Frame,axles,springs & brkt. colors

[Sal]

I asked that question because, when I was restoring my truck and removed the bed, I found the underside painted blue. And when I started to take the bed apart, I noticed that under the cross members the bed floor was also blue. (see picture). Further more, when I stripped away the blue paint, I found what looked like to be black primer and then metal, No O.D. At that point, I knew my bed was a donor because there wasn't any blue found on the rest of the truck. My truck is a "54"

bed11.jpg (50.79 KiB) Viewed 1587 times

Sal

[MikeOneSix]

[quote="k8icu"]\ I remember having this talk before about AF Blue and Lifer had said that the AF got the trucks OD from the factory or where ever and they put them into a shop, pulled them all apart and painted everything blue and reassmebled. Which is why my data plate doesn't match my frame number. I pulled the glove box out and it was painted blue both inside and out and on top. The unders side of the cowl is painted blue. Those zoomies where really careful to paint every nook and cranny.

\.[/ote]

Sal
The above is a quote from K8icu who's info comes from Lifer.
Matt

[Sal]

Matt. I'm not disputing what Joe said. I'm just saying that I didn't find any OD green under the Blue when I stripped the Bed down to Metal. And was wondering if these trucks were painted blue from the factory.

Sal

[MikeOneSix]

Matt. I'm not disputing what Joe said. I'm just saying that I didn't find any OD green under the Blue when I stripped the Bed down to Metal. And was wondering if these trucks were painted blue from the factory.

Sal

Ah yes, I'd have gotten that if I was paying attention Was it only on the underside of the bed floor that you didn't find any OD (under the blue) or was the entire bed like that (sides & all)?

Something I was told years ago was that the WWII Dodges were assembled then painted and the M37s were painted then assembled (that's why they came off the assembly line with bright fasteners). Begining to think that regardless of WC or M both vehicles were assembled then painted.
Matt

[Sal]

I only found blue on the under side of the bed. The upper and sides and front panel must have been sand blasted because all I found there was under the Forest green paint was primer..Now its #23070 ( AJP )

Sal

[cuz]

As I said above from 1950 thru about 54 they shipped to the USAF in OD green and sometimes they were painted blue by the USAF unit if they were assigned to a stateside unit. Sometimes they were left OD if they were assigned to a rapid deployment unit like the Red Horse Engineers or the Mobil Com guys. Overseas they were usually left OD. When I was in SEA late 60's and early 70's they were any of three colors. Blue, 2430 OD or the late 60's USAF Carc Green.

Not all Navy trucks were gray. My M left the USN in 1976 and was then and still is OD thru and thru.

[MikeOneSix]

As I said above from 1950 thru about 54 they shipped to the USAF in OD green and sometimes they were painted blue by the USAF unit if they were assigned to a stateside unit. Sometimes they were left OD if they were assigned to a rapid deployment unit like the Red Horse Engineers or the Mobil Com guys. Overseas they were usually left OD. When I was in SEA late 60's and early 70's they were any of three colors. Blue, 2430 OD or the late 60's USAF Carc Green.

Not all Navy trucks were gray. My M left the USN in 1976 and was then and still is OD thru and thru.

Navy also painted some of it's stuff "midnight blue" which as the name would imply, is pretty dark. Don't know if any M37s were ever shot that color but I know some M38s were.
Matt

[8543bob]

GOOD AM, I bought a water buffalo from the USA about 2 years ago, I happened to be under it yesterday and noticed that the axel, springs and underside of tank was strata blue, I scraped here and there and everything was blue. Which goes along with an earlier post, they painted everthing blue.

[mike_l]

I saw an old factory film of the assembly line process. Although the frames were supplied in black, at the end of the line they were showing the painting process. The guys were "hosing" down the truck with the OD. Not just the exterior body panels, they were crudely shooting the underbody and frame also.

I saw that video. I'm pretty sure those were the WWII Dodge trucks. As I understood it, the M37s didn't have anyone at the assy line end spot painting so any fasteners used in the production line were unpainted when the truck was delivered. Now, were they all bright? Don't know, the ORD 9 TM calls for zinc plated or cadmium (yellow or silver?) plated but those are replacement parts. Did they have black oxide or any dark finish hardware available in the automotive industry? I do recall seeing some M37 assy line photos that look like bright fasteners on the front clip parts (headlight, brushguard). I've also adopted the stance that if there is a color change (example: OD part on the black frame, black radiator with OD shroud, etc.), any glass or rubber part, then the fasteners holding that onto the truck would be bright since we know these were not spot painted once they were assembled to the truck.

My '54 had the bed replaced at some point, I'm pretty sure. When I took my bed apart, the bed was primed with black rather than red and the front wall didn't have the mounting holes/weldnuts for the auxiliary seat. I had read and talked with several folks with the B1s that said their trucks had black primer so I'm guessing my truck's bed had been replaced with an entire replacement B1 bed. I found it odd that the crossmember behind the transfer case (the front one under the bed) was still chassis black on top and had never been painted despite the original bed having been removed and replaced.

I love the original factory colors discussion every time it comes up. Anyone have an opinion on what color the fuel tanks were out of the factory - black or OD?

Matt, that is a good start to a list on OE colors. I've also looked at the manuals' photos to figure out colors. Sometimes you can see shade differences in the photos of the components leading me to believe one would be black, the other OD or silver depending on what I'm looking at.