'52 M38 Plucked from the weeds

bobatwarsaw · Post by **bobatwarsaw** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 11:45 pm

a very nice m38 you are going to have
bob

Bill_F · Post by **Bill_F** » Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:50 am

Nice work Ryan. Cant wait to see the jeep in person.

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:49 am

Ryan,
Surfing your pics.

Can I adjust the clutch free travel from the passenger area by taking that top cover off? And maybe remove the master cylinder from there also?

I am getting tired of digging around in the dirt on my back on a piece of cardboard, and apparently there is some small weed around here hard to see that burns like fire....

Brian

Ryan_M · Post by **Ryan_M** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:57 am

You should be able to adjust the clutch with the panel removed and maybe pull the MC too but I still think it would be easier to get at the MC from underneath. It's been awhile and I don't remember exactly,

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:10 pm

Thanks Ryan!

Ryan_M · Post by **Ryan_M** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 7:14 pm

I haven't updated in awhile but I've put over 1350 miles on the M38 this summer (in addition to 3500+ on my 3A). It runs and drives superbly and has really been a blast. I even survived a direct hit from a tree that fell on me WHILE DRIVING!

Although it runs well, the frame is marginal at best and the body is completely shot. It's loads of bondo over patch panels that were welded right over the rusty originals. The patch panels are now rotting through. The fenders are welded to the tub and everything is just a mess up there.

Yesterday, I dragged this home after it popped up on Craigslist. It's a very solid frame and very clean donor tub. It has replacement floor panels, hat channels, and a few other fixes but they appear to be well done. It still needs help in a couple of small tender areas, especially around the tool box. The rest of the body parts were included too and all are in great shape, which is rare up here in the land of the road salt.

The plan is to migrate all the running gear from the current rig onto this nicer frame and then drop the donor body in place. I'm only going for a driver quality vehicle but at least I won't have to worry about falling through the floor. Looking forward to getting started on it.

Bill_F · Post by **Bill_F** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 7:24 pm

Nice find Ryan!

Rick_L · Post by **Rick_L** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:24 am

Ryan, isn't wondering when you are going to fall through the floor half of the charm?

Ryan_M · Post by **Ryan_M** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:36 am

Rick_L wrote:Ryan, isn't wondering when you are going to fall through the floor half of the charm?

LOL.....um, no!

Bill_F · Post by **Bill_F** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 8:55 am

Rick_L wrote:Ryan, isn't wondering when you are going to fall through the floor half of the charm?

Only when bouncing over rocks in New Hampshire

whydahdvr · Post by **whydahdvr** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 12:11 pm

Flintstone style!

Rick_L · Post by **Rick_L** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:41 pm

Nothing says you are a man more than sitting on top of a 12 gallon bomb supported by a rusty floor.

Post by **wesk** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:28 pm

If it's near empty it's a bomb. If its near full it's an incendiary device.

The up side is we have certainly read about of a lot of cars that when hit at the rear exploded and a lot of trucks with side mounted gas tanks that when hit from the side exploded but I have not seen one published incident of a jeep's under-seat gas tank exploding and killing the driver.

whydahdvr · Post by **whydahdvr** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 8:38 am

And I thought I was done with IEDs when I left Iraq....

Ryan_M · Post by **Ryan_M** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 6:04 pm

wesk wrote:
The up side is we have certainly read about of a lot of cars that when hit at the rear exploded and a lot of trucks with side mounted gas tanks that when hit from the side exploded but I have not seen one published incident of a jeep's under-seat gas tank exploding and killing the driver.

Well I haven't taken a hit yet anywhere but the roof (as seen above) so I'm just glad the tank isn't mounted there