Jeep M38A1 (MD)

1952 to 1971 · All Jeep M38A1 (Willys MD) generations

Willys built the MD to give the Army more power, and fitting the taller Hurricane F-head four called for a new body with a rounded hood and fenders, a wheelbase one inch longer at 81 inches, and about six inches more length. It kept the M38's waterproof 24-volt electrics and added a heavier frame and reversed front spring shackles. Large numbers went to Korea in 1952 and 1953, U.S. Army buying ended in 1957, and the Marines kept ordering into the mid-1960s while export and Canadian contracts ran to 1971. Its descendants included the long-wheelbase M170 ambulance, the M38A1C recoilless-rifle carrier, and the civilian CJ-5 and CJ-6.

Model years

1952 to 1971

Built

1952 to 1971

Where

Toledo, Ohio, USA; Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Kaiser Jeep, CDN2); Canada (Ford of Canada, CDN, 1952 to 1953); NEKAF, Netherlands (kit assembly, 1955 to 1963)

Body styles

Open utility body

Four-wheel drive

Part-time four-wheel drive with two-speed Spicer 18 transfer case

Number built

101,488

Wikipedia (80,290 domestic and 21,198 foreign). Jim Allen counts 101,488 built by Willys in the 1950s plus 18,543 more by Kaiser through 1968, from AMC records.

Engines

Engine	Power	Torque	Fuel	Years
Willys F-134 Hurricane F-head I4 Wikipedia gives 75 hp; cj3b.info and JeepTech give 72 hp and 114 lb-ft for 1950s Hurricanes.	—	—	Gasoline	1952 to 1971

Transmissions

3-speed manual (Borg-Warner T-90) (1952 to 1971)

Sizes and weights

Measure	Size
Wheelbase	81 in2,057 mm
Length	138.6 in3,520 mm
Width	60.8 in1,544 mm
Height	73 in1,854 mm
Curb weight	2,660 lb1,207 kg

A range covers the body styles and trims of this generation.

Worth knowing

Early 1952 and 1953 trucks are known by the hinged grille, an eight-thumbscrew battery-box cover, and a short front bumper.
The long-wheelbase M170 front-line ambulance carried its spare inside the body so stretchers could reach over the tailgate.
The M38A1C carried a 106 mm recoilless rifle, with a slot in the windshield frame for the barrel; a few dozen M38A1Ds carried the Davy Crockett nuclear weapon.
In the Netherlands, NEKAF assembled just under 8,000 from kits, and they served the Dutch army until 1996.
The shovel moved under the hood, and a cowl socket gave outside electrical connection.
New York's Museum of Modern Art added a 1952 M38A1 to its permanent collection in 2002.

Year by year, newest first

1971

Final export production.

1970

Canada ordered about 500 more, the M38A1 CDN3, built in Toledo in 1970 and 1971 with windshield washers, self-adjusting brakes, and an M151-style air cleaner.

1968

The last Kaiser production shown in AMC's records.

1967

Canada ordered 800 M38A1 CDN2s from Kaiser Jeep's plant in Windsor, Ontario.

1964

The U.S. Marine Corps placed its last M38A1 order.
M170 ambulance production ended around this time.

1963

Dutch NEKAF assembly ended after just under 8,000 units.

1960

The Army began replacing it with Ford's M151, but the Marines and Navy kept ordering M38A1s from 1960 to 1964.

1958

From now on production was mainly for export to foreign governments.

1957

U.S. Army contracts ended.

1956

A batch of 1,000 was built for Egypt.

1955

The civilian CJ-5, based on the M38A1, went on sale.
NEKAF began assembling M38A1s from U.S. kits in the Netherlands.

1954

A simpler single strap replaced the thumbscrews on the battery-box cover.

1953

Ford of Canada built over 1,000 M38A1 CDNs for the Canadian forces in 1952 and 1953.
Many of the more than 50,000 built in the first two years went to the Korean War.

1952

Introduced with the new round-fender body and the Hurricane F-head engine; early trucks had a grille hinged at the frame rails for easier engine removal.

Notes

Few year-specific changes are documented; empty years mean none were found. Production totals disagree, as noted under units_built. M170 output is given as 4,155 (Wikipedia, JeepTech), about 4,000 (cj3b.info), or about 6,500 (Jim Allen), with dates from 1953 or 1954 to about 1964. Engine output is quoted as 72 or 75 hp, so hp is left null. cj3b.info's CJ-3B history says the M38A1 appeared in 1951, but other sources start production in 1952. Fuel tank size and ground clearance were not confirmed. Sources for the Canadian and Dutch versions are cj3b.info and Wikipedia.

Sources

en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Willys_M38A1
cj3b.info /Siblings/MD.html
cj3b.info /Poster/M38A1.html
cj3b.info /Poster/M170.html
terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/models/m38a1/
terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/models/m170/
cj3b.info /Hurricane.html
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Willys_Hurricane_engine