Stovebolts, Flatheads and Mutts, old iron that moves you.

[Mustang Gregg]

Delmonico:

I have a good old '65 F100 long-wide box with 6 cyl & 4 speed.  If you need it, I can let you have it at a decent price.  American Iron for sure.

MG

[cpt dan blodgett]

42 years ago the same Manufactures were making the ones fired at us.  WHo was that idiot that says history repeates itself?

[Drydock]

Here's one for Books.  Same as mine, the brits specified the 2wd 30 cwt (30 hundred weight/3000 lbs/1.5 ton) Civilian spec truck, it was lighter and had better range than the 4wd Milspec "G" series Chevys. Lower profile as well, important in the flat desert.  Engine, transmission and axles the same. Right hand drive of course, they cut the cab off and bolted on high flotation tires and the specialty beds after offload in Cairo.

[Delmonico]

Delmonico:

I have a good old '65 F100 long-wide box with 6 cyl & 4 speed.  If you need it, I can let you have it at a decent price.  American Iron for sure.

MG

I think this one will last a couple more years, to be truthful I don't think a mere F-100 would work, my extra heavy sprung F-100 is starting to lack a bit. 

[Delmonico]

Since flatheads have been added I'm going to toss this in:



A Funk 8 Conversion on an 8N.  They are just way cool and were fairly easy for Funk to do since the 8N engine is just half a V8.

[Texas Lawdog]

My Dad was a self-taught mechanic who learned on Model Ts and Model As. He opened a garage and wrecking yard when he returned home after WW2 ended. He was service manager at our Ford dealership from 53 to 57. We had a lot of Flatheads back then. They were always Dad's favorite. That picture of the Flathead in a Ford tractor is great.

[Delmonico]

http://www.oldfordtractors.com/funk.htm

[Bow View Haymaker]

My first "car" when I was 14  was a '61 f-100 short unibody w/ 223 cu in 114hp 6cyl and the 4 speed.  plenty of low end and just enough top end to surprise folks.  Drove that truck to my 20th high school reunion.  It was sold shortly after to someone who could give it the tlc it deserved.  But today I still drive a '96 f150 with the big inline (the last of them I think).  Even the same color as my first one .  I think my truck is the only one in AZ with honest winter rust.

[Niederlander]

Back in about 1991 I was the Motor Transport Officer for Second Battalion, Ninth Marines, which was Special Operations Capable.  Part of the equipment for that capability were twelve heavily modified M151A1 jeeps, which by the time we got them from First Battalion, First Marines, were pretty much junk.  When my Staff Sergeant went to get them, I think about three made it under their own power, seven were towed in, and two caught fire on the way.  I had heard the standard rumors to the effect that the Marine Corps supposedly still had a bunch of jeeps in storage somewhere, so I called the logistics base in Albany, Georgia on the off chance it might be true.  When I asked them about getting new jeeps, much to my surprise, I was told I could certainly have twelve new jeeps if I would fill out the paperwork and properly dispose of the old ones.  I asked them how many they had, and they said about three hundred fifty of them.  About a month later, I had twelve brand spanking new M151A1 jeeps sitting in my motor pool at Camp Pendleton, looking as good as the day they left the factory in 1968!  Needless to say, the new ones were MUCH more reliable than the old ones, but regardless of the nostalgia factor, they were still a total piece of crap compared to a HUMVEE.  It was pretty cool to see brand new old stock vehicles like that, though.

[Drydock]

More pictures

[Major 2]

Below is my Friends 1971 M151A2 that we restored in 2005. He uses it for living history, parades, memorial services, military vehicle shows, and as a museum display.
This one came from the Canadian Gov. and was in Desert Tan, barely running but intact....
 

[cpt dan blodgett]

Logged many of miles and darn near killed myself in one.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

(big SIGH!)

I have fond memories of my M151 at the USAARENBD at Ft. Knox.  It was a Ford, too Mustang Gregg.  It had 12 U-joints in all, and our mechanic told me that was a problem.

The one I had was VERY special.  It was an M151, not an A1 like the rest of the many hundreds at Ft. Knox.  It wore the same green paint scheme from the 1950s 'thru early 1970s = just like Major 2 posted, rather than the "new" Woodland Camouflage that they started using in the late 1970s.  The fenders were modified to fit over the 4 mud & snow (formerly civilian) tires that were tested on it before I got to the unit.  Since it had tires that were about 12" wide at the tread, the wheels were also civilian dish chrome wheels that were painted over with OD green paint to keep it looking "Army."  EVERY time we drove it heads would snap around to see this really cool vehicle.  I mentioned that it was "tested."  The mission of USAARENBD was to test equipment for the Army to see if things could be improved.  This particular wheel & tire test was nixed in favor of the then-still-in-design-stage HUMVEE which we received about 1984 or '85 in Germany.

If I can find my photo, I'll post it.  This jeep LOOKED awesome!  It DID have issues, however.  Because the wheels were so offset compared to the original design, they had a lot of wheel bearing issues.  Also, the thing wasn't very stable over 40mph - and that was from real experience, NOT the "safety" speed limits imposed by Commanders and USAEUR.  Of course, we always stayed UNDER 40.   
 

But it looked cool ...

[pony express]

Yup, 12 U-joints. The ones from the transfer case to the differentials weren't much of a problem. But the ones from the differentials to the wheels were constantly going out. We kept exta assembled shafts in stock for quick repairs, some of the drivers actually carried an extra, and the neccesary 1/2 inch wrench to change it.

One time we had to go pick up a "new" M151, there were 100's of them in a giant parking lot. Once we found ours, of course, some of the drive shafts were gone. But since nobody was watching.........I think that may be where we got the supply of "extras".

[Niederlander]

I can't believe you guys would take parts off of someone else's vehicles!!!  We were always "pure as the driven snow" in MY motor pool!!!

[Drydock]

I've seen what happens to "parts" when you gets done with them, Ned . . .  

I remember my days in engineering, I often got detailed to the Fleet warehouse, as I was the best damn thie . . . ah, Procurement Petty Officer in the department . . .

[Delmonico]

Doing some picture looking tonight, found these that will go well here, taken by The Office of War Information May 1942 New River North Carolina:










I thought they fit here well.

[Niederlander]

Great pictures, Del!  I'd like to think that at least some of the equipment in those pictures begain life with the Army before it found it's true home.  Drydock, just remember;  There's only ever been one thief in the Marine Corps.  Everyone else was just trying to get his sh@@ back!

[Drydock]

Y'know,  I remember something like that, that there really was only ever one real thief in the Navy, and that was a Marine . . .

And we never did get our sh)&@ back!

 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

Although the wrong era, I had a '62 Chevy 'Suburban/Carryall' (with dual ambulance doors in the rear and two doors up front) that I had rather fixed up .... 3/4 ton variable rate springs, anti-sway bars front and rear.

Then there was the engine ... I had found an old Offenhouser 4 bbl manifold in a junkyard, and put a Holley 450 on it... and I met a man who built race distibutors ... had him take a '69 HEI ignition system and throw away anything that had to do with smog ... when he got done it was a fully centrifugal distributor.

The thing had instantaneous torque ... in the lowest gear of the Chevy 4 speed (actually more like a 3 speed with a hellacious granny gear) would pull stumps out and never get over 1000 RPM. And it was so low that I could literally walk along side the car and steer it at 800 Rpm ....

The gas finally got to me ... I was commuting 60 Miles one way to the USAF Reserves at Travis AFB twice a month ... and I sold it to a friend who still has it (he uses it just for hauling and camping.

On the one hand, I wish I still had it ... but I could never afford to even fill the 20+ gallon tank up ....