Hi, I’m Austin Boone, I’m 18 and I live in Chugiak Alaska. My restoration started about 3 months ago when I sold my car to buy this 1952 M38. It was love at first sight and ever since I saw it I knew I had to have it. Everything I have goes into it. I even flew my grandpa up so we could work on it for awhile, since I’m a rookie. So far my restoration consists of a lot of internal engine, electrical, and brake work, I can already drive it around, but eventually I hope to turn it into even more of a head turner than it already is.
This certain jeep is pretty unique because its Arctic addition brought up during the Korean war and on top of that it was a fire marshals, as you can see by the pictures. It also means a little more to me because my family is a military family and its cool to have it in the family and be able to drive it on base like it was back in the day. Hope you like the pictures.
~ Willys Jeep Life story submitted by Austin Boone
Dude, if you ever want to or need to sell please let me know.
Cheers, Lyle Watkins, lylew2@gmail.com
My M38 with artic cab was almost identical but with one difference. It had a triangular addition to the center of the hood. Could never figure out what it was for. Great vehicles.
No road salt up there in AK really helped keep your Jeep alive. Wish I could have found one like that when I was stationed in at Ft Wainwright in Fairbanks a couple of years back. Nice M38!
Great pictures of a great jeep, glad to see you not wait to get a jeep. I have wanted one for years and waited till I was 64 to get mine [53 willy’s CJ3A] and like everyone else is saying KEEP IT!
Great history! Pretty Jeep! Congratulations!
Austin, Hang in there. During some bad times back in 65/66, the M38 was a quick ride to point and then walk the rest of the way, brings back alot of memorys of that and the M151’s that were mostly commanded by the brass. Since we were airborne, some of those units were heavy dropped, but it was mostly grunt walk, but would welcome the ride of those rigid frames. Keep up the good work..
Austin,
What a valuable piece of history you have fallen in love with. I can identify with loving a Jeep as I had to buy my ’56 CJ5 when I saw it for sale. You have a family connection to be proud of with your Jeep. Enjoy working on it and I wish you many years of Happy Jeeping.
STONE COLD AWESOME! Cold and jeep always seem to go together, mostly because of being a 4×4. Nice find now send one here to New York State for me.
Austin, what a good find. That is a great looking jeep, have fun working on it and Don’t get rid of it. I could have used the heater this last week, in the 20’s in Southern Az. Am restoring a 1946. We have to worry about shade here usually. Keep up the good work.
Mike
Austin, that is some far out ol’ fossil you’ve got! We here will never know, but I hope it turns into something your grandkids will be chuckling about while showing it off themselves decades from now. I love it; it’s a beaut. Best of luck to you in your restoration and please….. keep the rubber side down!
Robert – 1946 CJ2A
Great pictures and story. Your words, “It was love at first sight and ever since I saw it I knew I had to have it” could well be mine 40 years ago when I fell in love with my 1952 Willys M-38! It was my first car and we drove it everywhere, even from Chicago to Boundary Waters for canoe trips, and on just about every remote logging road in Wisconsin. I still have it in a barn awaiting a total restoration. Over the years I added 10 inch brakes, overdrive, lock-a-matic hubs, a Warn winch, roll bar and other accessories. Of interest to you I was able to purchase a brand new arctic winterization kit which had a gas fired boiler that exhausted onto the oil pan and circulated hot water through the engine AND throug stainless steel heat exchanger pads under the dual batteries!
I even had the South Wind gas fired personnel heater that fit on the inside rear fender. Your story and pictures bring back great memories. I always thought the M-38 was the quintessential Willys with its submersible 24v ignition system!
Have fun!
Austin good looking M38 I remember my first resto on a 1953 M38 back in mid 1970’s when my dad was alive I was in 7th grade lots of fun and good memories. Still have same M38 just rerestored it w/my brother and gave it to my mom for sentimental reasons. Best of luck keep Willys alive!
