jeep dilemma

[MikeP]

so im having a tricky time trying to wrap my head around what i should do

ok so i started out buying a 1950 cj3a for 500 bucks (awesome) i rented a truck and trailer and towed her home and then spent a couple hundred bucks to get her running again and she runs nice so my next step was to take her apart to the frame and so i bought an m38 tub with no floor/hood/windshield/tailgate for 700 in my attempt to convert my 3a to an m38 look alike so far so good so today i took the windshield off and broke bolts etc but then i got to the fenders and based on the condition there in id be better off getting new ones as my skill level isnt good enough to fix them however the price of new fenders is stupid high and i still had a floor to put in plus other pieces that need replacing on the tub and possibly pay someone to weld and fix the tub so that sparked my thinking of why bother with this when i can spend a bit more (3500) for a whole new tub/kit and not have worry about rust or have to do anything to it except paint it cool im in the right direction of making it easy or so i thought my father starts to tell me that i shouldve just bought an m38 jeep so i told him there was none available for the price i got this 3a for and so i then began to remember that i saw a couple of m38's for sale in the 5k-6k price range and they need minimal to moderate work much less than what mine would need and is a true m38 not a conversion and so here i am trying to figure out the direction to go in as 6k would take some considerable time to save up and then id also have to sell my 3a to make room for the m38 or do i buy the 3500 dollar tub/kit and continue the conversion

[BillT]

If you decide to go with a new kit don't go into it blindly. There is a lot of info on these sites on the installation process, study up on it. I helped sit a new body on a 67 year old '3a, things are not as square as they once were. There was a bit of cutting, hole enlarging, hole relocating, etc. My point is that the new bodies are not an easy drop-in. Good luck with your decision. I know where you're coming from.

[BillT]

There's a m-38 on todays ewillys page for 3500.

[oldtime]

If one is not competent with all the mechanical and welding that is certainly required; then you may be better off in the long run to buy a jeep that's been restored to your satisfaction.

New body or old it will take time, effort, and skill  to get it right.
The main advantage for do -it -yourselfers is that you really get to KNOW your Jeep inside and out.

[MikeP]

There's a m-38 on todays ewillys page for 3500.

i found it but sadly i need to keep it mostly local like within or next to my state

and i agree with you oldtime but its not that i cant do/try to do all that is required its that the amount of money that im investing in either project is what determines if its worth it meaning the money i would spend to convert my 3a to an m38 with fixing the tub etc would cost as much if not more than if i just bought an m38 locally again i dont have a problem saving up or spending the money im just trying to figure out the best project to put my money into it would be easier to talk rather than type

[oldtime]

Mike, probably the best thing is to spend most of your free time learning everything there is  to learn.

Eventually you will become much more confident in your endeavor.
Excess jeep knowledge will never ever be a waste of your time.
I swear that fact always holds true... Ha Ha Ha !

Once you are fully certain of your goal thing will begin to fall in place for you.
Be it the ideal M38 at the ideal price or a big batch of M38 leftovers needing a good home.

In the meantime slowly work at the main problems with what you already have.

[MikeP]

i want to thank everyone for there input and thoughts about what to do but i think i know what my plan is gonna be and thats to make my cj3a/m38 hybrid jeep as close to an m38 as possible and ill save up for the brand new tub kit instead of spending more trying to fix my current m38 tub and hopefully get it sold to someone who can use more skill to make it whole again