A father & son M38

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 11:57 am

Well, fellas, some time ago I went over to look at this M38 expecting it to fall into one of three categories - Former Military Vehicle", "Bubba's Barnyard Project", or "Rusty Pile of You-know-what." What I found was something entirely in a category all its own -

And what I found looked like someone's well-loved (past tense) "Surf's Up" version of an M38.

In fact, the Jeep had been stripped of nearly all of its military kit, with the notable exception of the side-view mirror (which is the nicest part of the whole truck) and the addition of a late WWII Jeep tow-bar bumper modified to a ball hitch. Even the tool box under the right front seat was gone! Four flat tires (naturally) an enormous fender top-mounted roll bar only suitable for holding the aft end of the bikini top (or for securing the hawser of a cruise ship), a gigantic side by side bus seat mounted high in the rear for Granny (a la Beverly Hillbillies) and high back bus driver seats up front. Now, if you're formulating a mental image of all of this, add to that, a tired sky blue paint job with some yellow (and rather well done) TONKA stickers where the hood numbers would have been. Underneath that paint beats the heart of a warrior, but between that warrior heart and multiple layers of paint (green, red, white, medium metallic blue) is about 55 gallons of Bondo, topped off with a 70's version like Rhino Coat inside (probably just undercoating) and in places the remnants of boat carpeting here and there. Somebody just loved the $&% out of this jeep and then.... they moved on.

Predictably, and after I provided many constructive opportunities for my son to give it the thumbs-down, my son gave it the thumbs-up. So we trailered the thing home and wrestled into place where it sits in the place of honor in my driveway.

Today we started in clearing away the wreckage. Dead battery - GONE. Roll bar - GONE. Bikini top - GONE. Tons of detritus - GONE. It's beginning to look more like a Jeep and less like a disco inferno though I must admit, I do already miss some of the party barge atmosphere..

Next upcoming project - assess the bearings and brakes and turn it into a smooth roller.

Cheers,
TJ

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:01 pm

We're assessing the rear brakes, seals and bearings. Needs one of everything, except the shoes, which seem rather new.

Pulled the plugs, laid in the Marvel Mystery Oil, turned it over a few times by hand. Finding no reasons not to turn it with the starter motor we let fly. Did the old school compression test with my finger. It's huffing!

The process of cleaning this out has been rather protracted. The wacky seats are THOMAS seats from school buses. The manner in which they were installed made them extremely uncomfortable (and probably unsafe). And, we have a clean gas tank...from a boat.

I will say this about that boat gas tank... it's not a rusty mess inside!

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:08 pm

TWO very large Blitz pans came with this vehicle. What's that tell ya? Yep...it leaks oil like a sieve.

Broke a bolt off when taking the thermostat housing off the head. With a little heat and our best friend, Mister PB Blaster, the remains of the bolt screwed right out. In order to achieve that, I removed a rather sketchy looking carburetor and found a huge puddle of spoiled gas in the intake manifold.

I was looking over the engine, checking to ensure the spark plug wires were installed correctly and that the spark plugs were properly gapped and that the points were correctly adjusted. The rotor was loose and a gentle tweak of the spring steel tab in it sorted that out. Distributor seemed to be frozen in place. Applied more PB Blaster to that. After a bit, a gentle tap on the boss of the distributer with a brass drift freed it up. As it turned out, part of the sticking problem was because of a layer of paint on the adjusting surface.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:10 pm

I took the thermostat housing to the blast cabinet. The neck is badly reduced in thickness owing to rust. We'll replace it but in a pinch, it could be used.

The support sleeve for the thermostat has degraded into nothing more than hard, black cement-like cake. In short, this was worth the headache of the broken bolt, which, of course, is what lead me to the liquid in the intake manifold. I'm lucky like that.

The REAL victory today came in the form of the removal of the rear axle drive flanges, which are almost perfectly fitted to a taper on the end of the axle shaft, including a long key and keyway. Removing these things was a project like no other. I ended up borrowing a huge, ancient puller that was probably designed for pulling the screws off battleships and even then, this process required the application of heat and some I've-been-workin'-on-the-railroad-style hammering. I'm not a fan of the use of hammers but in this case, I was willing to make an exception. They are off and - TA DAH! - undamaged. Phew!

