willysmjeeps.com

Where can I locate the recessed head body bolts for my M38A1??
Thanks,
Don

I got mine from John Bizal at Midwest Military. He's been a great help with all sorts of parts for my A1.
http://www.midwestmil.com/index.html

What are recessed head body bolts?

They are a hex head bolt with a round lip depressed on top. Somewhat like a auto body bolt.

The M38A1 hood hinge bolts below are a good example of a "recessed head" bolt.

Ah, I just wanted to know if it was the same type of bolts that I am looking for. I did not know that MWM had original Willys bolts in stock. I am guessing that you would have to have the part number in hand for each bolt before contacting him. What was the time frame that Willys used this style bolt? Were they also used on the CJ3 and CJ5?

MWM only has the 1/4" floor bolts in stock when I called John.

You may find occasionally a NOS bag of these bolts but both Willys/Kaiser and the Army let out contracts to many different contractors for the same spec bolt.

Most vendors today carry replacements from current hardware manufacturers.

Here's a good example of what is available from hardware suppliers:
http://www.smithfast.com/hexheadms.html


Regular recessed head


Washer recessed head.

http://www.mrgusa.com/fasindex.htm

Floor pan bolt....The washer on the resessed head bolt MWM has isn't the same diameter as the original willys floor pan bolts. It is smaller. Or that is, on the ones he sent me. Not particularly original.

I agree. MWM bolts have correct head but small washer (bought some). I also bought some from AJP and discussed this with George. since the bolt is correct you can remove the washer and use standard washers from the hardware store the give the correct appearance. AJP sells the same bolts as MWM. There are locations where the small washer is correct in bolting up accessories. Gotta read that parts manual and research part numbers.
This all becomes a question of how far do you want to go in correctness.

Have you found the same original washer in a hardware store?

I have. It is a standard washer in the bulk bins at the hardware store. 1/4" ID 5/8" OD. They do not have internal teeth but you can't see the teeth on the correct bolt when it is installed. This is an appearance thing. If you were worried about the finished product backing out use locktight (I would use the lowest torque version).

Thanks, I'll check it out next time I go.

Take a look at the Totally Stainless catalog - page 95 - Indented Hex Head Cap Screws. http://www.totallystainless.com/totally.html
If you are going to paint the fasteners, going stainless may be a way to get the original look.

Tom