What to do w/ M38A1?

Howdy fellas. I own a '53 A1 that's pretty beat up. It's been converted to 12 volt, has a civilian carb, gas line comes from the drain hole in the bottom of the tank, rear floor is rusted through, and it been painted at least three different times, etc. It's got a burned valve and makes a whining humming noise from the transmission area until warm. My questions to y'all are should I keep it military or build a nice wheeling jeep?

Also, the suspension is very, VERY rough. What can I do to make it ride better? Will the Rancho kit do anything for ride? Can I switch out to a cj-5 suspension?

Thanks for the advice.

 

Welcome to the forum! I'd build it to wheel. Early jeeps flexed the frames more than the springs, and most new suspensions are pretty rough from the start depending on who made them. Get wheeelin let's go!!:hurrican:

 

Welcome from central Va. Sounds to me like this is not a good candidate for a full restoration. Wheel it and have fun with it.

 

If your close to NC ..and want to part with it let me know ..I can always use another parts jeep..............a few pics of your ride would be nice also....Welcome to the forum......

 

If it's in that kind of condition, I say wheel it.

You'll spend a small fortune trying to get it into restorable condition.

Well...the truth is that you'll spend a small fortune either way you go, so wheel it and enjoy it while it lasts.

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

 

Military suspension had maximum number spring leaves in the packs. You could switch them out for lighter duty CJ5 leaf packs, or rebuild the one you have by removing 2 or 3 leaves. If you go for CJ5 leaf springs note that you have "reverse shackles" and this was also true for the first few years of early CJ5.

Check for coil spring "boosters" on the rear axle, in case this jeep was set up for a 155mm gun or similar. My M38A1-C was a real "hardtail" until I removed the coil springs.

Good Luck.

Pete

 

I would have to agree with everyone else. I love the M38A1's restored to military, but from the way it sounds it will cost you a small fortune to get it back the way it was. If it is as bad as you say it is, I would build it to wheel.

 

What's up with the gas line? It should come out of the top of the tank. Wouldn't you catch the line on something, being down that low?:?

 

It doesn't sound all that bad to me. Everything you mentioned is fixed pretty easily. Resto might be an option. Got any pics? Either way, do what you want to with it. It is your Jeep after all!

Good luck!

And welcome from Chicagoland!