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:12 pm

Located and removed the body ID plate, got the paint off it and set it aside for later. As it turns out, our M38 has a 1951 body and I'm guessing the engine is a 1953 L134.

Prepping the steering wheel for removal with repeated doses of PB Blaster....again, and again, and again....

Tomorrow we will pull the retainer and brake backing plates off the rear axle which should expose the seal and bearings. We will clean and refinish those and their associated hardware and add new seals, bearings and whatever else is needed to the ever-growing list of the necessary parts for this truck. I already know the rear axle bearings are beyond their service life. Rotation of the axle and flange produced a pronounced feel than can only be created by flat spots worn into the bearing rollers.

On breaks I've been watching Youtube - flat-fender jeeps on the Rubicon, etc., just to stay motivated. Pretty amazing stuff. We're heading in the right direction, slowly but surely!

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:13 pm

Removed the rear brake backing plates, seals, seal covers (slingers), shims and spacers. We are now down to the axles sticking out of the bearings which are nested in the ends axle tubes. The seals are felt rings, encased in a metal with it's own flange. It's had to say if the seals were working or not as I have no way of knowing the level of fluids that were being run in this rear end. Generally there is some very minor weeping - what one would expect of a vehicle of this age.

The bearings are chiefly what I want to get at because they feel like they are excessively worn. They are situated so they are just a little bit proud of the face of the axle tube. Because I am working on this without a TM (yet), I am proceeding as though the axle shafts have to be removed to address the bearings. What I DO have to help me understand the manner of assembly is a 1962 Jeep Universal Parts List book with tons of exploded diagrams. So, I'm not doing this entirely without a net.

Speaking of the Parts List Book, it covers the CJ3B (what I understand to be the civilian version of the M38), CJ5 (civilian version of the M38A1), CJ6 and DJ3A. It was quite a coup to have a friend give it to me, though at the time I had no idea that it would become so useful. Anyway, if you have need of a particular diagram or other information feel free to contact me and I'll snap a picture of it for you. The book is laid out very intelligently.

All the elliptical heel and toe adjusters for the brakes have been cleaned, checked and set aside. However antiquated it may seem, I really like this system for adjusting brake shoes.

Wheel cylinders will be replaced and if the ones I've removed can be restored they will be set aside as spares but those are way down on the list of things to do. I did take the time to break one down to show the kid how it works. These had been replaced at one time so, while they were frozen, they weren't all that bad but as I've said before, I'm a big fan of using new parts on the critical stuff, especially where brakes are concerned.

The brake shoes don't appear to have seen any use (just a light coating of schmutz on their frames) and they will be tidied up and reused.

The return springs (and there is only one on each side) aren't bad but I'll source new ones and put the old ones aside for spares.

Still have to assess the drums more closely but, at first blush, they looked pretty good.

As you can see from the photos, most of this stuff found its way into the blast cabinet after a thorough degreasing, and then got recoated.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:14 pm

Out of the blue, one of my son's teachers called. We stumbled upon him and helped him make a roadside repair last week. He called to say he was bringing his father's M38A1 back from the hunting lease and he wanted me to see it. Suddenly, it's absolutely raining Jeeps around here! And, for a few minutes, we had an M38, and M38A1 and a M151A2 within spitting distance of one another. It's crazy how this stuff goes down.

Well, we fired the M38 up today...without the carb and just a can of starting fluid. It took right off! (These maneuvers were performed on a closed course with unprofessional mechanics.) In other words, don't try this at home, kiddies. Do as I say, not as I do, because a backfire through the intake while you're squirting starting fluid could be detrimental to your health.

Anyway, it didn't run smoothly (owing to our flakey method of fuel delivery) but it did run and it wanted to run and there were no detectable odd noises. It made nearly 40 lbs oil pressure and a little over 12 volts, according to the cheesy gauges. So, with a proven engine, we are moving forward on the other issues with a clear conscience. With so much to do, we have yet to spend a dime on this project, save for paint and primer and a lot of time standing in front of the blast cabinet and a fan. We're just slogging through the steps to inspect, assess, tear down, and make incorrect things right.

