52 M38a1 Motor Pool Resto

It looks like you've got a pretty severe flat spot on the bottom pin. The upper one will be the same. You'll never get rid of the slop without causing bind unless you do one of the following:

1. Grind off the swedges, press your existing pins out, rotate them 90 degrees, press them back in, and then TIG weld the back side to replace the ground off swedge.
2. Grind off the swedges, prese your existing pins out, replace them with new John Deere pins, and then figure out how to re-swedge them or TIG weld them in place.
3. Repace with a reproduction 15/16" sector shaft. There have been some issues with these breaking at least in the smaller 7/8"shaft parts.
4. Replace with an NOS sector shaft if you can find one.

 

George is also great to work with. Got a lot of engine rebuild parts from him. Great to with also.

Dave

 

I was given an M38A1 hood that had been chemically stripped, but on the inside was a stencil: "THIS VECHICLE COSTS 1984.00" I think they wanted the soldiers to take better care of them if they knew the cost. Restored the hood and I always thought of re-creating the stencil but never did.

Dave

 

Amazing to find an A-1 in this nice of condition. Glad it didn’t end up getting modified. I assume your keeping all the 24V system? The guy in College Station, Tx (Army Tank Guy?) used to have NOS wiring harness sections.
-Donny

 

He specifically wrote that he's going modern 12v. Kinda sad. I'll be doing the opposite to my a1.

 

The 24V is a little intimidating at first, but it is a very reliable system. A good set of manuals is a must. Lots of information on troubleshooting on the G503 and WillysMJeeps forums. I even have manuals on CD for use on the computer. I did pick up a 24V test adapter kit so I can use the timing light and troubleshoot the ignition. The only thing that makes the distributor 24V is the coil. It's all sealed so it can go under water. Once you get past that, it's not that different. The aftermarket coils were less than reliable. The military parts venders have better coils now. 24V spark plugs are getting scarce and cost $40.00 each now. There is a spark plug adapter manufactured by John at Midwest Military that allows you to use civilian spark plugs, but he is re-designing it now, so they aren't available until the problem is fixed. That M38A1 is in excellent condition. This will be a very nice restoration.
Wiring harnesses have gotten expensive, but a lot of people are modifying and shortening the M35 wiring harness which is much cheaper.

Great build thread, thanks for sharing this.

Dave

 

One great benefit of the 24 volt system is that ALL the components are Mil-Spec (high) quality, and environmentally sealed. Should be good until the End Of Time.

 

Definitely a learning curve working on these 24V systems. I had a starter that spun, but never engaged. I replaced it and can't find anything wrong with it just looking at it, so I need to look at adjustments I can make with the engagement mechanism. I've used parts from 4 different distributors to get mine reliable.
With fuel and ignition problems at the same time, I had to have some help getting them running again. Glad to have them both running again. Thanks again to member 1967 CJ5A for getting these running again.

Dave

 

Actually, I said period correct (gen/regulator). I have lots of CJ parts to do that and happily, I can switch back to 24 volt whenever I want. My decision was made on budget and available funds.

 

Just some random pix of Sunday's progress;

Still some OD paint on the drums. I got started with needle scaling....my favorite

Exhaust is in decent shape

I'll be changing the rubber and steel lines throughout.

Needs a good cleaning.

This is where I left off.

Bumper is in super shape. There's no way to clean the boxed frame with it on...

 

You guys will like this...When was the last time you lifted the hood and saw some **s...

 

There is some some wear for sure, but my sense is that it's not that bad (please disagree if you wish). I tried to get good pics;


DeBella says $200.00 for NOS and $115.00 for Crown. For sure the bushings need to be replaced. Is there a seal on the sector shaft because I didn't find one (yet). The only slop I could detect was in the inner bushing which I suspect was/is almost non-existent. Very easy to change with the engine out, with it in, not so much. The worm gear did not feel grooved or pitted. I value opinions! At some point, I do plan to swap the RMD (original locked engine) that came with this project with the civvy CJ5 engine I have slated to drop in this in about a month or so. Pete

 

The thing with worn sector shaft and worm wear is that if you get them "correctly" adjusted to minimize slop at mid-point (straight ahead) the steering gear is then likely to jam at left or right lock.

 

Exactly this. Those are pretty worn and like PeteL says, if you take the slack out of it when it's centered (where it matters), it will bind when you turn. Your worm gear is probably fine though.

 

Guys, no problem replacing. Any experience with the crown part? $200.00 is a bit spendy for NOS but I'll follow your wisdom..

I'll cut the swedges and rotate once I teach myself TIG in the future...Pete

 

Personally, I'd get the NOS one. $85.00 is a very small amount of money compared to the consequences of losing your steering. I don't know about the current Crown parts, but in the past there have been problems with the Chinese made sector shafts breaking where the shaft expands to the forging for the pins. If that happens, there is no steering at all. That's likely the loss of a lot more than $85.00, or in the worst case it's a loss of a priceless life or two.

 

That's a good way to think about that. $85.00 for the right part that I'll never need to monkey with again. I think that's what I'll do....

 

I was over at timsresort's Woodstock thread and we were discussing ventilating windshields. I have one which I bought from another member here but I'm undecided about putting it in this project. It does need new inner seal which I have somewhere and also new glass.

Some of the few missing components on this project are vacuum wipers. I have some on the shelf but I'm a little concerned about being able to see out of the windshield. Thought on this??

Inner wrapper dated 1966...

Contents

 

On, an A1, since they're already on top, it won't be too much of a difference. And you could dummy it up there pretty easily. Stand back, have a beer, sit in it, check visibility. Those motors are sweet. Getting hard to find.

 

Don't do it. Send those motors to me, and I'll see that they are disposed of correctly.