Thinking about redoing a “restoration” of mine.
In 2009 I purchased a 1952 M38A1 that has never been restored. After its service in the military it was assigned to the Civil Defense Force and painted orange. It was given to the university of Nebraska forest service department in 1974, at which point the engine was rebuilt. As of right now the engine has only 3,000-4,000 miles on it. It was sold at auction some time in 2008 I believe, and the owner who purchased fixed a few minor issues with the body and painted over the orange with green.
I bought it from him in 2009.
Here is a list of what I did:
I completely replaced about every component with the front steering gear due to some severe slop and worn out steering box.
New tires
Fixed Gauges
Added replica spare tire carrier
Added replica Canvas top (beachwood)
Fixed horn
Fixed lights
Fixed fuel pump
Fixed wipers
Touched up base green coast and added markings
Lots of other minor stuff
I probably put about $7,000 or so into it included the purchase price of the vehicle, parts and tools.
Here it is 2011 and I am having some issues with the vehicle that make me want to take it completely apart and do a frame off.
Issues:
Transmission is leaking a lot
Because of the previous owners attempt to save money by doing a spray over the paint job is starting to come off and surface rust is starting to come through.
Some of the spot welds on the body are coming apart.
The wiring harness has been spliced and repaired over the years and needs to be replaced. Apparently when it was in the forestry service they thought it was a good idea to clip off some of the metal connectors and just directly splice into some of the lights!
Missing back seat
Seat cushions need to be reupholstered
Passenger seat frame is bent.
Seals along windshield leak badly when it rains.
Items I would like to upgrade:
I would like to upgrade the brake system to front disc brakes.
I want to install the turn signal upgrade
Add a key to turn the power on
Basically I want to pull it apart to the frame, clean up the gunk off the frame and coat it with a rust preventative.
While the body is off I want to:
Rebuild the transmission (to replace the leaky seals).
Upgrade the braking system.
Replace motor mounts (the rubber is pretty old)
Replace any wiring or old rubber parts
Sand blast the body and weld in new sheet metal on any problem areas (the body is actually in great shape for being 60 years old).
Once the body is cleaned up I want to coat it with an excellent rust preventative primer and paint it the correct color again.
I think my M38a1 is an excellent candidate for a frame off. It has 90% of the parts and no major rust issues. I also don’t drive it as much as I would like due to the fact I don’t really trust the poor brakes.
One of the key issues holding me back is the top canvas I bought made by beachwood canvas, it has been on the vehicle for 2 years now, I am afraid if I remove it may shrink. Can this actually happen?
Also in your area what is the going rate to have all the body parts sandblasted?
Pictures of my M38a1 below:
In 2009 I purchased a 1952 M38A1 that has never been restored. After its service in the military it was assigned to the Civil Defense Force and painted orange. It was given to the university of Nebraska forest service department in 1974, at which point the engine was rebuilt. As of right now the engine has only 3,000-4,000 miles on it. It was sold at auction some time in 2008 I believe, and the owner who purchased fixed a few minor issues with the body and painted over the orange with green.
I bought it from him in 2009.
Here is a list of what I did:
I completely replaced about every component with the front steering gear due to some severe slop and worn out steering box.
New tires
Fixed Gauges
Added replica spare tire carrier
Added replica Canvas top (beachwood)
Fixed horn
Fixed lights
Fixed fuel pump
Fixed wipers
Touched up base green coast and added markings
Lots of other minor stuff
I probably put about $7,000 or so into it included the purchase price of the vehicle, parts and tools.
Here it is 2011 and I am having some issues with the vehicle that make me want to take it completely apart and do a frame off.
Issues:
Transmission is leaking a lot
Because of the previous owners attempt to save money by doing a spray over the paint job is starting to come off and surface rust is starting to come through.
Some of the spot welds on the body are coming apart.
The wiring harness has been spliced and repaired over the years and needs to be replaced. Apparently when it was in the forestry service they thought it was a good idea to clip off some of the metal connectors and just directly splice into some of the lights!
Missing back seat
Seat cushions need to be reupholstered
Passenger seat frame is bent.
Seals along windshield leak badly when it rains.
Items I would like to upgrade:
I would like to upgrade the brake system to front disc brakes.
I want to install the turn signal upgrade
Add a key to turn the power on
Basically I want to pull it apart to the frame, clean up the gunk off the frame and coat it with a rust preventative.
While the body is off I want to:
Rebuild the transmission (to replace the leaky seals).
Upgrade the braking system.
Replace motor mounts (the rubber is pretty old)
Replace any wiring or old rubber parts
Sand blast the body and weld in new sheet metal on any problem areas (the body is actually in great shape for being 60 years old).
Once the body is cleaned up I want to coat it with an excellent rust preventative primer and paint it the correct color again.
I think my M38a1 is an excellent candidate for a frame off. It has 90% of the parts and no major rust issues. I also don’t drive it as much as I would like due to the fact I don’t really trust the poor brakes.
One of the key issues holding me back is the top canvas I bought made by beachwood canvas, it has been on the vehicle for 2 years now, I am afraid if I remove it may shrink. Can this actually happen?
Also in your area what is the going rate to have all the body parts sandblasted?
Pictures of my M38a1 below:
