1954 M38A1 restoration

[Jeepboy1943]

3/4 view

This is the second, and much more thorough, restoration of my 1954 M38A1. The unit markings are those of my Dad's unit when it was activated for the Berlin Crisis in 1961. He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 105th Armor Battalion of the 32nd (Red Arrow) Division from Wisconsin and I have a photo of him sitting in a M38A1 with the hood number visible. I did take some liberties with the spare wheel insert as he actually did not have one until later in his career.

[70th Division]

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This is the second, and much more thorough, restoration of my 1954 M38A1. The unit markings are those of my Dad's unit when it was activated for the Berlin Crisis in 1961. He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 105th Armor Battalion of the 32nd (Red Arrow) Division from Wisconsin and I have a photo of him sitting in a M38A1 with the hood number visible. I did take some liberties with the spare wheel insert as he actually did not have one until later in his career.

Hello,

What a beautiful Jeep !!
Well done, looks great !!!

My M38-A1 is a 1953 model that was originally from the Wisconsin National Guard, based on some bumper numbers that refer to a unit at Fort McCoy.
At least that is what a Wisconsin neighbor and Vietnam Veteran said when he saw the old markings.

Have fun with your awesome jeep !

Best Regards,
Ray

[Jeepboy1943]

Ray,

Thank you for the message. I would love to see a photo or two of your jeep. I have two brothers still in Wisconsin (I am in Dallas) and one of them is our family historian.

Best wishes,

Pat

[70th Division]

Ray,

Thank you for the message. I would love to see a photo or two of your jeep. I have two brothers still in Wisconsin (I am in Dallas) and one of them is our family historian.

Best wishes,

Pat

Hello Pat,

Here is the link to the post on my jeep.
I don't know if the bumper markings are pictured, as I uncovered them once it arrived in Florida from Utah, but will take a couple pics of them, and add them here.
I haven't gotten it started yet, as it is land locked in the barn still, but once I finish the 1943 GPW, I can move things out of the way, and get it outside again to install the gas tank, and batteries to try to start it up for the first time.

viewtopic.php?f=139&t=305354


Best Regards,
Ray

[Dave M38A1]

Very nice looking Jeep.
Well Done.
How did you mount the spare tire sign?
Got to make one for the USMC M38A1 I am building to replicate my father's Jeep from 1st Hospital Company DaNang 1968.

Nice piece of history right there.


Dave

[Jeepboy1943]

I appreciate the nice comments, Dave.

I attached a few pictures of what I did with the wheel insert. It's really quite simple.

There is a sizable hole in the spare wheel bracket that I attempted to highlight in one of the photos since it is a little hard to see. I used a 1/4" bolt (size is not important, I just tried to minimize it for appearances' sake) to go through the insert and bracket hole. I then cut a section of metal plate to act as a washer on the back side of the bracket. It's a bit of a squeeze to get your arm in there, but not impossible. Hope that helps.

Pat

[illini]

Nice looking jeep. Thanks for sharing.

[Dave M38A1]

Thanks for the tire sign mounting information.
Got to make one for mine to replicate the one on my father's M38A1.

That is a very nice Jeep.
Nice job on the restoration.



Thanks,

Dave