Joined: May 05, 2005 Posts: 105 Location: Del Rio, Texas
Posted: Thu May 12, 2005 1:21 pm Post subject: Daily Driver
I am currious as to how often most of you guys actually drive your machines and how many miles your put on them. I drive my 1951 M38 nearly every day. I only live ~5 miles from my office so a put about 10 miles per day on my jeep. Is this a good thing? Then my next question is, should a "daily driver" be treated differently than a "show" vehicle which is only occasionally driven? Of course I know to change all the oil(s) regularly, but is there anything else I should keep in mind while operating this vehicle. I have to admit that this is the first time I have regularly driven a vehicle which is ~18 years older than I am. I guess I was fortunate to learn how to drive on much more modern vehicles which seem to not need as much attentive care. _________________ Dan
1951 M38
Dan,
You must get up that early to get her started so she'll warm up for the drive to the office
I drove my M38A1 everyday to the job which was 25 miles from the house. I was fortunate enough to have spent my youth driving cars that needed the same amount of attention so it wasn't a problem for me.
In your case just follow the care guidance in the TM. One tip though. Mechanical ignition systems and their plugs require a lot more attention then the modern stuff. Plug gaps to wide or starting to foul are the most common cause of hard starting and poor performance. Points are next. A very overlooked item is the brake master cylinder fluid level. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Thats very good advice from Wes. I must say that I Drive my A1 just about everywhere when the warm weather arrives and hang the distance. I always carry a tool kit and a .50 cal. ammo box with an assortment of spare bits and pieces. The kit is one I put together myself to carry a wider assortment of tools than was originally carried and by "bits and pieces I mean nuts, bolts, screws, left over rubber hose from when you (i.e. "I") redid the vacuum wipers. Any left over bits? Throw 'em right in the "spare parts box". Got a bad sparkplug and decide to put in four fresh ones? Take the three that are still working, put them in the boxes the new ones came from and put 'em in the glove box. You never now when you might have to swap out a plug beside the road to get you home. Keep a brand new set of points, condenser and rotor in there as well.
There are some things you can never prepare for, but if you are going to be driving your jeep on a daily or very frequent basis then you need to try to anticipate the small stuff. I've been driving mine for better than ten years now (I think it's actually fourteen years at this point) and have never had a problem so bad that I needed to call a hook to get me home. I have however had things go wrong that would have stranded me had I not had the things I have outlined above.
Now take the top off, fold the windshield down and go have some fun. _________________ Alfred G. DeVaux jr.
Joined: May 05, 2005 Posts: 105 Location: Del Rio, Texas
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 10:47 am Post subject:
Thanks guys,
Because I always intended to use my jeep as a daily driver, I have had most of the major components replaced with new parts (NOS) or completely rebuilt (i.e. carburetor, engine, brakes, transmission, etc.) Consequently she appears to run perfectly. Starts in 3 seconds every time, idles perfectly, no hint of missing, steers and drives straight, brakes perfectly. Your suggestion of a “spare parts” box is a good idea, and one in which I have already started to put together.
Thanks, _________________ Dan
1951 M38
Joined: Apr 15, 2005 Posts: 162 Location: San Diego CA
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 11:41 am Post subject: daily driver
I drove my m38 evey day for about 5 years rain or shine. Now I drive the m37 most of the time and the m38a1 when Im not in the m37. One thing thats real important is ignition and tune ups. But the carb is overlooked, I find that I kinda need to take the carb off one a year or so and just clean it out and buff the parts. Moder gas seems to leave a residue that builds up over time, even when you drive it alot. Driving alot means adjusting the brakes more often too, on the m37 that is every few months. Also rotate your tires every 6 months if you drive every day as ND tires dont wear well on the front. keep spares on hand, like gages, sending units and bulbs so you van change them out after work and go the next morning. I have found that having 2 MVs means I have to maintain my own motorpool supply. Lots of work but fun.
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