In last month's newsletter, we hinted at another large project we're undertaken, and that is going to be our new ride when we go out hunting.

Sure we hunt from a nice air-conditioned vehicle when it's really hot in the summer(spot and stalk), but there are places where it can't go. We also hunt with a UTV other times, and that works well when it's not so hot out.

But rather than start with a brand new UTV, we've decided that for this project we're going to restore a 40+ year old M151A2 MUTT (Military Unit Tactical Truck).

For those not familiar with this vehicle, it was the main "Jeep" of the Vietnam era.

The Truck, Utility, 1/4-Ton, 4×4, M151 was the successor to the Korean War M38 and M38A1 jeep Light Utility Vehicles. Commonly referred to as a "jeep" or "quarter-ton", it was produced from 1959 through 1982 and served in the Vietnam War.

The M151 had a monocoque design making it roomier, with more ground clearance, while at the same time lowering the center of gravity than previous jeep designs, and incorporated an independent suspension with coil springs.

It has since been replaced by the larger AM General HMMWV in most utility roles in frontline use. But with some M151A2-units still in U.S. military service in 1999, the M151-series achieved a longer run of service than that of the WW2 MB/GPW, M38 and M38A1 series combined.

Why? Because it was small, light, and capable of high-speed cross-country travel, while boasting high maneuverability and agility. The M151 has a range of 300 miles, provides space for 4 people with equipment, and can go just about anywhere. It is rugged and designed to be maintained under field operating conditions. It is completely waterproof, even capable of operating completely submerged with the fording kit. All attributes that make it the perfect base for our hog hunting vehicle.

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WHY THE M151A2?
So most will wonder why bother with an old vehicle; surely it will be a lot more work that just buying a modern and reliable UTV. This is true, but this is way cooler.

The M151 is no slouch though, and can keep up with any modern off-road vehicle typically used for hunting. In addition, it is designed for low light operations, has the option of having a windshield up or down (for using thermal). It is a very capable off-road 4x4, and has a decent range (almost 300 miles), plus it carries at least an additional 5gal can for extended operations. Even todays Jeeps do not have 4 wheel independent suspensions.

With the roll cage installed, a spotter can stand in the back looking for game from a higher vantage point. It is road-legal so we can drive form one location to another of necessary on public roads. It is completely waterproof so that we can hunt even in Texas flooding (driving in the water), but more importantly cleaning it inside and out is simple.

It is lightweight and small (about 5'x10' and 2400lbs) so it can be towed and stored easily. It is midway between a full-size car and a UTV, which makes it about the perfect size.

WHERE WE ARE TODAY



We picked up this vehicle in Mississippi a few weeks ago. It had come out of Camp Shelby originally, and had been sitting outdoors for most of the time since. As a result, it is in less than showroom condition, but mostly cosmetic issues. Just now finally removed all the leaves, pine needles, and assorted crap that had accumulated in it over the last few decades and washed most of the mud off it.

It is running and driving. Sort of stopping. It is not perfect, as it has rust and about 60 pounds of paint, but all the parts are there and most are working. In addition, we have a spare chassis which we can use as a donor for any needed parts, as well as a collection of spare parts that may have belonged to it's half brother.

Rather than just fix the few items that need fixing, we are going to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it to make sure everything is as it should be and reliable. I don't want to be discovering problems that were not visible in the middle of the night, miles from any road.

TO DO LIST
So there are a few items that we have on the "to-do"list for this vehicle, and they include:

Restoration - first and foremost is going to be the restoration of the vehicle. Not necessarily for the sake of restoring it to original specs, but to ensure that it is as good and reliable as it can be. After all, this thing is over 40 years old, and more than likely not taken care of like it was a treasured exotic.

This means we will be going through every part and rebuilding just about everything. This will include stripping the body/chassis and sandblasting, then fixing, reinforcing, and repainting. Then the suspension, drivetrain, engine, gauges, glass, and even replacing the wiring harness.

Luckily these things were designed to be worked on by soldiers, and in the field, so most of the work is relatively "simple" although time consuming. Also, there is still a good supply of New Old Stock for most of the parts. Hopefully this thing will be better than new when we're done with it.

Exhaust - rather than replace the stock, we'll look at options to make it even quieter than it is already using a more contemporary exhaust solution.

IR Illumination - since these vehicles already came with basic low-light operation in mind, the lights and controls for operating under blackout conditions is in place. To this we will add additional IR illumination in the form of spotlights. Besides this, there shouldn't be much more to do beyond ensuring all the originals operate as they should.

Pan&Tilt 640 Thermal with Screen - it's nice to have an option for a group-viewable thermal display. This enables the entire team to discuss and view the same scene, regardless of what they're individually equipped with.

Rifle Mounts - we will find an good solution for mounting the rifles with optics and recorders and everything else we carry. The original rifle mounts are not a bad design, but they need to be placed where the expensive optics are protected and have enough room to avoid being damaged.

Custom Storage - additional mounting for ammo cans, a cooler?, shooting sticks, and whatever else is typically bouncing around in the back of whatever we're driving.


So that's it for now. Here's a picture as it sits today, and I don't expect it to be this "complete" again for a few months. First step is going to be to take the whole thing apart, and try to remember how to put it all back together months from now...




Ideas, suggestions and questions are all welcome.

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Cool- I didn't realize they were in service that late. I was in 1988-1994 and I can't remember ever seeing one.

