willysmjeeps.com

I just finished reading Evolution of Deep water fording at
http://www.cj3a.info/sibling/cjv35u/evolution.html

The date and serial number for when the factory started omitting certain fording related parts copied from the web site

"M-38A1 Very early in the M-38A1s production the trend of building "ready to ford" Jeeps was reversed. It had been approximately 7 years since an entire fleet of Jeeps needed to have fording capability. Since most Jeeps never went swimming, perhaps it was cost savings that prompted the elimination of some factory installed fording system parts. After serial number 23359 (6) the fuel tank vent line, transfer case, transmission and bellhousing vent lines and the engine vent valves were eliminated. Then the master cylinder vent was eliminated at serial number 29295.(6) These changes would have occurred about October/November 1952 according to a serial number list of existing vehicles on The M-38A1 Restoration Site. The eliminated components could be retrofitted to the vehicle if its intended use required fording capability."


Now my question is this... is there any data or information that supports this information? Or to the source of the information etc. I am not saying this information is false, I am new to the M38A1, (purchased my M38A1 in January 2011). And my knowledge base is still growing.
I was looking over the part manual 1956 version and the manual still shows these parts installed. Is this just a carry over that the Army said, hey its too much money to remove or change it? so they kept it?

my M38A1 is a Nov. 54 all the military fording items were long since gone. Except my gas tank has the vent line at the fuel pickup. just trying to clarify data. Thanks,

All the data is listed right in your ORD 9 SNL G-758. That's where Bob W got the info for his article. It's all pretty common knowledge stuff. When a jeep needed to deploy where it needed to able to ford rivers or operate in 40 below zero weather then the appropriate kits were installed for that duty assignment. Believe it or not the Army actually de-configured that jeep when it moved to a location that did not require the added equipment and kits. Not installing all the un-needed equipment at the factory did show contract savings which the Army Procurement service wanted to be able to show it's overseers at the GAO and DOD. Similar factory contract saving moves were done during the M38's production. IE eliminating the factory installation of the slave cable receptacle.

This reply is strictly food for thought and not based on overall knowledge of the M38A1 (disclaimer).

It might have also depended on the branch of service ordering the A1. Mine is a 1961 USMC order and has all the underwater fording equipment except the muffler and intake extensions. It never had the retrofit USMC overseas bumpers added and has a hood number and service designation of US NAVY, hood number 94-40137. And yellow wheels (if original). So even though this was likely an air base vehicle, it has the fording equipment. Maybe all USMC orders do. You do not say if yours is an army order but I presume so by the reply. Hope this helps rather than add to the confusion.

Mariposa Mike
Tub now off and restoration progressing. Pictures soon. Weather improvin'

Good point Mike and not confusing either.

The early A1's ordered thru the Army procurement system were divied out from the Army to each service. They all fall under my description of events above. When the USMC receieved their early A1's they had several chores to get done. They usually were processed thru their depots and had under coating, forest green paint and fording capability installed.

When the Marines started contracting thru the Navy to Kaiser in the 60's they got the A1's their way from Kaiser. The USAF didn't fool with adding fording to their A1's when they picked them up under the Army contracting system but they did paint them Strata Blue. Early A1 production saw the Army procurement folks give the services a little more room to express their individual needsa and the A1's were leaving the factory in OD 2430, Strata Blue, Navy Gray and Forest Green.

As a basic rule of thumb if the M38A1 responsible agency plate says Ordnance/Ordnance then the jeep was Army or Air Force. If that plate says Ornance/USMC then the A1 was procured by the Army for the USMC.
If the plate says USMC/USMC and the A1 has a serial listed before 1960 that means the A1 became a USMC unit in the 60's and was upgraded to the contract level of the USMC 1960's contracts which means Packard connectors and posi's and etc. If the A1 has USMC/USMC and it is a 1960 & up serial then it's a USMC contracted and procured A1.

What happened in the 60's was the Army switched to the M151 but the USMC didn't like the M151 so instead of making the full transition to the M151 that DOD expected them to do they opted to accept all the Army's A1 turn ins to the DRMO which moved several thousand early A1's to the USMC. Then they processed all of these new used A1's through their depots and upgraded all of them to their contract specifications before issuing them to their units.