After a long hot day, we have the rear brake components blasted and recoated, some broken brake drum retaining screws removed from the drive flanges, not that anyone will ever use them again (as they are completely unnecessary). I even blasted the rusty base of my drill press and recoated it as it was desperately nasty and it gave me the chills just looking at it.

So, it's been a very good day and I am appropriately exhausted from working outside all day in the triple digit heat.

We could have used this as a foundation for our brakes once the adjusters were loosened up.

The round thingies (about the size of a quarter) are the toe-adjusters for the brake shoes. They are small discs offset on a bolt much like a cam. The large holes at the bottom are for the heel adjusters and they work very similarly. So, each shoe can be adjusted to it's optimal position relative to the internal face of the drum. I've always liked this design.

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:15 pm

Great progress!

How about some photos?

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:17 pm

A sandblasted brake backing plate is SO much nicer than that rusty mess we pulled off the truck. Craftsmanship is important, wouldn't you say? The plates get a good scraping and degreasing prior to going in the blast cabinet.

Easy day today. We set our sights on removing the rear axles and that was about it. A buddy came by with a heavy slide hammer which had a fitting that was the perfect thread pattern for threading onto the ends of the axles. We hooked up to that and with several firm slides each axle popped right out. The kid is looking mighty pleased because, finally, we're getting lucky.

Here's the kid with his Jeep!

Examination of the bearings revealed them to be better than I had imagined but still, only marginal. They, and the seals behind them, are to be replaced.

It's time to use that new $89.00 Harbor Freight press again! It made short work of removing the bearings from the axle shafts. Worth every penny.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:18 pm

It is quite likely that the interior of the rear end has not seen the light of day since 1951. The gear oil I drained out was darker than a witch's heart. I'll probably get cancer just from looking at it. Nasty stuff. Here's the one of the build tags for the rear end. 43/8 means the ring gear has 43 teeth and the pinion, 8. Thus, 43 divided by 8 = a gear ratio of 5:38, or 5:375 to be precise. Stout, and no speeding tickets to be had in this rig!

Sunday morning. I'm awake. Everyone else is sleeping in. It's the only temperate time of the day. Sat down with the carburetor, which is a Carter W-O series and gave its exterior a cleaning. I got a old pan and a toothbrush and the stuff in the picture and laid it on. "Paint remover?!!" you say? Yup, paint remover but it's the citrus in it that does the job. It's very user friendly, you can get it on your hands with no worries. It lingers because it's a gel so you can work it as long as you'd like and after it's done it's job, simply rinse it off. Removes paint, and also degreases like a champ...and for this particular type of application (such as a simple exterior clean-up), is so much cheaper than carb cleaner. Results were excellent.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:20 pm

Got to looking at things in an effort to see where we can move forward and where we're stalled. Discovered one of the ears on the bottom of the exhaust manifold is broken and rigged....badly. Well *sigh* doggone it! My comment that it "needs one of everything" is turning out to being closer to the truth than I had imagined. Grrrrr.

Update - Did very little today but did do something. I directed the kid to daub the bolts holding the floor plate in over the transmission with paint remover, which he did yesterday. The whole floor is covered with a layer of undercoating and paint. We just let it sit overnight. I hit those spots with a wire brush and exposed the bolts so as to make it easier to unbutton this thing when I'm ready. There are so many little things to do like that. Knocking them out will really add up in the long run.

Current plan is to get it back on it's wheels, with brakes, and drive it just to see where we're at with things like clutch, transmission and transfer case. We know they leak like sieves but we don't know how well they work, or don't work. (plans are always subject to change!)

By the way, for those who are interested there is a whole series on YouTube about rebuilding manual transmissions, axles, transfer cases and the like, by a guy who goes by "Metalshaper". His submissions take a lot of the mystery out of these things, whether you are working on a Mutt or a Jeep.

So today was supposed to be easy. Just a bunch of little things to do. Turned out to be anything but easy and the results, while a step in the right direction, weren't pretty.

