying a Battery Box Floor and the Tunnel Cover. Both are almost a minimum requirement to cleanly restore a "Cut" unit. I think they may have cost $100 for both. There are also factory Underbody Repair kits that are still floating around. Although they could be handy (I bought one and only used one part from it) they do require a ton of patience and plug welds to install. A Mig with Argon is IMO, a minimum requirement to do any body work with these. A huge Spot Welder would be fantastic if one had access to it, as these things are near completely held together with spot welds. I did alot of little "Drill and Fill" welding with my Mig in order to try and get that "Spot Welded look". Fillet Welds are not only difficult to do on the 18g sheetmetal, but look entirely out of place.

I guess what i'm really saying with all of this, if you are a collector who typically pays others to do the restoration labour, you may want to look elsewhere as I can't imagine what it would cost to have someone repair a unit with serious cancer. If you do most if not all of your work, then you may find it quite enjoyable to work on due their small size and extreme mechanical simplicity.

Scotty B

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Scotty, I meant to tell you, nice rig that TJ of yours! I do understand that it got to the point of being a VERY specialist vehicle, and if you're not going to use it, it's a whole lot of money just sitting there....

BTW, where did you get those doors? I haven't seen them before...

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball

Scotty, I meant to tell you, nice rig that TJ of yours! I do understand that it got to the point of being a VERY specialist vehicle, and if you're not going to use it, it's a whole lot of money just sitting there....

BTW, where did you get those doors? I haven't seen them before...

Broke me heart to sell it, but my wallet is thankful.

The doors are Bestop 2 pc Soft Doors, and the Top is a Bestop Cab Top. I hated wheeling with doors on. With these, I could either just pull the tops off like the factory half doors or toss them all in the back. Obviously not recommended in low security areas

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by WayneR

As a retired tanker from the West I just have to ask about the funny looking plate you have on the front. Doesn't "Ubique" translate into RUN!!!

Wayne

Hi Wayne. Just noticed the "UBIQUE" remark

RUN is the correct translation when used in conjunction with the Artillery version of the same word. It's been said that when it comes to Sappers, "UBIQUE" means "Everywhere" and with Artillery it means "All over the place"

Scotty