1951 M38 Willys with a Studebaker V8: Throwback Thursday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Owner gives a detailed overview of the history and build of this special flat fender 1951 M38 Willys that attends Jeep events all over the country.
Ready for a heaping helping of America? How about a service veteran that drives a custom 1951 M38 Willys with a Studebaker V8 under the hood? Meet Tom. Tom is the owner of this wonderful Jeep that was passed down to him from his father. It is not a crazy custom build with a massive engine and tires. This is a Jeep that has a slew of custom modifications on it, but still retains that simple flat fender Jeep look. This Jeep is not a fully restored garage queen either. Tom travels all around the country with it to attend various Jeep events.
This week’s “Throwback Thursday” presented by Nitto is all about this special Jeep and its’ owner. After the recent Jeepers Jamboree, Tom stopped by WFO Concepts and spoke to owner Trevor Huiskens. Huiskens posted a video recently on his WFO Concepts YouTube channel that details this one of a kind M38 Willys.
Legendary Jeep and Owner
Tom is an old school Jeep guy. This 1951 M38 Willys has been in his family for many years. It originally belonged to his father. Tom snuck it out for a drive once and broke the overdrive. After that, he was not allowed to drive the Jeep again.
Now it is his and he has been enjoying the heck out of it ever since. This video was shot after the recent Jeepers Jamboree event that Tom attended. This was his fifth time going. He flat tows the Jeep behind his F-150 and takes it to shows and events all over the country. This is what Jeep life is all about.
Modifications
This Jeep is not as it left the factory. Not by a long shot. First, let’s take a look under the hood. In this Jeep you will find a Studebaker 289 V8 engine. Tom’s father chose it because it makes good torque and is easy to keep cool. It is fairly reliable as well as this engine has been in here for over 50 years.
It gets its fuel via a Stromberg side-draft carb. Tom himself made several changes over the years. He installed swing pedals, a radiator from a Mustang, a Warn winch, and a Saginaw power steering box and pump that Tom built the brackets for himself.
On the inside there is more custom work. Tom’s father custom built the dash and installed Studebaker gauges and switches in it. He also built himself a custom stereo system and heater. The heater actually works a little too well as Tom says it makes it too warm inside. Not many flat fender Jeep owners have that complaint.
On The Road
After doing a full walkaround of the Jeep it is time to hit the road to see how it handles a modern highway. The answer is it handles it just fine. The Jeep fires to live almost immediately. Tom then makes his way out to the highway with a 55-mph speed limit. Speed is not what this Jeep was built for, but it handles the road with aplomb. “There is not one single vibration. Look at that. The sticks aren’t even shaking, and we are going 60 mph,” said Huiskens.
There is no trail footage in this video so we can’t say how well it handles the rough stuff. But given the quality of the build and how well it performs on the road, there is no reason to suspect it would not do fantastic on the trails.
If you are a Jeep person, this video must warm your heart. Tom is as an authentic, and true a Jeep owner as you will likely ever find. His heart and soul have been poured into this rig and he uses it for all it is worth. Checkout the video below and get to know the man and the Jeep a little better.
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