Want advice on buying an M38

[rbaldauf]

I'm going to go look at an M-38 tomorrow, it has a full hard top, looks like an artic kit but the lower part of the windshield is plain old flat, no detents like I see in some other pictures. I know that a true kit came with the heater on the fender and a hose was routed to the windshield a. nd passed through one of the detents that was removed. The guy says he has the original windshield and other parts. Can anybody tell me about the kit? is it a civilian or military? Are there data plates on the Military?
Also just generally what am I looking at? Trouble areas on the M-38? This guy/place has a bunch more other stuff so I'm going to be like a kid in a candy store. After I get something and ask his permission I can put up a list of what he wants to sell.
Thanks

 

[bikeman]

owning an M38, there's a few things. When you look at the fenders, ensure you have the proper holes for mounting things like the slave cable receptcle that you would not have on a civi version. Double check the frame horns up front where the bumper goes. keep your eye on the blackout lights. The Carb is very different, civi from mil.

As far as the windshield and such. the arctic kit, I think, used the standard windshield, just in a vertical config vs. tilted. I recall seeing artic kit tops that had a data plate, but I am unsure as to where the data plate is. There were two heater kits, one was inside the jeep and mounted between the driver and pass seat (right next to the gas tank). The other mounted right above the batter in the cowl. and yes, it fed air in through the center cutout (the only one of the 3 that actually was cut out. This is what I remember off the top of my head.