December 30th, 2007.
What year and serial numbers on your Mighty Mite? I used to own #2043, a 1961 M422A1 that got shed back in 1977/78 when the Shah was deposed. I guess some loony in the GL felt that the air cooled engine would do really well in Iran, and when the sale flopped they painted them post office blue below the windshield and tried to sell on the civillian market to little advantage. The worst thing about the Mites are the very weak front hub bolts (center bolt), which would fail every 500 to 1500 miles, as mine had about 9000 original in 18 years of USMC service, apparently she was either a ship detachment commanders jeep (had radio and antennas, or was just the usual hanger queen due to breakdowns. One really interesting USMC MP repair was on the breather pipe (hose) between the two sides of the gas tank behind the trailer hitch, some MP type used two 1-1/4 radiator hose clamps and two rolls of electricians tape to clamp up the 5/8 or 1/2" hose, you should've been around when that one blew out. In deepsnow, up above the front deflector plate bottom, you will need chains to be able to move and steer, and better not get into a situation where you need to back up, for then you are done. Good luck with yours, they get temperamental in high heat and dry atmospheres due to the lube oil cooler being in the engine cooling intake gallery up by the carb. In those situations it is recommended to a water injector in the intake air to steal some excess heat from the engine's combustion cycle, reducing the engine's overall temperature
load slightly in the process.
Mine ended up in Philadelphia, Pa., owned by a gentlemen with the only road legal hovercraft in Pa, I belive his name was Jeff Miller, if my memory serves me right. At least the Mighty Mites corner like porsches, and go about anywhere a Unimog can go.
Regards and a safe 2008,
Sincerely,
Kyle F. McGrogan
1963 Mercedes Benz S404.114 (Swiss) Unimog
1971 Kaiser Jeep M35A2 Wo/W "Saddam's Nightmare" Desert Storm Deuce