M38A1 or CJ5?

[RedLineJeeps]

I recently picked up an old Rig which I was told was an 1954 M38A1. After buying and starting research I'm not sure as to exactly what it is because all other serial number locations are missing, please help me to figure out if what this should have been originally.

 

[MASH 4077]

Dash and Grill are CJ5. Do you have any more pictures?

 

[MASH 4077]

M-series dash

M38A1 grill

Slave cable port cutout and battery box.

 

[RedLineJeeps]

Those are all the pic's I have currently. I can take more tomorrow, I feel like someone tried to make it look like an M38A1 but not sure, I found numbers on the front of the frame 283R and that all I've found so far.

 

[MASH 4077]

The 283R number is a factory stamp. As far as I know there were no serial numbers stamped on the frame. The numbers stamped on the data plate and the tag on the passengers side fender well behind the seat there is a tag. Both numbers on the tag behind the passengers seat and on the data plate should match.

 

[kubotaman]

The simple way to tell is the slave port on the pass side which MASH 4077 posted. If it has it, it is a M38A1. If not, you own a CJ5.

 

[RedLineJeeps]

I just found the tag on the passenger rear fender, lots of paint on it but it is an MD (a few unreadable numbers) 71481 and the slave port has a blank plate screwed in to cover the opening.

 

[MASH 4077]

Get some paint thinner or mineral spirits and try to scrape the paint off to get the numbers. The crazy thing is my jeep is a 52 and it's sn# is 17418. Same numbers just in a different order lol

 

[RedLineJeeps]

That is really crazy! I will work on cleaning it up tomorrow, either way I am happy to have this jeep it was a great find I'd just like to know what it was.

 

[MASH 4077]

If it has the original hood try sanding it down to find hood numbers.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Looks like a few cj parts have been added. (I have a cj5). What engine is in the Jeep?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Check out the front springs. Are the shackles in the front or rear of the spring? I can't tell from the pics.

 

[RedLineJeeps]

The shackles are on the back of the front springs, the cowl battery access was covered and smoothed over I noticed too. but the dash looks to be CJ5 which was why I wasn't sure. and it has the F-head 134 engine

 

[MASH 4077]

Also forgot I had this set of data plates, seems that the plates in your jeep and my parts jeep are two off in SN#.

 

[RedLineJeeps]

Mine is 70910 the flash in my image makes it hard to read.

 

[RedLineJeeps]

Well thanks to your help MASH 4077 I discovered it is an M38A1! Best I figure was when the previous owners switched it to 12V they junkyarded a CJ5 dash and windshield. and Mash 4077 I noticed in your pictures that you have markings on yours, do you know the history of where is was assigned to originally?

 

[MASH 4077]

I don't know much of its history. I know when my grandfather purchased it he got it from the Civil Air Patrol and it was Strata blue. He painted it back to OD green. After I got it I did some research and found his old Indiana National Guard unit and marked it on my jeep. It's a memorial to him. Great find on your jeep! I've got an extra M38A1 dash and grill if you're interested.

 

[RedLineJeeps]

down the road ill look into switching the dash back, right now I'm working on getting it mechanically sound and the small amount of body work done, I got an outrageous deal on this Jeep and can't wait to get her on the road but I'll keep that in mind when I start to put money into original switchback! I have plans to do something similar to that with my grandfather's WWII military ID number, even though the era isn't correct my grandfather has a 55 M38A1 that my dad grew up driving so I feel it means more to me that way than original markings.

 

[Amer-team]

mine is 68014 with a 12/53 build date. Looks like yours has a CJ5 fuel tank too. CJ's have the small mouth tank. Does it have a tailgate?

 

[RedLineJeeps]

no tailgate. I believe the previous owners just replaced with that they could find, not what was supposed to be in it. makes no difference to me, I didn't pay hardly anything for it and it runs great and the frame is solid.