My new M100

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 2:25 pm

I bought it last Sunday 4/12/09 (Easter) for $200! Tires were still up - enough to pull it home anyway (about 10 miles). Washed it up to see what I really had - I was pleasantly surprised! It was very complete, only missing the front box, intervehicular cable, and tarp. Looks like the only work that needs to be done is weld up a couple of extra holes, fix a few rust spots, sandblast, prime and paint. I've located alot of tub markings and need some help with them - if anyone can help. The tub was painted 1st layer:OD, with U.S.A. W212741 on rear tub and _ _ N RANG BN (_ _ N Ranger Battalion - does this look right?) on the frame. 2nd layer: Strata Blue with U.S.A.F K1322 _ 9 - didn't locate any yellow on frame, Process Date 7.1.54 L.M.A.F.B. on drivers side LMVSS over top of it. 3rd layer: real light OD - didn't see any numbers. 4th layer: OD with U.S.A. W212741, White 8" star painted on sides (front) with white 8" star sticker over it. See my album for pics. Thanks alot!

Post by **Ryan_Miller** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:11 pm

Hey,

Sounds like you got a good find.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:45 am

I think it's a pretty good one, even though I don't think the data plates are original. My '51 model's data plates are brass - these are aluminum (?) and the serial # is 500 (?). Does this sound right for a '54 model? I am convinced the Reg # is actually W212741 though, since it was on the first coat of OD (even though the USAF reg #was different - I thought they stayed the same throughout their military life?).

Post by **wesk** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:06 am

Had it stayed in the Army it would have stayed the same. When the trailer transferred to the USAF it gets a standard USAF registration number. The USAF dropped the Army registration number system in the 50's.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:19 pm

Thanks for the info Wes

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 9:10 pm

Well, I'm digging up this old thread that I started over 5 years ago!

I FINALLY got started on the M100 today. I sandblasted the inside of the tub and primed it with Red Oxide - brushing the seams and deep pitting, then I came back with 2 sprayed on coats thinned with mineral spirits. I waited too long to get started on it though. The small area of rust at the front panel seam had grown to about 2 1/2" long. A couple of spots in the floor panel/front panel joint and the right front corner of the floor (about 2 1/2" of it) had rotted also. There is some fairly heavy pitting on the front 18' or so of the floor.

Now, I am pretty sure it was restored at some point because the aluminum data plates have a serial number of 500. It had the intervehicular cable plug in the front frame and has douglas connector wiring harness, so I know it is an early model.

While I was blasting it, there was an OD top coat followed by red oxide - strata blue - red oxide - light green etching primer as the first coat on metal.
Did the military use an etching primer under the red oxide? And, wouldn't the trailer have been OD before the USAF acquired it?[/img]

Post by **wesk** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:18 pm

It was probably painted the same way as the M38. A thinned layer of OD2430 as the primer coat followed by an unthinned layer of 2430 as the top coat. Then a few years later the 2430 gets sanded and ready for the red oxide primer and Strata Blue.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 6:31 am

Makes sense. So do these tub numbers look like USAF? I don't think I have read anything about how they were marked. I am planning on restoring to an Army configuration, but will keep photographic evidence of its original markings - if they are actually original.

Looks like U.S.A.F. K1322_9

These tub numbers, even though they are on the first and last coats of paint (you can kindof make them out in the picture above), don't seem to follow the numbering system that I have seen and read about everywhere. W212741

Post by **wesk** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 8:32 am

Trailers didn't follow the same rules for numbers as motor vehicles. Often you will find the USA followed by the trailers serial number.

The USAF K XXXX or K XXXXX were a 1950 to about 55 numbering system. Not used for a very long period and I don't recall any 6 digit numbers in that system. About 55 or 56 came the USAF transition to XXB XXXX or XXB XXXXX. The first two digits were the last two of the contract year. The letter ID's the type of vehicle and the rest were the registration number series.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 9:54 am

Makes sense to me. I'm glad you remember this stuff Wes! So it looks like the USAF number might be authentic for an early (maybe 54 or 55) trailer since it is showing K 322_9 (5 numbers). I think I might have been seeing a 1 that isn't there - I'll look again now that I know what I am looking for. So, what do you make of the USA W212741 number on the first (and last) layer?

One last question regarding USAF markings. Do these markings have any meaning, or were they painted to commemorate something?

Post by **wesk** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:01 am

That would indicate a processing event either for supply book keeping or for shipping the trailer.

Post by **wesk** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:04 am

Can't help much with the army numbers. They started using a letter first and 4 or 5 digits after in the mid 50's but not a letter and 6 digits on equipment that old.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:25 am

Thanks anyway Wes. You've been a big help with the USAF stuff! Someone over on Steel Soldiers confirmed that the W212741 would be a WW2 trailer number.

So I guess that it was stripped at some point then painted with a number that meant something to him (maybe a number off a pic of a WW2 trailer). Then later it was painted strata blue with an authentic USAF number for the trailer, then repainted OD with the original WW2 number from the first layer. Maybe the same owner painted it all 3 times to match his Jeep at the moment.

Was there a serial number stamped on the frame? Seems like I saw that on one of these forums a while back. Or maybe there was a number stamped, but it wasn't related to the actual trailer serial number (part number or something)?

It looks like I will be making up a number to match the time frame of my 'a1. That's OK though, because the data plates aren't originals either. I do have a set of original brass 1951 Dunbar Kapple plates that came off my other (rotted away) M100. It didn't have any paint left on it, so the original tub number is lost there too.

Post by **wesk** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:24 pm

Serial numbers on the right frame rail under the spring perch are a WWII trailer thing.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:41 pm

Oh well - it looks like this trailer will become the replacement for the trailer tub that was rotted out and scrapped since I can't verify the numbers that I found to be original to the trailer. I will use the serial number on the data plate for the rear panel registration (USA) number. I looked at the data plate - it is a brass plate, Dunbar Kapple, 5/51 delivery date, 0117xxxx number.

Thanks for the help Wes.