Hi Austin, You have a great looking M38 there. I’ve got one very similar to yours. Two big differences between ours is that you have the original heater on yours. Keep it running and don’t ever let it go! And I converted my Arctic M38 into an all-electric commuter car. Here’s a link to a photo of it, with the “Juice Box” generator trailer. http://www.rockymountains.net/~m38mike/electrowillys/photo82.html With the trailer attached it works like a hybrid car. Without the trailer it’s straight electric.
I wish I could find an M38 like yours. I’d do what you’re doing and that’s restoring it and keeping it running. Mine came to me as a collection of almost junk parts. I had to do a lot of repair and body work to get mine looking decent. It looks like yours is still in very good shape. I got my first M38 when I was 16, and I still have it 40 years later. I hope you’ll keep yours that long too.
-m38mike-
Austin,
I love your jeep. I have a 1951 myself that I have always wanted and it finally came true last August. Sounds like you are having as much fun as I am getting these things back in shape. I see lots of old willys that have been cut up and made to be rock crawlers but I love the look of an old one that is still stock looking. You have a great starter.Nothing like having a fixer upper that you can drive around while you and things to it. Keep up the good work and enjoy the heck out of it.
Nice to see a young man,who is eager to carry on the great American spirit !
enjoyed the pictures and story…thanks for sharing!
cool jeep, I have one like it but mine does not have the heater – I bought it from an older guy who had used for bird hunting for years and I never knew he had the top, doors and special windshield frame until we had agreed on the price and I went to get – loading on the trailer and he says if you want the “lid” for it go look in the back of that barn over there…
I,m restoring an M-38 as we speak. I bought an artic top for it on E bay last year. It’s guys like us that have the oportunity to preserve an historical vehicle like this, and pass it on. Good luck with the restoration
John
You have a great Jeep, Austin. Take good care of it and never get rid of it. I’ve bought and sold a few Jeeps but I made the right choice by keeping and preserving my first one.
-Mark in Indiana
1945? CJ2A
Austin,, great Jeep, I was stationed at Eielson AFB< Fairbanks in 1957 and this brings back some great memories, have not seen a Artic top since then, keep the Ole Boy going
. . . . was stationed at Fort Richardson back in ’66 and routinely drove an M38A1, I think it was,and an M151 or M151A1, memory escaping me today exactly which. I liked the M38 because of the low and high range, but only a three-speed transmission, while the M151s were newer and cleaner, lacked the low and high range, but had a four speed trans, I think. Army’s immediate and interim solution for the Corvair-like rollover problem of the 4 wheel independent suspension of the M151s, was for us to read a page or two of the problem, and pass a ten question test about it, and our license would be stamped as qualified to drive the vehicle . . . . lot of memories with these jeeps, as we called them, but my big desire for today would be an M35A2 deuce-and-a-half . . . . . with the whistler turbo, which came into use mostly after my stint . . . . we still had the older hydramatic versions, yet . . . . . these are all starting to get scarcer, the good ones . . . . those were really the good old days . . . .wish I had been in the motor pool . . . . I think . . . . .
Awesome, Austin! I love your pictures because they are the first I’ve seen of one of these models. I happen to have a 1951 M38 with the insulated cab, although the auxiliary heater is missing. I don’t think I’ve seen any other M38s with the cab other than yours, thanks so much for posting. By the way, you’re braver than I am…mine stays in the garage during the winter so the road salt doesn’t make it melt away!
Daniel
Way to go, Austin. Glad you are enjoying it so much. It looks like the perfect vehicle for those snowy roads up there in the “frozen tundra”. Be sure to post more pics when you get it completely redone.
Austin:
I know just how you feel. When I was 16, my Dad gave me his older Jeep, a 1950 CJ3A. It was my first car. I still have it, 50 years later, have rebuilt parts off and on, and still drive it on occasion. I’ll never part with it.
Enjoy the ride, Austin. Keep it garaged if you can to help preserve it, and congratulations!
Very nice – take good care of it.
These old willys are awesome. It’s great to see not only Jeep, but American heritage on display like this. I’m afraid that the next generation of Jeep owners may not have the same appreciation for these relics. Nice job here with the site.
-Jim
Very nice project for anyone but especially a young man. Good going!