sirhc Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 This time last year we were just starting out on restoring the Bedford MW. Having built a new body out of wood, and enjoyed learning the new skills and challenge, we started looking for the next project. I've always liked the Mutt, and built 3 1/35 scale Mutts when I was younger. I saw some for sale in Malta and decided it was worth a look. Looking on the intenet showed that most parts were easy to source. For some reason I decided not to bother going to look, but bought one based on a few emailed photos. I think this was probably a bad idea, as I was quite upset with myself when it arrived. I had a choice of 4 and on reflection I probably bought the worst one! Shipping from Malta was very quick and there were no problems. I collected it in late October. First view of the vehicle after the trip from Malta... The body is very very bad. I suspect this may be the most worst Mutt anyone has tried to restore. It has a lot of bodged repairs. The Maltese don't seem to know what they were doing, in a lot of places they have cut a new piece of steel and patched it in with filler. On top of this, everything was loose and all split pins had been replaced with bent nails! Spot the bent nail... In order to stop myself feeling too depressed I decided to crack on with the project. About 3 hours after unloading the Mutt I had the engine out. Mechanically they are very simple, and well thought out. Going... Going... Gone! With the engine out, we lifted the vehicle up to get a proper look at the underside. It's not a pretty sight! It has rusted in all the usual places, with the usual Maltese repairs. The front floors seem to have been replaced about 3 times! The support structures have been removed and replaced with box section. The vehicle has certainly led a hard life in Malta. When it arrived all 4 drive shafts were removed. It turns out the front ones were removed from several of the Mutts in Malta, but the rear ones seem to have been removed for another reason.... Rear Diff bracket repair - Maltese stylee! After removing the diff I discovered there are no teeth left on the pinion! (Not got a photo of this yet) This explains the lack of rear drive shafts as the diff was locked solid. I suspect it has been run with no oil in it. We carried on stripping down the body, removing the wiring, pipes and anything which would un-bolt. The front axle assy came off easily, just 6 bolts hold it in place. Front axle unit The rear axle arms have been disassembled and are now ready for blast. Rear axle arm Currently the body is on its side in the garage. I am cutting out as much rust and filler as I can before sending it off for blasting. I have bought a large under body kit, which should take care of most of the damage, and a pair of front floors. Next on the shopping list are 2 new sides and a new rear panel, some front wing repair panels and a few other bits and pieces. I don't have a spot welder and I am only just learning how to mig weld, so this is going to be another steep learning curve! A couple of new bits in place to see where they will go... When not working on the vehicle I have been doing a bit of research. All data plates had been removed, except the BUDD plate under the bonnet. This is a useful plate to have though... From this plate I have been able to discover that this is a Ford M151A2. It was built in March 1971. I even have a US Army number for it. This is the first bit of positive news as it means eventually it should be tax exempt. There are various numbers under the paint on the front bumper, under the Maltese green, so I may be able to find out even more about it. This Mutt probably spent most of it's life in storage at the US Army base at Burton Wood. When this was closed in the early 90s a large number of Mutts were still in storage. These were given away to other armies, lots went to Mexico but a batch was sent to Malta. I'm pretty sure this is how mine came to be in Malta, which is why it survives and is un-cut like so many M151s. It's a shame the Maltese didn't look after it, and from the looks of it decided to park it in the sea! That's it for part one. I'll post more photos as I get work carried out. Hopefully it'll be ready for blasting fairly soon, then the real work can begin.... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 Nice acquisition there, I've always liked MUTTs, too scared to drive one though - I'd probably roll it! Looks to be quite a challenging restoration, rusted to buggary in lots of places. Looking forward to seeing lots more progress and piccies.:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willyslancs Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 my dads got some pics of those burtonwood mutts stacked up(i remember going to the open day as a kid) .will ask him if he can find them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevpol Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 good luck, have always liked MUTTS Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Burley Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 No MUTTs ever went through the "Reutilization" sales at Molesworth. My father used to tender for a lot of the American stuff. He was always told that they would never be disposed of whole in the U.S or U.K and would be cut in four,due to the inherant stability problems. Canadian Army ones were fitted with a full spec role cage. I do wonder how William Galliers came across that factory fresh example he had a couple of years ago. It was up for £12,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Burley Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 B.t.w good luck with the restoration. I will watch this thread with interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Looking forward to this rebuild also as I nearly bought one a few years back for peanuts but the ex-wife said no! :idea: maybe that was one of the reasons she was upgraded to 'ex' status A restored one here currently for sale for a little over 9000 pounds. Was another place selling them also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centi521 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 wow looks like a lot work =O but wish you alot fun with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevpol Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 No MUTTs ever went through the "Reutilization" sales at Molesworth. My father used to tender for a lot of the American stuff. He was always told that they would never be disposed of whole in the U.S or U.K and would be cut in four,due to the inherant stability problems. Canadian Army ones were fitted with a full spec role cage. I do wonder how William Galliers came across that factory fresh example he had a couple of years ago. It was up for £12,000. US Marine Corps sold a load of them a