It looks like the recommended practice to come up with a registration number is to use the three number designation followed by your serial number. To be somewhat correct, a seven digit number would be applicable for an early vehicle, so one would drop the first digit of the serial number, correct?
The recommended practice is to slip your jeeps serial in the last 5 positions of either a seven or eight digit number.
An issue I see is that with low numbered serial number vehicles, one could have a hood number lower than the first M38 assigned production hood numbers. Is that a problem? Would someone get nicked in a contest?
You could just put 2011111 and not get scored down. Except for the six pilot models, there is no official record that shows with any accuracy each jeep's registration number therefore you cannot be scored against a standard that has never been established.
Also, looking at the two photos in the post above...
The first photo looks to be of the first 200+ units built by Willys given the hood numbers in the photo. 1950 maybe?
Since we do have a written record of the first six hood numbers used on the 6 pilot model jeeps 2368159 thru 2368164 then it is a reasobale assumption that those in the photo are September / October / November 1950 issue.
The second photo is at a later date possibly the 1952 noted in the text due to the same hood number information.
Adding to the Post
I have a 1951 M38 Serial Number 13740. What is the approximate production date and what would the hood number start with 236 or 238?
The Sep to Dec 1950 M38's only have the year 1950 (NO MONTH) on their serial plates. Jan to Feb 1951 only have the year 1951 (NO MONTH) on their serial plate. MC14118 2-51 is the earliest M38 I have in the data base with a month and year on the serial plate. That would indicate that since M38 serial number MC10001 is the first production M38 that Willys built only 4117 production M38's from Sep 1950 thru Feb 1951. We need a factory official production record for M38's by serial number, month and day to answer your question for these first 4117 M38's.
Only wild guesses exist for monthly M38 production at Willys from Sep 1950 thru Feb 1951.
Until I see a document with US Army or WILLYS, Toledo on the heading showing those figures I just don't bother throwing out any wild guesses.
As for hood numbers the first 238XXXX hood number in our data base which you could have downloaded from our downloads page is MC15395. This doesn't mean your hood number was not a 238XXXX number. But you can never confirm it is a 238 number until a jeep is found with an original 238 number on it's hood and a serial on the dash plate lower than yours. Until then you are back in the wild guess arena. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
That M38 database is several years old. On a more recent copy there is one added serial MC13079 1951 that came with hood number 2368629. If you do the math and if there was some way to know for sure weather those hood numbers were painted on sequential serialed M38s this would indicate only 465 hood numbers since the first production M38 in Sep 1950 yet from Sep 1950 thru the beginning of Mar 1951 5,394 M38's were produced. So this is a very strong indicator that initial M38 production was extremely slow from 1950 thru Jan / Feb 1951. Our very first 1951 serial plate year M38 is MC11891 which would have been the 1,890th M38 meaning only 1,890 were built from Sep 1050 to early Jan 1951.
Keep in mind that the M38 is not the ""Korean War Jeep" everyone tries to call it. The Korean war was June 1950 to 1953's armistice. The principal jeep in Korea those years was the WWII jeep. The Army was not worried they would run out of jeeps during this war. They were worried the supply of left over WWII jeeps would age much faster and they would need a replacement sooner. Most news releases from 1950 show a very slow startup of M38 production. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
If it helps any, I go back a little further with the 238XXXX Hood numbers.
The first one I have is MC 14485 with # 2385099 DOD 2/51. I inspected this M38 personally, it was a very original early M38.
Just above it is MC 14264 with # 2368870.
Most likely, your Military Registration Number would have started with 236. _________________ Harold W.
MVPA #6833
1945 GPW
1950 CJV-35/U
1951 M38 1952 M38
1962 USMC Contract M38A1
1953 Strick M100 1967 Johnson M416
1968 CJ5 4-Speed 1969 CJ5 V6
Someday, one or both of our databases will be complete!!! _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 6:25 pm Post subject: Thanks
Appreciate that info. Can you direct me to pics on this site or others ? Also is my M38 in your data base? Has peeling undercoating very solid jeep. Needs love which I'm working on.[/u]
Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:04 pm Post subject: History
I believe this M38 could have been at Camp LeJune it came from NC and had been stored many years. Other than the front floorboards which were Bubba repaired the rest is rock solid. Peeling undercoating reveals original paint.
Do you have the original SF Form 97 that the jeep left the military with? _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
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