>Colin since you seem to be very knowledgeable about S/N's, here
>is my question:
>My MB has a number in fairly large numerals, lightly stamped on
>the lip of the toe board gusset: the number is 209359...
>Is that stamping just a serial number for the tub, or does it
>normally corresponds to the S/N stamped on the zinc plate
>normally riveted on the left frame horn? (mine was missing,
>probably removed by the French ERM, as were the original data
>plates)
>Antoine Compin
>
>1943 Willys MB & '44 MBT
>1942 Harley WLA
>1942 Harley XA (two)
>MVPA 14803 - MVCG (France)
>http://www.freehomepages.com/antoine
=============================
******* My ex-British/ex-Norwegian 1944/45 MB has the same problem -
missing original data plates and mine has a serial number assigned by the
Norwegians (VDN-1121). I have seen a 1942 data plate (MB-BRT - i.e. British
contract I believe) on a restored jeep, but the wheels are post-war solid
rims with vent slots, and the frame has a serial number stamped deep into
the top of the right frame rail in front of the grill - and I believe the
frame/rims is Hotchkiss M201.
We have been calling the number stamped into the gusset plate under the
driver's floorboard the "body tub number". It appears to have been assigned
to Willys jeeps ONLY by the sub-contractor who made the bodies. From my
research this number is NOT the vehicle serial number. There is however a
ROUGH correlation between this number and the vehicle serial number so that
I can now estimate the approximate date/serial number from the body tub
number. e.g.
Body tub # 22160 is on MB118794 Orig engine MB120138, Orig WD # CM1165779
Body tub # 22261 is on MB118865 Orig engine MB120218, Orig WD # CM1165643
Simple formula: Take away the 100,000 start point of MB serial numbers and
you have the 18,794th MB with body tub # 22,160. You have the 18,865th MB
with body tub # 22,261.
Late in war:
Body tub 222,931 is on MB435576 Mfg 4-16-45 USA 20702225
Body tub 223,318 is on MB436121 Mfg 4-23-45
I believe that the bodies were delivered in batches. The assembly line
simply took the next convenient body, regardless of the body tub number. I
can't imagine the forman telling the crew to go into the warehouse and find
me body tub number 22161 so we can put it on jeep MB118975 - more than
likely he would simply tell the crew to "grab the nearest body - there's a
war on don't you know?!!"
Colin Macgregor Stevens
MVPA # 954 (since 1977)
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada
E-mail: colin@pacdat.net
Personal web site: http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net
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