Sold: 1953 M38A1 in Eastern Ontario

[msloan]

The jeep seems to be sold. I do have an engine and transmission/ tranny that I will post shortly

[Ryan Harriman]

I'm glad you sold it. I was just logging on to get your number...now my wife won't kill me

[msloan]

Given the toys you list under your post, I am VERY surprised she has not already done so!
She must be very understanding.....
Wanna buy an engine?

[Robin Craig]

I may be interested for the engine and gearbox price depending and condition declared

[Andrew Iarocci]

I am new to the forum, but have been a long-time reader.

I noticed on the jeep listed for sale above that a hot water heater kit is fitted to the firewall. My 1953 M38A1 Cdn came with an identical kit. I have never found any reference to it in military documents or literature.

Were these, possibly, CJ kits that might have been fitted by civilian owners after the jeeps were released, or was there perhaps some limited issue of them while the jeeps were still in service?

[msloan]

You probably should have posted a new thread for this, but I wondered the same thing. I assume that they are aftermarket heaters. Certainly the controls look civilian...

[Andrew Iarocci]

Apologies.

I agree, the kit seems like a civilian item, one that was clearly designed at least to fit a CJ tub. Yet I noted that the bracket for the heater controls had been painted over at least once in olive drab in my case. It doesn't prove anything, of course, but does suggest that the jeep may have carried the kit while it was still in service. And now that I spotted this second example, the plot thickens.

One other point of interest is that the glove box compartment had been removed entirely from my jeep in order to accommodate the blower on the inside of the firewall. I decided to reinstall the kit when I rebuilt the jeep, but did not want to be without a glove box, so I made up a replacement with a cut-out that worked around the blower. Did your jeep also have the compartment removed, or had it been modified/cut to allow for the blower?