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New Guy with more questions...
The marking on the hood and tail gate are the same on mine. Is the significance to them? I believe the markings on the bumperettes specifies unit assignment and convoy placement, unfortunately I don't know if I will be able to make them out.
Hood : US ARMY 03F19968
Passenger side bumperette : SUR8 (I think)
Drivers side : ??6 ( I think)
Again, thanks!
Jeff
Yes, the hood # is very important. If lost, there is no way to find out what it ever was. The hood or registration #'s are unique to each vehicle in the military and are carried through the vehicles service life. It is the number that the Army uses to identify that vehicle in it's inventory. The numbers are assigned at the time that the Army accepts that vehicle into inventory. It does not how ever corrisond with the serial # of the truck. Meaning that the M715 build just before yours may not be 03F19868. The number breaks down like this for trucks built from 1968 thru 1974; 03 = the wieght class for the vehicle, F is sequential and indicates 5000, A would be 0000, B 1000, C 2000; 199 means that it is the 199th vehicle in the F sequince, and 68 indicates the year accepted. This means that your truck was the 5199th class 03 truck accepted for the fiscal year 1968.
Bumper #'s can be broken down by reading them left to right in 4 sections on information;
1 Major Command
2. Intermediate Command
3. Unit or Activity
4. Order of March (vehicle #)
Dave
1967 Kaiser Jeep M715 weapons carrier:http://www.davidallenracing.com/M715.htm
1967 Kaiser Jeep M35a2 2.5 ton cargo truck: http://www.davidallenracing.com/M35A2.htm
1968 M51 Inflatable Chemical Shelter System http://www.davidallenracing.com/M51.htm
Delta Team Decals: http://www.i2k.com/~schwarzd/
Thanks Beast, that helps a bunch.
Do you, or any of you out there, know of a source for researching the history of the vehicle in it's Military Life?
I would probable need the bumperette markings for specific information wouldn't I.
Thanks again,
Jeff
If you are careful you can take 400 grit sand paper or even 600 and slowly and carefully sand the bumper. You need to take it slowly so that you take off one layer of paint at a time. Some times you will find the same marking on the truck other times you will find different markings. For example you might find that the truck was issued to a National Guard unit, but before that it was issued to and active Army unit. About the best you can do is get the unit markings from the bumper and hope that they are not wierd like the truck was assigned to base opperations Fort Ord and are easily read and that will give you some idea of the service your truck performed.
There is no magic book or website out there that will allow you to look up your registration number and walla find out the history of the truck. We all wish there was.... :)
I am curious if the vehicle history of these period vehicles was destroyed in Missouri some years back. As I understand it, a LOT of service records, files, etc, were destroyed in the 70's in a big fire out there somewhere.Quote:
Originally Posted by k8icu
I know it makes it difficult to find personnel records for many WWI veterans, when I was researching my genealogy.
back in the early eightys i knew a officer in TACOM (tank/automotive command) he was able to obtain some records for an m-37 my friend had ,however it was very limited and not complete . I imagine all records of the tme were on paper and although they may still exsist the army wouldnt have the staff or time to go through all that paper to find old vehicle records for us or allow any civilian acess to them. the only way it might happen would be if they were ever turned over to the national library then public would have access.
I have contacted Tacom, Army Historical Records, National archives and another one I cant remember just now...all referred me to each other except Army Historical Records, who, after several letters, never responded.