<VV> Swing Axles / M151 Jeep vs Corvair

[JRVIDRINE@aol.com]

Folks,

I am responding to the question "Anyone else out there remember the M151 Jeep
(Ford)."  I had forgotten that they were manufactured by Ford, but they sure
were.  I was a young paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division (1962-65) at
Ft. Bragg, N.C.  The M151's had a very bad reputation for turning over and in
fact a number of soldiers in the Division were killed by turnovers while I was
there.  Most were thrown free as we didn't have any rollbars and seat belts
then.  At the end of the M151's service life in the early 1980's, they were
equipped with these.  They never were any safer.  I drove one of them along
with
the M38A1 Jeep which was essentially the same as the CJ jeep.  The M38A1 was a
better vehicle (tougher, higher and more maneuverable, able to ford fairly
deep
streams), but no sports car.  During that period I bought my first new car, a
1963 Corvair Monza with 102 hp engine w/ 4 speed transmission.  I drove that
little car every which way it could be and never came close to turning it
over.  On the other hand, I had enough sense not to push the M151 Jeep.  They
were
truly squirrely in fast turns.  They were higher, lighter and of course front
engine rear drive vehicles.

In a message dated 1/21/2005 11:19:16 AM Pacific Standard Time,
HallGrenn@aol.com writes:

> Anybody else out there remember the M151 Jeep (Ford)
>
*****************************************************************************
Sure!  same as with EM.....Strap restraints for the autobahn.....Ger.  67-8

So in fact, although they both had swing axles, they weren't the same,
especially in the handling department.

Randy Vidrine
62 Monza Coupe
Branch, LA