1960 AMC

MILITARY Other

4 - Cyl.

Manual

151

Clear

Gasoline

1960 AMC MIGHTY MITE M422 MILITARY TRUCK 4x4 LIGHTWEIGHT 1/4 TON EXTREMELY RARE! PROFESSIONAL FRAME OFF RESTORATION. Great man cave addition of museum quality! Very early production M422 Serial # 151 out of 1,034 Built. Lowest number Mighty Mite believed to be offered for sale. Every piece has been restored to original condition. New batteries. At a car show this weekend. Reserve the right to sell locally. The Mighty Mites were built by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from January1960 to January1963 for The United States Marine Corps use” in Vertical Envelopment Operations [i.e. airborne/ parachuting]. At 1,700 pounds, it is the lightest of the North American trucks. It has an aluminum body, air cooled aluminum V4 engine, 4-speed manual transmission, and even the bumpers were drilled out to make them even lighter. The truck came in three models: the M422, M422A1 and M422A2. The M422 has a tiny 65 inch wheelbase. The M422A1 is six inches longer in both wheelbase and length and is 80 pounds heavier. The A1 also has a spare tire and a windshield from the M38A1. The A2 is 5 inches longer than the A1 and has a windshield from the M38. The A2 also has a toolbox behind the seats in front of the wheel well and a top with bows. A total of 3,922 including all models were delivered. Designed as a combat vehicle suitable for airlifting and manhandling, it can operate on all kinds of terrain. This vehicle has a fording depth of 21 inches, although it can drive in water up to 60 inches with a special kit. The suspension is mounted in a unique way which virtually eliminates roll-overs. The Mighty Mite was designed to carry a payload of 850 pounds while towing another 1,000 pounds on a trailer. With dimensions of 107"x60", it has a 65" wheelbase, and a fueled weight of 1740 pounds. Top speed is 62 M.P.H. and can climb a 45 degree angle slope! Mighty Mite History Possibly one of the most hi-tech Jeeps ever built, the Might Mite remains a little known enigma. The story of the M-422 is one that tends to be full of typical governmental red tape, over spending and poor planning on the part of many of the people involved with the program. The M-422 was designed as a very role specific vehicle for the United States Marine Corps. The Marines needed a Jeep that could be carried by their combat helicopter into any situation while still being light enough to allow the helicopter to carry other items and/or personnel. Unfortunately the WWII era Jeeps and the later M38s and M38a1s were too heavy for the helicopter that was in service at the time. What was to be built as an answer would be a truly revolutionary vehicle. Once the need for what would become the Mighty Mite was recognized the government in typical fashion figured out what the specifications for the contract would require and opened the contract up for bid. There were 5 main requirements: 1.) Weight not exceeding 1500lbs. 2.) High mobility and maneuverability. 3.) Small, yet sufficient cargo and towing capacity to perform typical infantry tasks. 4.) Reliability and ease of maintenance. 5.) Versatility to enable it to be adaptive to the various needs of the infantry. Now the specs were laid out but no manufacturer could be found. This contract was made available for bid in the early 50s yet it wouldn’t be until the end of 1959 that the M-422 would finally be ready for production and would end up being built by AMC who would ultimately purchase the Jeep Corporation in 1971. While it was over the unrealistic weight limit of 1500 lbs it was still only 1740lbs fully fueled and ready to go. Let’s take a look at some of the revolutionary cutting edge technology that was used to enable this vehicle to be so light. The power plant of this little beast was an all aluminum air cooled V-4 engine. The engine was built by Wisconsin engine under contract for AMC. The 108ci engine would run on 80 octane fuel and would produce 55hp at 3600 RPM and 90 lb-ft at 2-3000 rpm. The engine drew air into the carburetors through intakes mounted on the side of the Jeep back by the cowl and often would have snorkels attached to give the Jeep a better fording depth. The engine had a mechanical fan that drew air through the front of the Jeep and over the engine while the exhaust gases were actually routed through the tubular frame and out a rear mounted tail pipe to expel the gasses from the chassis. The power from the engine was then routed through a 4 speed transmission with granny ultra low first gear. Mated to the back of the transmission was a sort of splitter box to route power to the front with the flip of a switch. This box did not have a low range like many transfer cases do but it did have a sort of limited slip differential built into it to make sure that the power went to the axle that could use it. The splitter box did have a lever that had to be used to engage the front axle, other wise the vehicle operated in rear wheel drive. From there power went out to all aluminum Dana 27 center sections that were fitted with 5:38 gears and Power Loc limited slips at both ends. This impressive combination made the little Mite hard to get stuck off road. The brakes on this system were mounted in board up by the differentials instead of the traditional mounts. The M422 uses a New Process Gear 4 speed transmission with overdrive. Like the M151, the transfer case only engages/disengages the front wheel drive and is part of the transmission. The M422 has standard leaf springs on the front and leaf sprung trailing arms on the rear. VERY RARE MILITARY VEHICLE. Thanks for Looking! Call Alan 478-308-1913 478-934-6024