Just purchased my 2nd MV...M38A1

[Maverick1701]

It's your call, but I would go with M38a1 wheels. Although the combat wheels look cool, they weren't used on M38a1s (that I have found or heard of). Also, you will need to run flaps in the M38a1 wheels also. When ordering wheels, make sure you buy the correct ones for your a1. Tigers is a difference between early 50s and 60s models. You might be able to find originals in your area. I just found 3 early style for $60 ea, but they are a 3hr drive. I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go get them!

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thanks. I knew the GPW combat wheels were not used on the m38a1s...but that wasn't an issue for me.
I'll keep an eye out for the early models but so far I have not had the luxury of being selective (because there not any in my area). I will probably end up with a modern reproduction from a summit or another jeep parts supplier (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/omx-1672501)

Unfortunately I live in the boonies and jeep parts are difficult to come by. I have been keeping an eye on craigslist and putting out words on the local classifieds (facebook and other) in hopes someone would pop up with some old jeep wheels. So far, nada.

After some soul searching and consultations with the forum gods, I have decided to go with my original plan of m38a1 wheels so I can use that extra money (saved from not buying gpw combat wheels) for other m38a1 parts. The combat wheels are super cool (And look super cool) but I can't justify the price difference.

On another note, the first load of parts arrived today. thermostat kit, horn button repair kit, steering wheel, and seat pouches. UPS should be delivering another load of goodies around 3-ish this afternoon.

 

[wilfreeman]

I totally understand - if I would've known I woulda be buying another a1, I wouldn't have sold all of my parts (rims included). Parts vehicles are starting to get scarce around here too. Hope you have some good luck on originals.

UPS man is like Santa, and the brown tuck is his sleigh!

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[Maverick1701]

A few things happened today. I had one success and a few fails. Also, some more toys arrived today.
The 15in tires were shipped back as were my 15in tubes. Santa AKA UPS brought my new ignition switch (with wires), radiator cap, passenger seat, and on/off switch for my ignition switch. My 16in tires should be here thursday.

I have to give some credit to summit racing. Their customer service was AMAZING with my tire exchange. I was expecting to be jumping through hoops...but I was totally mistaken. I made one phone call which lasted about 15min and that was it. They sent the shipping/pickup info directly to UPS and they sent out my new tires same day. I was expecting them to say "oh well once we recieve your old tires we will send the new ones out" like most places. I was very impressed.

I made it home from work around 630pm and installed the new seat/seatback/cargo pouch on the pass seat (and then put the seat in the jeep). It has been over two years since I originally removed the pass seat.

Todays Fails:
-I went to install new radiator cap and found the locking tabs were too wide for my radiator. I am going to trim down the tabs so it will fit.
-I have been fighting my steering wheel for a few days now (trying to remove so I can replace). I removed the nut & am taking steps to protect the threads during my work. I have applied wd40 & jbweld for the past few days. I have tried a 2 jaw puller (stripped out the main bolt), 3 jaw puller (breaking welds on the steering wheel), and two big c-clamps with a piece of 1/4in flat stock (bent flat stock).

I decided to bite the bullet and buy a "real" steering wheel pulller from kaiser willys. I really didnt want to spend the money but I don't really have a choice.

 

[Bravo2Uniform]

I have a KW steering wheel puller I can loan you if you haven't purchased yours yet.

 

[Maverick1701]

I have a KW steering wheel puller I can loan you if you haven't purchased yours yet.

I appreciate it but unfortunately I have already placed my order from KW. It would be AWESOME if jeep suppliers had some kind of tool loaner program for these specialty jeep tools (similar to autozone & oreillieys does for certain tools). I'll probably only use my wheel puller a handful of times during my lifetime....but oh well.

Update on the jeep progress:
-I forgot to mention I placed my order for a new wiring harness earlier this week (monday). I had planned on repairing my original harness but it was too tired to bring back to life. So far it has been the most expensive part of this build @ $800. That charge was a hard pill to swallow....but i had to have it.
-UPS picked up the 15in tires for return to summit
-UPS dropped off my new hard brake line kit.
-My new 16in tires will be here tomorrow (thursday). I am going to order my new wheels next week after I get paid.

