Is my M38A1 a 1963 USMC? serial number 57148-92674

[JeepFreak]

I am nearly finished restoring my M38A1 and I need help identifying the year it was manufactured in order to register it. the serial number is 57148-92674. i located the data plate behind the passenger seat on the rear wheel well covering. It is made of aluminum white and sliver in color with Willys Overland embossed on it.
Not sure how to post a photo...sorry

[wesk]

Hello Rick Rust,

Welcome to the boards. The 5 digit model identifiers did not start showing up in the military serials until the late 50's early 60's after Kaiser took over. 57148-86XXX I show popping up around 1957 and runs thru 57148-92680 about June 1963. Then they switched to the 4 digit model Identifier 7105-9XXXX.

Take a close look at our Board Index. Near the bottom you will see: Photo Posting & Gallery requests/problems Good place to start your quest for photo posting capability.

[JeepFreak]

Thanks Wes! This a great start

[mydadsjeep]

Mine on the data plate says 1952 but the number on the title was 4*4M38A19757

[wesk]

19757 is a Sep 52 M38A1. My guess is the clerk wrote down the top line model ID from the dash plate along with the serial.

[Spud]

Wes,
Can you give me a month/year for serial number 18530. I’ve looked through your serial number guide and I’m guessing it’s a mid 1952 production.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

[wesk]

My records show the M38A1 Serial MD173xx thru MDMD226xx are all Sep 1952.

[45auto]

The Marine Corps were taking delivery of large lots of M38A1s in September and I show USMC A1s above and below your M38A1. You may want to inspect your A1 closely to see if it may have been used by the Marine Corps. Having been heavily undercoated is the most noticeable sign of a Jeep used by the Marines.

[JeepFreak]

Yes, it has the heavy undercoating. Thanks for you insight

[Spud]

Harold,
Are you referencing a certain database? I have two A1’s from 1952, 16902 and the above one I asked about 18530. I have four A1’s in various stages but all do not have their data plates. I see the 16902 may be from August of 1952. I have a feeling the 18530 of September 1952 may have been used by the marine corps at some point based on the thick undercoating and rear crossmember/bumper. It was a surplus Jeep parted out in the 80’s and when I got it there was only a frame and tub. It still has the serial tag on the rear passenger wheel well. I know USMC modifications were done at the motor pools early on. Also, would the early deliveries have marine corps as responsible agency listed on the data plates?


[/list]

[wesk]

It is tough to discern an original factory delivered Marine Corp jeep from a Marine Depot altered Army Ordinance Issued jeep. You can narrow down some of them if the original dash plates are still there. The early (Old Procurement System) had the Army as chief procurement agency for all services and this period led to a lower left Responsible Agency Plate that showed Procurement = Ordinance and Depot = USMC. These were the original plates for Marine Corp destined jeeps procured by the US Army thru about 1954. Then the individual services started their procurement accounts and that plate would then usually indicate the receiving service in all four block entries.


Early USMC 1952 thru about 54 plate.


Early USN 1952 thru about 1954

To cloud this up a bit when the Army surplused out their M38A1's when the Army made the big switch to the M151 the Marine Corp elected not to switch and thousands of the Army A1's were transferred to the Marine Corp. These all went primarily thru the Barstow Depot and had the new USMC Responsible Agency plates added along with the bumper mods, the undercoating and the limited slip differentials.

[45auto]

I have maintain a serial number database for over 25 years. It is not a survivor list as all serial numbers has to have data attached to it. The serial numbers come from Jeeps I have seen, numbers that are sent to me, other lists the owners had stop maintaining, a surplus yard with hundreds of Army and USMC M38A1s (now shut down and those M38 and A1s sold for scrap) and recently, I bought a folder full of bid books where the owner bid on M38s and M38A1s with his comments written in the margins and he requested a winning bidders list so I know how much they sold for, who and where all the M38s listed were sold to originally.

I keep the database in a true database program because of all the data I keep track of. I can sort the data on any of the fields to look for patterns and I can pull just the data I want to look at. Its a large undertaking as I spend several hours weekly maintaining the database.

PM me your serial numbers along with any data you have related to your M38A1 and I will send you back a list with serial numbers above and below yours. I may have to send it to your email address for all the data fields to show up along with them being in order and not all jumbled up.

[Spud]

Wes, you cleared a lot up for me and I appreciate the reply.

Harold, I sent you a PM with my information and thanks again.


Mike

[jethro333]

Hello, I'm new to the site and am probably overlooking some of the info that has been repeated here so please forgive me if thats the case. I have recently acquired a M38A1 that was owned by a Marine veteran. He had passed away and his son was selling the jeep. I bought it as a 1953 M38A1 USMC variant and it was marked as such on the hood. The responsible agency data plate states Marine Corps under Depot Maintenance. I do see evidence of undercoating underneath but not all as it was frame off restored and sandblasted and reprimed and painted the forest green color. It has the rear bumper with lifting rings. Im not sure if it has limited slip axles yet. It also has a 4th, smaller shift lever in the center between the seats that is connected to some sort of auxiliary gear box coming off the back of the transfer case. PTO maybe? The serial no is MD25998. My questions are: Is it indeed a USMC variant and is it a 1953 model or maybe 1952? Are there other ways to identify? Thank you for your time and patience with the Newbie, Jeff

[wesk]

If MD25998 appears both on the dash serial plate and on the Patent plate behind the pass. seat then you have an OCT 1952 M38A1. If your Responsible Agency plate has USMC in the Depot block then you most likely have a Marine M38A1.