What to put in a M151 for display?

I've commited to a uncut but slightly rusty M151 a2 from a buddy of mine. My plan is to make it a rolling display for the vietnam war to honor the unappreciated veterans (at the time). My question to y'all is what do I need to get to make it look like its back in service. What kind of radios, and small touches to make it realistic. Small personal things that weren't in any manual. I've been on google all day but unfortunately there are so many discrepancies that just taking the info and running makes me a bit nervous. I can only afford to do this once. I trust y'all's opinion/input way more than any random person on another site. Any input would be great.

Thank you,
Justin

If you want it "ACCURATE" for VN and to where guys will think back..............PM me. I can help.

vtdeucedriver said:

If you want it "ACCURATE" for VN and to where guys will think back..............PM me. I can help.

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Why keep it among yourselves? Share the knowledge here! Maybe some of us other VN era guys can help. A few things I thought of: The little plastic bottle of bug repellent, a few cans of "C Rations", a correct era copy of Stars and Stripes, some personal mail (envelope and letter) addressed to a GI, the list could go on and on.

This can be a touchy subject for some vets. Lots of memories. Does anyone know what model radio was put in the mutts? I do have web gear, m16a1, bug juice, and a few other little things. I have to find a couple of flak jackets for sure. I was also thinking about a law and maybe mounting a M60 depending on what you guys tell me.

I'm liking the letter and the c ration idea. My goal is not to have a pretty MVPA show jeep, but a realistic looking jeep that has some scars.

An AN/PRC-25 radio would be proper, (backpack radio). Mounted in the radio rack, a RT-524 would be appropriate.

Just my two cents...

The M151A2 was ordered in 1969 and the first units rolled off the line in 1970. While Vietnam was still raging at the time, the drawdown was well underway and I don't have any photos or details to say that the A2s were in Vietnam at all. I have plenty of pics of M151A2s in Europe during the 1970s and 80s, and all over the USA from the early 70s to about 1988, but all of the pics I see in my books show the M151 series and M151A1 series were the only two "MUTTs" to serve in SE Asia.

Rather than make a "Vietnam correct" replica along with a pile of accessories, and it not be authentic, why not paint it 4-color MERDC camo and make a reproduction M151A2 that would have served our forces in Germany during one of the REFORGER exercises in the 70s or 80s, or stateside. Perhaps something painted tan, there were some M151A2s that served on small bases in the Southwest USA and in small desert countries during this period too. You can put all sorts of radios, field gear, and accessories from the 1970s-1980s timeframe in it and it would not only be correct, but would be a bit cheaper to assemble as well (for example, ALICE packs from the 1980s are cheap and EVERYWHERE, an original Vietnam-issue tropical rucksack will set you back $250 in nice shape, and they are rare now). Don't make it a tribute to just the Vietnam vets, make it a tribute to ALL vets, but make the jeep correct for the era it actually served in, not an era that it's forebearers served in.

Maddawg there is truth in what you're saying. I was just advised by a member that the only A2s he saw over there were in one MP unit. Why is it that everytime I think I have a good idea I get showed that's its not as good as I thought it was. I do honor all vets. I even put on a Pow Mia event in Hammond with a fellow member. I'll have to do more digging.

Or just keep the idea and get a m151a1 also you can never have to many MVs

One thing they all had over there back then, was a flak vest on the backs of the front seat. Some had sand bags on the floor but personally I could never figure out why and I didn't have them - there were there supposedly for mines but it seemed to me that if you went over a mine besides being possibly dismembered you would be sand plasted.
Period canteens, also steel pots. Canteen. Ammo cans with poggey bait, a period Playboy magazine, an issue of Stars and Stripes. Bug spray.
Some units had spare tie covers with the units name and a logo, and others had a name painted under the windshield.
you could also hang some hippie beads and Peace symbols from the mirror. Also a P-38 C ration can opener hanging from the passenger side handle.
A case of Cs and some LRRP rations, some dummy C-4 to heat them up.
Zippos and Marlboros and lots of butts on the floor.
Army OD poncho, a Kodak Instamatic camera or period Polaroid
Could also have any type of weapon, but grenade launchers were popular with bandeliers of ammo.
Some expended M-16 rounds on the floor.
One thing you may be tempted to do is wrap rope around the front bumper as is often see on WW2 re-enactments Jeeps. I never saw that in VN.
No 'Bridge' signs either.

in my MP unit, we had RT524's, M60's on pedestals, flak jackets on the seat backs, a case of C's, extra canteens, steel pots with "MP" on the covers, road goggles on the steel pots, lots of ammo for the 60 and the M16's, but also some for the 45 pistols we wore. if it wasn't issued, we made a serious attempt to NOT have it, or we caught grief from top about it. also, first aid kit, flashlight, trip tickets, ponchos, smokes and frags. that's about all i can recall.
HHC MP's 199th inf bde 69-70 3 corps

All good stuff. This is what I was hoping for. You all have good personal input. That helps tremendously. Thank you all!

