Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 11:56 am Post subject: USAF M38
g'day!
I'm quite new to this forum, even if - maybe - my nickname is known already from other forums...
briefly... from Italy, I have been bitten by the OD monster years ago and since then I couldn't stop to follow historical military vehicles' history and restoration...
presently restoring a Ford GTB, in my garage I have a GPW and a GP... oh, yes! I have a Willys MB also!!
this topic is because a friend of mine is currectly restoring a 1951 M38, and he asked this morning about some doubts to which I wasn't able to respond.
he wants to restore it as an USAF M38... thus:
in that period, there were already M38's leaving the factory in "strata blue"? or they were OD with USAF markings applied on only?
if repainted USAF "strata blue" above OD instead, would then frame, axles and springs be left OD? or "strata blue" oversprayed over OD as well?
Starting in 1948 all tactical wheeled vehicle procurement was tasked to the US Army Ordnance folks. The Navy, Air Force and Marines submitted their needs to the Army Ordnance folks who in turn contracted with Willys to build the jeeps. Factory evidence to this date show all the M38's built in 1950-51 leaving Willys in Army OD 2430. However in early 1952 Blue and Gray was seen on the lines. By 1953 the Navy and Air Force were beginning to submit their own contracts. Most Air Force M38's I have seen unrestored from 1950-51 had OD2430 under the Strata Blue. We have members here that have shown strata blue and various primers only covering the bare metal but the evidence leads us to believe these are 1952 & on production.
The 5 M38 contracts all came from the Army and all specified OD 2430 for both the first or primer coat (this layer was flattened) then a second coat of un-flattened OD2430. This is why folks often get confused seeing the lighter primer coat vs the 2nd darker coat.
Keep in mind that Willys painted all the body pieces before the jeep was assembled. The frames came from the frame plant with no primer and satin black on them. It is not clear at which assembly point the frames were painted OD2430 but it seems it was after the springs and axles were installed and before the gas and brake lines were installed.
I have posted many photos of USAF M38's in OD2430 and also in Strata Blue which had been obviously painted over the OD2430. The bottom of these overpainted jeeps was OD2430 with a lot of blue overspray.
We have several members with M38's that clearly had no OD2430 between the Strata Blue and the base metal. If these were 1952 units this would make perfectly good sense. If they were 50-51 units then they do not make perfectly good sense and lead me to suspect they had been completely stripped of all traces of 2430 OD sometime after they left Willys. Depot vehicle overhaul facilities had large stripping Tanks to soak all the sheet metal parts in back then.
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