The full time use of 4 wheel drive was considered a safety aspect, and any wear was the price of that safety. If tires were properly inflated, the scuffing and drive train wrap up would be minimal.
I do recall having to change more than the usual number of axles for wear on the RPs Iltis. It would have been subject to tight parking conditions on hard pavement.
I must say that whichever civilian figured out what to repair on the TCI boxes likely saved a lot of civilian Iltis from extinction. That was one item that was costly, and failed with regularity. Another was the turn signal flasher, especially when coupled with an old M100 with frayed wiring. I think a guy would have to do a bit of engineering to fit in a normal cost flasher.
I know what you mean about the low cost of Mutt parts Scotty. I had one for years, and the MV dealers in the US almost gave away the mutt stuff. I also had the residue from over 2 dozen M151s which made sourcing spares quite easy.
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