Posted by POW on January 06, 1999 at 09:17:31:
In Reply to: m-37 numbers on hood&bumpers posted by mark parsons on January 05, 1999 at 17:56:04:
The numbers on the hood and tailgate are the military registration numbers, assigned by the Pentagon, and usually installed by the factory for the life of the vehicle. Apparently there are no archives of this numbering by the vehicle, just a record of assigned number blocks for vehicle types. For instance, My M37 (actually an M42 Command Truck) is 201011839. This number had nothing to do with the VIN or chassis number of the truck until recently. Some current tacticals now have the same # on the hood and the data plate, but this would not be correct for an M37 or B1.
The unit or user designation was found on the front passenger bumper and the rear driver bumperette, or both if too long. This may have changed many times over the service life of a truck. For example, mine is TEC-YPG. This stands for Test and Evaluation Command, Yuma Proving Grounds. If the truck was USMC or USAF, unit marks may not be used, and some Marine rigs had a symbol on the doors instead. DG