willysmjeeps.com

I would first go to your DMV office and look for the oldest counter person. Ask them what it will take to change the serial (vin as they like to call it) from the engine to the body serial. Explaining of course that it's first civilian title was issued in a state where the engine serial was used.

Do not take your jeep, the title for it or or the serial plate with you!!!

At our DMV office here, you don't even get a choice of who to talk to - it's a "take a number" system and you take your chances. Since the vehicle is heading back to small-town Idaho in the not-so-distant future, I think we might have better luck getting it changed there, but asking ahead could be a good idea.
Right now, I couldn't take the jeep in if I wanted to - it's in pieces!

Jim, when you come back to "small town idaho" and if you can register
in TF county i can show you just where to go.. a satellite ofc with
3 helpful gals. Dont get me wrong, they can smell a line of BS a mile
away-but if you're on the level they'll make it happen..

If I understand you correctly you found a Tx titled M38 with the serial number that is on your data plate or patent plate. The thing is while hopefully those two numbers match; the serial number on the your engine is usually different because they made a lot more engines than M38's and the engine numbers weren't matched to the patent or data plate even though they are all MC xxxxx numbers. In Texas vehicles built prior to 1960 are titled by the engine number. So my M38 in Texas could have a MC number that matches the one on your data plate or patent plate. I don't know what number your state uses, engine, data or patent but I would guess that your engine number is different from the data and patent plate numbers. Consequently a Texas registered M38, that is registered by the MC # on the engine bears no relation to your M38 as far as titling of the vehicle.
I think you said you talked to MVD in Texas. If you did or do they will tell you that the number on the Texas title for a vehicle that old would or should be the engine number.
This probably won't help you with your title but will explain how a M38 in Texas could be titled with the number on your data or patent plate.
Ralph

it very well could be done on the engine number. the engine in my m38 is an RMC and way off from my jeeps serial which is 69xxx. i'm waiting to hear back from the texas DMV on if it was titled on the engine or patent plate.

the serial can get confusing, I was thinking about this, you could potentialy have a motor pool stamped frame, the pattent plate, the dash plate, and the engine all with the same number and potentialy used to register vehicles. There would have to be some good mixing for some of those to end up in different places but its possible.

US M38's only had to deal with three numbers. No frame stamps. Only their dash plate and patent plate matched. Engine serials were not in sequence with body serials for Willys. The WWII GPW's built by Ford had only three numbers but they all matched from the factory. The frame number/dash plate/engine. WWII Willys MB's had three numbers. The frame and dash numbers matched but again the engine numbers did not.

What you suggest probably would not happen with an M38CDN which only had three numbers to pick from, but the use of the chassis frame number would be obvious since the CAR # did not match engine or dash serials and at the same time CDN engine numbers were not sequenced with dash serials.

yes the canadian ones would be alright, but I read somewhere that some of the depots when they did a body off would stamp the frame to match things back up later. Not many would be like that but it only takes one to throw the wrench in.

A few M series jeeps have been found with parts of the serial number as well as some with hood numbers stamped on their frames which have been assumed to have occurred in the field at military depot overhauls. Quite rare.

The more common confusion created in this manner is with the WWII Ford built GPWs where although engine serials matched body and frame serials new from the factory there were thousands of engine replacements in field over the vehicle's military and civilian life. The propensity for one jeep to be titled on an engine number that matched a different jeeps frame and dash serial was highest among these vehicles.

It is still a good idea to point out this possibility whenever a dual titled serial number issue arises.

so i finally got my title with matching serial number this week.

i paid to have the matter taken care of for me. 180.00

took months but i have the correct title which originates from the bill of sale from the military.

Are you referring to the Military SF Form 97? The military did not issue any bill of sale. Does your new serial match the data plate, the patent plate or the engine serial?

yes the SF form 97. matched the data and serial plate. engine is an RMC and does not match.