Waters
Member
- 38
- 14
- 8
- Location
- Lexington KY
So I joined the forum awhile back and just now have a military vehicle of my own. Its my first, as well as my first jeep. I will post pictures tomorrow, but I have to say how much fun I'm having with this little thing. It appears to be originally a USMC jeep, and has all data plates to support that. I bought it from the second civilian owner, an old man who drove m38a1s new in korea with the USAF (5th AACS). I am told it was at some point released from the USMC to the KY Air National Guard, and served at Staniford Field. This was very interesting to me, as I am a young USAF veteran myself.
The Older gentleman bought it in 1991, and has kept it maintained and garaged and barely driven since then. He had it given a fresh coat of glossy marine corps green years ago, and kept it out of the salt. In fact, the only rust I can find on the body is two small places under the gas tank, and a little near the passenger floorboard drain. The frame coating is peeling and surface rust is starting, but that is a project to tackle in the future.
Besides being excited about my new toy, I have a ton of questions that internet searches aren't always answering. Most of these pertain to USMC specific markings and equipment, as the seller added his own USAF markings in the correct USMC yellow color that I need to replace.
Due to the existence of mounting holes in the right fender and on the rear wheel well, I figure the jeep once had both a siren and a large radio set up (still has the antennae). But for the life of me I cannot find any photos of a USMC military police vehicle, if I want to take that route with the markings. I also can't tell if the tire pressure markings should stay, as that appears to be an army thing.
As far as technical issues, so far everything seems pretty ship-shape. I do need to troubleshoot the vacuum wipers as they barely move, and the switch seems to be too loose to be functional. The fender blackout light wiring shorted in half shortly before I bought it, so I need to look up some replacement wiring for that, as well as maybe replace the headlight wiring before the insulation gets any more brittle.
So standby for photos tomorrow, and if anyone has any insight on Marine Military Police markings, that would be very helpful!
The Older gentleman bought it in 1991, and has kept it maintained and garaged and barely driven since then. He had it given a fresh coat of glossy marine corps green years ago, and kept it out of the salt. In fact, the only rust I can find on the body is two small places under the gas tank, and a little near the passenger floorboard drain. The frame coating is peeling and surface rust is starting, but that is a project to tackle in the future.
Besides being excited about my new toy, I have a ton of questions that internet searches aren't always answering. Most of these pertain to USMC specific markings and equipment, as the seller added his own USAF markings in the correct USMC yellow color that I need to replace.
Due to the existence of mounting holes in the right fender and on the rear wheel well, I figure the jeep once had both a siren and a large radio set up (still has the antennae). But for the life of me I cannot find any photos of a USMC military police vehicle, if I want to take that route with the markings. I also can't tell if the tire pressure markings should stay, as that appears to be an army thing.
As far as technical issues, so far everything seems pretty ship-shape. I do need to troubleshoot the vacuum wipers as they barely move, and the switch seems to be too loose to be functional. The fender blackout light wiring shorted in half shortly before I bought it, so I need to look up some replacement wiring for that, as well as maybe replace the headlight wiring before the insulation gets any more brittle.
So standby for photos tomorrow, and if anyone has any insight on Marine Military Police markings, that would be very helpful!
