| Markings -Page 2- |
| Miscellaneous: Shippingmarkings: These were applied prior to shipping and indicate the vehicle's weight and dimensions. They also existed as metal tags fitted to the dashboard of vehicles. Personal markings: Although not as frequent as on aircraft many vehicles were decorated with small "nose-art" during WWII. These were usually names, mascottes, painted Division symbols and pin-up's. The variarity was limited only by the GI's imagination. Bridge plates: A yellow metal disc fitted to the grill, with a digitcode indicating the weight of the vehicle. It was used for all sorts of vehicles, but if a bridge can't hold a jeep it is pretty useless. For this reason it was seldom applied to US Army jeeps in the ETO, although they seem to have been used by them in the PTO and by the Commonwealth forces in Europe quite extensively. Stars & Stripes: All US Army unarmoured vehicles in the ETO had a little "stars & stripes", made of paper, glued in the lower left corner of the windshield. On the back fording instructions were printed in red ink. Others: "prestone 44" Painted on the front of the hood above the grill in approx. 1/2"-1" letters it indicated anti-freeze was put into the cowlingsystem of the vehicle, together with the year (in this example 1944). "T.P.35" Painted on the rim of the fenders ABOVE the wheels (all 4) it indicated the Tire Pressure. THIS WAS ONLY APPLIED POST-WAR! IT IS AN INCORRECT MARKING FOR A WWII-ERA JEEP!!! WWII-era US Army jeeps had it sometimes painted on the dashboard or on the windowframe under the window inside the vehicle, or on the INNER sides of the fenders behind, not above the wheels. Click here for a pic of the correct WW2-era location near the wheels. And many more markings excist, like "No Smoking" etc. Apply the ones you like, but please take care your jeep still looks like a jeep and not as a newspaper when you're done. Castingnumbers: For some very important information about castingnumbers click here (see bottom of linked page). |
| Some paintnumbers: Here are some numbers of paint used on WWII jeeps: USMC: Sherwin Williams JK 5138 Marine 23 (I haven't seen it myself, but heard it is more a Vietnam-era Ditzler/PPG DQE-42704 (synthetic) shade when used without flattener) Ditzler/PPG DAR-43820 (acrylic) USMC semi-gloss # 23 Forest Green (US colourcode FS-34052) US Army: Olive-Drab: there is no fixed shade OD for jeeps. Every batch of paint delivered to the factories was a little different from the other. I would almost say that there are as much shades OD as there are jeeps. The only thing you must make sure is that you are NOT using NATO green. This is absolutely the wrong colour, but as long as it is OD and not green you can pretty much pick the shade you like, but it must be lusterless/flatt! No shiny paint was used ever. OD paint manufacturers/numbers: Gillespie early WWII 33070 (1941-43) Gillespie late WWII 319 (1943-45) Gillespie WWII 34087 (not sure about dates) These paints are available in the US from Rapco. Marking Blue: Ditzler/PPG DAL 13598, Pantone 5415C Matt Ford Engine Paint: Ford GP: 9N tractor (Ford # M-1788-H Gray, or NAPA no. 619) Ford GPW (from engine# 26207, 5/1/42): M-4084-G Gray Ford GPW (from 9/24/42): M-1788-H (same as 9N tractor) Ford GPW (late): Plati-Kote Engine New Emanel Ford Gray no. 216 (see pic) Ford GPW: Martin Seynour number 60-19 gray (available from NAPA) Note: there is no special Willys engine paint. Willys blocks were painted in the same colour as the rest of the vehicle (OD). You don't need any special heat-resistend paint to use on jeep blocks; except for on the exhaust manifold it won't get hot enough to burn it off. What was painted in what colour: Ford painted the block, head, bellhousing, dipstick and transmission case grey, the transfer case was painted OD. Willys painted block, head, transmission, transfer case and radiator OD. Starters, generators, aircleaners, olifiters etc. were painted black, and so were replacement radiators that were fitted in the field. However, variations did occur, and replacement parts seemed to be painted black instead of OD for some obscure reason. |
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