My M38A1 Progress!

[Bob_C]

I've had this hunk o' steel since about November now, didnt really get started on it till december though. My #1 major setback has been cash (I can always spend it faster than I can earn it) - but anyway, nearly 7 months after I got her in this condition:





she now looks like



I did basically everything myself - with my dad helping me with the engine rebuild. The only tasks I didnt do myself was grind the head down - and sandblasting the tub. I have a zillion other parts ready to go, but since their major sub assemblies arent ready, nothing can be done with them.

I was lucky. My frame was in excellent shape. The previous owner used a really good paint along with a tar undercoating to preserve it. Needless to say, I didnt find one rust spot. Not one. Not even a spot with minor oxidation. The paint adhered so well too that I just simply painted the red oxide and od over it. However, it took a long time to get to this stage as hee waaayyy overdid it with the tar. I scraped off probably pounds of this stuff with my chisel - and went through a zillion rolls of paper towls (the environmentalists can thank me for being responsible for taking down half of the amazon rainforest) and at least a combined total of 3 gallons of Mineral Spirits as well in trying to get this stuff to come off.

But alas, I'm here. I need to make and run a few more vacuum and fuel lines, and come up with 120$ or so and get some new batteries - and then the engine will start (in theory).
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Bob Collins
1954 M38A1 MD79056

[scar]

what rear axle do you have, looks diff like the early floating kind maybe. is that a power takeoff on the transfer? looks great, good luck.
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keep on jeepin

[Ryan_Miller]

Looking good Bob!
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Ryan Miller
MVPA # 22010

[GIJOE290]

I say, Wow! Looking Good!
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David M.
08/1953 M38A1
Serial #56535
"The Green Goat"

Restoration Begins Summer 2005! ...Er Maybe 2006? 2010? 2015? 202...?

[Bob_C]

Scar,

Thats a WARN Overdrive on the T-Case. Yeah yeah yeah I know its not original. But it'll save me a little gas money in the long run, and perhaps get 5-10 miles per hour extra out of her. I need to sandblast the lever still, then bolt that down (yeah, so I'll have not 3, but 4 levers now. Thats what I call stylish )

The rear differential housing is original. I don't know what kind it is off hand. Is it stamped on the casting somewhere? However though - the inside is way different, and totally 100% not original. New axles and a new differential. The previous owner installed a Detriot Automotive TrueTrac positraction differential (apparently in 1978, the TrueTrac line was like first class equipment - really nice stuff and engineered really well. Like mine for instance is completely positraction and has no clutches in it to wear out) in it when he put it away (The jeep has never been driven with the unit in it). Even though its not original and I do have the old one, I think I'm going to keep it. Because hey, positraction is better than no positraction, right?
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Bob Collins
1954 M38A1 MD79056

[Bob_C]

So, naturally, after I painted the frame completely - I discovered the one (and hopefully only) problem.

I tried mounting the bumper, only to find the holes for the bolts didnt line up on the passanger side. I looked at it, kinda staring, and long and behold - I completely missed the fact that the frame was bent there. Looked like it was in some sort of denting fit back in the day. #@$%@.

So, out with my angle grinder to grind off the paint in that area - and I called my dad over to get a mechanical engineer's perspective of what to do. He said to heat it up with propylene, but he wasn't sure if it would get hot enough. So, the both of us got a bigarse piece of C-channel that was lying around, drilled two holes in it for the bottom mounting piece, and put grade 8 fasteners in there. I then proceeded to heat it up. We waited until it got red hot, and he started to yank on it.

Now, you can see the jack setup I have. Two on the back differential, two on the frame up front. Not the most stabelest thing in the world for what we were doing, but I was never planning on doing this. Long and behold, he forgot that the front differential was down and it was only held on by two dinky jacks, and while yanking, the frame fell off to the side. It landed on the front differential I had lying there, which was good - kinda broke the fall. The only damage appeared to be the plate that goes under the pully by the timing cover (which is easy, I just have to bend it back and put a little bit more paint on it). BUT, the passanger side motor mount wasn't completely bolted in. The bolts were in there and the nuts were very loosly on (not really touching the metal, just kidna there - I wasn't sure where the grounding strap went, so I let it sit there until I figured it out). So I just wanted to check with the forum and see if anyone thinks I should be concerned about one thing or another. My dad said Jeeps got a lot more abuse in service, even while he was in CAP, he had several worse incidents happen, and no damage occured - so I shouldnt be too worried about it. But just seeing my frame and stuff fall off sent me a pretty bad message - and I just wanted to make sure with the general jeep population.
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Bob Collins
1954 M38A1 MD79056