Thanks for watching! They are absolutely wonderful to drive...not fast, but an experience that let's you see and hear everything around you. Just wonderful.
A RUclipsr in England explained that the Jeeps came out of the factory wearing only light blue numerals on the sides of the hood and that the white numerals, stars, etc. were painted on after it left the factory, essentially in the field. Could you expand on that?
He is correct. There were government inspectors at the Willys and Ford plants in WW2. After a jeep went through inspection and was determined to be "finished", the government inspectors would do their own inspection. If the jeep passed, it would be given an official registration number. This registration number was then painted on the hood (and on the rear panel early in the war). If the jeep failed inspection for some reason, it was given back to Willys/Ford to be corrected and reinspected. The registration numbers were assigned to Willys and Ford in blocks according to each contract. As an example, Willys MB's made under the August '41 contract had registration numbers from W2031575 to W2047574/W2047614 to W2050213. The numbers were applied sequentially but because jeeps got sent back for "rework", there is not a perfect correlation between jeep serial numbers and their registration numbers. Collectors and vendors have pretty good databases of original registration numbers and serial numbers so we can guess reasonably well either the serial number or a registration number if we have one or the other. Reasonably well means down to a day or so and since production was around 300 jeeps a day - we are only accurate to 600 plus or minus. This "USA number" or "registration number" was painted on the jeep in "blue drab" at the factory by the government inspectors (maybe under their supervision?). Other vehicles like tanks and trucks received registration numbers as well. Blue drab was chosen because it doesn't photograph well in black and white. The US was worried about spies using theses numbers to calculate production rates. You can read the USA number in a picture that is taken reasonably close with a good camera - but from farther away, it is definitely harder to see the numbers. While not a perfect cloak, it does work to a degree. At the end of the war, Willys started painting the registration numbers in white at the factory. Once the jeep was shipped to the receiving unit, that unit was responsible for marking the jeep. The US Army Regulations for marking vehicles are AR-850-5. There were several revisions of the regulations during WW2. As we mentioned in the video, the stars were smaller and closer to the windshield early in the war. The "invasion star" that we put on Murph was introduced for D-Day. Per the regulations, these markings were painted in a white lusterless or "drab" paint. Some units would paint olive drab over the blue registration numbers before reapplying in white. Some units just stenciled the white over the blue and you can see both number because the field stencils were a different font or size than the factory applied ones. As we mentioned in the video, there was a fairly wide interpretation of the regulations, so there is a ton of variation in how the markings were applied. We spent a bunch of time researching "Murph's" markings, but we don't have an actual photograph of a jeep from the unit in question, so the markings represent a good guess. Hope that helps - jeep markings are a fun rabbit hole - so many variations that there is always something new to learn or discover.
@Portrayalpress Spectacular! Excellent explanation. Did Studebaker also apply "blue drab" numerals to their Weasels? Was this a requirement for all government vehicles?
@@imdeplorable2241Appreciate it! In the case of the early Weasels - T15, T24 and the first 1000 or so M29's (all white w/black camo), the registration numbers were painted on the inside of the vehicle. The T15 is on the firewall and the T24/early M29 right behind the driver's seat. My early M29 still has the original numbers - they look dark grey and not drab, but who knows after 80 years. Once we move into the later M29s and the M29C's, all left the factory in OD with blue registration numbers on the sides.
@@Portrayalpress Got it. Thanks so much. If I ever get a Weasel, that's how I'd want it to look, like it just left the factory. You do excellent, absolutely excellent work. 👏 I love it. Thank you for saving these relics and for recording the process.
Fun details and information. Thanks for educating us!
You are very welcome Jim - glad you enjoyed it!
Cool old Jeep, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching! They are absolutely wonderful to drive...not fast, but an experience that let's you see and hear everything around you. Just wonderful.
Always super videos!!
Appreciate it Austin!
A RUclipsr in England explained that the Jeeps came out of the factory wearing only light blue numerals on the sides of the hood and that the white numerals, stars, etc. were painted on after it left the factory, essentially in the field.
Could you expand on that?
He is correct. There were government inspectors at the Willys and Ford plants in WW2. After a jeep went through inspection and was determined to be "finished", the government inspectors would do their own inspection. If the jeep passed, it would be given an official registration number. This registration number was then painted on the hood (and on the rear panel early in the war). If the jeep failed inspection for some reason, it was given back to Willys/Ford to be corrected and reinspected.
The registration numbers were assigned to Willys and Ford in blocks according to each contract. As an example, Willys MB's made under the August '41 contract had registration numbers from W2031575 to W2047574/W2047614 to W2050213. The numbers were applied sequentially but because jeeps got sent back for "rework", there is not a perfect correlation between jeep serial numbers and their registration numbers. Collectors and vendors have pretty good databases of original registration numbers and serial numbers so we can guess reasonably well either the serial number or a registration number if we have one or the other. Reasonably well means down to a day or so and since production was around 300 jeeps a day - we are only accurate to 600 plus or minus.
This "USA number" or "registration number" was painted on the jeep in "blue drab" at the factory by the government inspectors (maybe under their supervision?). Other vehicles like tanks and trucks received registration numbers as well. Blue drab was chosen because it doesn't photograph well in black and white. The US was worried about spies using theses numbers to calculate production rates. You can read the USA number in a picture that is taken reasonably close with a good camera - but from farther away, it is definitely harder to see the numbers. While not a perfect cloak, it does work to a degree. At the end of the war, Willys started painting the registration numbers in white at the factory.
Once the jeep was shipped to the receiving unit, that unit was responsible for marking the jeep. The US Army Regulations for marking vehicles are AR-850-5. There were several revisions of the regulations during WW2. As we mentioned in the video, the stars were smaller and closer to the windshield early in the war. The "invasion star" that we put on Murph was introduced for D-Day. Per the regulations, these markings were painted in a white lusterless or "drab" paint.
Some units would paint olive drab over the blue registration numbers before reapplying in white. Some units just stenciled the white over the blue and you can see both number because the field stencils were a different font or size than the factory applied ones. As we mentioned in the video, there was a fairly wide interpretation of the regulations, so there is a ton of variation in how the markings were applied.
We spent a bunch of time researching "Murph's" markings, but we don't have an actual photograph of a jeep from the unit in question, so the markings represent a good guess. Hope that helps - jeep markings are a fun rabbit hole - so many variations that there is always something new to learn or discover.
@Portrayalpress Spectacular! Excellent explanation. Did Studebaker also apply "blue drab" numerals to their Weasels? Was this a requirement for all government vehicles?
@@imdeplorable2241Appreciate it!
In the case of the early Weasels - T15, T24 and the first 1000 or so M29's (all white w/black camo), the registration numbers were painted on the inside of the vehicle. The T15 is on the firewall and the T24/early M29 right behind the driver's seat. My early M29 still has the original numbers - they look dark grey and not drab, but who knows after 80 years. Once we move into the later M29s and the M29C's, all left the factory in OD with blue registration numbers on the sides.
@@Portrayalpress Got it. Thanks so much.
If I ever get a Weasel, that's how I'd want it to look, like it just left the factory.
You do excellent, absolutely excellent work. 👏 I love it.
Thank you for saving these relics and for recording the process.
@@imdeplorable2241 Appreciate the kinds words! Love the work and the history - it is an honor to get to preserve these machines.