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Today In Ford History--feb. 7

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On Feb. 7, 1964, Ford Motor Company won a U.S. Army contract for 30,000 copies of the MUTT—the military utility tactical truck commissioned to replace the WWII Army Jeep, another key link from the legendary Model T to today’s “Ford Tough” trucks.

The MUTT, or M-151 in Army jargon, was an all-new and improved design Ford developed through the 1950s in close consultation with the Army. Design objectives called for lower weight and cost, a host of advanced engineering features, plus improved performance, mobility, versatility and durability.

In 1951 the Army’s Ordinance Corps gave Ford a design contract for the Jeep replacement, based on Ford’s contributions to the WWII icon. Ford had not only built 278,000 Jeeps for the Army under license from Willys Overland, but made major improvements—in the frame, windshield, headlights, fuel tank, etc.—to a 1940 design by American Bantam, which was unable to meet the Army’s timing and volume requirements.

Although Ford’s prototype was the only one to survive the Army’s rigorous testing in 1941, Ford declined to submit a costly second complete design. Willys won the Jeep contract by default, but later lost a court ruling on its claim to have designed the Jeep.

In July, 1944, the U.S. District Court in Detroit ordered Willys to cease and desist its claims after finding that the Army Quartermaster Corps—to expedite the Jeep’s development as war neared—had deleted the Ford name from the company’s early engineering blueprints, then distributed copies of the design drawings to all vehicle manufacturers for competitive bids.

“The Jeep could have been a natural outgrowth of the rugged simplicity and versatility of the Model T Ford,” noted Ray Cowdery and Merrill Madsen in “All-American Wonder,” their post-war history of the Jeep’s development.

Willys continued selling vehicles under the Jeep name, which it had copyrighted, but Ford was the Army’s postwar choice to design and develop a new ¼-ton 4x4 utility vehicle.

Among the Army’s advanced engineering requirements, Ford designed the MUTT, or M-151, to be longer, lower and wider, for improved stability. With a unitized body, independent suspension, synchronized four-speed transmission, and lighter but more powerful new overhead-valve four-cylinder engine, it also provided better performance, comfort and capacity.

The MUTT had a top speed of 60 mph and, with 30 percent better fuel economy than the Jeep, a cruising range of 300 miles carrying four soldiers and their combat equipment.

Unlike its predecessor, the MUTT could be shifted into four-wheel drive while in motion and carry a 1,200-lb. load up a 60 percent grade.

The engine and other components were designed for maximum accessibility and interchangability, and came with a 90 percent probability of going 10,000 miles with virtually no maintenance and 20,000 miles with no component failure. Front and rear axles were interchangeable.

Like its ancestral Model T, the M-151 was designed to be simple, durable and versatile. Designed for air drops, it could also ford hard-bottom water crossings and, with air intake and exhaust snorkels, could travel submerged in five feet of water.

The MUTT’s electrical system featured a submersible and corrosion-resistant 24-volt ignition. Two 12-volt batteries were wired in series for assured high cranking speeds, and a 00 amp alternator met all radio and command post requirements.

A winterization kit included a hardtop enclosure and a high output heater for the MUTT, which could start and perform at temperatures from 65 degrees below zero to 125 above.

As the only supplier to meet all the Army specifications, Ford delivered the first 18,000 M-151s on a series of contracts from 1960 to 1962. In 1964, the Army awarded its first multi-year contract, under which Ford delivered another 30,000 MUTTs over the next three years at a price of $77 million.

By the end of the 1960s Ford had delivered more than 100,000 M-151s and the Army enlisted another manufacturer, AM General, to help complete the global deployment of its Jeep replacement.
 

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