willysmjeeps.com

per tm9-8014 page 63 under (d) points of application it says a 3/4 inch re circle should be painted around all lube fittings and oilholes. ive seen mv's with the red paint around the dipstick handle and without. should the dip stick be painted also to be correct?. thxs

Can't speak for the M38A1, but TM 9-8012 (M38 Maintenance) states the following:

"A 3/4-inch red circle should be painted around all lubricating fittings, oil can points, and refill plug holes."

I dunno, but I'd class the dipstick handle as a lubrication point.

Wes has photos of an NOS M38 engine here:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... php&page=1

That one's probably before the army got there hands on it (I don't see any red on the handle).
So I'd say for a factory restoration no.
For a motor pool restoration; only someone that actually worked on them during the jeep's service life could give a definite yes or no. Unless you can find an in-service color photo.

Maybe other members can advise if they ever found any traces of red on their dipstick handles?
Mine has a ford script on it, so not original to my M38. The refill plugs on the front & rear axles were red though.....
Owen.

thxs owen, maybe some other's will chime in and let us know. thxs

The red lube point marking is an Army field thing not a Willys factory thing.

With that in mind the Private detailed to mark them may or may not have interpreted the dipstick as a lube point.

thxs wesk, still trying to decide to paint it or leave it black. thxs