M38 Drivers seat does not fit

1stSgtUSMC · Post by **1stSgtUSMC** » Fri May 15, 2020 12:20 pm

Fellas,

Me M38 seat frame has to be moded with a peice of wood to gain height in the rear of the fram or it will crush my gas line. Is this common? Any ideas how to fix this? Tango in advance.

S/F

Kevin

Chjames3 · Post by **Chjames3** » Fri May 15, 2020 1:12 pm

I just ran into the same thing. I’m using a repro tank and thought that might be the problem.

Interested to hear if anyone has a solution as well!

RonD2 · Post by **RonD2** » Fri May 15, 2020 1:15 pm

Hi Kevin,
I don't know about common, but crushing fuel lines isn't right. The M38 definitely wasn't designed that way anyway.

Could be wrong or bad repop gas tank, wrong or bad repop seat, or both. Or some other issue. Fixing it with a block of wood is going to get you the nick-name of "Bubba" around here.

Would really help to see photographs to offer any kind of accurate opinion. Each photo worth a thousand words. Can walk you through how to post photos if you like.

kenperkins · Post by **kenperkins** » Fri May 15, 2020 3:05 pm

are you following the picture in the manual ? is it really crushing or rubbing the line,,,is it the original fuel line ?

Jeff_Lee · Post by **Jeff_Lee** » Fri May 15, 2020 5:16 pm

I had the same problem. I believe it is the repop gas tank I am using sits a little higher than I suspect the original tank did.
I also did some floor repair work under the gas tank area and was afraid I may have exacerbated the problem.

My solution was to buy a dense rubber stopper at the hardware store (but any piece of dense rubber would work) and cut it 1" tall. I put it between the right rear driver seat leg, and the floor, and used a slightly longer thru bolt. It just gives me enough lift to clear the top of the tank and the fuel lines as they exit to the rear. The seat back still bolts up to the bracket on the wheel house as expected, but my seat is probably not exactly factory plumb anymore!

Jeff

1stSgtUSMC · Post by **1stSgtUSMC** » Fri May 15, 2020 5:28 pm

Its probaly the wrong fuel tank...when I bougth the jeep in 2009, the guy said it was a new tanl so I know its a repro.... gues it is not the exact verson.

My fuel line is not original, but an exact repro.
what picture in the manual do you speak of?

**Does anyone know the correct height of the tank?
**Does anyone know the correct length of the back right leg of the drivers seat?

RonD2 · Post by **RonD2** » Fri May 15, 2020 6:44 pm

My fuel tank is 7-3/4's inch tall. The right rear leg of my drivers seat is 4-inches tall. Both are correct M38 parts and fit well.

The fuel tank sits on some asphalt webbing straps, not directly on the floor pan, to allow water drainage under it to help control corrosion. You can add 1/8-inch height to a properly installed tank.

You don't say if you looked at Wes' M38 Fuel System Photo Album here? http://willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules.php? ... _album.php

Or have you done a search using the search button above for "fuel tank" or "drivers seat" and variations? Sometimes searching this forum is tricky. It gets better with practice. Can't do that for you. There are lots of solid gold nuggets buried in the thousands of posts here over the years. It's hard to find them sometimes.

Do you have a copy of the M38 tech manuals (free for download here)? I could tell you what photos to look at (and no dimensions are provided anyway), but so can the table of contents and you'll get faster and better looking stuff up if you get used to doing it yourself. I read and study my manuals a lot, not just when I need to look something up. It helps a lot.

You really should consider posting a photo or two with your questions. I think you'll find that the answer guessing gets much better when you do. Just my 2 cents. Many of the folks here, especially Wes, can spot things from a mile away.

Good luck!

1stSgtUSMC · Post by **1stSgtUSMC** » Sat May 16, 2020 7:01 am

My tank is 7 3/4" tall, depending on where you measure the leg, mine is 3 1/2" tall of actual height. If you measure from the begining of the mount, its about 3 7/8".

Post by **wesk** » Sat May 16, 2020 8:31 am

Here's your chance to contribute to our web sites data base by measuring your tanks and posting the list here of your tank's measurements following our letter order.

dpcd67 · Post by **dpcd67** » Sat May 16, 2020 6:51 pm

I installed an MDJ tank in my first M38 and it fit fine. Original seat.

1stSgtUSMC · Post by **1stSgtUSMC** » Sun May 17, 2020 4:35 am

I saw that Wes in your folders. My rear right seat leg seems to be short or its bent somehow. I would like to post a picture, but it is too convaluted. Is there another way to get the image to the masses?

Also, how can I tell if its a repro tank or original?

Post by **wesk** » Sun May 17, 2020 7:52 pm

I would like to post a picture, but it is too convaluted. Is there another way to get the image to the masses?

We have 2000 members that mastered the photo posting here with very little problems. The How To's are covered in detail on our Photo Posting & Gallery requests/problems Board:

Here's your album:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... _album.php

Here's the rules:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... opic&t=498

Here's the tutorial for loading your album:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... _album.php

Here's the tutorial for posting your photos:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... pic&t=8670

Also, how can I tell if its a repro tank or original?

Measuring from the filler tube side of the tank.

1stSgtUSMC · Post by **1stSgtUSMC** » Wed May 20, 2020 1:49 pm

my seat must be bent from some fat dude because Im short about 1/2 inch.