Father's M170 Questions before sale - UPDATED 6/3 W/ PHOTOS

[iwojimavet]

My father (Iwo Jima vet) recently went into a home, and now I am prepping to sell his M170 ambulance jeep. It looks pretty original to me, right down to the Hurricane decal on the engine, and the hood mounted shovel. Drives great, though brakes really need tightening. The license plate says "53 M170", but the dashboard says serial number "1260", and the date "6/55".
Can this be?

UPDATE: Looked at the plate on rightside wheel well. Very hard to read..it appears to be a stamped tin plate. Serial number reads "MDA 12060".
Does this sound correct?

No rust on vehicle whatsoever
Only issues:
Can't shift into first unless at complete stop......it will grind
Some kind of rattle from undercarriage when driving....drives excellent though
Choke must be pulled out a little when running, otherwise will die at idle.
I'm gonna have my mechanic check it out. I've got lots of manuals, tools, stretchers.
Any idea as to value? I am thinking somewhere between $9,000 and $13,000. I think my dad paid about $7500 15 to 20 years ago.

Posting photos now at flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/63718561@N08/

[rdsar2k]

My April 1955 serial # is 11870 (I have two 1955 units). 1955 is the highest volume year. If you were to add another one to the beginning of the serial # it could be a 1955. Pictures are worth a thousand words. What does the patent plate (passenger side rear of spare tire well) say?

[wesk]

Yes it is not uncommon for civilian registrations or titles to carry the incorrect year of manufacture. Check the Willys patent plate on the right rear wheel house to confirm it has the same 1260 serial number.

[wesk]

Looks like rdsar and I posted at the same time. Since you have a 6/55 DOD adding a 1 to your 1260 would make it a 11260 which is a lower number than his and his is a 4/55 unit. Adding a 5th digit at the end for a 1260X would then be a 1961 unit. The patent plate on the rear wheel house holds the key to dating your jeep.

[iwojimavet]

Thanks guys. I'll go back to the house and take some photos and check out all the numbers. Keep you posted

[Bretto]

Too bad you don't keep it or cant keep it. Good luck on the sale though.

[bl5211a]

Nice M170

[BullRun]

A very nice ambulance. Probably one of the nicest I have seen in awhile.

Not being able to downshift while driving, into 1st, is normal. The 1st gear ratio is really low. Almost like a Granny Gear. If you double clutch you can probably get it to engage if you are creeping along. These jeeps actually had very sophisticated synchromesh transmissions for the time for a 4x4 vehicle. Rattles are normal, a soft brake pedal compared to modern brakes is normal too, even the choke pulled out a little. Sounds like a typical jeep vehicle of the time 60 years later.

I also agree to bad you can't keep it.

A top dollar vehicle.

[WillysMotors]

I'm betting the rattle is the parking brake shoe.

[iwojimavet]

I have worked it out so I can keep the Jeep. Now I will be working to get it to 100%. I look forward to getting help from everyone! Thanks for your input, and maybe I'll see you at a show sometime.

[wesk]

12060 would be correct. The dash plate just suffered a typo.

[Claudio]

Hi all,

If this helps you somehow, take a look at my 2 M170's DODs and S/Ns:
02/62 - 13260
09/67 - 14619 (not very appropriate for this search, though).

Still concerning the M170 owned by IwoJimaVet:
Zooming the dash plates photo, I could visualise DOD 12/6.. From this input, I also suppose a 12/61 matches the registry serial numbering.

I wouldn't sell this M170 IwoJimaVet, so try to keep it with you. Finding litter rails/bracketry is a matter of time, if you actually desire to have them. Everything else is there...besides all that, the M170 is the best ride of all Mjeeps. Again: don't sell it. Good luck!
Best!
Claudio
Florianopolis, Brazil.

[bl5211a]

Hello - My April 1955 serial number is 11852.

Brian