A 1953 M38-A1 that bubba outdid himself on!

[Ironbutterfly]

This is a bit different as projects go on this forum but after reading the rat rod post I'd like to chime in. I have a 1953 M38A1 that I bought from a friend who restores military vehicles. It was used for parts because bubba had been into it deep and he deemed it too far gone to restore. I bought the body and frame as a replacement for my badly rusted 62 cj5. After digging in to the jeep, it really isn't that bad, at least you can't see the yard on the left side of the jeep by looking at the right side. There was a Chevy v-8 installed and the worst power steering swap I have ever seen to include cutting the front crossmember in half and then welding a piece of flat bar across the top to tie the two halves together. The engine stands were something to behold. I have repair ed the front crossmember by squaring up the cuts, forming and welding new metal and welding in a new plate across the bottom. I'm not restoring it as such, it is going to have a 4 cylinder Kubota diesel (v 2203) with vw turbo, Sm465 trans, t 18 transfer case, d27 front with power lock, d44 rear, also with power lock, warn OD, and Braden pot winch. It is also getting power steering only without frame surgery. As I said the drive train is in my cj presently. My intent is to keep the jeep as original as possible as far as the body, paint, etc. I started taking photos after I cut off the Redneck art. I really enjoy your forum and truly admire the effort that ya'll put into restoring these pieces of history and hope to post my project. Thanks, Steve