My 1966 Ford M151A1 Project

[lgr1997]

My New Project


This is what is left of the data plate





I took the turn signal switch off to repair







This is what is left of the battery tray

[rickf]

What I wouldn't give for a barn like that to work in! Well, you definitely have your work cut out for you. I suggest you get in touch with Guy at CMD for body panels, you are going to need everything he makes. The plate shows a 66 and the body would go along with that. It has been half cut which, again, is consistent with that era. You didn't show any pic's of the underbody but I can see from the holes that there are whole sections of frame channels missing. It depends on how the rear end looks under there as to whether this is a doable project or not. Anything is doable with enough time and money but these are not that rare and sinking many thousands into a repair is sometimes not wort it. JMHO.

[lpcoating]

Welcome from PA.

Guy

[Fil Bonica]

If you need a replacement battery box floor I have them for $ 130.00 delivered to you.

Fil Bonica

[Roboskid]

I have 1963 Willys straight M151 that is my project. In my hunt for a M151 I have seen a lot worse than what you are starting with. Good luck with restore.

[lgr1997]

Well when I say it is a restoration project. I just want the lights to work, the gauges to work, and for the jeep itself to start, drive in all four wheels and brake. It would be nice to restore it all but i don't have the money. I did some horse trading with my uncle and this is jeep number 1 of 2. The other jeep might be a M718 and he says it was never cut in half. He also has about 10 jeep hoods and 4 engines and transmissions. Have to find free time to haul them it is a three hour drive to where he is and I don't want to burn up any trailer tires.

[HILLBILLY-06]

WOW, sounds like lots of project stuff to work on, and... "you got a real nice barn for project work too." I'd also love to have a nice barn out of the rain, hang up a light here & there, and that kind of stuff. Welcome aboard and hope all goes well. When it don't go so well, folks here have been awesome about helpin figure out stuff and where to find things.

[lgr1997]

Thanks for the comments. The barn was originally a wood horse barn, but the red and white paint kept coming off, so my dad bought sheet metal to fasten to the old wood.

[Hambone]

Don't know if I would drive it around much, looks like the main frame rail is rotted out. Hambone

[lgr1997]

Well if the M718 has a better body then i may move parts from this jeep to the m718 and this one would be for parts

[rickf]

Sir, With all due respect, I have also replied on the other thread you started about the brakes but this message is related. It seems you are in dire straights as far as money goes, that is none of our business but I will tell you this. That vehicle is not roadworthy and will not be so without very extensive body and frame repair. It is a unibody construction and most of that is missing. If you try to drive it it will break right in half. It also has single stage brakes, not like any newer car with dual stage brakes. If you lose any part of the brake system then you lose it all, no brakes at all. Someone WILL get hurt or worse. That roll bar...................... useless. The body it is attached to is rotted away so it will just fold up with the body. I know this is not what you want to hear but you came here for advise and we give safe advice. If the underbody is better on the other one then start with that but you are going to have to spend some money to make any of them drivable and SAFE. Why would you burn trailer tires off? These things only weight 2,200 lbs. without all the rust. That one probably does not tip the scales at more than 2,000lbs., then again that roll bar is probably a couple hundred high up where you especially do not want it on an M-151. We are not trying to be a**holes, we are just trying to keep you safe and alive.

[lgr1997]

I know I have some angle iron that I plan to use to repair the frame and I plan to buy sheet metal to create a battery tray. I have a mig welder that can handle all of that if I were to drive it it would be a very short distance less than one mile. Also I only have a v6 truck and a very old trailer. I live in NE Oklahoma and my uncle lives in SE Oklahoma. If anyone is Daimler with the terrain of SE OK it is nothing but steep grade hills and when you do that for 3 hours it puts a hurting on my clutch and tires and I don't know if the truck or trailer can handle 2,000 pounds. But that's for the comments it is very nice to get the advice of others

[lgr1997]

I understand all safety concerns and I understand that but I will do a complete brake overhaul and where I live is back county roads that I drive slow on. Also that roll cage wasn't designed for safety it is a rifle rest for group deer hunting

[rickf]

Rifle rest! Where is the sport in that? Group deer hunting? Five guys shooting at one deer? As far as the driving, just remember, one good dip in the road and you will have a two piece vehicle.

[m3a1]

I think the key thing with any project like this is patience. Wither you have that most valuable commodity or you don't. If you don't, you're in trouble.

There are guys on this site who have mad skills with the photos to back it up. But these things do take money. The more money you have, the less patience you need.

If there aren't funds for dealing with the most pressing issue of the dangerous body, the thing is to roll up your sleeves and get in there and do the dirty work that costs little or no money until you are ready to move forward. Half my enjoyment with my project is the satisfaction of making the little bits as good as they might be. This too, is an exercise in patience.

That is where I am at at the moment and there's no dishonor in it because nothing kills a project faster than going over budget.

Time and diligence is what will get you over the hump where that body is concerned (and listening to the sage advice given by the guys who have their been-there-done-that tee shirt). Until then, organize your workspace and start realistically examining your truck, make a list of what needs to be done and do it a bit at a time.

You'll learn a lot, have a much greater appreciation for your vehicle and in the end, it'll help you gain a realistic assessment of just how deep you want to go into this.