M-38 Truck 1/4 Ton 4x4

The M38 Jeep was the first post-WW II jeep, based on the civilian model CJ-3A, but upgraded for military use. It was known by Willys as the model MC. It featured flat fenders, a one-piece windshield, bottom-mounted wipers, a fuel filler on the left side near the driver's seat, protruding headlights, and an air vent at the bottom center of the windshield frame. The pioneer tools (axe and shovel) are located on the passenger side. The 80-inch wheelbase M38 weighed 2,750 pounds. Its nomenclature is Truck 1/4 Ton 4x4, M-38 (G-740).

When compared to the World War II Willys MB / Ford GPW, the M38 is a little larger, with better seating for the driver and passenger, and uses larger tires (7:00x16). It shares a 24 volt waterproofed electrical system with other post-war M-series vehicles, requiring a second battery to boost the voltage. The L-head, 4 cyl. 60 hp. engine of the MB was improved with a gear drive camshaft and was mated to a T90 transmission and 5:38 axle gears.

Willys produced about 45,500 of the M-38 jeeps from September 1950 through July 1952.

More information and photos are available on this Olive-Drab.com page about M-38 Military Jeeps.

M-38 jeep with top & side curtains and fording gear, Detroit Arsenal, June 1950.

Today in WW II: 8 Jul 1940 Tea rationing begins in Britain. More ↓

8 Jul 1941 Jews living under German occupation in Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ordered to wear a Jewish Star.
8 Jul 1942 US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz orders invasion of Guadalcanal, Solomon islands, to seize a strategic Japanese airfield.
8 Jul 1944 US forces on Saipan mop up after surviving a 15-hour banzai charge, one of the largest ever, defesting over 3000 Japanese soldiers plus wounded and civilians who participated.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

M-38 Truck 1/4 Ton 4x4 (G-740)

Manuals for the M-38 Truck 1/4 Ton 4x4 include:

TM 9-804	Operation and Organizational Maintenance (1950)
TM 9-8012	Operation and Organizational Maintenance (1956). Supersedes TM 9-804.
LO 9-8012	Lubrication Order
TM 9-1804A	Maintenance of Engine and Clutch (1951)
TM 9-1804B	Power Train, Body and Frame (1951)
ORD 9 SNL G-740	Parts List (1955)

Date in parentheses may not be the only publication date for the manual.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M-38 military jeep at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup.

M-38 Military Jeep Photo Gallery

Former US Air Force M-38 serial #4799, photographed in 2006. Turn signals and other details are not original configuration
Former US Air Force M-38 serial #4799, photographed in 2006. Turn signals and other details are not original configuration.
Photo: Courtesy of eBay seller armydave2.

Former US Air Force M-38 serial #4799, photographed in 2006. Turn signals and other details are not original configuration
Former US Air Force M-38 serial #4799, photographed in 2006. Turn signals and other details are not original configuration.
Photo: Courtesy of eBay seller armydave2

M-38 with military hard top, gas fired heater and deep water fording snorkle. Photo: Courtesy of Dennis P. Nolan
M-38 with military hard top, gas fired heater and deep water fording snorkle.
Photo: Courtesy of Dennis P. Nolan.

M-38 Truck 1/4 Ton 4x4 (G-740). Photo: Courtesy of Steve Johnston
M-38 Truck 1/4 Ton 4x4 (G-740). Photo: Courtesy of Steve Johnston.

M-38 on left with 1943 Willys MB on right. Photo: US Army National Infantry Museum
M-38 on left with 1943 Willys MB on right. Photo: US Army National Infantry Museum.