*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
Tom wrote:
....... I have a list of GPW's and DoD that includes a couple close to 15730......
They sometimes jump all over the range........ My pride and joy is a Script '42 GPW with sn 14914 with DoD of April 10, 1942 so that adds even more curves into the mess............
Tom is correct that the serial (Motor) numbers for GPW's "jump all over". Contrary to popular belief GPW's were not produced in numerical order. It is the MOTOR NUMBER that determines the SN# of a GPW, not the frame or data plate (when built that is). All GPW's were built with frame and data plate SN# matching the motor # and not the other way around. No attempt was made to keep them in order. The motors were assembled in to the chassis just as they came from the motor building or boxcar if it was a branch plant.
In the case of GPW # 15730, the motor was assembled at the Rouge Motor Building on April 6, 1942 along with 560 other motors. Normal procedure for Ford was to produce motors 3 working days before they were needed on the assembly line. If this GPW was assembled at the Rouge it probably was assembled on April 9 as Tom suggested. A branch plant GPW may have added a few days to this date due to the shipping of the motors.
.....The following is a short list of the GPW's in this time range:.......
I have added the motor build dates for the units Tom has listed.
>
>14582 (motor built April 2, 1942) 4/8/42
>14914 ( " " " " ) 4/10/42 (Mine)
>14929 ( " " " " ) 4/10/42
>15080 ( " " April 3 " ) 4/9/42
>15132 ( " " " " ) 7/29/42 (Yes in JULY)
>15642 ( " " April 6 " ) 4/13/42
>15730 ( " " " " )
>15933 ( " " " " ) 4/7/42
>16002 ( " " " " ) 4/xx/42
>16018 ( " " " " ) 4/9/42
Note that there was no motor production on April 4 & 5 as this was a Saturday and Sunday.
>..........Hood Numbers are anybodies guess. They were applied "in the field" generally
>by a soldier having to put them on as punishment for some minor misdeed, and
>they were generally applied to a whole field of jeeps at the same time with
>total disregard as to serial number or date of delivery..............
Tom is correct that the sequence is anybody's guess. However, the USA registration numbers (on the hood and on early GPWs, the back panel) were NOT applied in the field by soldiers.
Registration numbers were applied AT THE FACTORY. The application of these numbers was tightly controlled and was overseen by the government inspectors. The assembled units were parked in designated areas and a two man team applied the numbers with pre-cut stencils. As each unit had it's number applied it was checked off a master list by the crew to avoid duplication. Although great care was taken, this duplication did (VERY rarely) occur. As an example.......USA # 20599619 was applied to two GPW's at the Louisville branch , motor number 252284 and 252227. This mistake was caught by the Ford Washington office and USA # 20380065 was then assigned to GPW motor # 252227.
Sometimes stencils were transferred between plants. Stencil USA # 20378790, assigned to the Rouge Plant but never used, was "found" on March 27, 1945. Dearborn telegraphed the Louisville branch to use this number on the next available GPW assembled. This was applied to a unit on March 28, 1945.
............."All American Wonder - Volume Two" gives .........
>contract .... W-398-QM-11424 for an additional 63,146 GPW's and their hood
>numbers were suppose to be 20100000 to 20163145 inclusive. You can GUESS at
>a hood number for the second batch of GPW's as 20100730 since yours at 15730
>would have been 730 into the second batch.........
Although the USA #'s in this contract start with 20100000, if the unit was assembled at a plant other than the Rouge, it may have a USA number anywhere from 3,000 to 12,000 higher! For example...... While USA# 20100000 was the starting number for this contract at the Rouge (Dearborn), USA# 20112000 was the starting number for the contract at the Chester branch! As you can see, two GPW's assembled at the same time, but at different plants, could be 12,000 numbers apart.
.......... But again the actual hood number
>is almost impossible to determine, as no records have been kept (that anyone
>seems to know about anyway).................
I have found some records in the Ford Industrial Archives for several months (1943) production for the Louisville branch that list the USA# and the Motor #. No other list of numbers has survived to my knowledge. Of course we can hope that someday the records of the Ford Alexandria Va. branch (where the Govt. sales records were kept) may yet surface.
.......You may get lucky and sand the hood carefully
>and find the original number.........
A "script" GPW will also have the USA# on the rear body panel, left side (driver's side). Same for all GP's.
Jim Gilmore MVPA # 5843
Member Ist Michigan AOD Chapter MVPA
Great Lakes Chapter MVPA
Ohio Motor Pool Chapter MVPA
Red Ball Chapter MVPA
Ontario Military Vehicle Association
Midwest Military Vehicle Assocation
-------------------------------------------------------------------
2656 Wiethoff, Inkster, Mi. 48141
313-561-8826 voice 313-730-1652 fax
-------------------------------------------------------------------
===Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list===
To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@uller.skylee.com>
To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@uller.skylee.com>
Send administrative queries to <mil-veh-request@uller.skylee.com>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jan 05 2000 - 22:42:35 PST