The classic car hobby is based on details and accuracy—the game goes up with old military vehicles.
This 1970 ME81 Jeep is a classic example of a classic military vehicle restoration.
Jerry Sutherland
James Koett is the proud owner of this military Jeep and he’s an expert in the history behind this vehicle. He helped put this project together–along with his son-in-law Jamie Lenz. This Jeep was built for the Canadian military and that struck a chord with James because he spent four years serving with CAF Artillery.
That’s why the attention to detail was so important because James wanted his Jeep to reflect what a fully equipped Canadian military would look like in 1970.
The detail part became the key to success in this project as James explained, “Since our purchase about $10,000 in accessories were added. This Jeep now has a complete canvas top, side curtains, and doors. A LAW rocket launcher, Airsoft full auto Sterling SMG, M1919 .30 calibre machine gun on the pedestal. Two totally functioning PRC77 radios, two field phones with about a 1/4 mile reel of wire”.
This Jeep was a helicopter boosting vehicle at a Canadian air force base, so it was set up for that function—not combat duty. James’ biggest task was sourcing pieces for the Jeep because most of the stuff he needed was obsolete or impossible to find.
For example, the correct two-way radios used by the Canadian military during that era had all but disappeared over the last few decades. They were impossible to find in North America, so Jamie sourced them in Germany where old surplus parts still existed.
The various rifles like the FN C1A1 strapped to the Jeep were equally difficult because they were impossible to export out of the United States. James explained how he did it: “The final project was to obtain a rifle of the type I used when serving with the Royal Canadian Artillery 78th Battery 20th Field Regiment. This was rather difficult since you can not buy one of these. A very good friend of mine is a gunsmith with rare licensing to purchase, deactivate, and convert as best we could to take a non-Canadian version and buy all the right parts to resemble a FN C1A1 rifle”.
The camouflage on the Jeep was also part of a fully functional 1970 military Jeep and there are other things that illustrate how much these vehicles were purpose-built. There are several blackout lights on the Jeep designed for stealth at night.
James said they don’t give out much light, so you drive by feel in the dark. The red light at the back is what you follow because red doesn’t show up as much at night. The red light on the backpack portable radio is another great example of how they function—as are the red lights on the dashboard.
These Jeeps came with the Willys Hurricane 134 cubic inch OHV engine, so they were more powerful than the earlier flathead versions. These Jeeps have the upgraded military 24-volt electrical system that has so many backup systems it has three fanbelts for the charging system.
Newer Jeeps don’t go any faster than the old ones—James said his Jeep tops out at 40 miles per hour, so it never sees the freeway. This Jeep came with signal lights so it’s legal for the road—you just have to pick the right road. James explained one more detail, “For each military vehicle, one must get a license. I actually have a military certified license to drive one of these”.
James drives his Jeep around town on a regular basis, plus it’s seen parade duty many times. He drove a 98-year-old WWII war veteran in a recent parade and said the vet was really happy to ride in a real Jeep with real military equipment.
There were many pieces to this Jeep jigsaw puzzle, and it took years to find them, but James is a detail guy—anything less wouldn’t be right.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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