Dodd,
Well, first of all, you must prepare to have some fun and frustration. MV's
are not your typical project. You have chosen the mutt, however, and that
is a good choice. The bodies are rare, and the parts are plentiful.
If you're looking at a mutt, I would try and find an m151a2. They are more
valuable, and they are much safer. Try and find one that is uncut; it will
retain its value better than a cut one.
If you're looking at an m151a1, stay away from one with a ROPS kit. The
ROPS destroys the value. If you do roll over, you are more likely to not
get hurt. However, the ROPS raises the center of gravity much higher than
normal increasing the chance of rollover. The A2 is not as bad because it
has a swing axle rather than an "A" axle like the VW beetles. An A2 with
ROPS is much safer than an A1 with ROPS. An A2 with no ROPS is the most
safe of all the models.
If you have found an A1 with a ROPS, and it is in good shape, get it if you
can get a good deal. They are still nice. Later if you want, you can patch
up the holes.
As far as body work goes, mine isn't perfect. I spent hundreds of hours
fixing mine, but it is still not perfect. Remember, it is a military
vehicle. My jeep is not as nice as when it came off the assembly line, but
it's much nicer than when it was in service! I did take the liberty of
using Bondo in a few places. Mostly where I had made welds and did not want
to grind the metal too thin.
There are many resources available for learning body work. This was the
first vehicle I ever did body work on. Hopefully it is the last for a
while. I learned a lot about restoration and body work. Most of my body
work was done as trial and error. There were techniques I used which I
tried, but learned something better along the way.
Where are you located? I know of a couple of mutts for sale locally in
Boise, Idaho. How much is the person asking for the m151a1 with ROPS?
Jason
PS----I'm sure I'll start a flame session on the cheers and jeers of the
ROPS kit. Kind of along the same lines of Gillespie vs. Aervoe (although
there is no comparison! Gillespie rules!)
Good luck,
Jason Rose
Boise, ID
----- Original Message -----
From: <audiododd@mediaone.net>
To: <m151a2@uswest.net>
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 11:02 AM
Subject: M151 Restoration -- Newbie
> Jason,
>
> I just started subscribing to some MV listservs and magazines. I've
> been interested in MVs for years, but as a poor starving college
> student, I just couldn't get into it. Now, since I'm no longer a
> college student (I'm just poor and starving :-). I'm thinking about
> buying my first MV. I think I would like to buy a running one first
> and see how things are SUPPOSED to work, before I try a restoration
> project. Was this your first project?? Do you have any mechanical
> experience, or did you kind of teach yourself? How long did it take
> you to do your restoration and from what condition.
>
> I have found a MUTT locally that I'm going to look at. The ad
> says "Needs Nothing" -- we'll see about that. It's an A1 model with
> ROPS and an M146 trailer with new canvas. I'm going to try to take a
> look at it this weekend. How do I know what to look at/for and what
> I should offer for it. I'm pretty sure that kellybluebook.com
> doesn't list M151A1s :-)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dodd Martin
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Sep 02 2001 - 11:15:39 PDT