Paint with Olive Drab Semi Gloss or not

[CRTodd]

I have a question regarding the painting of my 1954 M37. This vehicle appears to have been a USMC vehicle. The old yellow numbers on the hood had USMC in front of the numbers. However, the color of the truck is olive drab. I do prefer the olive drab semi-gloss that the army used. The Marines used a Forest Green for a lot of their vehicles. Does anyone know if they ever used an Olive Drab, Semi-Gloss?

If I painted this olive drab semi-gloss and used the USMC numbers when stenciling the hood, would I be called out on it from the purest?
I visited with an owner of a restoration company, and he said the Marines had lifting hoops added to each of the four corners of the M37’s to allow them to be lifted onto ships. My M37 does not have these hoops. Could this mean mine is not a Marine unit?

I registered my M37 in Texas as an antique military vehicle. It will not have to have license plates and will be able to use the numbers stenciled on my hood instead of a plate on the back.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Cal_Gary]

Hi Cliff,
I've never seen a USMC M37 in use so I don't know if any were painted with the Army 24087 shade. ( I doubt it unless it was painted in the field due to a shortage of the USMC tint).

Some purists at a show might call you out for the Army tone; however, nobody on this forum will because it's your truck to do up as you like. All should know to never criticize another owner's truck unless the owner is asking for opinions on this or that.

USMC M37s had loops on the back corners, and loops or "paper clips" on the front bumper/bumperettes. Here's an old picture of mine with the USMC bumperettes. I cut them off later-still have them, and they're yours if you want 'em.
Gary

[CRTodd]

Gary,

I was kind of thinking this may not have been an actual USMC truck, due to not having a the hoops at the corners. I haven’t started painting yet, hopefully when I do, I will be able to see any paint differences of prior paint jobs.

I appreciate the offer of the front hoops. However, I think, I’ll pass.

Thanks
Cliff

[NAM VET]

I think it can be hard to uncover the history of many of our trucks. In my case, I know the prior owner, who had it for about 20 years, but little about where it was or who "owned" it before that. I had some Missouri National Guard numbers on it, faded, but how it got there, or where it ever was before that, I have no idea. Of course, many of these trucks spent time in civilian use, like fire departments and the like. Parts like bumpers come and go. My 37 was accepted by the army in the fall of '52, and thus would not have had the semi-gloss 24087 paint of the later trucks. My passenger side bumper of my actually a command truck, an M42, has and had a front winch, and lots of drilled mounts for the radio antennae.
on the bed sides. My front bumper has about 6 precisely drilled holes and I am thinking at one time as a command truck, had some sort of step or platform there for parades and "review of troops."

Supposedly 42 command trucks, if original from Dodge, had 9 digit hood numbers, which mine does, while later conversions did not. But the way the cut out for the big 24V rectifier wires is cut with a torch, rather than something better by Dodge, leads me to believe my truck was a "field" or depot conversion from a 37 to a 42.

I'll never know. But the sen-gloss paint on my truck is much more fade resistant and better protective of surface rust, since it sits outside in the SC rain., And I have a machine gun mounted in the bed, and for sure my truck never had that field modification. But no one has ever pointed out the non-stock appearance of my truck to me. I wouldn't't care anyway. Sio do what you want, and don't fret about originality, Heck, I have several accessory gages mounted on my steering column. I put numbers and unit designations on my trucks, to represent my SF A Team I commanded in '72. But we never actually had any vehicles. But It honors my Team and time anyway.

Feel free to restore your truck to represent whatever is important to you. And love to see pictures of your progress.

All the best, Hal, UpState SC

[k8icu]

I agree with Nam Vet that knowing who had the truck when in service and who had it from when it left service up to you is hard to say. It's very possible that a former owner was a prior Marine and stenciled USMC on his truck because he was a jar head and didn't know better. All kidding aside...then again it is possible that the truck was transferred to the Marines from the Army and they just stenciled the yellow markings on it and never repainted the truck. Or...there are probably a hundred more possibilities. I would say that since you're going to repaint to take the time and sand down carefully other areas of the truck like the bumpers, the tail gate, the dash etc. to see if there are any other markings. If they are yellow USMC through out the truck then I'd say you're good to go with those markings. If they are white USA markings then maybe give some thought to making it a Army truck. Yes at an event some know it all will tell you that you're truck isn't correct even if it is correct. Even if you had proof that it was a Marine truck painted Army green someone would say you're wrong. So painted what ever shade of green you want and stencil it the way you want and enjoy. Though from my perspective why would you want to make the truck any slower by painting USMC on it is beyond me.... Enjoy your ride.

[refit1701]

If it was originally a USMC truck, it should say so on the data plate.

[PoW]

I've bought DRMO M37's directly from the USMC at Yermo, none had any different data plates than Army ones...

All said Ord Corp.

Matter of fact, I've never seen an original "Marine" data plate on any G741 truck.

PoW