M38A1 History

[Tricky-Ricky]

Hi,
I acquired my M38A1 last year and it's currently undergoing a sympathetic restoration - hope to have it up and running by the end of the month. The Chassis number is MD15999 and according to my UK V5 the year of manufacture was 1953. The V5 also says the Jeep was imported into the UK in 1984 but after a phone call to the Dutch Vehicle Licensing Authority I was surprised to hear they had no record of it ever being registered in Holland.
Can anyone help?
It does not have the usual NEKAF indicators on the front wings so I assume it was not actually built at Nekaf, rather imported into Holland from the USA, it has the usual Dutch plates on the dashboard though.
Any help would be appreciated.
Rick [/b]

[wesk]

I would suggest you do a thorough review of the NEKAF specific web pages before attempting to develop a detailed history of your M38A1. If your m38A1 has all the traits of the US Built 1953 M38A1 then odds are it is a US built 1953 M38A1. That serial as typed by you would have been late 1952 or early 1953. Does the V-5 say where the jeep was imported from in 1984?

http://members.home.nl/jurriaanknol/Simca4EN.htm
http://www.tweedehands-gigant.net/info/nekaf
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/bravocie/nekaf1.htm
http://www.jeepforum.nl/forumdisplay.php?f=39
http://www.jeepforum.nl/forumdisplay.ph ... rune=&f=39
http://www.knutseljeep.blogspot.com/
http://www.crosswolf.nl/nekaf_m38a1_nl_database.html
http://rdrnl.home.xs4all.nl/4UWPNekaf.html
http://www.southcumbrianorthlancsmvt.org.uk/memveh2.htm
http://www.crosswolf.nl/
http://m38a1.de/literature/

[Tricky-Ricky]

Hi Wes,
Many thanks for the list of sites......I have now had time to do each of them plus I managed to contact Harold Bergers in Holland who gave me loads of info, he seems to think my Jeep was made in 1959 rather than '53 but does say that the US made Jeeps used the same numbering sequences as the Dutch assembled ones....not helpful when you're trying to date them!

My Jeep was imported into the UK in 1984 - I assume straight from a Dutch Army auction sale although the V5 does not state where the vehicle came from. I have managed to research the UK owners back as far as 1995 but then the trail goes cold. I have just requested a list of previous owners from our DVLA and hope to make some more progress once this is to hand although some 33 years have passed since it was imported and it's possible some of the early owners will not be around any more....we shall see.

When the Jeep came into the UK it was still on it's original engine (M72153) but when I found a copy of an old V5 dated 1995 the engine number was M0109788 (Harold dated this to 1956) so had obviously been changed after it came into the UK - the engine is light green in colour which indicates (according to Harold Berger) that the work was done by a Dutch Army Repair Unit.....not possible if the Jeep was in the UK......so I assume that an engine was procured from Holland.
Rick

[wesk]

On a US or NEKAF engine those numbers would have appeared: MD72153 and MD109788. Your numbers are both missing the D and the last number had a zero added up front?

Indeed A Dutch NEKAF serial MD15999 would have been built in the last half of 1959.

[Tricky-Ricky]

Hi Wes,
I have just emailed you details of my Jeep for your Register, have also attached some pics showing Chassis number, engine number etc.

Question......Harold Bergers seems convinced my Jeep is a '59 Nekaf model with the chassis number MD15999 BUT how do I know it's not an earlier US model since the chassis numbers etc could be for either?

Mine has Dutch data plates on the dash plus indicators on the sides of the tub plus Dutch radiator, battery and tyres but there's no evidence of there ever having been any white reflectors on the front fenders like all Nekafs seem to have

The electrics are 24v and the battery cover is latch type, the grill is the rigid type with large centre-bolt.

Incidentally, how would I find 'Date of Delivery'.....I saw some of your
Register vehicles included this?

My Jeep came into the UK in 1984 and according to the V5 Registration Certificate, the engine number was M72153, you said it should have read MD72153.......the dashboard data plate shows the original number to be totally different anyway which is very strange.......any ideas on this?

Many thanks, Rick

[wesk]

Hi Rick,

I cannot offer any explanation for the clerical errors in your engine serial numbers.

If the Dutch show no record of your NEKAF's serial civilian registration then possibly it was purchased by a British citizen from a federal auction in Holland and imported directly to the UK in 1984.

If your jeep is truly a 1953 US built unit it will have a standard 1953 US Willys Patent Plate on the right rear wheel house.




This is an example of the early US built M38A1 dash serial plate at top and Patent plate at the bottom.


Note that the serial # on this 1960 NEKAF patent plate includes the model prefix of 57144.

Which patent plate is on your wheel house?

[Tricky-Ricky]

Hi Wes,
Thanks for your reply and the pics of the various plates..... I agree with you that the discrepancy with the actual engine number and that shown on the V5 Registration Certificate can only be explained by a clerical error.

Also the fact that the Dutch Vehicle Licensing Dept have no record of any civilian registration seems to indicate that it was a Dutch Army purchase and was sold off in 1984 by auction and bought by a UK buyer.......still waiting for our DVLA to come up with the early owners list!

Re the plate on the rear wheel house.....I have attached a pic of this - as you can see, it has been sandblasted, unnoticed by my mechanic due to many coats of paint until it was too late!

As per your 1960 Nekaf plate, mine also has the Model Prefix before the serial number. In addition, f you look really closely at the top left corner near the screw hole there is evidence of a number prefixed by a 'T', I have studied this in various lights and under a magnifying glass and it appears to be 'T132', according to Harold Bergers this is a Nekaf Van Twist number.

I have also attached a pic of the alloy engine overhaul tag on the crankcase near the brake master cyclinder, this shows the engine to have been overhauled by the Dutch Army 575 Technical Troop Central Workshop in Utrecht on 12 Jan 1977 - it also shows the current engine number. Also attached is a pic of the dashboard data plate showing the original engine number.

Kind regards,
Rick

P.S. Cannot figure out how to attach pics so have sent them to the email address I used for my other Register details!![/img]

[wesk]

Rick,
I opened a photo album here on our web site for you.

Here's your album:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... _album.php

Here's the rules:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... opic&t=498

Here's the tutorial for loading your album:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... _album.php

Here's the tutorial for posting your photos:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... pic&t=8670


Definately a 1959 NEKAF unit.

[NEKAF4EVER]

Hi Wes,

I just looked at that photo (above) of the Willys patent plate with serial 57144-16819. That plate belongs to a 1960 Danish M38A1 with engine number MD117748

The patents plates in M38A1's assembled by Nekaf and Van Twist do have a
specific Nekaf or Van Twist serial number in the upper left corner and letters MD in the upper right corner (next to the small screw).
Nekaf only used digits and Van Twist a letter T followed by digits.

[4x4M38]

Could that engine serial be MD109788 instead of
M0109788?

[NEKAF4EVER]

Hi Rick,

I hope you still own that Nekaf because I just found some historical information about your Nekaf in an old auction catalogue from 1982 !

Your jeep was auctioned together with 9 other Nekafs as lot #66 on tuesday 6 July 1982 in Holland. I think the entire lot went to a buyer in the UK.

The catalogue shows the following information
MD15999
1959
KX-70-39 (= military registration number / number plate)