We started out with removing the long nuts from the transfer case levers. You know the ones that are left over after all the knob has departed? Heat wasn't getting it so we simply bisected the nuts, allowing them to expand and off they came. After all, the kid needs to learn some of the tricks of the trade.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 12:27 pm

And, since we were working in that area we decided to remove whatever retaining bolts for the transmission covers we could locate. Keep in mind we are going through a layer of paint, a layer of undercoating, a layer of Bondo and, as it turned out, several layers of patches with no rhyme or reason to them.

To start with, removing paint on what we thought were the margins. We sketched those out with permanent marker as a guide.

Some of the access panels were ready to come off, such as the upper one which was only being held on with two mismatched bolts...on the same side...naturally! Its removal uncovered some cheap tricks played by the last guy...such as an unsecured throttle linkage simply hooked through a nut welded to the back side of the gas pedal. It worked...but, really?

Our m38's bell housing had been in a serious wreck but not in this chassis. Apparently there were not enough bell housings in the world to be able to find a suitable replacement. The flange at the top had been welded back on. The two lower tabs on the right and left side had been welded back on. Good welds, but why not just replace it??

We are about to get into a part of the project which will be a huge learning experience for both of us. Some panels were NOT ready to come off... We started out all smiles and warm fuzzies. My son gets to use a tool that is new to him. He is a happy camper. The pneumatic chisel is loud and powerful and easy to control and it makes short work of sheet metal...that is to say, it makes short work of sheet metal that you can reach with it.

Fast forward to AFTER. We're all out of smiles at this point and the warm-fuzzies meter is on E for empty. We are no longer happy campers. It is hot, we are dirty, we are sweaty, we are thirsty, we are tired, we are miserable and we are pissed off. By Texas law, work such as this is prohibited from taking place within earshot of a church, hospital or daycare. There was Bondo dust everywhere and what we had pulled off appeared to be only just barely salvageable. We were fighting patch panels welded upon patch panels and having no means of telling where one patch stopped and where another started, it was just a crap shoot. Some patches were covering other patches entirely. Some edges of the transmission cover were below the patch. Some edges of the cover were above the patch, all of which made it's removal an extremely dicey proposition. In the end, I'm ashamed to say the business at hand degraded into something that was less about finesse and more about good old fashioned muscle.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 3:02 pm

The transmission cover's removal revealed more odd repairs, abuse, and some rather sketchy decisions made by a mechanic of questionable judgement and one who had a curious ability to achieve the illogical by fitting square pegs in round holes. Every time another layer was pulled back, more of the same! This bell housing, while repaired many times over, is probably Ok but if I can find a replacement, I'd love to keep this monstrosity around for a nice conversation piece; a fine example of what lurks in the shadows of old trucks.

What he learned tonight was that his old Dad has valuable stuff squirreled away everywhere! I got to thinking about it and remembered I had a fresh bell housing just sitting around (naturally!). I presented it to him without much fanfare, other than to have to remind him to say thank you.

Anyway, if you do the fishes and loaves stuff like that too often, people start taking your miracles for granted.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 3:04 pm

Made some small advances today in the job of getting the rear axle buttoned up. Flanges are blasted and in primer. Will lay the paint on at dusk.

Fired the opening salvo in sorting out the floor panels we removed. Took off the multiple layers of patches that had been laid over the central panel, for starters.

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Blasted and primed the original starter button which does nothing now, other than add to the vintage flavor of the truck (unlike that awful plumber'sgrab handle on the dash ). And, when you think about it, we kept the part that didn't work and eliminated the part that (technically) still worked. This is how we roll, friends.

Today, without complaint, my son spent some time cleaning up the hardware for putting the axles back together. He is beginning to warm up to the idea that the scut work is simply the largest and most necessary part of these projects whereas the technical stuff, while also really important, comes in a distant second. He is learning to roll up his sleeves and jump in.

m3a1 · Post by **m3a1** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 3:24 pm

Looks like I'm going to have to work on some new skills in order to repair that cover. Gonna have to hit the books, I suppose. It will be interesting! Those english wheels and pneumatic planishing hammers make my mouth water. Oh boy, what I could do with tools like that!