My grandfather, Gus Grupalo purchased (2) M38A1 Jeeps in the early 1970’s for $100 each. Parts were stripped from one Jeep to make one complete M38A1. The Jeep was painted with Rustoleum spray-can orange paint. That was my father’s way of being seen on the road by others at night. The “Little Orange Jeep that Could” lived in Guerneville, CA for 10 years. The Jeep was passed on to me in the early 1990’s and I have slowly been renovating the Jeep. Most recently, we have completed an engine rebuild with the help of Peter Fraser. The Jeep now lives in Walnut Creek, CA where it is mostly used for evening trips downtown for ice cream and a cruise down Main St.
In 1986, the Russian River flooded the town of Guerneville. The Jeep was submerged under water for 3 days. I was in college in San Diego at the time and no others were able to relocate the Jeep to higher ground. As the water slowly receded, there was a fine film of silt left in every crevice. It was everywhere. The Jeep was left sitting in the garage until I came to its rescue a year later. That’s when I did the body off frame repaint to its current forest green color.
After the tub was painted I was left with several boxes of parts and pieces. A project I was not able to compete due to lack of skills and time. The Jeep was taken to Archer Brother’s in Hayward, CA. Their Jeep parts business had recently closed for good. One of the Archer Brothers was in town from Colorado and due on a plane flight back in a few hours. I paid for the flight change fee and a week later the freshly painted Jeep was back on the road.
The Jeep engine was rebuilt by Peter Fraser, who also has relocated out of CA from Santa Rosa to Texas. The Jeep is happily touring around the Bay Area and hopes to get new electrical wiring and gauges someday soon.
Cheers
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Joe Grupalo
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Very good looking jeep, and awesome history. I have a 1953 M38A1 as well, but mine needs a lot of work 😜.
I hope you make many more memories with your jeep and thanks for sharing ✌️