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Paint everything OD. The shocks. The Rims. The tranny and transfer case if they can. I got replacement military rims for my M38A1, and they are black. Would it be more correct to paint them OD? I also bought new Monroe shocks, and they arrived in electric blue. I repainted them mat black, is OD more correct? What was really painted OD in the original Jeeps?

I have a set of NOS shocks and they are OD.

Your best bet for a good blow by blow color list of how the jeep left Willys is to get Ryan's M38 resto guide book.

90% of the jeep was OD 2430 when it left Willys. It is easier to list known Black or unpainted items then it is to list OD items. Original shocks and wheels were OD2430.

ECVJeeps wrote:I have a set of NOS shocks and they are OD.

Have there been any CDN jeeps with the black frames? the reason I ask is that I know of one restoration where the individual painted the frame gloss black.

see link for his website (actually really good step by step):
http://www.m38jeepproject.com/chassis%202.html

On another note, I also see many guys are painting the motor OD green. In my case, my motor appears to be original and it is gray.

I believe that grey was the colour when the engine came back from being rebuilt. OD was the factory colour.
The frame started out black from the manufacturer, however it was painted OD when the jeep was assembled. I have never seen a black frame on a jeep released from the military.

As Wes stated, you will be doing yourself a favour by purchasing Ryan's book on the M38. It is an excellent resource when building a M38.

Just a note to remember there are a few subtle painting differences between the US M38 and the CDN M38.

ECVJeeps wrote:I believe that grey was the colour when the engine came back from being rebuilt. OD was the factory colour.

Our jeep has an RMC engine (replacement). Any idea if it would originally have been gray, OD, or some other color yet?

RMCXXXXX is an engine supplied under Army contract and as such will be supplied in the same form as the original engine. OD. Canadian engines came from Ford of Windsor in grey for the CDN's as did their replacement engines. Willys civilian engines came in black as did their replacement engines..

Good question RimfireJim, I am not sure of that one. I will not guess at that one because anyone can guess. I will wait to see if anyone here can come up with a correct answer that is not just a guess.

Jim,

I didn't guess. The RMCXXXXX engines were contracted the same way the M38 was contracted by the Army. The RMCXXXXX engines weren't procured one at a time from Willys. They came by the hundreds on each contract for m38 spares and were stocked at US Army supply depots then distributed as allowances specified for commands and units. They were OD 2430.

Thanks Wesk, I knew someone here would have the correct answer, guessing just throws a monkey wrench into the gears and comes back to bite you, then you end up repainting.

Cheers
Pat

wesk wrote:RMCXXXXX is an engine supplied under Army contract and as such will be supplied in the same form as the original engine. OD. Canadian engines came from Ford of Windsor in grey for the CDN's as did their replacement engines. Willys civilian engines came in black as did their replacement engines..

Wes, did you find any information that suggests rebuilds were repainted, American or Canadian?

That would depend on who did the rebuild.

Army = The Army would have normally painted the rebuilt engine the current OD.

Navy = Usually painted rebuilds gray.

Air Force = Usually painted rebuilds gray.

The civilian sources used several colors, black, red, blue and etc.

This is extremely difficult to nail down. Only blocks that clearly show evidence of a rebuild or have a rebuild plate on them can be investigated and you would have to use the same paint layer search we use with the bodies.

I ordered a rebuilt T90/Dana18 combo from Novak Conversions. Would the originals have been painted OD?

Would the originals have been painted OD?

Yes