a good purchase?

Looking for parts is a never ending story...especially when you have hardly anything to work with from the getgo. That at least is how it is for me. Me and my 54' m38a1 have spent hundreds of bonding hours (no pun intended with the bondo) but anyway when I found a 57 cj5 in the thrifty nickel for $400 I jumped at it. So to make a long story short I towed it home threw some gas in the carb and it fired right up. Turns out this puppy is a twice as good runnen jeep as the one I'm fixin up. Well i'm tryin to decide if I should mix and match, have two jeeps or start over on my new one. It seems sad to disassemble such a piece of history. Anyway its a hard desision. Heres my other problem/dilema; I dont have a reverse. I cant figure it out, All my gears work fine. I figured maybe the brake shoe was getting stuck but know I dont think so...something in the gear box? Help me out. And also would appreciate the advice on if I should mix and match jeeps. Maybe use the cj5 frame and m38a1 body? Thanks, Jacob

 

sounds like a tranny problem. put trans in neutral, block wheels and unbolt trans cover. The reverse idiler gear is the gear thats down under the main cluster gear and attached to the left side of the case. looking from drivers seat. good luck sounds like a good find! you

 

What! Are you crazy! HAVE TWO JEEPS!!!!!

 

Restore the M38A1 to OD/military and drive it in parades. Wheel the '57. Problem solved!

 

Just so you know the M38A1 has a MD prefix on the waterpump boss if the engine is original so mix and match can have a detrimental effect on resale unless the original is included.

 

2 Jeeps sounds good to me!

 

:iagree:

 

Another comment - if you don't want 2 Jeeps, you might get the M38A1 driveable and sell it. That could provide needed cash for the '57. There might be a lot of interest in the 'A1 on the G503 boards. There's some extra value in the military models, and since you seem more interested in the civilian Jeep as a driver, selling the 'A1 makes sense to me.

 

M38A1 body fits onto Cj frame. There is a bit of special sheet metal in the floor of Cj5a to accomodate V6 You can use the Cj dash in M38A1 body. You will have to live with the 24 V bat box. Also no tailgate on M38A1. If the Cj is 57, it should be 4 cyl unless already swapped in V6.