My new 1954 M38A1

For posting personal or other photos of the relevant G740, G758, M38, M38A1, M170 MV's for this Forum
Post Reply
Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Wed Oct 07, 2020 5:40 am

Over the weekend I decided to try another attempt at breaking loose the PTO pipe plug. That failed. I tried heating it, welding a nut to it, and a few other things....nothing worked.
So I put that aside for now and decided to do some winch work.

I tore it all apart (or as apart as I could get until a little mishap) and cleaned it up. There was a TON of nasty stinky 50 year old grease inside. However the gears are all in great shape, as are the bearings.
While attempting to loosen up the set screw that holds the main gear in place, my hex key snapped and left the tip of the hex key stuck inside the set screw. I have tried several things I remove the broken hex key but all have failed (magnets, glue, different glue, another adhesive, pulling it with a pic, flushing it out with spray, and blasting air attempting to blow it out). Any ideas on how I can get this little guy out? (see pics below).
I also did some "high quality metal work" with a hammer.... and fixed the wishbone section of the lever.

I reassembled the winch with the exception of the main gear housing top cover. I'm keeping that unbolted (but covered to keep dirt/dust out) until I can figure out how to get that broken bit out. I really don't want it falling out while winching and taking out my worm gear.

What lubricants are popular options for out winches? I was thinking maybe john deere corn head grease

before:
Image

part-way through clean-up:
Image

worm gear:
Image

stuck hex key:
Image

main gear stamping:
Image
Chris
1954 M38A1


Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:20 pm

Well I finally had some time to work on that broken-off hex key that was stuck inside my PTO winch main gear set screw. I used some high pressure air coupled with picking at it with some tweezers. It eventually came out.
After that was removed, I got the winch all buttoned up.

Once my jeep gets back from the motor shop, I'll buy the proper oil for the winch, lube it up, and slap it on the jeep.

At this point I'm just waiting on the engine shop to finish my jeep. It's been right under 3months (jeep has been gone since 7/31) & I'm ready to get my jeep back so I can enjoy it.
Image

Image
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Mon May 10, 2021 5:36 pm

My jeep engine rebuild saga looks like it's FINALLY coming to an end. I got tired of waiting for parts to arrive. A few days ago I found an F134 for sale some-what locally. This morning (5/5/21) I drove 2hr each way up to Amarillo to pick up the motor. If all goes well it will be installed in the jeep by this week or next week. We are already transferring all the 24v accessories over to the new motor.

This guy had a super COOL place. He owns a TON of jeeps in various states ranging from fully restored to project status. I was in jeep heaven. Here are pics of my motor, video of it running, and a video of one of his fully restored CJs. It a beautiful restoration!. enjoy




My new engine running in the red CJ pictured in the video below this one (my motor was replaced with a 304V8):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4zIGUoQhk

His beautifully restored CJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZiml67-0K0
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Wed May 12, 2021 10:41 am

Mechanic just sent me a pic of the new motor (with all the 24v accessories swapped over) installed in the jeep. Now it's just time to button-up the final details.
185470837_910955482800979_7130874020752246622_n.jpg
Chris
1954 M38A1

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by 70th Division » Sun May 16, 2021 5:48 pm

Hello Chris,

This is great news about your jeep !!!!!
You are on your way now with the engine done !!!

Very nice 😁😁😁😁
I bet you have been waiting a long time for this !!!

Keep.us posted !!!

Best Regards,
Ray

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Sun Dec 05, 2021 6:09 am

Well here's the latest update on my M38A1 saga. After being at the mechanics since July 2020 (one month short of 1.5 years) I got tired of him not doing anything and brought it home. Not much was done in the first year. In the last six months he installed the new motor and incorrectly plumbed the fuel system...that's about it. The guys working on it didn't seem too knowledgeable on old jeeps. They kept telling me how my jeep originally came with the 134 Go Devil and the last owner must have swapped in the F head hurricane (all M38A1s came with the F134 Hurricane). I wasn't too impressed with that jeep shop.

I kept the old motor so I can tear it down and see why it failed. I'd like to try and make it run again...hopefully it'll be a good learning experience.

I'm finally done with school so I'll have time to mess with it and hopefully get it running.
Attachments
IMG_20211204_161136.jpg
IMG_20211202_173438.jpg
IMG_20211202_173918.jpg
Chris
1954 M38A1

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by 70th Division » Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:52 pm

Hello Chris,

Congratulations on getting your schooling done !

Wow that is a long time for a shop to drag their feet with your engine.
Unbelievable !!

Great pictures !
Is that you Jeep Barn ??

It looks beautiful, outstanding !

Keep us posted on your progress , just keep moving forward, inch by inch, and it will get done, and you junior jeep driver will be thrilled as well with a running jeep 🙂🙂🙂

Best Regards,
Ray

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:24 am

Thanks Ray.
Yes that is a little shop building I had built earlier this year. The size is 20X30X14. It's going to function as my jeep barn, and a place to hide my truck away from the west texas springtime hail.

I'll update the thread with more progress ASAP
70th Division wrote:
Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:52 pm
Hello Chris,

Congratulations on getting your schooling done !

Wow that is a long time for a shop to drag their feet with your engine.
Unbelievable !!

Great pictures !
Is that you Jeep Barn ??

It looks beautiful, outstanding !

Keep us posted on your progress , just keep moving forward, inch by inch, and it will get done, and you junior jeep driver will be thrilled as well with a running jeep 🙂🙂🙂

Best Regards,
Ray
Chris
1954 M38A1

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by 70th Division » Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:59 am

Hello Chris,

I will be looking forward to your updates !!

Beautiful barn !!!!!


I will also be working on getting my M38A1 running soon as well.

These are great jeeps and rolling history , so keep at it , and
Keep 'em Rolling !!!


Best Regards,
Ray

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Sun Dec 26, 2021 11:04 am

I had an afternoon free on Christmas so I took the chance to get some work done on the jeep. I'm using a military distributor with a civilian block so I have to re-clock my oil pump for everything to be timed properly. I found TDC and checked the alignment of the distributor, sure enough it was out. I pulled the distributor and checked the alignment of the oil pump shaft. It was approx 180* out from where it should be. I verified this on my old engine (which did run) and was able to verify I was on the right track with the oil shaft being 180 out.

The oil pump wasn't hard to do but everything was difficult about it. Mainly due to the cramped work area...but I got it unbolted. I had to ask my wife to look down the distributor shaft hole as pulled the pump out about 1in and rotated the inner workings with just my finger-tips (it can't be removed fully due to interference with frame and steering components). Once I had it aligned I reinstalled and and put in the distributor. All looks good so we'll see what happens when it's time to start the jeep again.


The re-clocking of the oil pump was the most difficult job I had pending on the jeep. It's off the list.
Next is to reconnect the fuel lines and add some fuel filters between the tank and pump. I need to get a bunch of brass fittings to make that happen though. Unfortunately that will have to wait until after new-years when we return home.
IMG_20211225_181349.jpg
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Fri Jan 21, 2022 2:33 pm

I finally had some more time to work on the jeep. I hooked up everything and tried to get it to fire with starter fluid (before I went through the trouble of testing it with gas). Well, it didn't fire.

I started with a compression check (dry), and all cylinders are between 90-92 which is good enough for me....but not phenomenal.
Next I checked the spark situation. It turns out I had no spark at the plugs. I pulled the distributor cover and discovered I was getting spark (at the points) but only maybe once per rotor revolution. I went ahead and checked the plug wires and all tested looked good. I checked rotor and it tested good. I pulled the coil and it is dead. The Ohms on both the primary and secondary winding are way out of spec so it's toast....but it's one of those reproduction coils that only last a few years so I'm not completely surprised by this.
Once the new coil arrives I'll test it before installing then see how the spark situation looks and make sure I have spark all the way to the plugs.
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:23 am

New coil came in and I installed it (after ohm testing it to verify). I still had inconsistent spark (at the points) which was super strange. As I was turning over the motor, I noticed the wire that runs from the distributor power input to the coil was moving.....that's not good. I guess it's been moving like that since I originally had it running 5-6 years ago. I pulled the wire and sure enough...it was partially cut due to the constant rubbing in the distributor internals. I found, as the lower parts of the distributor would turn it would knock the wire back and forth. Sometimes it would connect and I had spark, other times it would knock it apart and I wouldn't have anything.

I'm going to eventually order a replacement but in the mean time I did a quickie repair with those cheap crimp connectors (they aren't great but it let me keep working in the mean time). I have great spark at the points now.