few years ago, sold complete not cut up like ex USAF and Army Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Burley Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 US Marine Corps sold a load of them a few years ago, sold complete not cut up like ex USAF and Army Mark The same USMC that "mis-sold" the Hummers...: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Nickolson Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 M151 restoration in Canada Details on the Maple Leaf Up Site http://www.class-five.com/~mlu/forums/showthread.php?t=11455&page=5 Regards, Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fadedsun Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 The same USMC that "mis-sold" the Hummers...: I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement in that incident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 My MUTT - an M151A2 was built by our good friend TooTallMike who is out there somewhere in the Surrey ether. Driving it is a dream - it clomps along and although I am a mechanical dunce and rely on my brother-in-law and friends to stay mobile, I am more than happy. Buying it was a brilliant decision. I do have concerns about getting odd bits, but where there's a will there's a way...or a credit card.....:coffee: Great to see you have one, Chris. Good luck with it. MB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rippo Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Well in chris, you do like a challenge. I remember looking at your bedford a thinking the same!!! Mig welding is a piece of cake, depending in the quality of the metal being welded. Spot welders are ok when working on new metal, even then they can be a bit hit and miss. The best alternative i've found is to drill 1/4 holes in one of the panels, clamp the two pieces together, mole grips either side of the drilled hole, then fill the drilled hole with weld, and near as dam it you have a spot weld. :-D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berna2vm Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I think this is an interesting subject and very worthy. They apparantly drive very well and it is only when driven foolishly that they are rolled over. My friend rolled a brand new Shogun over on the motorway last year on a straight section,so maybe they should have a similar reputation? I am amazed at the spares availability, fantastic!!!! I wish parts were so easy to obtain for my 1977 Celica GT!!!:-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I always thought, personally the whole bad handling issue was blown out of proportion. We had the same thing in the Aussie Army when the Defenders were introduced to replace the series. Our brass had roll bars fitted after a spate of roll overs. My opinion was, no fault of the vehicle, but: - The defenders were much more powerful than the series as we had the Isuzu diesels. When tearing around the scrub it's more by feel and the noise so roaring along in a Defender is a lot faster than the series. - Having coils the defender has a much better ride but being softer and with the higher speeds drivers did not compensate. I believe a lot of the same goes for the mutts as they had gone from leaf springs to coils. Just a matter of driving them correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berna2vm Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I completely agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Anything will tip if you try hard enough. How the MUTT got such a reputaion when it is so low? I'd love to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 To get this thread back on track, here are some more photos. Obviously the bodywork is going to be the hard job, but with the body on its side I have some space in the garage to work on other bits. I've spent a bit of time in there with the door closed and the heater on. I'm going to rebuild the running gear first so that when the body is done it's all ready to assemble. I started off with the engine.... Apart from being very dirty it seemed ok and turned over nicely. I took the head off just to check it out and it did need a new head gasket. I also had to repair some threads on the head and remove broken studs from the exhaust manifold. My tip for working on engines is to drain the oil, take the head off and stand them up on the flywheel. Then you can get the sump off and have a look in there too.. Next on to the rear diff, which I knew needed some work as mentioned earlier. Can you see the problem yet? Old and new pinions, good job I was able to get a rebuild kit for these. I am going to source some new bearings and seals and put it back together. I've already stripped the hubs and I'm waiting for the rebuild kits to arrive. The US Army seem to have a very good system of supplying everything you need to repair something. This is a hub seal and bearing kit. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140371160894&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:MOTORS:1123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Wonderful Chris! I am a strong believer in ACTION=RESULTS and it looks like you too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 The pinion and damage on yours reminds me of the same shonky maintenance done on mine. I could just picture them reving the engine saying "whats that weird grinding noise at the back" and then reving it some more with thoughtless expressions. Anyway...... can't wait for the next batch of piccies and progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Nor can I. It might come in useful.....:cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Are you going to have hardened valve seats fitted in the head? Mike had that done by a local engineering firm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 I suppose it would be a good idea, since it's in bits. I'll have to get a price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Ok, time for the latest update. I've got loads of pics of some nice restored parts, but I'm not going to post them just yet. Recently the Portugese army sold off 200 Mutts. I've just got back from a weekend in Lisbon, where I met the man who bought them. He has some very nice ones, look out for an advert on Milweb soon if you're interested in buying one. My intention was to buy a better body for mine. I ended up spending more than I wanted, but I bought this... It's a 1976 AM General M151A2. Some bits are missing, but the body is nearly perfect, apart from some surface rust and a slightly bent front wing. I was going to put my bits on this body and sell or scrap the other body, but this one is too good and too original to do that. So I'm going to restore this one and then decide what to do with the '71 Mutt. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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