Hello from California

[BigNick]

Hey all! Just bought my first Jeep almost a week ago. I grew up watching M*A*S*H...all the time. One summer my brother and I found a VHS and a ton of blank tapes at a yard sale, we recorded as many episodes as we could so we wouldn't have to wait to watch them again. My dream car was a military Jeep Willy...well, I looked around for a while and found one. According to the previous owner, it is a 1952 M38A1. Supposedly used in Korea, and was rumored to be on the set of M*A*S*H...though I have several doubts and no proof to back it up, currently trying to find info about the vehicle; though, it has been difficult. I'm no means an expert at all about Jeeps. All I knew was that it was the same style Jeep that Colonel Potter drove when entering the camp for the first time...same for BJ, and many MPs have em. Apart from that, I don't know much about Jeeps. So consequently, I have a bunch of questions, hahaha!! I've done some research these past couple days, but with the more I research, the more questions I have. I'm quite eager to learn about this stuff, and very excited to start this journey! I think I'll post another thread soon with a few pics asking y'all what is what about this thang!

Thanks and cheers!
2914

-Nick

[LarrBeard]

Welcome to the group. It's a nice looking vehicle, seems to be mostly all there.

How much of it is still stock? It should have the F-134 engine and a 24-volt electrical system with shielded ignition wiring.

Oh yes, we can tell that Corporal Klinger bought the tires for this M38A1- white sidewall stripes.... Enjoy it!~

[gmwillys]

Welcome Nick! Looks likce you have a nice example of an M38A1. From looking at the grill, you do have an early A1. The grill has hinges at the bottom to facilitate the ease of an engine change. Later years did not have the hinges.

Anything is possible about the possible staring in MASH. The show was filmed in and around the hills around LA, and there may be some info around the web that may help. You may find out that it is the Jeep that Radar sent home piece by piece....

[gmwillys]

Reading up on the Jeeps used in the television series, I found a couple of interesting facts. The Willys MB that was used throughout the show was burned along with a Dodge ambulance, while filming the last episode. When Klinger looks off in the distance, admiring the sunset, Cornel Potter realizes that it is not the sunset, but a fire. The actual set was burned by a wildfire, and the two vehicles were burned. The fire was written into the series finally. The M38A1 was in fact a '52, but as you mentioned, there were only two times that the M38A1 was shown. I wasn't able to find anything to verify that your Jeep was the one used, but there is always hope.

[LarrBeard]

You noted:

"The actual set was burned by a wildfire, and the two vehicles were burned".

In this group having an MB burned over by a wildfire just makes it a good starting point for a frame-off restoration. We've probably seen a lot worse....

[gmwillys]

Yes, fire isn't the worst we see. From a couple of pictures I've seen, there isn't much left. The set was a ranch above Malibu, but now is a state park. People can hike the trails, and have taken souvenirs.

[Lyle462]

Welcome! I'm a Jeep newbie too. You'll find this a great place to learn and the manuals on the web site are a HUGE help.

[BigNick]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes! I've been looking at the movie as well...not finding anything solid. I remember that episode with the fire...close the the end of the series if I remember correctly. Spurs some interesting thought! I've been to parts of filming locations...I'm just a hop skip away. Really something to think about, "Ohh man Hotlips and Hawkeye were here!" Anyway, love all comments, already feel a warm welcome from y'all! Thanks!

[LarrBeard]

The producers of MASH were never real sticklers for historical accuracy. Their goals were, first of all – entertainment and secondarily to show us the waste and futility of war. I’ve not looked at the introduction scenes from MASH in a long time to remember just what vehicle Radar is driving.

In this thread we have tied the M38A1 back to MASH, but if indeed MASH used an M38A1 - it was a historical error on their part. If it looked kind of like a Jeep, they used it. The M38A1 was not produced until 1952 and its service introduction would not have coincided with the Korean War. (It was a real war, not a conflict).

The Willys vehicle being produced during that time was the M38, sometimes identified as the MC. It looked externally a lot like the CJ3, but there were significant body, chassis and mechanical differences (fording ability and 24-volt electrical system). Some M38 jeeps were assigned to the Korean Theatre of operations, but the majority of vehicles used in that conflict were rebuilt World War II vintage, MB’s or GPW’s. The M38’s successor was the Willys M38A1.

There are some earmarks that differentiate the M38 from a CJ3. The M38 windshield could be folded flat for firing and the body was equipped with a pintle hook for towing with lifting shackles front and rear. The headlights were no longer recessed as on previous models, but protruded with a guard wire in front. The "pioneer" tools (axe and shovel) which were carried on the MB's driver side were transferred to the passenger side of this vehicle. Later, in the M38A1 the shovel would migrate under the hood.

You’ve got a fun vehicle. Drive it around. Keep the top down. Enjoy the wind and sunshine.

And, remember the First Rule of Jeep: “What you see is what you have. Anything else may have been changed, added or removed from something else.”