Military Vehicles, January 1997,: jeep history
jeep history
Tony Standefer (WillysJeep@worldnet.att.net)
Wed, 08 Jan 1997 18:29:04 -0800
There seem to be alot of jeep owners who would like to track down the
history of their particular jeep. This is about next to impossible to
do with just the serial/vin number. What is needed is the MILITARY
registration number. This is the number that is painted on the hood.
The military refers to their vehicle by this number, not the serial
number. If your jeep has been painted over (most of them are) then very
carefully sand down the hood to try and recover this number. The
registration number was also painted on the rear of early jeeps. Alot
of jeeps had this number obliterated by the military as part of the
surplus process. When sanding the hood also sand in other areas of the
jeep that originally had markings (bumper, bumperettes, etc.). About
the only thing you can find out with the serial number is the
approximate date of manufacture and the contract number. This applies
to American vehicles. I understand that some of the foreign contracts
are easier to track. If you do find the registration number, contact
Mr. Lloyd White (MVPA HAS THE ADDRESS) he has done a massive amount of
research into jeep history using the registration number. Hope this
helps.
Tony Standefer
1944 Willys