Military Vehicles, May 1997,: re: [MV] matching numbers
re: [MV] matching numbers
DOConnor@zoomit.sikorsky.com
5 MAY 97 10:50:25 EDT
If the frame # (top of left front rail by the shock mount), the engine #
(raised oval pad top front of block on pass. side) and the data plate serial
number are the same then it is referred to as "matching numbers". Considering
the way most jeeps were built on the assy line and later "rebuilt" at the
depots following mechanical problems, damage and the end of the war I would
be very surprised to find matching numbers. If a jeep was well cared for, not
abused and returned with it's loving owner (like an officer or chaplin etc.)
you might find matching #'s. If it never left the states and had an easy life
the same may be true. BEWARE we've known folks to restamp things to make this
claim and try to inflate the price (it started in the old car hobby on
limited production models). Don't pay extra just on someone's sayso; research
and verify the story behind the vehicle to your satisfaction or steer clear.
A giveaway on the stampings is if they are perfect or VERY sloppy. The
standard assy line did not lend itself to perfectly straight, evenly spaced,
clear, deep impressions. All of our's (quite a few) have been decent but not
perfect...a good job by a man on a moving line that cared about his work. The
folks doing it 50 years later either take a lot of time and it's perfect or
they try to duplicate the imperfect and it comes out very sloppy. The
original may look even but not all the stamps are the same depth etc. This is
caused by the use of a tool to hold all the required stamps at once to save
time and a single hammer blow to make the transfer. As the tooling wears or
is held at an angle to the surface it causes an unevenness to the stamping
(like the bottom 1/4 of all stamps missing) but a good overall impression and
this was considered OK too. Hope this helped.
Regards,
Dennis O'Connor
Naugatuck, CT, USA
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