Plenty of military historians and Jeep aficionados know about the role Ford played in the development of the iconic World War II military Jeep.
(If you don’t, read this: Check Out This GPW & Learn About the Ford’s Influence on the Jeep)
But Ford didn’t stop with the GPW. Nope, in the years following the war, the Blue Oval took out a blank sheet of paper and set out to design a more modern version of the Jeep, the M151 Military Utility Tactical Truck…
…Affectionately called the MUTT.
Though it shares similar dimensions with the classic GPW/MB, the MUTT is entirely different—and that becomes obvious when you see its unibody construction and coil spring independent suspension.
What’s even more interesting, is that, unlike the old military Jeeps, not many M151s escaped the crusher to wind up in private hands.
So when we came across this impeccably restored MUTT at a recent car show, we had to find its owner to learn more about it.
“I’ve had it seven years,” says Larry Galaske, a retired Army Sergeant.
This particular MUTT was made in 1971, which means it’s a later M171 “A2” variant that featured chassis and suspension upgrades to improve its handling.
“I would not have driven this version of it,” Larry explains. “I drove the previous version, the A1, when I was in Vietnam and Germany.”
Larry began looking for a MUTT after selling his Dodge M37 3/4 ton military truck, and he discovered this one just beginning a rotisserie restoration. “I called this guy in Florida, he’s a retired Colonel Special Forces Vietnam vet, and he said, ‘Yeah, send me a deposit and I’ll finish building it.'”
After heading down to see the M151 in person, Larry cut a deposit check. “I told him I just need good running gear, drivetrain, and paint. I can do the rest of the canvas, the lettering, radios, all that stuff.”
Two months later, the partially completed MUTT was on a truck heading north.
As alluded to earlier, instead of leaf springs and solid axles like a Jeep, the 4×4 MUTT has a clever coil-sprung independent suspension. It also uses a rear pivot swing axle, similar to a Corvair.
Problem was, it suffered from the same handling problems that plagued those early Corvairs—hence why this particular MUTT is the evolutionary A2 variant designed to mitigate those issues.
“It’s still squirrely, it’s got a real fast ratio steering on it,” Larry laughs. “It’ll do 55, 60 miles an hour, but you’ve got to be paying attention.”
And those sketchy handling characteristics are a big reason why most decommissioned MUTTs were destroyed, instead of being sold to the public. “They pulled the drivetrain and cut them in half,” Larry chuckles.
This particular M151 was one of the few lucky ones to escape, simply by falling through cracks in motor pool paperwork. It’s now fully inspected, registered, and street legal.
Larry finished the Jeep with period-correct stenciling and insignia. “I actually did this one in a Cold War era,” he explains. “I spent 16 months in Germany before I went to Vietnam.”
In addition to the proper serial numbers flanking the hood, up on the front glass you’ll see “SGT GALASKE” stenciled on the driver side, with “CPT WARD” on the passenger side.
“He was my Commanding Officer,” Larry tells us. “He made Captain when he went to Nam, I made Sergeant when I went to Nam.”
You’ll also notice the name “Annie” on the cowl as well. That’s an homage to Larry’s beloved cat.
“She was my companion. She went blind and she was getting older and she would meow and I’d tap on the floor. She’d come and jump up on my lap and go to sleep,” Larry says with a slight crack in his voice. “She was just there for me.”
In addition to being a Veteran and military vehicle enthusiast, Larry’s also a licensed Ham Radio operator—which becomes evident when you peer into the back of his M151. It’s outfitted with a complement of authentic field radios, all fully operational.
“There’s an RT-524, which is a standard manual dial radio,” he says, gesturing to the communications array on the passenger side fender. “And then this is the 246, which is the command radio. It’s got 10 presets. So you can set it up for battalion, artillery, infantry, whatever you want.”
On the opposite fender is a smaller Model 442 receiver. “You can listen on one frequency while you’re talking on another,” he explains.
Larry admits he’s sometimes considered selling his MUTT and picking up something more modern, like a Hellcat.
“But I love green,” he jokes. “It seems the older I get, the greener I get.”
After a good laugh, we thanked Larry for his service and let him get back to speaking with the crowd of folks that had been slowly gathering around his M151, eager to learn its history.
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