Lyle, I strongly suspect your top is not the military aluminum arctic top but instead it must be a civilian flat fender CJ type since there is absolutely no way the military aluminum Arctic Tope can be made to use the original slanted rearward M38 windshield.
No worries Lyle. I did not like the appearance of my M38 with the military top and straight windshield so I sold that top and windshield several years ago and picked up a very nice CJ3 steel top with doors that fits perfectly with the stock M38 windshield. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
While working on my M38 I found FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY stenciled across the top front of the Kelly hard top. My top is a variation of the Kelly Series 200 tops. I have an M38A1 that has a Sears aluminum top.
I used to think these were just civilian additions till I found the stenciling. That corresponded to photographs I have found of M38's and A1's with what appear to be civilian tops.
In the past I always thought when finding vintage ads for hard tops that said they fitted early military jeeps, the ads were directed at the surplus market. Now I believe they were directed at military procurement buyers.
Kelly, Worman, Koenig and Sears seem to have done these types of sales from what I have found. Probably many other manufacturers did this too.
I think many in the services must of found the "Arctic Tops" to be a clunky modification that was not worth the effort of installation or cost. I know my Kelly top can be installed or removed in about 30 minutes and must of cost pennies compared to the advanced construction of the "Arctic Top".
During my 22 years in the Air Force local purchasing was the source of those civvy metal tops. By the 70's and early 80's arctic tops were no longer available or stocked so local purchase civvy was the only way to go. I never ran across any higher command purchasing and stocking of them though. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Joined: Nov 01, 2017 Posts: 167 Location: Richmond, BC Canada
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 10:08 pm Post subject: Arctic top
Most Canadian M38s simply used the winter canvas top and the cowl mounted gas personnel heater. _________________ Lyle
LT-RCEME, Retired
________________
Jeep Rubicon, 2015
M38 CDN, 1952
M416, 1968
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