I'm sorry if this message repeats some information already given. I had
the message from the Maurice who just bought MB serial #130555, but lost
it.
Finding out as much information on our MV's is the hope of all of us. But
as a lot of the original records don't exist anymore, we have to settle
for less.
I know you had inquired about the original hood numbers, and unfortunately
if they aren't on the hood anymore, you may never know the exact number. I
can give you a number that should be close, if not exact, by the serial
number and number of shipments that went out from Willys. The number may
not be exact, due to the fact that every Jeep that came off the assembly
line didn't get a hood number. The Jeeps that went to the USMC for example
used a different numbering system.
Now, for the good stuff. Willys MB 130555 was manufactured in the
transition of Very Early Production to Early Production. The differences
are few, but obvious. The very Early production MB's are most easily
recognized by their "slat grill" wrought iron grill. the Early production
one's were the first to have a pressed steel grill. The early production
MB's also introduced the glove box, combat wheels and keyed ignition. They
still didn't have a spare gas tank or trailer light connection. The very
early production and early production represent about 14% of all the Jeeps
built.
MB 130555 was delivered to the military on March 26, 1942 and the
approximate hood number would have been, 2089151. The way the number is
calculated, is from a list of all Contract numbers and registration
numbers. Each contract included a certain number of Jeeps. MB 130555 was
"about" the 30554th MB produced and would have been delivered under the
contract covering that serial number. The contracts list the registration
numbers (hood number) assigned to it, so by knowing the contract and how
many Jeeps were produced before it, you can asertain a very close hood
number. This of course isn't a perfect method, but it comes very close.
For anyone who owns or restores Jeeps, I would recommend getting two books
from Ray Cowdery, the "All American Wonder" vols. 1 and 2. these books
contain lots of valuable information about the Jeep, such as all the
differences between an MB and GPW, there are a lot. It also contains good
information about the production and delivery of them too, like the
contract and registration numbers. These books aren't easy to find, but
last time I checked, the Military Vehicle Preservation Association was
still selling them in their Supply Line magazine. You might check at
http://www.mvpa.org.
Andy