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

[BCBlitz]

Hi All

Thanks for the help ......... WOW just ask and thou shall recieve around here

Well sounds like if you were to have one guess you should enjoy it for what it is, a cut up refabbed piece of history to save and enjoy just like all the other MV out there, kinda funny how the CDN military does not want this kind of stuff in private hands, heck it took our ( taxpayers ) dollars to buy it all for crazy prices in the first place, guess its all about liability .

Im waiting to see how they are going to handle the disposal of the CDN Deuce truck here in the next few years after they get the new binders to replace them, would be a shame to not be able to aquire them should be an interesting read.

Thanks all .....

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by BCBlitz

Hi All

Thanks for the help ......... WOW just ask and thou shall recieve around here

Well sounds like if you were to have one guess you should enjoy it for what it is, a cut up refabbed piece of history to save and enjoy just like all the other MV out there, kinda funny how the CDN military does not want this kind of stuff in private hands, heck it took our ( taxpayers ) dollars to buy it all for crazy prices in the first place, guess its all about liability .

Im waiting to see how they are going to handle the disposal of the CDN Deuce truck here in the next few years after they get the new binders to replace them, would be a shame to not be able to aquire them should be an interesting read.

Thanks all .....

There was an interesting article in I believe it was the Ottawa Sun (available online) where a collector had actually wrote the Defence Minister as to why his MLVW was sold as "residue", therfor not allowing him to title it. May have even been posted on this Forum for that matter. The long and short of it is, they are not being sold with a Title for use on the Road.

Anyway, there have been quite a few discussions as to why they should or shouldn't be sold for legal legit use on the road. The big highlight that seems to tweek my memory was the unconventional Air Over Hydraulic Brake System on the Truck that when they fail, there is no reliable back-up system. Not sure if that is the actual "policy" or just urban legend. Either way, most that have been sold so far seem to be showing up without Starters. Although the Engines are not uncommon in commercial vehicles, the 24v Starter may require some digging around.

Crying shame really. There are some really nice specimens floating around out there, low milage etc. Then there are the others Ontario and further East that you will put your foot through the Fender trying to check the Fluids

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Thanks for that, I had no idea there were that many differences! It's interesting, probably because virtually the only time one sees them up here is on TV, depicting Viet Nam use.

Ref your TJ, mine is set up pretty well methinks. I have a 2-inch suspension lift, deep-dish 15" wheels running 32-1150 x 15 Goodyears on Dana 4.10 axles, together with a Warn 8000x winch on front. I also have gas and water cans mounted ahead of the doors. Despite the paint job, we DON'T attract overt attention by the local constabulary, which is always good... I think my set-up is ideal for regular use and especially in winter when things get messy. I have to admit I haven't used it offroad yet, but my '92 YJ was set up somewhat the same (albeit with 31-1050s) and it worked like a charm. I AM curious as to how my coil-spring suspension will compare with the old leaf springs I know too well, though...

BTW, I have a full OD softtop for it, but DO need to find a set of half-doors for next summer...

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball

Ref your TJ, mine is set up pretty well methinks. I have a 2-inch suspension lift, deep-dish 15" wheels running 32-1150 x 15 Goodyears on Dana 4.10 axles, together with a Warn 8000x winch on front. I also have gas and water cans mounted ahead of the doors. Despite the paint job, we DON'T attract overt attention by the local constabulary, which is always good... I think my set-up is ideal for regular use and especially in winter when things get messy. I have to admit I haven't used it offroad yet, but my '92 YJ was set up somewhat the same (albeit with 31-1050s) and it worked like a charm. I AM curious as to how my coil-spring suspension will compare with the old leaf springs I know too well, though...

BTW, I have a full OD softtop for it, but DO need to find a set of half-doors for next summer...

I had the most fun with my TJ when it resembled (Size-wise) what your running, things went crazy soon after that. To do it all over again, I would keep it small and wheel the hell out of it. I was quite active with the local Jeep Clubs at most of the places i've been posted over the years. Here are a few snaps of my TJ. It started life as a 97 TJ Sahara I bought new in 1997. By the end just before I sold it the only things remaining from the actual TJ I originally bought was the Frame and Grill. Reality for me was, even though MVs are addictive, building a Rig for Rockcrawling was like very advanced Crack Cocaine habit. I was averaging 20 hours of actual trail time for every couple of thousand spent on Mods. Unline MV's where we are struggling to get every original detail correct, in Rockcrawling it was all about the new advanced Tires, Shocks, Diff Locks etc etc. I started to realize the need to wrench on a vehicle was more satisfying than actually wheeling my Jeep. I bit the bullet and sold my TJ and bought my M151A2 projects. Probably the best move I ever made. A new set of 40" Rubber on my TJ cost more than an entire M151A2

Cir 2001 in Gagetown: (No comments about the tires please )


Cir 2005 in Petawawa:


Cir 2008 in Trenton right before I sold it




Sorry for the Hijack....

[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

[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