The M151 got a bad rep for rolling over because it was much faster and more maneuverable than its predecessors, as and as result they were driven harder by young invincible soldiers. Combined with the A-arm suspension design of the M151 and M151A1, fast turns cause excessive camber which in turn did as you mentioned and rolled over. The M151A2 changed to a trailing arms suspension and at least lessened this danger, and they put in the Roll Over Protection System (roll cage) as an added safeguard.

Regardless, these are not race cars and won't be driven as one. They were designed primarily for off road use, and that's where it will spend most of its time.

When outfitted with the heavy M2, TOW, Mk19 and an elevated shooting platform like in your pic, they are definitely top heavy! Keep in mind these things have a very narrow wheelbase, skinny tires, and are light weight to start with.

The M151 was also not a Jeep (Produced by Ford, then AM General and Kaiser) and so it could not use the vertical slat grill; they had to turn slats sideways, but it was called jeep regardless.

The Growler was produced because when they phased out the M151 they no longer had a vehicle that could be deployed by helicopter or the Osprey. The Growlers were basically built-up from the M151s, but carried a price tag that started at $200K IIRC and went up from there (IIRC one version was over $1mil). They were specifically designed to be deployed from the Osprey, and replaced the IFAV altogether.

The Ranger Special Operations Vehicle or RSOV was a cool option, built by Range Rover.




Much larger than the M151 but able to carry much more. As such it's too big for my needs.

Have a couple of those sitting here brand new, but I'm thinking of putting them higher on the rollbar.


That's awesome, but somehow I missed it..

Yeah- that's what I've been thinking of using; it was a smart choice. There are some features with this complete setup that are not available on other units, such as the ability to see where it's pointed while looking at the screen which is very handy at night if you can't see your camera.

The problem where we hunt here in Texas is there are so many other animals in the fields that sorting the good from the bad is more important that overall detection of a heat source. Spotting the pigs between all the cows or being able to tell a coyote or pig from a laying down calf or bedded deer is the bulk of the work.

So the options are to custom build something using maybe a 640 VUE?, pay for a complete 640 which as you mentioned is expensive, or go with a complete 320 system like you did. Going to wait until it's closer to go time with the truck before I decide in case prices come down further or FLIR introduces any new products in this category.

I'll definitely bug you on some of your land-yacht knowledge and experience when the time comes. Wireless would be nice to have if I didn't have to set up a server...



Military vehicles are 24V, so a separate battery for all the 12V based accessories will work well.



Like I said, I'll have to hit you up as there are not a lot of yachts here in Dallas.

Yeah if I was any closer to the ocean I think I would go for the yacht, but for now the 40 year old rust bucket will do.
I can always bring the FLIR over to the yacht if I change my mind.

Great project Ed...Looking forward in seeing all the cool heat gathering components!


Vic

Very hard to predict, especially before we start, but because we will be doing all the work ourselves, I'm sure it will be a fraction of what it could be.
Restored M151s sell from $12k-20k. I can't imagine going over $10k on this including the vehicle purchase price (but not counting any night vision/thermal gear which will double the cost).

Parts for the MUTTs are relatively inexpensive and widely available as New Old Stock (meaning new parts from 40 years ago) and its systems are fairly simple as is working on it.

It's already set up for night operations more so than any new UTV or commercial Jeep. It also has 4 wheel independent suspension, and is really easy to just hose off inside and out for cleanup. You could buy an already done up night vision/thermal new commercial Jeep like Starwood made for the US Night Vision booth at SHOT a coupe of years ago for $100k+, but then I'd be afraid to get in it with dirty boots.

Also keep in mind we will be doing way more than is necessary. This vehicle will run as it is today and I could hunt with it tonight. It doesn't NEED anything. This is purely a project for the sake of the project, and
to make sure it doesn't need any major work for the next few years by making it "like new" or better, and making it tailored to the type of hunting we do and the gear we carry. It will also look good should we decide to show it at any events.

Good to know. Thx.

I think they did, with the A1, but the A2 went to a trailing arm rear suspension which "fixed" the problem.

Great... the kids will have to go without Xmas presents again this year! But we can have pork for xmas dinner...

At this point, very slow progress. We are working on two vehicles, one which will remain mostly stock, complete and authentic.
The engine on that one is currently being put back together, transmission is rebuilt, differentials rebuilt.


The other, which will be the dedicated hunting build, will start as soon as this one is complete, which should be within 60 days or so.

#1 is within days of being ready. Engine and transmission rebuilt and back in.
Custom trailer for it just needs fenders on it and I can go register it.
Mutt mostly just needs new exhaust, batteries, and fluids before we fire it up and adjust everything
Waiting on some small parts like fuel filters; it's amazing how much people modified in order to keep it running over the years. Trying to restore to stock as much as possible, at least on this first one.

+1000. We're getting the 640 version very soon!

Waiting on... Wait for it... Exhaust brackets.
Several other projects have taken priority, so we've been busy, just not on the poor mutt.
As soon as I find someone with them in stock though, she'll be done.

That's the whole advantage of the MUTT is its ability to go anywhere; due in part to its size.
That is also the drawback: you can't carry 4 passengers and gear as easily and comfortably as a HMMWV, so it depends on your terrain, load, and mission.
The correct solution is to get both.

Nice and a BIG +1 for the RIGID gear!  

Vic