A period am radio and some Playboys or Life magazines are always cool, too. But don't over do it all. It begins to look silly.

B3.3T said:

A period am radio and some Playboys or Life magazines are always cool, too. But don't over do it all. It begins to look silly.

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I agree. That's the main reason why I want it to look rough/well used. All I want to do is fix the lil cancer it has and make it reliable. My friend is making a "gun jeep" with the same idea. So all the info y'all are giving me will be shared with him.

A lot of people think that the M151A2 was NEVER was deployed to Vietnam...MP units DID have them along with Airborne units...here's some pics of A2's in Phubai,Pleiku,Da nang and Saigon.
Contact me as I have a LOT of extra Vietnam gear that I have for our living history displays....ED

Thanks for the great pics kahuna!

Here ya go!!! You have 2 wonderful starts as two guys who were there that made perfect posts on what you could find. Then another post proving that the A2 was in Vietnam with the MP units.

Keep the PRC-25 for a pack display. Install a RT-524 for a radio. I myself have a P-38 with me AND a church key that are connected with a dog tag chain. Both usually hang from a wiper motor (I have the A1). A mermite can with a few "dust cutters" would not be out of the norm for a Gun Truck crew to have. Ive even seen a Line Haul driver have a "Sweating" water can riding on his running board of his 5 ton.
Someone mentioned Playboy Magazine and Letters?? Yes a good thought, I have a Sept 70 issue in the glove box of my M-52A2 for just incase we get a quick break but you will find that if it were a Line Haul Driver or MP, there was not much time for reading Playboy!! These guys were pretty busy driving and once they got back to the base, it was PM's for the next day haul.
I would prefer other documents, say a note pad with "Call signs and frequency listings" as each of these changed on a routine basis.
Another suggestion was "Bug Juice". That would be more prone for deep in the jungle and those who battled trench foot. Running the roads in Vietnam was hot and dusty. Sun screen from home might be a nice touch. C rations is a definate must. You can go many ways with those. A couple boxes sitting somewhere is fine but if your with it for the long term, remember these do not react well to sunlight and heat. Sealed cans for 45 years like to be in a cool shady place. You could certinly open the meal up (Esp ones with tomato juice as the acid likes to swell the cans over time)

Smokes, you can use the typical 4 pack from the C but I like the look of the full packs. I have a couple period Marboros that have the US tax exempt stamp on em. If you display your smokes, keep em off any helmets along with a Ace of spades, everyone has been there and done that.
It was 199th MP who said that he had the frag jackets a round the seats. Thats where I have mine and I usually have stuff in the pockets like my cigaretts. I also have the little handy M-60 operators manual that a vet gave me. Chances are its really not needed as the operator will already know that gun from front to back as its his saving grace from going home in a body bag and in a ambush there is no time to look up how to fix a misfiring gun. Now this is a great time to mention the gun. The M-151 used the M-4 pedestal mount. I owned one and it was installed in my jeep when I took it to "The Gathering" one year. All the guys loved my mutt. Even the Co commander whos mine is marked in loved it but one guy pointed out that the gun mount was wrong!! I said how could that be as its the Mount in the factory location. Well he said look at this as he spun my M-60 until it pointed backwards. He then asked me, "Where is the gunner now?" Sure enough he would have been standing on the windshield!! I went home and poured over EVERY pic of M-151's in Vietnam that I had. Let me say, not 1/4 that had mounts were that M4. The bulk of them were just a piece of pipe welded to the floor and the pipe was positioned just behind the front seats. Most did not have the rear seat installed. Gunners would ride on a makeshift seat located on either the sponson or just sit on top of the radio using a seat cushion for comfort. I would remove my M4 that weekend and eventually it got sold. I have yet to have welded my pipe to the floor but its in the works.

I would like to get back to another authentic detail and thats the "Pioneer tools". Look at pictures and guess what, your not going to find them!! They were back at the company motor pool locked in a Connex box. Why you might ask??? Because simply they would become missing!! The only time those tools found their way back on to the vehicle was during a company inspection. At that point, there would be a small amount of vehicles that would be removed from the area due to the "paper trail" not being consistant to the unit requirements You might not know but many unit motor pools would also install "Wing nuts" for the attaching hardware of truck mirrors. They did this so that driver could remove mirrors at the end of the day and lock them in the tool boxes. Back in the day when I owned my M-35's, all of my mirrors had wing nuts holding them to the brackets.
It was either top tiger or MP199 that mentioned the yellow bridge plate. Again correct that you would not typically find the bridgeplate installed. If you read the TB on Vehicle markings, you will see that the bridge plate is required for vehicles at 3/4 tons and up.

Here are some pics to give you ideas.