Now that I'm back from the Toby Rally, I am digging in the piles and stacks of data here and can add more info on the M-151 body discussion.
Kevin wrote:
>........To add fuel to the discussion, I too have an M-151 with a Fruehauf
>Corporation body. The body plate, which looks like tin, is attached to the
>front frame rail. It says the same as Jim's:
>Body by Fruehauf Corp.
>Body Serial No. DLD-9533
>Ordinance Assembly 8754459
>This is exactly the same numbers as Jim's which surprised me since I thought
>mine would have a different serial number..........
Kevin, look at the plate again. When I wrote last, I was at work and did not have the plate at hand. I now have it before me and I find that I did not list all the body Sn#. The body serial number is DLD-9533 -0501. The DLD-9533 is printed on the plate and the -0501 is stamped in the plate and is quite hard to read.
This plate came off the passenger side frame rail of M-151 USA # 2E9018. I don't have my field notes before me but I believe this was the matching plate to the Willys main data plate which I have here. (I have a list of Sn.# and USA # for the first four contracts around here somewhere....just have to remember which stack it's in.) This plate is from contract DA-33-019-ORD-3941, has a MFG. Serial No. of 7405 - 10630 and is dated 6/63. The "MFD. BY" on the plate is STAMPED " WILLYS MOTORS INC ".
I have a later main data plate from another M-151 that has the "MFD. BY" PRINTED on the plate as "KAISER JEEP CORP. " The contract No. is DA-20-113-AMC-0846 (T), MFR. serial number 7405 - 19130 and has a date of 01-64.
The other metal (not foil like the Fruehauf plate) body serial No. plates I listed were SN# 0985 and 0668 (not 666 as I posted before) and were found on the DRIVERS side frame rail. I belive that these were Budd Co. body plates although I cannot confirm this at the present time. I have a Ford M-151 data plate that I think one of these tags came off of. ( I must find my notes!)
The Ford main data plate is STAMPED " FORD MOTOR COMPANY ", is from contract No. DA-20-018-ORD-21125, MFR. serial no. 2 B 6995 (also hood USA No.) and has a delivery date of 12-60.
At the Tobyhanna show I inspected another Ford M-151 that had one of the metal body Sn. plates without a MFG. name on it. It was riveted on the drivers side frame rail just under the grille. It had a body with "RUN #2" stamped on it several times. Original SN. of the vehicle was not available.
Jeff at Front line has another Ford M-151 with the same type body Sn.# plate mounted in the same location. His body has "RUN #1" stamped it in the same places. His MUTT data is:
.......M151 # 2B6965 .... Ford Built
DATE OF DEL. DEC. 1960
body: an aluminum tag on the left front frame rail (would be under the
radiator)
Body SN# 0493
ORD #xxxxxxxxxx
there is no other info on the embossed tag, and no Fruehauf foil tag on
the right frame rail.........
Jeff's M-151 was built in the fourth month of the first contract and is only 30 numbers away from my data plate's number.
Henry wrote,
..........If it has only one vent, it is post Dec 1960, I do not think that there were
any contracts during '61 ........... So I figure you could safely say it is a '62 or later..............
There were no Willys/Kaiser contracts in 1961 but there were Ford ones.
The M-151 contracts went like this;
Ford Motor Company
Contract #1 ran from 9/60 to 2/61 4,050 units built cost was $2,423.00 each (see note 1)
Contract #2 ran from 2/61 to 6/62 13,126 units built cost was $3,550.00 each (see note 2 & 3)
Willys/Kaiser
Contract #3 ran from 3/63 to 1/64 9,025 unit built cost was $2,780.00 each
Contract #4 ran from 1/64 to 6/64 9,600 units built cost was $2,631.00 each
Ford then regained the M-151 contracts in 1964 and started to produce them in the Highland Park tractor plant under contract DA-20-113-AMC-02787 (t). These units used Budd Co. built bodies which cost $303.50 each and motors supplied by Continental Motors ($310.00 each). By 6/29/65 25,000 Ford built MUTTS had been built.
A side note here, Ford delivered to the Rock Island Arsenal 1,660 M-151-A1C units by 6/65.
NOTES;
Note #1...Cost listed is cost charged to the Government. Actual cost was $3,205.00. First unit delivered 9/15/60.
Note #2...These units used a Budd Co. built body with a cost of $303.50 each. I have not found the data on the bodies for the first contract yet so I cannot state who the Mfg. was for them.
Note # 3 First and second Ford contracts built at Livonia Transmission Plant.
ABOVE DATA from Special Military Vehicle Operations (SMVO) files, Ford Motor Company Industrial Archives.
( Copywrite 9/2000 by James Gilmore, reproduction forbidden without permission )
Jim Gilmore MVPA # 5843
Member Ist Michigan AOD Chapter MVPA
Great Lakes Chapter MVPA
Ohio Motor Pool Chapter MVPA
Red Ball Chapter MVPA
Ontario Military Vehicle Association
Midwest Military Vehicle Assocation
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