M38A1CDN2 Dashboard and Windshield Frame

[Mike Baker]

My M38A1CDN2 has a padded cushion at the top of the dashboard, which extends right across the width of the truck. I have been unable to find this in any pictures of other M38A1s - has anyone ever seen this before?

Also, the colour under the green paint on my windshield frame is powder blue. This raises a bit of a puzzle. I know that M38A1 and CJ5 windshield frames were interchangable, but the factory colour of all early CJ5 frames was black. And if mine is a CJ5 frame it would have to be pre-1959 because I have split glass (only a CJ5 option until 1959) and top-mounted wipers (also an early-CJ5 thing). So my frame is the wrong colour to be an early frame and the wrong design to be a late frame! Does anyone have any ideas what I have?