My M38a1 build date ?

[Airplanedriver]

Hi ! My first post, I purchased a M38a1 couple months ago and have been slowly learning about them with this being my first vintage jeep. The previous owner had removed the data tag mounted behind the pax seat and cleaned it up to show. MD 84419. The engine serial has MD 99957. Couldn't find any numbers on the left front frame rail. But I did find these numbers in a triangle on the outer right frame rail below the pax seat area, 4 D 19


The vehicle has a dash data plate with no. 61131 date of 10/53. From what I've read on other posts this number doesn't jive with the other two no's, being to early.
Appreciate any help with this. I need to work on getting a title this fall.
I have pics, but need a album set up.

[wesk]

The engine number is of no importance since Willys and Kaiser never bothered to match engine serials to chassis serials. And the odds of finding an M38A1 with it's original engine is very slim.

The only two factory locations for chassis serial are the dash plate and the patent plate behind the passenger seat. They always matched. So in your case my money says the MD 84419 is the correct serial number for your tub. I say this because many folks have no idea that patent plate exists so it is often overlooked when swapping in a new tub to another jeep. So you have a 50/50 chance that your jeep is serial number MD 61131 and had a new tub MD 84419 from a donor jeep installed years ago. Or you have a M38A1 MD84419 that was missing a dash plate set and the prior owner bought a dash plate set that was originally in another jeep MD61131.

Filling out the survey form I sent you will gives us some help to try to solve which is more correct.

[wilfreeman]

Looking at the database, that would be either late 4/55 or early 5/55 build date. The sn 61131 would be about 10/53 according to the database in the downloads section.

[Airplanedriver]

Thanks for all the info ! Do the numbers on the frame rail mean anything ?

[wesk]

Not that I know of.