M38A1 date questions

Phil4280 · Post by **Phil4280** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:01 pm

Hi there!
I am currently resurching the possabilaty of exporting a M38A1 from the US into Australia.
Now I see some listed with a DOD (date or delivery) how does this corolate with date of manufacture (DOM)?
Do they have a DOM located on the vehicle or a way to find out via the serial number etc?

Also when did production of USMC M38A1's cease?

Thanks!
Phil...

Post by **wesk** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:24 pm

Hello Phil,

For the M series jeeps DOM and DOD are one in the same. The Willys factory had an in house inspector's office and team. The jeeps received their acceptance inspection at the end of the assembly line and the plates were then stamped with the inspector's office chief's initials and the Date Delivered. This is on the serial plate on the dash data plate group in the lower right corner. The Army hood registration numbers were also applied then. The jeep's Willys serial number can be found on the Willys or Kaiser patent plate which is on the front vertical surface of the right rear wheel house.

From 1948 thru about 1954/55 all services had to process their tactical vehicle needs through the Army Procurement System managed by the Army Ordnance Dept. This is why as in the illustration above the lower left plate (Responsible Agency Plate" shows procurement through the Army Ordnance Dept and Depot (Maintenance) through the Marine Corps.

The heavy M38A1 production period was 1952 through 1955. Of the 120,000 built nearly 86,000 were built during that period. Production slowed way down with most going to Holland as NEKAFs. Then in the early 60's thru 1964 the Marines ordered a sizable quantity. This batch had Navy/Marine contract numbers and the Responsible Agency Plates reflected this. From the mid 60's production slowed again with a spurt for M38A1 CDN2 and M38A1 CDN 3 production for the Canadians ending around 1971. 1957/58 saw a light production effort for the Marines and a couple of South American Countries.

You see a lot of USMC M38A1's but one must remember that when the M151 came out in 1959/60 the Marines did not accept many. The Army started a major shift to the M151 and thousands of Army M38A1's were turned over to the Marines and the Marines processed all of them through their Depot system and configured them the same as their 1960's vintage contracts with Kaiser. Most of these ex-Army A1's were given undercoatin, and powr-loc diffs and etc just like the new contract USMC A1's.

Phil4280 · Post by **Phil4280** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:41 pm

Cheers for that Wes. That fills in all of the gaps for me. I was thrown a bit by a 1964 DOD USMC M38A1.

Now to continue with the homework to look at exporting/importing one.

Phil...

Post by **wesk** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:19 am

Phil,

Have someone check the engine serial and check to make sure if the patent plate is on the front end of the right rear wheel house that it's 5 digit serial matches the 5 digit serial on the dash serial plate. Engine serials did not match chassis serials but occasionally some states used the engine serial for the title. Then a few years later during an overhaul the machinist would shave the block deck and inadvertantly grind off the serial number.

Patent plate location

1955 Dash serial plate & wheel house patent plate. If you look very close you'll see the patent plate has the model prefix MD a space and then the 81433. The MD starts just above the letters U.S.

Kaiser eventually after 1956 went to numerical model prefixes as in this case 7105 is the same as MD.

Engine serial number location.

Phil4280 · Post by **Phil4280** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:37 am

Thanks again Wes!
Well I will heed your advice and if it comes to it I will probly ask via here if some one would be willing to have a look at it for me befor I part with the old hard earned cash.

Phil...