Military Vehicles, May 1997,: Re: [MV] matching numbers

Re: [MV] matching numbers

Auke Dijkstra (auke.dijkstra@pi.net)
Mon, 05 May 1997 21:43:00 +0200

DOConnor@zoomit.sikorsky.com wrote:
>
> 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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Hi Dennis, we bought a GPW a few years ago in Canada. When it arrived
in Holland we where a bit dissapointed, because it didn't look as
great as we expected (we knew the guy we bought it from quite well).
They only done a rough restoration on the outside. After looking at
the GPW for a few weeks and checking out the details, we came to
the conclusion that the GPW was the most original we've ever seen,
and most probably never had any rebuilt. There are "F" bolts every
where, there is "F" stamped in almost every bodypart, it has original
wiring (in very bad shape by now) and everything else is correct.
everything under the hood was once painted yellow, and the outside
was sanblasted by the last owner we think. The chassis number is
GPW192306, the engine number is GPW192306 (the engine is green, not
grey and has a clear "F" on the head) and the plate on the dash says
GPW192306 del.date 6-30-44. It could all be fake off course, but
it does look very original to me. The GPW has run 55000+ miles says
the speedometer (with the broken glass) and the thermostat housing
is from an MB. The body is the late composite type.
We don't know if we are going to restorate the GPW, we hope to
find an expert soon who could tell us if the matching numbers are
correct.

Best Regards,
Auke Dijkstra
Haaksbergen-The Netherlands

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