 

[Maverick1701]

exciting news!
I ordered the last item in my "must have for the jeep to run" list. Those items were the wheels, tubes, and tire flaps. I decided to pull some money from my savings and order the tires now vs waiting.


My goal was to spend 2K on the "must haves" and at the moment I am at $3045. I went quite a bit over my planned budget....but I wasn't expecting to purchase 5 wheels or an expensive steering wheel puller when I set my budget goal (those two items were $700 alone) .


Here is the breakdown of my costs as they stand now. All prices are rounded to the nearest dollar and shipping is included in the amount. I live in the boonies and am forced to order a large amount of my jeep stuff online. My shipping costs greatly increase the prices of some parts...but that is the cost of living in rural texas. I tried my best to find eBay sellers & jeep suppliers who offered free shipping.


62 Steering Wheel
17 horn button kit
19 radiator cap
79 hard brake like kit
597 wheels
675 tires
89 tubes
145 tube flaps
79 ignition switch
30 ignition switch wires (douglas connectors to new plastic connectors)
28 ignition switch on/off plate
25 t-stat kit
100 seat cushion & canvas (bottom & back)
109 seat pouches
886 wiring harness w/extra connectors
105 steering wheel puller from kaiser willys

 

[Another Ahab]

62 Steering Wheel
17 horn button kit
19 radiator cap
79 hard brake like kit
597 wheels
675 tires
89 tubes
145 tube flaps
79 ignition switch
30 ignition switch wires (douglas connectors to new plastic connectors)
28 ignition switch on/off plate
25 t-stat kit
100 seat cushion & canvas (bottom & back)
109 seat pouches
886 wiring harness w/extra connectors
105 steering wheel puller from kaiser willys

Congratulations on the progress!

No one of the expenses seems crazy, just the old "death by a thousand cuts" that adds up.

Surprised by the harness though, but I guess there's more to a harness than meets the eye.

But the good news is it's all just labor for you from here out, right?

 

[Maverick1701]

Congratulations on the progress!

No one of the expenses seems crazy, just the old "death by a thousand cuts" that adds up.

Surprised by the harness though, but I guess there's more to a harness than meets the eye.

But the good news is it's all just labor for you from here out, right?

"death by a thousand cuts" is a GREAT way to put it hahaha.

12v harnesses are fairly cheap but the usual jeep wiring harness people don't do 24v. 24v harnesses are only sold through military jeep suppliers (special/waterproof connectors).

You are correct. From here on out it is waiting for parts to arrive & wrenching on the jeep.

 

[Maverick1701]

I come bearing great news.
My obstinate steering wheel is no more! It is amazing how easy certain tasks can be when you have the right tools.


My kaiser-willys steering wheel puller arrived this morning. When I made it home from work I assembled it and installed it on the jeep. Within 3min I have the old wheel removed. I am glad I bit the bullet and spent the money for a "real" puller.


In other news:
-my new tires arrived yesterday
-my new wiring harness arrived today
-my wheels & tubes will be here monday


new wheel installed


old wheel removed

 

[wilfreeman]

Great! You're well on your way. Where did you get you're wheel from?

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[Another Ahab]

I come bearing great news.
My obstinate steering wheel is no more! It is amazing how easy certain tasks can be when you have the right tools.

Congratulations!

Life is SO much easier with the right tool for the job:

 

[Maverick1701]

Great! You're well on your way. Where did you get you're wheel from?

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Thank you sir!

I bought the wheel off eBay from CMVJeeps.

 

[Maverick1701]

My wheels & tubes arrived today. Tomorrow I am off work so I am going to load my new tires, wheels, & tubes in the bed of my M35A2 6x6 and run them down to the tire shop for mounting. I will definitely be sure to snap pics

 

[Another Ahab]

My wheels & tubes arrived today. Tomorrow I am off work so I am going to load my new tires, wheels, & tubes in the bed of my M35A2 6x6 and run them down to the tire shop for mounting. I will definitely be sure to snap pics[/QUOTE]

Wait. You're not just teasing us are you?

