New M38a1 project

[BikerBi11]

Wow, looking good. cant wait to see the end result!!

 

[dodgedougak]

Lookin good! I'm planning on painting my 53 M37 in Navy grey also. What kind of paint are you going to use?

 

[Danger Ranger]

Wow, such progress! Can't wait to see it done...

 

[dougimes]

Haze gray appears to have been neutral gray, closely resembling FS-36270. Medium gloss gray, blue tint.

I cant find anything really difinitive, so I matched a navy instrument housing from the era.

Sprayed a color card with testors 36270, then clear coated the card with satin clear.
Then I mixed 2 parts rustoleum semigloss white, 1 part gloss black, and added gloss royal blue to match tint.
I can give you the parts to mix a gallon later.

The wheels have final paint colol on the them. the body is still in gray primer

 

[dougimes]

had a little nice painting weather this weekend. Got 2 coats of haze gray on. Came out very nice after, a near miss-step.

I mixed black, and semigloss white, and a little royal blue to color match fs 36270. The royal blue was latex. I blame Lowes, who intermixed the latex and enamels. Ruined a half gallon of paint, but fortunately noticed the problem before I shot it.

.

 

[dodgedougak]

Looks great! Did you say you were using a base coat/clear coat? Or is it just Urethane Enamel? What kind of primer did you use? did you ospho it first? Thanks for the lessons!

 

[dougimes]

Paint was automotive lacquer based primer. Not ectching, but he metal was sandblasted, so it had a lot of mechanical grip.


1st color coat was Gilespie USMC olive drab semigloss (navy jeeps are OD under the gray)

top Color coat was Rustoleum, 2 quarts of semigloss white, 3 cups of gloss black, 1/2 cup of gloss royal blue. Reducer was toluene. Paint temp was 70 deg f. a slower reducer would have been a little more ideal perhaps.

I also add hardener to the mixed paint in my gun before shooting. (from tractor supply)

I shot 2 pretty heavy coats of the gray. Figured that is what the navy would have done.

 

[dodgedougak]

Thanks for the details. I am a mechanic, not a painter, so we will see how I do. It will be this fall before I get to it and of course, SE Alaska is very humid.

 

[dougimes]

Next problem- The fuel tank is in decent shape, on or two small rust holes along seams at the bottom.
But the inside.......... ug. there must be a quarter inch of gunk on inside surfaces. It is putty knife type consistancy. Gasoline doesnt disolve it, nor water with purple power.

Any suggestions on cleaning it out?

 

[zout]

I never heard back from you up in AK - I sent the paper tempates for the door frames of the M38A1 to you by post mail a couple days after you requested the dimensions.

 

[dougimes]

Hey Zout,

you are thinking of someone else I think. I wasn't looking for templates.

 

[dodgedougak]

Hey Zout- I'm thinking that USPS must have messed up again! I figured you had just got busy and I did not want to sound like I was complaining or whatever. I will check with the boss and be sure that she did not pick up something at the PO and "put it away for me", but she is usually real good about telling me when something comes in. Oh well, I am finishing work this week and then coming to America for some R&R and to visit my M38A1. That usually entails a couple of MV shows and some backroads for fishing and berry picking.

 

[zout]

DD - nope - when I say I am going to do something I do not procrastinate - I

I sent these out by Mail and not UPS - so some day in the future you may still get them once they decide not to store the package anymore and figured you waited long enough. At least I know that is how most of my stuff comes when sent by Mail.

I would have not taken a statement that they were not received as a complaint - I just would have went down and cut a second set and sent them out again but use UPS instead.

Cannot wait to get the wife's done and looking as close as nice as you have yours.

 

[maddawg308]

You're doing great on your jeep project, keep it up! At this rate, it should be done in no time....

 

[dougimes]

A little update, these pix show final paint for the body. Next step is to start the windshield, and work on wiring. I was able to restore a good bit of the original wiring- hard to believe. got the dried and cracked tape off and mostly found supple wires underneath. a few needed to be re-insulated.

 

[SturmTyger380]

I went by Doug’s the other day to check on progress and get the hub puller back to work on my M38.
He fired it right up and we went for a quick ride. I have to say this will be one nice Jeep to drive. Nice and smooth.

 

[indy4x4fab]

Looks great!! Can't wait to see the end project, keep up the good work. Has me thinking about a new project after I get my deuce.

Side note, mom and dad had a cj7 when me and my sister where born, they sold it shortly after she was born. I'll post pictures later. Sorry for getting a little off subject, this old body style holds a fond memories in my heart and soul.

Dad died do to people not giving a $hit about there job and not double checking each other at the hospital, the day after last Christmas. I didn't realize it till I had to give a speech that dads the one how got me in to 4x4s, with that old jeep. He always blamed my grandpa.

 

[dougimes]

Hey gang,
might as well throw this up for public scrutiny.

Doing a Navy jeep, here is what my searching turned up. USS Independence was at Norfolk Shipyard for updates in 1954. Plausible that a '54 38a1 would have been marked as I show in this pix.

Comments?

 

[jonathan.shields]

looking for a napa crossreference parts list for m38a1 brake parts specifically the pads.

 

[dougimes]

thinking about making the m38a1 my daily driver.

anyone out there use MV's as daily drivers?