52 M38a1 Motor Pool Resto

Yup, I remember your jeep on a trail run in Hillsboro in the summer of 2018. Nice winch bud!!

 

Arthur is a scrappy young fellow. He loves his trail rides....

 

Too cool. Looks like he loves those Jeep rides.


Dave

 

His favorite spot, sitting on the stowed side curtains. He snaps and barks at the brush as we drive down the trails. He likes his horse riding the most though. He hunts vermin and birds.

This pic is pre-op for the current jeep project. November if I'm not mistaken.

 

That was me. The one fogging for mosquitoes...

I thought maybe you wanted a picture of the front brake-line details. I'll go for that tomorrow in any case.

 

So, "Flower Power" was a bit muddy when parked this Fall. (Had made a run to "Volkswagen Hill" in Hillsboro.)

As far as I can see this stock 1956 ('57) CJ5 has the identical stone guard and s-tube as an M38A1 on the front axle, with the 90º port on the wheel cylinder.

 

Agreed that it's the identical setup as the M38A1. If you to add the guard onto a later axle, you'd have to remove the hose tab from the frame and weld onto the axle housing.

 

Maybe one could add the guard, but run a longer flex hose to the frame? But overall it might be a moot point as to what set-up gives better protection and fewer failure points.

 

Received my new (old) brake riveting tool. Made in USA. I avoid buying new tools whenever possible or practical. I should have a package getting here today from Pete DeBella which have the brake linings.

 

For those that don't have enough hub caps.....Seriously, I had a few on the shelf that needed refreshing along with the take off's from the 52. The ones on the left are for the trail. The ones on the right are in excellent shape.

 

Looking forward to seeing the brake re-lining. Looks interesting.
Most of the hub caps are smashed from hammering them on.
I keep some extras also. Nice progress.
If I drive the 64 USMC M38A1 more, I may consider installing locking hubs.
It takes a football field to turn it around with the lock Rites in it.

Dave

 

Back to the build. Front (1") slave cylinders. Driving out the pistons with a 3/8" drift. Some heat and PB helped.

Honing the cylinders. Lubed up the stones first. After the honing, I used an emery cloth and dowel to polish the surface since I though the hone left things a bit rough. They're in serviceable condition for sure.

Blasted and primed...

They each have different casting fonts. The bottom one looks older to me. Flip side.

Old school rebuild kit from John Bizal (Midwest Military). Unlike the rears, these kits did not come with new pistons. I reused the old ones which polished up nicely on the wire wheel.

Everything all squeaky clean and ready for assembly. I'll load the backing plates quite soon. Just waiting on some brake linings and rear axle seals/gaskets from Pete DeBella.

Just waiting on a few more more parts.

 

That's true about those poor hub caps being damaged during install. I personally use a big socket and a rubber mallet.

Thank you for the words of encouragement. Yes, it's moving along pretty quickly this time around!

 

Just remember if they are leaking they have oil….lol

 

I'm in good shape then. My Jeeps leave their mark everywhere they go.

Dave

 

I remain positive about how my tranny/ transfer is sealed up. We'll see! My 54 M38A1 won't hold oil for more than 2 weeks. After this project is settled, I need to pull the power plant since the clutch is going. I'll try to seal that one up too.

 

So this Friday and next Monday off from work. Big push with painting the frame, hard lines with front and rear brakes....Going for a rolling frame guys. We'll see.

 

Oh, and my wife is out of town...

 

A few minor updates. I sealed off the big sliding door with some plastic sheet and sealed off dozens of cracks in the walls with a can of that crappy foam stuff that I hate. Only about half of my work space is uninsulated (thankfully on the south side which is the wall on the right side of the photo). I'll have to work on that. But the sliding door to the east was the big offender for sure.

It's been mild so getting it to 70 degrees in the barn has not been a problem. I've been able to prime and paint some parts but there's a long way to go. I'm mostly focused on brake and frame related parts at this time for obvious reasons.

Some eye candy. While blasting the backing plates, I see old school Bendix branding and part numbers.

 

KH on drums. Is this Kelsey Hayes...?