Iltis Assistance in Alberta (Calgary) - new owner
 

Trying to assist a new owner who's navigating his way through the AB inspection process for an out-of-province registration. Is there anyone in the Calgary area, or even AB in general, who may be able to help this fellow?

His initial inspection is giving him a list of things to be done to pass and I'd like to ensure he's getting a fair shake, as well as having access to parts.

Can discuss more by email or PM. Thanks in advance.

Jason

While I know nothing about the Alberta inspection process, I can say this about the Iltis (and some of it applies to other military vehicles as well).

The military tail lamps are not SAE approved. The latest LED versions are, but not the old plastic nor the metal versions from the mid 70s thru to present day. If they were certified, they would have the rating in the plastic of the lens.

Vehicles that new require side marker lights. The Iltis is missing some of those.

Windshields must be watermarked as AS1 glass (or AS10, but that it super heavy). The military often did not bother.

The upper balljoints of the Iltis are unusual in that there is a certain amount of up/down play allowed. No side play. A mechanic who is not used to them may call it on the up down play....you would have to show him the specifications in the manual.

Very much appreciate the feedback but those aren't the issues he's facing. The truck was a plated runner in MB but the situation involves the AB registration and inspection process, and the competency and of a particular garage. Thus my hope that someone in the Calgary area can take this fellow under their wing and get him in touch with tne right people. With that in mind, and as mentioned, the specifics of his vehicle are probably best discussed offline.

He does have a complete set of manuals which will certainly come in handy. I suggested he join both this forum and tne Yahoo group; I suspect that will occur in due course.

Stuart: Some good information there on some of the work-arounds.

I think we are seeing some of the headaches some of the collectors in the US are facing: The bureaucrats don't really want to deal with military vehicles for on road use that don't fit the perfect mold of what is in the insurance listings. I know I have run into some very onerous people in our provincial insurance/registration program who said they had to consider whether something as simple and common as a 1971 M38A1 should be on the road. It is far easier for them to say "no" than to risk the consequences of an approval.

Jason: As Stuart said, more information is needed. But as to competency, for many civilian mechanics the military vehicles are very foreign to them, and for the one or two times a year they might see them, (and that number might be generous) there is really very little money in learning about them. It is a job to the mechanic and the shop, not a passion. Add to that the difficulty of finding most of the parts, and it can seem like the shop is dropping the ball.

If there are problems with the inspection process, most provinces will have a department to register a complaint. A friend of mine had the job of investigating the various shops who were either gouging customers on the safety inspection, or else passing vehicles for an extra fee that should not have been on the road.

Hi Jason; I am about an hour outside Calgary. I do not know much about the inspection process in Alberta (although I will be going through it myself in the coming days or weeks), and I do not have any Iltis parts. I do know some Calgary area people who may have Iltis parts, and I can provide those leads. I agree with Stuart, that it may be a good idea for the new owner to join the online Iltis group, and also consider joining the local MV club (Prairie Motor Brigade) where he will be able to closely network with other owners who may be able to recommend certain mechanics/shops for best results.