Chris Dexter’s Canadian Willys M38 Restoration

Several years ago while chatting to a fellow car enthusiast I mentioned to him I was always fascinated by old army Jeeps. His reply “I got one, you want it?” (does water flow down hill?) Took about a year before I finally went to look at it, as I had to clean out some other projects in my shop to make room for it.

As the story goes he had bought it some 5 years prior, started disassembling it, couldn’t get the motor started, and gave up on the whole effort when another more interesting project came along. He then dragged it out in the bush behind a gravel pit in the back of his rural property.

By the time I went to look at it and ultimately trailer it home, it looked pretty sad. That initiated a full frame off restoration. Much research (all the data plates were missing) revealed that it is one of the few Canadian M38’s assembled by Ford of Canada LTD, all in 1952. Some old pictures I got with it, taken probably back in the ’60s, indicate it had been a communication vehicle with radios mounted on the right rear inner fender.

 Unfortunately, the engine was beyond repair which led me to installing a 2.2L Isuzu diesel in it’s place. (from a Chevy S-10) The engine has about the same HP and torque as the Willys engine making it an almost perfect candidate for a swap.

What you see in these pictures is the result of 3 long covid winters work. Other than the engine and 12 volt wiring, everything was put back to as close to original as possible. Also the brake master cylinder had to be relocated to the fire wall due to clearance issues with the diesel engine and the lights converted for civilian use. All the canvas work is home grown. This unit has now become my daily driver and puts smiles on peoples faces everywhere I go. When you start a project like this it’s real bonus to have the parts you need readily available from an outfit like Kaiser Willys.

Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Chris Dexter

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