Help needed on a serial number

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 6:26 am

Hello Jan-Olof,
That is an amazing information that Wes has posted from the Kaiser-Willys archives via Keith Buckley. Sadly I do not think much of that information for the rest of the jeep archives exists anymore or is not available.

It appears based on your serial number your jeep was built for export to Saudi Arabia as a 6 volt jeep. I do not believe the 570 number indicates color. You would have to get ahold of the contract specifications to find that out.

The items Wes mentioned as to early or late were changes in the production line as the M38A1 was being built. For instance, late grille means it is bolted to a bracket on the cross member and fixed, versus being a hinged grille bolted to the frame cross members as in earlier M38A1's and all M38's.

There are changes Willys/Kaiser did during production and helps identify and date individual vehicles, especially when the patent and dash plates are missing and major body changes have been made over the years.

Take a look at the survey forms in the Downloads section at left and you'll see a list of these things.

Take care,

Post by **wesk** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:55 am

This document is a Willys/Kaiser factory document listing M38A1 exports posted by Keith Buckley. This section of the document represents units shipped in 1963. However in the post that Keith made he indicated that the serials started at 57048-10 11401 in 1962.

Note:
57048-08 prefixes were 6 V units to Egypt
57048-10 prefixes were 6 V units to Saudi
57048-17 prefixes were 12 V units to kuwait

Jan-Olof, we must be having translation issues. As I have already said in the quote above: The chart represents ONLY UNITS DELIVERED IN 1963 Keith stated that the 1962 serials for the 57048-10 export units started at 11401. Since that would indicate a production rate about 300 per year then your serial number 57048-10 11224 was probably a 1961 unit.

Your jeep was never a firetruck. The serial number prefixes for firetrucks were 57048-01 (CJ3B based) and 57048-02 (CJ5 based)

Brinken · Post by **Brinken** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 9:35 am

Guys
Thanks so very much for this wonderful and lively discussion. It really has put fresh air over my decpondency of not finding background information from authorities here in Sweden.

Yes Wes, maybe I didn't really understand your earlier explanation, but now I do.
And thanks for the clarification about this vehicle not being a fire Engine. In my research on the Internet I have seen many 57048 listed and all of them were fire Engines, but all of them came with -01, -02.....-13 and -14, but non of them with -10 as suffix. I have also seen lots of pics on the Internet showing orange coloured Willys Jeep fire engines, therefore I took this opinion regarding the fire engine.

Would you think the final words in this matter would be that the vechicle is manufactured 1961as a 6 volt and exported to Saudi Arabia?

I will upload the patent plate as soon as I get it, in the end of the weekend.
//Jan-Olof

Post by **wesk** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 9:38 am

Yes. Keith could verify that from his factory documents. I can only interpolate that information.

Brinken · Post by **Brinken** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 12:29 pm

Hi guys
Now I have finally got the patent plate in a mail envelope from my sister.

Unfortunately someone seems to have used a grinder on the front side, so you can't see much, but on the back side there are no problem to see the serial number.
Do you think there is some more valuable information for me in this plate?
//Jan-Olof

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 1:12 pm

It appears you should have no reservations in purchasing
a reproduction plate and having it stamped like the original.
Put that one away for safekeeping.

Post by **wesk** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:28 am

Nothing of any importance there except for the serial number. It would have been nice to be able to ascertain how many and which patents were listed so you could purchase the correct vintage plate to use for show.

WillysMotors · Post by **WillysMotors** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:33 am

The starting Serial Number for both 1960 and 1961 was listed in the data as 11045.

This tells us there were no units produced in 1960, and that 1961 produced Serial numbers 11045 thru 11400 because 1962 began with 11401.

I have sent the data to Wes.

The first year produced was 1957 listed as starting serial 10001.
I need to check other sources for 1958 and 1959 production year.

Post by **wesk** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:40 am

Thanks Keith

WillysMotors · Post by **WillysMotors** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:42 am

The same Print that provides the Serial Data also specifies that this model used blank serial plate 800766. I have forwarded the details to Wes K and agreed to share with Robert DeRuyter to assure accurate production.

WillysMotors · Post by **WillysMotors** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:27 am

The SERIAL NUMBER pre-fix is 57048-10.

I intentionally cropped the "SERIES" as your Jeep is a 57044-10.
You dp not need this for registration, I only mention it because it may help research into contracts.

The 57=M38A1
0=Special Jobs
4= 4 cyl 134 CI F head Engine
4=Export-4WD-LHD (Left hand Drive)

Brinken · Post by **Brinken** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:24 am

I am impressed guys, you are getting closer and closer to a final note regarding the origin of this vehicle. Soon I can start my fight against Swedish authorities regarding my strive to get it registered.
//Jan-Olof

Post by **wesk** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:00 pm

Keith,
Who has the 57044-10 serial?

WillysMotors · Post by **WillysMotors** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:01 am

Wes, I'll take this part of the discussion off line. It can be very confusing.

Brinken · Post by **Brinken** » Sun Dec 06, 2015 5:30 pm

Hi Guys
My investigation on finding the origin of my jeep is still going on. We have found a thread on G503.com from 2005 and 2012 on the same matter where the photo of the patent plate 57048-10 11596 also is shown.
The information I gained was that is was imported 102 of these jeeps to Sweden in 1987, and my specimen is one of them.

Before Christmas I will go fo a try with the Swedish authorities, and we will see if I can get a go ahaid for registration.

All the best
//Jan-Olof