So, at the behest of TJ... I'm starting my thread earlier than I'd planned. I wanted to actually get working on the rig before I started a build thread, but here goes!m3a1 wrote:So, give us a sitrep. Tell us all about your truck. Inquiring minds want to know!
Year of manufacture to follow on this M151A1. I don't have the full history on the vehicle yet, but I'm buying it from a fellow EMS helicopter pilot who needs to offload it for lack of time to tend to the project. He learned to drive on the rig, as it belonged to his father. The story goes, once upon a time this was a show vehicle that took part in parades and other such fanfare. It has a bank full of radios as well that were once mounted in the rear, but I haven't taken possession of yet. It also has a center pintle for a machine gun, which once held a cutaway mockup of an M3 .30 Cal. Based on that eclectic mess, it seems she had quite an identity crisis before I was the owner. As the years have gone by, it's been neglected, left to sit outside in the West Texas wind, rain, and (yes), snow. As a former Army Aviator from the 1st Cavalry Division, I wanted to do it justice and restore it true to it's heritage. Having recently found out that it has USMC lineage rather than Army, I'm not yet sure how I'll proceed with that knowledge, as I won't even wear MARPAT while hunting because it makes me feel like a poser. My original plan was to paint it as a faithful reproduction of a vehicle assigned to D/227 Gunship Company, 1st Cav in Vietnam. (I'm a GWOT vet, and the MUTT is before my time).
The rig has some serious rust issues as you can see below, and someone did an uber-redneck welding job of some strips of steel along the length of the center framerails. I have my work cut out for me. I don't yet have a photo of the data plate, so I'll add it to this thread later. Long story short, she's good from far, and far from good. Everything appears to be included with the rig (more or less), and I haven't yet deduced whether it was demilled or allowed to remain uncut. I'm hoping for the latter. She's a rolling chassis right now, and hasn't cranked in about two years or more.
Comments or help in proceeding are welcome! This by far isn't my first vehicle restoration or build, but I have zero experience with the M151.
Click pic below for more pics in IG post: