question Calling M38 owners!

[fayjo56]

Hi all. I have just come over to 'the dark side' and bought a 'J' thing in the shape of a '51 M38 (see resto thread). I have owned ww2 Jeeps before but know much less about the M38. Are there any other owners out there?

[anzac]

Hi all. I have just come over to 'the dark side' and bought a 'J' thing in the shape of a '51 M38 (see resto thread). I have owned ww2 Jeeps before but know much less about the M38. Are there any other owners out there?

 

Glad to hear you have bought your american land rover MW got here OK I had a bit of trouble getting her into her kennel she was nervous of her new master

[fayjo56]

Glad she got there ok, I'm sure she will settle down with her new friends. Perhaps if you have time you could pick up the restoration thread where I left it?

 

I should have known better than to look at a Jeep with a)Money in my pocket b)An empty garage :blush:

[simonm]

I've got an M38 (more accurately my wife has) . 1951 ex Korean war.

 

We bought it back in 1995 when we lived in Pakistan, it was ex Pakistan Army and had been through many civilian hands, most recently before us the deputy head of the British Council in Islamabad. Ex Korean war as we know that after that war, a great many were disposed of in the direction of Pakistan. We shipped it back to the UK in 1998 and it is currently being revived after having been laid up over winter.

Its pretty original apart from the carburettor and the rear axle which is from an M38A1. Also non standard exhaust, a WW2 style rather than the M38 which should go all the way to the rear of the jeep.

[fayjo56]

I've got an M38 (more accurately my wife has) . 1951 ex Korean war.

 

We bought it back in 1995 when we lived in Pakistan, it was ex Pakistan Army and had been through many civilian hands, most recently before us the deputy head of the British Council in Islamabad. Ex Korean war as we know that after that war, a great many were disposed of in the direction of Pakistan. We shipped it back to the UK in 1998 and it is currently being revived after having been laid up over winter.

Its pretty original apart from the carburettor and the rear axle which is from an M38A1. Also non standard exhaust, a WW2 style rather than the M38 which should go all the way to the rear of the jeep.

 

Sounds like a great example, would love to see some pics if you have any? Are there any plans to take it to any shows this year?

[ZIL157]

I've had must be over a dozen MB's over the years but I have to say that my favourite model Willys is the MC.

As a daily driver it is more weatherproof, has a nicer gearbox in the T90, a superior parking brake, brake drums

that are separately removable from the hubs and lights that actually illuminate your way. Yet they still retain much

of the inherent character of the flat fender jeeps.

Points I don't like are the 24v waterproof electrics, the semi floating rear axle, the 5.38 diff ratios and from an

aesthetics point of view, the bug-eyed front grill, tho' I do like the fact that it hinges down to facilitate engine/gearbox removal.

I run an MC as a daily driver and have fitted a Mahindra diesel as a temporary measure while the original engine

undergoes a rebuild, but it's proven so economical and reliable that I'm not exactly in a rush to re-install the Go Devil

at 15 mpg! The military had already converted it to 12 volt while still in service. It has a build date of 1951 and was in service with the Louisiana National Guard, the markings and serial number being revealed when I first sanded it down after purchase some fifteen years ago.

Best of luck with your new jeep.

Edited March 2, 2014 by ZIL157
To insert pictures

[fayjo56]

Thank you. Its nice to see another alive and kicking - and in regular use too! I had never really taken much notice of the M38 until I looked at this one. I think they are rather under rated in the UK, seem much more popular in the US.

[simonm]

I think they are rather under rated in the UK, seem much more popular in the US.

 

Maybe its more a case of availability? There were few imported into the UK - no local wars during the few years that the M38 was built, so most remained in the US or were shipped out to Korea. My guess is that any in the UK will be like mine, bought in the sub continent then brought home to the UK. Or maybe disposed of from the US airbases. When did the US Military start destroying rather than selling its surplus vehicles?

 

I'll hunt down / take some pictures

[ZIL157]

Maybe its more a case of availability? There were few imported into the UK - no local wars during the few years that the M38 was built, so most remained in the US or were shipped out to Korea. My guess is that any in the UK will be like mine, bought in the sub continent then brought home to the UK. Or maybe disposed of from the US airbases. When did the US Military start destroying rather than selling its surplus vehicles?

 

I'll hunt down / take some pictures

 

I think that of all the Willys models the MC gets a bad press. Even the MD (M38A1) seems to generate more interest with jeep enthusiasts. Maybe because it's so similar to the MB without actually being one, who knows. It is a fact that they're appreciated much more in the States, and seem to command competitive prices. As a matter of interest mine was imported from the States by the previous owner back in the mid 90's although I've had one before that had been brought over with the military and used with the US Airforce, and I believe that one was sold off through Molesworth airbase.