Joined: Mar 05, 2009 Posts: 31 Location: Austin, TX
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 1:44 pm Post subject: M38A1 USAF frame and engine paint color?
From searching on the web and looking at some photos of unrestored and restored photos I still trying to decide the most accurate restoration method for a 53' USAF M38A1 build
As I understand from other postings Willys chassis components were painted black as delivered to the factory. Willys then painted the chassis components OD Green for the Army,etc.
On a USAF A1 application, did Willys paint the chassis Strata Blue?
From pictures, it is hard to tell on a A1 if the frame and axles were left black or painted the same as the body.
What about Engine block and transmission? Were those left military green color or painted blue? I have not found a A1 engine bay picture that shows the engine block color.
You are dabbling in an area hithertoo un-explored.
The M38's are easy since they all left Willys 2430 OD (there are a few that will argue this point) and the very early A1's were all Willys OD. But around the 1953/54 period the individual services started pushing their own color needs through the Army contract system. Then by 1955 the other services dumped the Army Ordnance procurement system and started to contract directly with Kaiser.
Factory employess that have been interviewed do not recall M38's leaving any other color but 2430 OD. They do recall that early in A1 production the Navy, USAF, USMC, and Coast Guard colors started going out the door
but we have not been able to nail down the date.
We also have not been able to nail down the different paint layers since we have no one speaking on the web who has documented a other than Army M38A1's paint history.
Since economy of operation was paramount in the Factory I am going to assume the USAF A1's recieved Strata Blue on the sheet metal surfaces but that all the blue sheet metal parts were assembled on a standard OD 2430 chassis and drive train.
Hopefully some day we'll all be enlightened from someone who has some hard data to present. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
I am restoring my 51 M38 as a USAF unit. I have the Strata Blue sheet metal done and after a lot of soul searching I have reached the conclusion that it's my jeep and I have to live with, pay for and support it. So that means no OD2430 for me on this project. Black frame and running gear and a gray engine/ _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Joined: Apr 17, 2005 Posts: 891 Location: New Hampshire
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:00 am Post subject:
wesk wrote:
I am restoring my 51 M38 as a USAF unit. I have the Strata Blue sheet metal done and after a lot of soul searching I have reached the conclusion that it's my jeep and I have to live with, pay for and support it. So that means no OD2430 for me on this project. Black frame and running gear and a gray engine/
Wes,
I have also painted my frame and axles black on my m38, but I did paint the engine od. However on my frame it did recieve a coat of blue at some point in its life.....and I am one of the ones that have lots of evidence that the m38 might have come out of the factory blue, but lets not reopen that. I still would like to see pics of your jeep Wes.
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