My M38A1 build

OK, I know I've got a partial thread, but from here on I'm going to document my work from go. Here is the jeep when I got it. Gotta' love the water piper roll bar!


And here it is with the plumbing removed:



An now with half the wheels on it:



And with all of 'em:

 

I've been pulling it further and further apart for paint. Stripped the dash and wiring. Went ahead and R&R'ed the cluster just to say I've made some progress:



The gauges are AutoMeter Industrials. Got them from a surpluscenter.com about 2 years ago. They have dates of mid to late '94 on the back. These (5) gauges set me back $65. Smokin'! Not quite stock, but I like the look. (And the price!) And I figure the tach is of way more importance than a speedo offroad.

 

Looks good!

 

Nice! Are you staying with the original 24-Volt system or did you switch to 12-Volt?

 

good work

 

What conversions did you make to get the new set of wheels to fit?

 

Thanks for the compliments. The jeep was 12v when I got it, and it'll stay that way. (I'd have converted it myself otherwise.)

The wheels are Eaton 15x10 with 3 1/2" backspace, which is their minimum. I paid $15 extra per wheel to have the bs change from 3 3/4" and it was the right thing to do!

Other than that, the Black Diamond 3" lift provided enough clearance. Given my druthers, I would prefer to move the rear axle back 3/4" for more clearance on the fuel tank well. I already drilled the extra holes in the perches and shock plates, but when I slid the housing back the driveshaft was too short.

I have a 3.0 Mercruiser and an SM465 that I am contemplating swapping in, but the F head runs well for now. Whatever driveline I decide on, I may have a new driveshaft made so I can relocate the diff housing.

 

Looking good! At least they used metal pipework and not PVC!

 

Who makes the mercruiser motor? How does it compare with the Buick V6 for power and mounting? Reason I ask is the 231's are getting hard to find around here.
Keith

 

The 3.0l (181 ci-140 horsepower) Merc' is an enlarged GM 153. The old 2.5l motor that came in Novas from 63-70. The 120 horse Merc' is the 2.5l. GM still makes the motor for marine and industrial use (forklifts, welders, generators, pumps). It is a 3.0 Vortec now. It uses standard GM bellhousing. Some caveats are intake manifolds may or may not have to be fabbed, headers and a rear sump oil pan. The boat motors are front sump. I've been looking around for a 68-70 Nova pan and I have a Clifford aluminum intake. I may just give the general some coin for an exhaust manifold. Or it may be time to learn to build a header!

 

OK, I need to work on some bigger projects, but these little jobs keep me motivated!

I want offroad lights on the jeep, but don't care for any of the solutions I've seen so far so I built these mounts to look like the government blackout lights. 5" halogens are harbor freight specials that were $15 each. I scotchbrited the chrome so hopefully the paint'll stick. If it won't, JC Whitney has some black powdercoated 5 inchers for $20 each.

 

Where'd ya get those brackets?

 

I made them. 10ga plate and 1" x 1/8" strap. I used my press break (goes in my 20 ton shop press) and I have a $50 Harbor Freight ring roller that I made the bands with.

 

Looks like your going to have a nice M38A1 when your done Im looking for a set of stock seat frames for my M38A1 so if your going to upgrade your seats let me know and maybe we can make a deal

 

me too!

 

One of the selling points on this particular M38A1 was VERY little rust and a lot of the OEM stuff was still attached. It is also an early model with hinged grill and the early fenders, which sucks because they are both cratered. (Worse in person than the pictures) I'm going to restore the body to stock except for tubed front fenders. (Both of the originals are damaged beyond repair.) Going to use the OEM sheetmetal and inner fenders just welded to tube. (I hope!) I'm going to use the OEM seat frames with reproduction canvas. I'm going to have to buy a rear seat re-pop and all the brackets (About $250 when said and done. Ouch.) Further pain comes from the top bows because I want to do a canvas top. This is offroad only (at least for now!) and I think I'll just go with the summer top.