 

[Maverick1701]

Wait. You're not just teasing us are you?


View attachment 668671

I would never! hahahaha

Yesterday & today have been big days for progress.
YESTERDAY:
-I dropped off my wheels/tires/tubes at the tire shop. They were SUPER busy so I told them I would pick them up today.
-I finished up installing the new brake pads, springs, wheel cylinder, & "end of the axle" brake plumbing

Pic of everything in the back of the Deuce



TODAY:
-I picked up my assembled wheels/tires/tubes
-I totally replaced the braking system of the jeep. all hard/soft lines & master cylinder.
-After finishing the brakes I couldn't resist... I bolted on the new tires and man does it look sharp!!! (I am totally biased though)

The next big project is installing the new wiring harness.

 

[Maverick1701]

thanks y'all. things are moving along quite nicely.


Today the G/F was in town so I enlisted her assistance with bleeding the jeep brakes. I had only one leak. There is a brass washer on either side of the front/rear distribution block at the end of the m/c. One of the washers had stuck to the old m/c during removal. I did not notice this while installing the new m/c. Thankfully I kept the old m/c for this exact situation. I installed the missing washer which fixed the leak.


We bled the brakes successfully. I decided to go with dot5 for several reasons. The main 2 reasons are:
1. My m35a2 runs dot5 so its easier to keep track that all my military vehicles = dot5 and all my civilian vehiclles = dot3
2. In my experiences dot5 has done better in vehicles which see more time sitting vs daily driving.


I am making progress on the wiring harness.
During the brake work today I also noticed in my drivers/rear leaf spring pack I have a broken leaf/spring (the top leaf in the pack has sapped)

 

[Another Ahab]

thanks y'all. things are moving along quite nicely.
Today the G/F was in town so I enlisted her assistance with bleeding the jeep brakes. I had only one leak. There is a brass washer on either side of the front/rear distribution block at the end of the m/c. One of the washers had stuck to the old m/c during removal. I did not notice this while installing the new m/c. Thankfully I kept the old m/c for this exact situation. I installed the missing washer which fixed the leak.

Please don't ever take Mama for granted, and count yourself lucky that she is glad to help you in what interests you.

If you make sure to help her with what interests her, Brother, then you might be well on your way together toward real bliss, and that's a good thing for you both and also everybody around you all. Amen

 

[Maverick1701]

Please don't ever take Mama for granted, and count yourself lucky that she is glad to help you in what interests you.
If you make sure to help her with what interests her, Brother, then you might be well on your way together toward real bliss, and that's a good thing for you both and also everybody around you all. Amen

I will definitely heed your advice, sir. I have a pretty awesome S/O. She is the whole package...intelligent (Texas Tech PHD faculty), beautiful, and she likes Jeeps. She was born & raised in Colombia and down there Willys jeeps are a huge cultural thing. Now that she is here in the states she still has that love of everything Jeep (heck she even enjoys driving my M35A2 6x6)

If you are up for a little reading (& fun pics) here is an article from TopGear discussing an annual Willys festival held in her home country (Colombia):
http://www.topgear.com/car-news/classic/welcome-colombias-weird-willys-festival

 

[Another Ahab]

If you are up for a little reading (& fun pics) here is an article from TopGear discussing an annual Willys festival held in her home country (Colombia):

Very cool!

 

[Tracer]

I will definitely heed your advice, sir. I have a pretty awesome S/O. She is the whole package...intelligent (Texas Tech PHD faculty), beautiful, and she likes Jeeps. She was born & raised in Colombia and down there Willys jeeps are a huge cultural thing. Now that she is here in the states she still has that love of everything Jeep (heck she even enjoys driving my M35A2 6x6)

If you are up for a little reading (& fun pics) here is an article from TopGear discussing an annual Willys festival held in her home country (Colombia):
http://www.topgear.com/car-news/classic/welcome-colombias-weird-willys-festival

In my wife's home country (Philippines) they have something similar called the annual Jeepney festival.
I'm sure Brother Ahab is familiar with the Jeepney.