'52 M38

[Ryan_M]

You are a man on a mission.

Sort of. I really need to get the axles back under the frame so I have something that vaguely resembles a "vehicle" to look at instead of an overwhelming pile of dirty parts. I see how people can easily lose steam and abandon a project when at this critical point.

[F Bill]

You'd better have a set of hi falutin' wooden hangers under the tree for SWMBO or it's in the doghouse for you and the jeep.

Seeing that pic of everything hanging makes me think it would be cool to have a Christmas tree decorated in nothing but jeep parts fresh from the paint room.

I love seeing the progress, with I could do the same but I'll have to wait a bit more before I can really jump into a restoration of my own jeep. Fro now I'm helping a friend rebuild 2 mid 50's Ford stepsides....so I'll be in practice by the time I am done!

[BMIC]

Seeing that pic of everything hanging makes me think it would be cool to have a Christmas tree decorated in nothing but jeep parts fresh from the paint room

Ryan has us all thinking out of the box, I have been obsessed lately with the idea of installing a dish washer in the garage. Come on, how many of you are encouraging the wife to go Christmas shopping so you can get the parts done.

[Ryan_M]

Ryan has us all thinking out of the box, I have been obsessed lately with the idea of installing a dish washer in the garage. Come on, how many of you are encouraging the wife to go Christmas shopping so you can get the parts done.

"You have to work a double again tonight? Damn, honey, I never get to see you anymore..." 

[1955CJ-5]

installing a dish washer in the garage.

Careful. Before you know it there will be a hotplate and a cot out there.....

[Ryan_M]

I have a vehicle again! Or at least something that I no longer have to drag around the garage but can actually roll.

I had to enlarge the front spring hanger bracket holes to accommodate the newer repop spring pivot bolts but after I went through hell and back on this last time I knew what I had to do. Quick and painless this time around.

I scratched the new paint in several places wrestling the axles into place as I knew would be inevitable. I'm also alarmed at the 4 or 5 spots I can still see primer through the paint (in addition to the spring u-bolts which I pretty much gave up on after I realized touch-ups were going to be in order anyways).

The paint shop guy was pretty adamant that the type of paint I am using is "1 coat only!!....Work your area and move on!" so that's what I tried to do. It's tougher than it looks trying to cover everything evenly in one shot as opposed to 3 or 4 light coats. I think once I get to a certain point with this chassis I'll go around and hit the weak spots with a quick blast of fresh paint. Don't tell my paint guy.

[Jeff_M]

It's really hard to cover anything with just one coat.  Having said that, it looks great.  Love the color.  "Best in Show", Owl's Head, 2015.   

[athawk11]

I think I agree with Jeff.  If any of us were professional auto painters, we may be able to pull off a 'one coat' application, but there are so many nooks and crannies on these frames. 

Ya think you hit it all, then you drag it out into the sunshine and start cursing yourself.

None the less, it looks great from here! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Tim

[Ryan_M]

Drivetrain painted and installed today.

Prior to paint, I did pull the motor and bellhousing apart to inspect the clutch and pilot bushing - all good. I also corrected an earlier mistake of using 3/8-16 bolts to connect the tranny to the bellhousing - BAD BAD! I did this with my 3A and after 6k miles they almost fell out on their own. They seem like they fit but they really do not. Replaced with correct 7/16-14 bolts.


This was a 75% paint prep effort at best. It looks better in the pics than it really is. A quick degreasing and then scrubbing with lacquer thinner and I let the primer fly. I removed some of the engine accessories but left the manifolds intact and painted right over the seepage around the oil pan. The fuel pump is a non-working "place holder" only. I'm forcing myself to keep this thing a camping buggy. It shall blast through woods trails without hesitation!!

Blue block anyone?



Primed. Well, most of it anyways.....


And this is terrifying....


Settled in without incident.

[1955CJ-5]

Based solely on the engine hanger, I'm guessing you went with the running 12v engine and not the "unknown 24 v" engine......ya?

[Ryan_M]

I decided the non-running engine could turn out to be a significant project in its own right so I have pushed it aside for now and am proceeding with the known good motor. I'll come back to it at some point.

I'm still not completely certain which direction the wiring will go but most likely it'll be a basic 12v setup.

[Bill]

Dont make it to pretty I still plan on seeing it in NH.

[Bill]

Also the 24 volt system is not hard to deal with at all.  The nice thing is you can crank the engine all day and not run out of battery.

[Ryan_M]

Brake and steering components all installed. I need to align the front end and bleed and adjust the brakes but at least everything is bolted on. I'm not sure if I'm more excited to see the Jeep coming together or watching my garage floor expand as the debris field of random parts is systematically collected up and bolted back on the vehicle.



Here's another design improvement on an M38 that is worth noting - threaded shock mounts!



No special tool needed to compress those pesky lower rear mounts. I installed all four shocks without swearing once! Well, almost. I swore when I couldn't find one of the locknuts and realized I will have to pick up another one at the hardware store tomorrow. Even so, this is a much better design than the 3A cotter pin variety.

And yes, I have re-installed muddy, poorly painted shocks without so much as wiping them down. They were new last year but you'd never know it. I'm hoping the mud draws attention away from some of the exposed primer on the leaf springs.
 

[Bob W]

I need to align the front end

Nice progress!!! I don't know how you guys manage to get so much done in just a few days.

Keep in mind that the toe will change considerably when the weight of the body is added.