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Hey Major,
Hope you don't mind an answer from an ex-Army Spec 5 ('72-75)!
As to the M-38A1, the CJ-5 is actually the copy. The MD predates
the CJ-5 by almost three years. The first MD rolled off the assembly line
in April of '52 and the CJ-5 came in late '54 (as '55 models). It all
happened because the Army was unhappy with the M-38. In the late '40s, the
Army was looking to standardize more and replace old WWII era equipment.
The Marines too, but they always seem to get hind tit on procurement,
though you guys had some good stuff too that was geared more to your
missions. I digress.
Anyway, they gave W-O some requirements (including 24 volts,
standardized instruments and small equipment, etc) and they came up with
the MC. The problem was that it had gained 350 lbs of curb weight and the
same amount in GVW capacity. The 60hp Go-Devil was a bit underpowered for
the job, even after W-O dropped the axle ratios to 5.38 (from 4.88) and the
transfer ratio to 2.43:1 (from 1.97). It wasn't enough to stop the ball
rolling, but when W-O perfected the 72hp F-head engine in 1949 (introduced
into the Jeepster and Utility truck line in April '50), the military got
excited. In '49, a prototype was cobbled together out of a CJ-3A and the
new F-head and I have some of the test info from '50 when it was tested
against the new M-38 and several well reasoned updates of the MB. X98 (the
prototype number given to the vehicle, AKA "The F-Head Truck") literally
blew them away!
Several more prototypes and pilot models were produced before the
MD was perfected in '52 under project #6600 and the military got on the
bandwagon big-time. That's why the M-38 had such a short operational life.
When you really get down to it, the differences between an M-38 and an
M-38A1 aren't much more than the F-head engine and aheet metal. They are
very similar in other ways and didn't require a major factory buildup to
produce. The CJ-4M prototype combined an M-38 rear body with what amounts
to an M-38A1 hood, cowl and windshield with some really odd looking
fenders. The preceeding is a bit over simplified, but you get the idea.
The closest civvy equivalent to the M-38 would be the '49-53 CJ-3A
on which it was largely based. There was no civvy equivalent to the MB, at
least one that predates it, but the CJ-1 (converted MBs off the line, of
which two pilot models were built in '43 and 44) and the 45 or so CJ-2
prototypes (built early '44-early '45) were the closest. They used a number
of MB pieces in their construction, though they had many differences. So to
did the earliest production CJ-2As, from '45 to mid '46 (full float
military 23-2 rear axle, tool cutouts on the body, certain engine
componants and a couple of other minor items).
As to the CJ-5 and CJ-7, impending lawsuits probably put the nails
in those coffins. Remember the 60 Minutes "expose" on the "unsafe" CJ-5?
Anyway, the YJ Wrangler was designed to eliminate many of the supposed
design weak links, but in reality, it was mostly an image and cosmetic
change. The latest CJs and the earliest Wranglers are very much alike in
concept and execution. They just wanted to do the least it would take to
get the piranhas off. AMC was in dire straits in those days. Hope this
answers your questions, Major. If you want to know more (shameless plug
follows), read my book "The Illustrated Jeep Buyers Guide" from MBI. Most
bookstores have it, but Amazon.com has the best price.
Jim Allen
>Mr. Jim Allen,
>Got your reply and you seem to know alot about this. I am a retired Marine,
>drove COTS CJ-5's and M151's in USMC. Would like to know when the M-38A1
>(MD) entered service, and why was it called that since it seems to look like
>it is radically diff from it's namesake M-38 (MC)? I presume the M38A1 is
>the mil equiv of the CJ-5 - correct? What is the civ equiv of the M-38 and
>MB?
>
>Do you know why Jeep/Kaiser/AMC/Chrysler decided to quit the CJ-5/CJ-7
>production in favor of the new line of urban jeeps? Seems like they could
>have made something akin to the CJ-5 that had the proper grill, headlights,
>dash board and austere interior assoicated with the original jeep-type aura.
>
>Thanks -
>Stew Rayfield
>Major USMC (Ret)
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: jimallen@onlinecol.com [mailto:jimallen@onlinecol.com]
>Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 4:07 PM
>To: mil-veh@uller.skylee.com
>Subject: [MV] Post WWII jeeps
>
>
>*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
> The only post WWII military production Jeep before the M-38 (model
>MC), was the CJ-V35/U of 1950. It was a militarised version of the CJ-3A
>with a waterproofed engine and a 12 or 24 volt generator for powering
>radios, plus a few other GI accoutrements. It was built between March and
>June of 1950 as a beachmaster's vehicle for the Navy to the tune of only
>about 1,000 units. M-38 production began in September of '50, so the
>CJ-V35/U doesn't predate it by much.
> As to Toyota's involvment in Korea, I would like to see
>documentation (sincerely, I crave new facts) that they actually saw use in
>combat there. If so, it would run contrary to other accounts. I never say
>never, but show me the beef! The Model BJ, for a time actually called
>"Jeep" (until W-O wrote them a harshly worded letter), was introduced in
>January of 1951 after about 5 months of development. I do know that it was
>used by Japanese Defense Forces almost immediately and that some were sold
>for use U.S. Occupation Forces in Japan. The Land Cruiser name was not
>applied until 1954 and only to the new FJ-25 vehicle, which was
>considerably different than the arlier rig.
> As to a "CJ-2M" or "MB-2," if such animals existed, I'd like to see
>documentation. These terms don't show up in any official development
>material I've seen. In the early '50s, "CJ-4M" and "CJ-4MAP" military
>prototypes did exist as part of the development process of fitting the
>F-head engine into the utility line, as did a civvy oriented CJ-4 prototype
>(still extant). They were direct descendents of the Model MD, or M-38A1,
>and the civilian CJ-3B.
> Anyway, probably more than anyone wanted to know!
>
> Jim Allen
>
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jul 02 2000 - 23:51:27 PDT