M38 Body to Cowl support "bolt to nowhere"

TomM · Post by **TomM** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 9:46 am

I'm looking for a spec in the parts book for the "bolt to nowhere" that runs through the bottom of the cowl support/floor/hat channel near the side step.
Questions:
* Do those of you with original floors have that bolt installed? It was in the '46CJ and I assume carried over into the M38. An NOS floor has provision for it.
* Anyone have a spec on the nut/bolt/washer combination? I have not yet been able to clearly ID from the parts book what should be installed.

Post by **wesk** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:50 am

Tom, a picture is worth a thousand words here!!!

Are you talking about the two bolt holes just outboard of the circled indents?

TomM · Post by **TomM** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:30 am

Wes,
Yes correct. The two holes in the hat channel adjacent to the step above/outboard of the circled indents.

Did the M38 leave the factory with bolts installed in those holes similar to the CJ?
Was there a corresponding hole drilled in the cowl support?

Or had the earlier CJ2A practice of installing a bolt in that spot been abandoned/changed to a plug (or?) during the M38 manufacture?

Looking at prototype #7 photos from an Army Motors article there appears to be something visible in the passenger compartment photo of the drivers side cowl support/floor. But the photo is grainy.

evanso1975 · Post by **evanso1975** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:54 am

Page 300 of the M38 ORD 9 lists the following:

7697518 PLUG, cowl pillar to front floor pan (ru), 2 ea

That suggests to me that there was a rubber plug fitted on the floor side of the hole. Can't see anything listed for the hat channel side though.

TomM · Post by **TomM** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 1:24 pm

thanks
I'll look into the rubber plugs.

Post by **wesk** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:25 pm

I would guess they were a factory handling or positioning hole and had no purpose in the final assembly of the tub to frame.

Bretto · Post by **Bretto** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 8:25 pm

There was a gent from another forum that was certain you had to have a bolt there. I gave up on the discussion. There is no gain in having a bolt there. I can think of no other reason other than it was used in the jig to line stuff up as already stated.

TomM · Post by **TomM** » Mon Aug 26, 2013 6:31 am

Brett,

We can let the parts book do the talking and back it up with observed survivor data.
Owen has identified the part in Ord9.
A few comments or pictures from those that have unrestored examples will be full confirmation. Possibly that was done on this forum already but I missed it.

The CJ2A and CJ3A parts book is set up differntly but identifies a "step to floor pan" bolt, nut washer, lockwasher. My '46 CJ2A still has those intact and the bolt shows at least 1/4" of excess thread so the handling theory is plausible.
Regardless of the functional use those holes came filled differently from CJ to M38.

Tom

Bretto · Post by **Bretto** » Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:09 am

Good info.
In the CJ, the bolt probably just serves the same purpose as the rubber plug in the M38. I forgot to mention the holes at the front end of the hat channels when I posted, but I assume they were for jig purposes also. No bolts thru them either, they just stare at a rubber isolator sandwiched between it and the frame.

RICKG · Post by **RICKG** » Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:54 am

My orig tub has the plug installed both sides.
(Never mind the dirt, she's a driver

)

The plug is illustrated in Ryan's M-38 reference guide pg 161.
Plug, cowl pillar to floor pan.
G740-7697518 WO-674268
With a reference to ORD-9 pg 300 as Owen posted above.

BobW · Post by **BobW** » Mon Aug 26, 2013 6:29 pm

CJ-2As and early CJ-3As had bolts in those holes with a hex nut and a stamped jam nut on the bottom side. Later CJ-3As used the rubber plug like M-38s.

skyjeep50 · Post by **skyjeep50** » Tue Aug 27, 2013 7:23 am

My 1951 M38's unrestored tub has the original rubber plugs under many, many layers of paint.