Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this military-grade 1968 Jeep M-715 4×4 pickup. This 1¼ -ton utility is powered by an OHC Tornado 230.5cid inline-six paired with a four-speed manual transmission and dual-range transfer case. Manufactured by Kaiser Jeep Corporation of Toledo, Ohio, this 14,260-mile Jeep includes color-keyed wheels and accessories, modern audio system, power windows, and hydraulic drum brakes. Finished in dark blue metallic over a saddle vinyl interior, this Jeep M-715 includes a clear title in the seller’s name.
Kaiser Jeep’s M-715 was produced in 1967-69 as a replacement for the Dodge M37 and is considered the first in what’s called COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf, later to become CUCV or Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle) since it was based on the consumer-grade Jeep Gladiator pickup. While the M-715 was the cargo/troop carrier, there also was the M-724 cab and chassis, M-725 ambulance, and M-726 telephone/maintenance vehicles.
The dark blue metallic exterior was applied during restoration within the last five years and is accented with black throughout. Features include a brush guard, tow recovery hooks, fender flares, fold-down windshield, snorkel, body-colored jerry can, bed-mounted toolbox, and wooden bedside planks.
Body-color 16-inch steel wheels are wrapped in oversize military-style tires.
The refurbished two-seat cab is fitted with saddle bucket seats with matching door panels, dash pad, padded rollbar, and center console, the latter which houses two batteries. Features include power windows, Premier AM/FM/CD stereo, Grant steering wheel, and black flooring. The dash face displays informational placards about vehicle equipment and operation.
Instrumentation includes a central 60-mph speedometer surrounded by gauges for fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and voltage. The mechanical odometer reads 14,260 miles, which the seller believes to be original.
The 133-horsepower Tornado OHC 230.5 inline-six has been rebuilt within the past thousand miles. It uses a 24-volt electrical system, although this unit has had its electrical system converted to 12 volts for the radio and the turn signals. Torque is sent via a Borg-Warner T-98 four-speed manual transmission paired with a dual-range transfer case with locking hubs.
Chassis underpinnings were shared with the Jeep Gladiator. Stops are handled by four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.
The seller has provided two videos with an exterior/interior walkaround and a driving demonstration.
The auction for this military-grade 1968 Jeep M-715 4×4 pickup ends on Friday, August 18, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery
Source: www.classiccars.com