I have a friend who's a Korea vet. Nice old guy. He's bugging me to find him an old Army Jeep. Im guessing a Willys M38 style? I know absolutely zero about these things. If you have any leads, post them up. Im hoping I can find one close by for him. If you know of any for sale, post up the lead here.
Here's a couple around here. Let me know if you want me to go look at them. I'm about as knowledgeable on them as I am on crocheting, but I know if something runs good and what rust looks like. https://kalispell.craigslist.org/cto/d/a1-jeep/6628293389.html https://missoula.craigslist.org/cto/d/ww2-jeep-missoula-5500/6626521179.html
Being a Korean vet, he probably wants one with a one piece windshield. I think those are "Jeep" brand and the 2 piece glass job are "Willys" from the WWII era. I like the split panes myself. Nothin' like a pane in the glass; look at them seats, but it sure beat walkin'... ws
Im trying to steer him in to a somewhat "done" car. Any kind of project he buys will become my de facto project. And the last thing I need is something else to fix! its already the end of June and my poor Riviera is still sitting dormant from last year with the same laundry list of things to attend to on it. If I could only get ahead of all these house projects....sigh
Understood. There was one here last year all done up that'd show up at car shows for sale every now and then. Don't think it had a price though. What's his budget?
Not sure. Im going to have to press him some more and pin him down. There's one for sale here, its a 1943 Ford built one. Its a little over 20k though. Looks pretty authentic down to the rifle holder. I might take him to see that one since its so close. Might give me a better understanding of what he wants and give him an idea of what you get for 20k. I have to explain to him that he's spending the money either way. Its either going to be up front or on the back end. Funny, the guy is a pretty feisty 83 year old. Worked for Rolling Stone magazine doing their covers back in the 70's and 80's. Got fired when they found out he was hiding his name in the cover art He's a real character. He's got a girlfriend who's scared to death he's going to fall out of the damn thing and kill hinself! lol
Here's a good site with Military Jeeps for sale all over the country. http://willysforsale.com/ad-category/willys-military-jeep-models/
I love the flat fenders! I learned to drive on our ‘52 CJ-3A out at the ranch and really rode it hard. Cracked the frame once playing Rat Patrol in the terraced fields, lost the brakes (twice) chasing deer, but we still have it and it runs like a champ. I promised myself that, once the Buick is done, the Jeep gets a frame-off. Once done, it’ll outlive me!
Now you are making me want another military jeep! I used to have two M422A1 "Mighty Mite" jeeps. I bought them when I was a senior in high school. They were Viet Nam era Marine Corps jeeps. Jason, if your friend wants a Korean War era Jeep he should probably be looking for a WWII Willys MB or Ford GPW, or an M38. The M38A1 came out in 1952 and the Korean War ended in the summer of 1952 so I don't know how many, if any, made it to Korea before the war ended.
I have done much work on this era Willys since doing my M38/Cj3A resto (of course mine has a Buick V6!). The Korean era would be the M38, which is simply a CJ3A but militarized. The evolution is quite "simple". The first Jeeps were designed at the start of the war and a couple of big names built them - Ford and Willys mostly. There were improvements and slight changes made thru 1945. Post-war, Willys sought to keep selling the little truck and rebranded it as the CJ2A (Civilian Jeep). They used up the military parts and standardized things. Many, many thousands were built. Around 1948, the CJ3A replaced the 2A. The drivers seat moved rearward slightly and the windshield became one piece with rounded corners. The CJ5 also came out soon after, with a very different body (not a flatfender) and both the CJ3A, CJ5 and CJ3B were built in parallel for a few years. All of these Jeeps until around 1953 have the same flat head 4 cyl that made 60HP on a good day, a 3 speed T90 trans and a 2 speed Dana 18 transfer case. Axles were almost always 5.38 ratio. Rear was a D44 and Front was a D25 with closed knuckle Spicer ends. Really a well designed and capable off road platform if you've ever idled along off road in 1st gear low range. I would search for a CJ3A made to look like an M38 and converted to 12V. The civilian jeeps were 6V. The M38 was 24 volts with all waterproof ignition and two batteries. The flatfenders are sought after and can bring pretty high dollars. The M38, fully restored, is probably the highest priced version of a flat fender. The 24v components are impossible to get and if it's just for fun cruising, any CJ3A or even a 2A painted in military green will pass for "an old Army Jeep". Most are converted to 12V - it just makes life easier. Fully restored original flat fenders can fetch anywhere from $10k to $25k. They are extremely popular in Europe, espec the military jeeps. Really nice rust free flat fenders with a good running 4cyl and original running gear could run anywhere from $5k to $15k. Sometimes you can find a western jeep that is rust free, mostly original and with patina, might get for $3,500 to $9,000. Much depends on condition, as always. Cheaper Jeeps abound, and all parts are plentiful. Rust free tub is the only real thing you want to score. FYI, the CJ3B is the flat fender "high hood" version of a 3A. Unmistakable, people either love or hate the look as compared to an early "low hood" flatfender. The hood was raised to accommodate the OHV 4 cyl. The CJ5 platform is very different in all front end sheet metal. And to add a bit more confusion, the militarized version of the CJ5 was called an M38A, made roughly in 1953 and up. So a military green CJ5 could also pass for "an old Army Jeep". Good luck. Keep looking and you will easily find a good example of what your friend is seeking. Something with upgrade brakes is not a bad thing .
A co-worker and I did a WWII themed chili cook-off (Competitors had to have a theme of some sort). Our director was good friends with a guy who specialized in restoring WWII Jeeps. Here is a craigslist add he posted a few days ago: https://killeen.craigslist.org/cto/d/1942-ford-gpw-open-jeep/6605631415.html I know I'm in Texas...but I can vouch for this guys passion...it's what he does. I'm certain he has several from rough projects to fully restored. Another: https://killeen.craigslist.org/cto/d/1942-ford-gpw-military-jeep/6623578879.html
I have a friend in Jerome AZ who is an expert on Jeeps - mostly old ones. He's the only person with whom I attended high school that I am still in touch with. He retired as a senior test engineer for a major computer firm and in retirement he does ham radio and doesn't do computers. We communicate by snail mail. If you want, Jason, I will write to him and see if he will allow me to give you his address and/or telephone number. It will be a while though - if this is a hurry-up thing, I don't think he will be of much use to you.
Jason: Check out this sweet old baby! https://www.facebook.com/TegmeierEn...581094003798/1694580817337159/?type=3&theater . I don't think they come much nicer than that. Not to far from me I could go check it out, but I don't know that much about these. Keith
I think a "clone" is going to be acceptable to him. I think he's looking more for "the look" rather than being authentic. Probably keep the costs down as well. Found a 53 not too far from me. What do you guy think. Its not a flat fender but it is more in line with his military service. I'll take him to look at it and see what he thinks https://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/cto/d/1953-jeep-willys/6622068347.html
That is a military M38A1. Looks like a lot of bondo in the left front fender, chunks have cracked & fallen off.
That is a military M38A1. Looks like a lot of bondo in the left front fender, chunks have cracked & fallen off.
