curiousity question

[Dieseljeeper]

Howdy, several years ago I picked up what was left of a 1953 m38a1, which i did a resto mod on, The previous owner, after doing some of the worst welding/torch work ive seen, sanded all of the outside paint off and painted it with sandable primer. I matched with what was on the underside of the fenders under undercoat. From the uc, rear bumper, etc it appears it was used by the Marine Corps however the paint matched out to 383. How close is 383 to 24052? To make it even more confusing, under the undercoat the rear floor is Army od and the firewall behind the dash/ battery box is gray? Is it conceivable this rig stuck around for a while?
Thanks for listening to my questions and one thing Id like to add, I painted this with the same color Behr paint in 2012 and after it finally cured it has held up as well as semi gloss, single stage automotive paint that I shot it with first. This is not a showpiece and gets used as a Jeep. Thanks again

 

[SETOYOTA]

How about a pic? Many units were transferred from army to USMC.

 

[Dieseljeeper]

Thanks for the reply but unfortunately I have painted it twice repowered it from a 350 Chevy to a Kubota turbo diesel since then. Right now the body is off and Im replacing the hat channels, right floor pan and the panel under the right door. This origionally started off as a low buck project in 1995 and has been evolving since. Both kids learned to drive in it, its been used and abused and brought back to life more than once, in short became a friend of the family. I think what you suggest is probably pretty accurate as the paint I mentioned looked have been put on professionally. What Im shooting for this go round to keep the existing drivetrain and bring the body and interior as close to stock as I can. Kind of like it would be if Willys built a diesel powered Jeep today for the military.
Thanks again for the reply and Ill shoot some picks of her when I get the floor back in

 

[SETOYOTA]

Sounds good

 

[sigo]

Post some more info about your Kubota repower if you have a chance. It sounds like a very cool project.

 

[Dieseljeeper]

It works out great. I used a v2203di which are in plentiful supply coming out of Carrier reefers on semi trailers. As equipped they are rated at 45 hp. To make them work in a Jeep you need an adapter for what ber trans youre using, mine being an SM465 that was behind the 350. It is a stock engine like a Cummins so there are two rows of tapped holes full length of both sides of the block. To bring the power up to useable level the pump needs some adjustments, the governor spring needs to be replaced. The Carrier set up uses a 2200 rpm governor spring, mine I used a 2800 rpm spring from a Bobcat in addition to a small stiff spring inside giving it 3100 rpm. You need a turbo, Overland diesel has a kit that includes an adapter to a t 90, motor mounts, pump parts, turbo, exhaust and intake plumbing, Being a redneck engineer on an Amish budget so I used none of this. I got an adapter from a fellow in Tracey, Ca that is a work of art, the pan, pickup tube and dip stick have to be changed, Bobcat parts. The block has to be drilled for a dipstick tube ( you lose the dipstick and oil cap with the pan which wont fit in a Jeep). For a turbo I used a k03 from a VW Passat. This is a water cooled turbo so you have to plumb that, plumb up an oil intake, and drill the block for a return line. You can replace the valve cover with a Bobcat pan or drill and tap the Carrier cover to 11/2 npt and use the fill tube from the original pan.Make sure to spin the engine before you bolt down the valve cover because the #1 intake is right under it an will break the cover if you run the tube too far. Dont ask. Hooking up power steering can be challenging and the throttle linkage will require zen like patience. No problems, only solutions that havent been found.
They dont have v8 power but it is like driving a little tractor in the woods. Im running 3" exhaust on mine from the turbo back with no muffler which is a bit tight around the clutch/brake pto driveline, center crossmember intersection but is doable. Two advantages to the set up is the fuel range, especially in the woods compaired to the 350 it replaced, is amazing. Two, the 350 was running headers with turbo mufflers, which a lot of people loved the sound of, was wayyyyy louder and water slopping all over them turned the rig into a green house. Defroster was a squeegee
Sorry about the long winded reply but its an interesting swap