USMC Paint

[BullRun]

I recently had a conversation with my military paint supplier that will be of interest to anyone restoring a USMC vehicle.

I use paint supplied by the military paint division of Sherwin-Williams for my vehicles. This is the real paint to current military specifications for refinishing work.

The green used by the USMC for vehicles is an odd color especially in restoration work as it never seems to be a perfect match. I told this to my paint guy and found out why...

According to him the pigments used to make todays USMC Green is very complex in its chemical structure and not always 100% accurate in the way it behaves when used in paint formulas. Due to these natural variations when ordering USMC paint expect the color to have up to a plus or minus of 20% from being spot on. This is as accurate as you can get.

Add 50 + years of weathering, changes in paint chemistry and pigments plus the above variability's in todays paints equals an elusive perfect match to what you see on your USMC restoration project paint sample.

However most importantly, most people will never know the difference when they see your restored USMC jeep.

[Boze]

I agree that the appearance will not likely be criticized by admirers. Most of us in the hobby appreciate the nuances of the paint, markings, and other minutia of restoring 50+ year old vehicles. Only the truly anal types get hung up on teensy, weensy disparities. On the other hand, one should always try to achieve the best results of recreating authenticity of the period. Part of the fun is observing other vehicles and their owners. Some are as proud as new parents - others expect you to pay homage. Some are as happy as can be - others are cynical and unhappy. For me, I enjoy pointing out to the public the differences between my buddy's '44 Army GPW and my '50 USMC M38 at shows and parades. C'est la vie!