Luther Shelton Machine Co. Kansas City Jeep

[oldironkc]

Has anyone here heard about the jeep Luther Shelton of Kansas City built during the Korean War for the Marine Core in Virginia. Apparantelly AMC picked up on it later and made at least 9 or 10 of them, they were also used during Nam. Any info would be great, if there is one still around, I would like to know.

[pacerman]

Has anyone here heard about the jeep Luther Shelton of Kansas City built during the Korean War for the Marine Core in Virginia. Apparantelly AMC picked up on it later and made at least 9 or 10 of them, they were also used during Nam. Any info would be great, if there is one still around, I would like to know.

If you are talking about the mighty-mite I think you can google that name and you should get lots of hits. Joe

[oldironkc]

You are correct about the name Mighty Mite. The original design of this was called the M100 and was built at Luther Shelton Machines shop on Southwest Blvd. There was a fellow named Ben Gregory of Mid American Research Company who was involved with it. I was looking to see if anyone knew about the first design "M100"

[DJKSETX]

You are correct about the name Mighty Mite. The original design of this was called the M100 and was built at Luther Shelton Machines shop on Southwest Blvd. There was a fellow named Ben Gregory of Mid American Research Company who was involved with it. I was looking to see if anyone knew about the first design "M100"

Ben F. Gregory was a very talented individual who had basically a 6^th grade education who ran away and joined the circus as a bicycle performer doing a loop after rolling down a high ramp. He graduated to one of those motorcyclists inside the large wooden barrel. During WWI he worked in Walter Christie’s truck preparation for Roy Chapin’s Motor Transport that drove trucks overland to eastern ports to free the railroads for armaments. They needed repair and prep for shipment and Gregory was a mechcanic.

After the war he built some front wheel drive race cars powered by surplus aviation engines including a Hisso. These he barnstormed at the Midwest fair races. He was also an inventor and held several front wheel drive patents culminating in a handful of prototype FW production called the Gregory that was displayed at the KC auto show circa 1921 (at the beach away from files).

He abandoned autos when the aviation bug bit and purchased a series planes and returned to barnstorming. He survived the Depression traveling from south Texas northward with spring. Often crashing he had a near fatal accident circa ’41 that crippled him & financially bankrupt & broke up his family. He worked as an aviation engine inspector in KC during WWII. Then his situation improved reuniting the family and permitted him to experiment with front wheel drive once again. Shelton’s Machine Shop was a noted go to place for one off experimental work in aviation & racing. After the war the still handicapped Gregory was a regular and started another series of odd cars FW prototype cars, one which is at the Lane Museum in Nashville and a couple with a local collector in KC. [The Shelton shop’s building existed 10 yrs ago & may still exist.]

I spoke with Shelton’s son who recalls these prototypes and rescued (stole) the Lane “Black” car from AMC that purchased all the stuff along with the Mighty Mite rights. Gregory & the Mighty Mite is a convoluted story that his daughter and Shelton’s help clarify.

As noted there is considerable Mighty Mite info on the internet but this is the preamble. One Hudson executive who worked on it said, "It came from the Nash side." That connection I don't know.

[Jerry Pitts]

In the 70's these guys helped me modify a 69 AMX 390 engine by adding head bolts, 4 bolt mains and other mods. We basically turned a stock AM X into a B Gasser. At the time I was considering building  a BD5 aircraft, and Shelton Luther showed Jim Bede a super charged 2 cycle they had built, Jim liked it but went with a Hurth twin. The BD 5 was a big failure largely due to torsional harmonics in the drive system that resulted in rod bearing failures and flying parts off the propeller drive. Anyway, for many years I meant to reach out to these guys but never got around to it...my bad. Had hoped the shop had survived, and the folks that ran it. Best Jerry Davis