To perpetuate the knowledge, interest and preservation of military vehicles through fellowship and events. Specifications: Vehicle:  1962 M151A1 Mutt Owner:  Bill Back Mfg:   Ford Motor Company Engine:  Hercules 4-cylinder in-line HP:  65 @ 4000RPM Transmission:  Four Speed Manual Bill acquired his 1962 M151A1 Mutt only recently when fellow GLMVPA member Beryl Hornung contacted him and informed him he was ill, and that he wanted Bill to have the Mutt.   Sadly, a short time later, Beryl died, and Bill didn't really have an opportunity to get a lot of background information about the vehicle.   In talking with Dave Crompton, he thinks that this Mutt came from Cal Smith.   Dave is pretty sure that Beryl got it fully assembled, but wasn't sure if Cal was the one who rebuilt the Mutt.   If anyone has more information about this particular Mutt, please let us know. The A1 revision of the M151 was an attempt to correct the dangerous driving characteristics of the Mutt.   Still built by Ford, it had minor changes in the rear suspension including stiffer components, firmer mountings and an extra rubber bump stop to reduce rebound.   Unfortunately, the original suspension arms remained unchanged, which still allowed the rear wheels to swing down and under when unloaded.   Therefore, the M151A1 still had most of the undesirable handling characteristics of the original.   The most noticeable update of this version was the addition of the turn signals mounted on the front fenders.   The A1 model was replaced by the A2 in 1969. The Great Lakes MVPA is a diverse group of individuals, and indeed this may be the group's greatest asset.   When you casually meet a member, just like an iceberg, many times there is a lot under the surface that isn't immediately visible.   However, when I first met Bill Back this past year, I just had a hunch there was more to this quiet gentleman that met the eye. Now in his seventy-fifth year, Bill grew up in Sault Saint Marie, but has spent most of his life in the Battle Creek area.   He has owned the A-Z Key Shop for over 25 years, and before that was a technician, repairing typewriters and office machines.   The Back family also has a rich military background.   His father, First Lieutenant Albert Back served in the China, Burma, India Theater during World Was II, and he has a brother, Marvin that retired from the US Army as a two star General.   Bill himself served in the Air Force Corp of Engineers from 1952 to 1956. Bill as a youth, with the toy that started it all. When we first met, and I got to talk to him a bit, it wasn't long before he told me that he had a museum!   "Really", I responded eagerly.   That was all it took to get him to tell me all about the collection he has amassed in the back of his lock & key business.   The assortment of over 1500 mostly military items is a result of a lifelong passion that started when nine-year-old Bill's father came home on furlough and brought home a toy Jeep.   It appears that this was the seed that inspired Bill's love of military memorabilia. The collection includes over 100 military uniforms, many on manikins, and a plethora of miniature military vehicles, and some scale aircraft that hang from the ceiling.   Also on display is a 75mm pack howitzer and a .30 caliber machine gun, along with many other weapons and various shells, bullets, posters and flags, and of course, he still has that first toy Jeep.   All of this is setup around 3 of his MVs that he keeps in the museum.   He created his exhibit in 2002, and says he'll happily open its doors to any who come into his shop. Power to the front wheels may be engaged on the fly, as road conditions and terrain require, however the transfer case is used to engage/disengage the front axle only.   It does not have a low/high range.   Because of this, the M151 has two gearshifts instead of three.   From left to right, the first smaller lever engages/disengages the front axle, and the second larger gearshift is the gear selector (i.e. 1-2-3-4-reverse). In the rear of the Mutt is the VRC-9 Tactical Vehicle Radio station, which is a Transmitter / Receiver and operates in the frequency range of 27-39 Mhz FM.   The set combines the RT-67/GRC Radio Transmitter / Receiver and the PP-112/GRC 24 Volt Power Supply.   It dates to the 1960's and was used by the US Army and some NATO countries. The quarter ton 4x4 M151 series of vehicles were designed for use over all types of roads as well as cross-country terrain.   The vehicles are powered by a four-cylinder in-line, liquid cooled gasoline engine, and use a four speed synchromesh manual transmission.   The M151 Mutt also has four-wheel hydraulic brakes and a mechanical parking brake. Along with Bill's Mutt and vast military memorabilia collection, he also owns a handful of other running military vehicles.   These include a 1944 Willys MB, 1949 Willys CJ, 1952 M38A1, 1952 M37 Dodge, 1952 AM General M35, and a 1962 M422 Mighty Mite. Beryl with the Mutt that is now owned by Bill. This picture was taken by Mark Doepel at the '97 Fall Trail Ride.   Home Page |  About Us |  Links Page |  Membership Application |  Our Groups |  Events |  Contact Us |  Photo Album |  Want Ads Copyright © 2010 Great Lakes MVPA. All Rights Reserved.