----- Original Message -----
From: chance wolf <timberwolf@wheeldog.net>
To: Military Vehicles Mailing List <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2001 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] m151A2
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Matt Mouser" <webmaster@net-connection.net>
> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
> Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 7:58 PM
> Subject: [MV] m151A2
>
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I saw a message in your archives about people using m151's as daily
> drivers
> > and even on the highway at sustained 65mph. I am very interested in
> > purchasing an m151a2 for my dail driver. I need to know if it can handle
> > long (very very long) trips on the highway as well as every day city
> driving
> > (maybe while carrying an m416)? I also heard somewhere that the hot
water
> > heater package works with a soft top up to -25 ! I live in cold climate
in
> > winter so that would be awesome.
> >
> > Anyone have any tips or information, I would greatly appreciate it.
>
Driving the M151 for any length of time bothers my right hip. The vibration
coming up from the gas pedal is quite something...
> I drove a 1962 M151 (with the swing-axle suspension as opposed to the A2's
> trailing arm) to and from work - some 60 miles per day - for about four
> years. The 151A2 I own now was my daily driver for around six-seven years
> until one of the sub-frame cross-channels (the one the rear suspension
ties
> to) rotted out beyond belief.
>
> Mine seemed to like 60 mph with no headaches for both the 300-350
> miles-per-week commuting treadmill, and also did very long trips to the
B.C.
> Interior to the tune of 1500-3000 miles each. One of our members took his
> 151 on the MVPA's Alaska Highway drive (from Vancouver), another took his
to
> the Kansas City convention, and still another to the California event a
> couple of years ago. They're quite reliable (though I'd do regular oil
> changes), but I have noticed some things to look out for.
65 is pushing it a bit too much I think. 60 is a good speed. Remember too
that you have to drive it all the time. If you sleep on the job it may kill
you. The handing in the A2 in my opinion is somewhat more wishy-washy than
the A1 possibly because of the roll bar changing the CG.
Get good not ND tires.
>
> First of all, the electronic ignition is wonderful when it comes to saving
a
> bit on fuel, starting reliably, and remaining relatively resistant to
> moisture-fouling. Provided you have a spare. I very nearly got stuck
sixty
> miles from anywhere when the ignition on mine packed it in, and had I not
> had the presence of mind to pack a spare, I'd still be walking back. I've
> had a few coils go as well.
The electronic ignition produces a much better running vehicle. I carry a
spare ignition and points dist too.
>
> Axle-shafts. Each axle-shaft has two universal joints toiling away at
quite
> the angle on occasion. They like to fail. The more slack you have in
your
> drive-train or axle-splines, the more often you'll be changing them (as
they
> seem to take up all the strain when you let the clutch out .) I've found
> that greasing them very regularly just keeps your greasin' arm greased -
as
> they seem to fail anyway after the prescribed mileage has been reached -
so
> just pack spares.
>
I have been through quite a few joints too. 4-wheeling probably doesn't help
though I have never replaced a wheel bearing.
> Alternator mountings. The alternator bottom bracket and associated bolts
> like to shake loose after lots of high-rpm driving, and if you don't check
> them periodically, you'll make a mess of the threads where the bracket is
> bolted to the block. I have seen many of these. Mine got put back in
with
> Loc-Tite.
>
Make sure that the bottom bolts are snug, not tight. You need quite a
contraption of extensions and u-joints to losten the bolts down there. If
they are rally tight and you have to replace the belt(s) in the field, I can
gaurantee that you will not have the right tools!
> Water pumps. Have yet to find a used M151 water pump worth a damn (one
> lasted about a month, and no, my belts weren't too tight), but fortunately
> the local water-pump rebuilder can usually help you out with your existing
> one if it fails. No help in the bush, so pack a spare.
>
> The only 'plague' with the engines seems to be their frustrating habit of
> shedding manifold bolts and/or blowing out the exhaust gasket right
beneath
> where the carb sits on the intake manifold, or at the end nearest the damn
> firewall where the bolt invariably shears off flush with the mount.
They're
> a positive bitch to remove, and though the Army came out with a mod kit
> including stainless bolts and anti-seize compound, I've had those break
too.
> Have yet to find a workable solution for that one.
>
The A2 head with the larger bosses is suppose to not have the bolt breaking
problem. I bought a brand new head a couple years ago and so far no problem.
> Steering/suspension front. Check to make sure every suspension bolt/nut
is
> nice and tight. High-milers tend to like to walk the nuts off the part of
> the suspension responsible for one of the front end alignments, and as a
> result, all of your shims scatter out along the road behind you, and one
of
> your suspension parameters becomes suddenly random. Three 151's I've
driven
> have had that happen.
>
> Last, but not least, rear suspension bushings. When you let out the
clutch,
> you wind up with a pronounced 'clunk' from the rear (which you'll assume
is
> the u-joints again), and you may notice abnormal tire wear. There are
two
> bushings in each trailing arm, and these like to wear through on
> high-mileage vehicles as well. If you leave it too long, you wind up with
> damage to the hanger brackets bolted to the main sub-frame rails, and the
> only way to fix it is to weld the holes up and re-drill to the correct
> diameter, or find yourself a set of new brackets.
>
> I miss driving my 151, but sadly, the one frame member that's rotted
through
> is the only one not supplied in the "Large Underbody Repair Kit" offered
by
> Murray and a number of others, so it's off to the unibody specialist to
have
> the thing removed, replicated and reinstalled. I swore after driving
> Renaults until they disintegrated into a pile of iron oxide that I'd never
> purchase another unibody vehicle as long as I lived and breathed, but on
the
> whole, the 151 was worth it for the years of service it gave, so I can't
> complain. But I will anyway.
>
> Now if I could only afford one of those lovely NOS replacement tubs out of
> Holland....
>
> Andy Hill
> MVPA 9211
> Vancouver, B.C.
>
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:18:35 PDT