However, I still don't have spark at the plugs. I've ohm tested (and continuity tested) the plug wires and they test good. I have continuity all through my distributor, rotor, points, etc. I've ohm tested the plugs and they test as they should

any ideas? maybe my quickie wire repair isn't letting enough juice flow through? maybe my condenser is dead?
IMG_20220127_163644[9576].jpg
IMG_20220127_163702[9575].jpg
IMG_20220127_164117[9574].jpg
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Sat Feb 19, 2022 6:15 pm

Well it happened….my jeep FINALLY runs.

On Thursday I swapped out the condenser and replaced the distributor power cable. I needed to clearance the condenser bracket (it rubbed against the distributor shaft) and then I fabricated another little locking tab that holds the distributor plate in place. I buttoned up everything and it fired on starting fluid. After a few tries (fine-tuning my spraying & throttle coordination) I was able to keep it running on starting fluid. Oil pressure looked solid and I had fuel pumping to the carb (out of a little water bottle fuel can I rigged up). I tried it on gas and it just wouldn’t go…so time to open the carb.

On Friday a buddy came over and we tore into the carb. It was clogged shut and filled with old nasty gas, silt, and particulates. We cleaned out all the passages, valves, etc. and slapped it back together. After reinstalling on the jeep we refilled the temporary fuel tank (water bottle) and after a few failures we got it to run on gasoline. Once we got it running more or less reliably we adjusted the generator (had to shim it forward to align with the other pulleys, assembled the cooling system, topped off the oil in the air filter, and installed the belts. I have a radiator cap on the way via napa and it should be good to go.

I don’t think cylinder 1 is firing or possibly only firing intermittently. Using my IR thermometer, 2/3/4 show 360-400* while 1 only shows in the high 200s. I’m going to replace the spark plug wire and see if it changes anything. I dropped the end of that wire on the battery earlier in the week and did some surprise welding…and oh boy…it was a surprise!! I pulled the plug and it was fouled so that may have been the issue as well. I’ll know more when I have time to work on it later this week.

Running video 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZSEiyL4GQE

Running video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nt1eOgEOnw
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:30 pm

Unfortunately, it's been way too cold to have another long day in the shop. We should be warming up again in a few days so I'm going to make a hard push next week to button up everything (or most everything). Since Saturday, I've replaced a headlight, checked (and topped off) fluid levels in both differentials, cleaned out axle vents, and I've been working on getting my vacuum system sorted (I hate vacuum systems).

I don't like messing with brass fittings but it's a necessary evil here. I have the engine-to-vacuum pump lines sorted. I'm finishing with the intake tube-distributor-wiper T-vacuum pipe side of things. I need to make one more connection and it'll be good to go.

I would like to get the Jeep inspected and plated next week. That requires some safety items be fixed. I have some wiper blades on order & I need to figure out why the horn no longer works (the horn rod/button no longer "springs" back when pressed). I'm hoping it's just a stuck horn switch but I can always wire up a temporary horn button for inspection purposes.

On the short-term to-to list is: check fluid in transmission and x-fer case, flush brake system, wrap exhaust downpipe (it runs REALLY close to my front brake line and I'm worried about boiling the brake fluid), and clean out my gas tank before hooking it into the system.

Long-term to-do list includes: buy new exhaust system, install winch plate, install PTO, install PTO winch, buy a rear seat, buy a top.
Chris
1954 M38A1

Maverick1701
G-Sergeant Major
G-Sergeant Major
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Memphis, Texas

Re: My new 1954 M38A1

Post by Maverick1701 » Tue Mar 01, 2022 10:46 am

My radiator cap arrived today...only three days late (thanks fedex).

On the way to work I stopped at the parts store and picked-up the last few brass pieces I need to complete my vacuum system. So that will be done and off the to-do list.

I also stopped by the courthouse and completed the registration paperwork with the county tax assessor/collector. I decided to tag it as an antique vehicle (for now) so I could drive and enjoy it ASAP. Also a perk of the antique registration (and classic registration) is the ability to run year-of-manufacture license plates. I have been saving these 1952 plates for years now for this exact occasion. It's nice to finally have them official with the state of TX.
plates 1 - Copy.jpg
Chris
1954 M38A1


Post Reply

Return to “- PHOTO GALLERY -”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests