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i found a nice m37 but it has no data plates on it. does this hurt the value of it. can you get replacements for it that gives all the information from the factory. thanks dave

Hi Dave,

Of all the data plates on the dash only 2 are stamped with info....the others are generic to all M37s. Of the two that are stamped the more important of the two is the plate that has the winch (or without winch) code, the Ordinance Stock Number, Mfg Serial Number, Delivery Date, and Contract Number. Obviously you know if your truck has a winch or not, and the Mfg Serial Number is located on the frame, so you have that too. By looking in the registry you can find trucks made right before and after yours, and if they have the same Contract Number you're good to go on that one too. You can also probably get pretty close on delivery date as well.

The real question is will the guys who make reproduction data plates stamp that info in for you if you don't have an old plate to prove the info is correct? I'm not sure how that works. But a quick call to those guys should get you an answer either way. And if they won't stamp what you want it's easy to get blank plates and stamp them yourself. I think most who have been in the hobby for a bit will tell you that you can't always believe the data plates........only the serial number stamped in the frame. I've come across a few M37s who's data plate didn't match the frame SN.

Does it hurt the value of the truck if the original data plates are missing? Tough call, as some won't care and some will. I bought an M this summer that didn't have the original data plate I'm talking about above. It didn't bother me one bit, as the overall condition of the truck was way more important to me. I plan on getting a plate stamped......or stamping one myself when the time comes.....I don't see it as a big deal. But that's just me. Obviously, it's nice if the truck has it's original data plates.......but I wouldn't it stop me from buying a nice truck for a good price. Let's see what the others have to say about it.

regards,
bob

for me its a little different in the data plate department. as I have a canadian M37 and the data plates are different down to the maximum permissible speed plate the t98 has a different shift pattern and the canadian data plates are not reproduced. would it distract from the price? not in the least.
also I have yet to find a frame # on the 6 cdn frames that have passed through my greasy hands

I had a trophy shop lazer-etch mine. Looks just like a stamped piece and they didn't ask any questions about the data they were etching.
Gary

My truck was missing its plates too. So as was mentioned above, I'm going to use example plates from trucks built near mine's approximate date. I got an image of W30bob's plates (for an Air Force Truck) and will lay out the info as his is. I will make up a government number. Harbor Freight has a cheap stamp set. The biggest pain is finding the correct rivets for the glove box door plates. The rest of the generic plates are held on with pan head slotted screws.

Hi Guys,

Just a note regarding the data plate in question............there seems to be a number of variations on this plate and I don't know why. But if you're into "correctness" finding an exact duplicate of your plate may be hard to do. There's a bunch of plates shown in the Gallery, under the title of Data Plates, but I've put a few examples below so you can see what I mean.

This is the original plate off my AF 52 M37. All the differences in these plates involve the first two lines. You'll notice on this plate that the "3/4" in the first line is higher than the rest of the line. Also notice the gap between the silver sections on both lines where info is stamped.....there's a big gap between them.


. by w30bob, on Flickr

This second pic is of a plate off a truck near my house. Both this truck and mine were made in April of '52, with 6648 trucks made between them, and it's the same as mine in all respects.


Plate2 by w30bob, on Flickr

This third pic is an NOS plate I just bought, and the closet I've found to my original plate above. Spacing between the silver sections is wrong, as the second line silver block is longer and goes under the "M37" of the top line, which it does not in the original. Also, the "3/4" in the top line is smaller and not raised above the rest of the line. But this is the only NOS plate I've seen with a gap between the silver blocks on the first two lines. You'll see what I mean in the last pic of a current reproduction data plate. The quality of this plate is not as high as the original either.


plate5 by w30bob, on Flickr

This plate is very different from the first two above, as it has two silver blocks on the second line, not one like the above. The second block on the second line is the ORD Serial Number.....that info isn't even on the first two plates above. From the date this is an early truck.


Plate 4 by w30bob, on Flickr

On this plate you'll see the silver block in the second line (for the ORD Stock No) is very long and goes all the way under the silver block on the first line, but the "3/4" is still higher on the first line.


Plate1 by w30bob, on Flickr

And here's the most common reproduction data plate. You'll notice from the third line down everything is no longer in caps.....after the first letter everything is lower case. And the silver blocks in the first two lines overlap, but not as much as in the plate above it in the yellow truck.


Plate6 by w30bob, on Flickr

There are probably other variations on these plates.....again, I don't know why. And I don't know what the plate on an M37B1 looks like, but it's probably different as well. But if anyone knows where I can get an NOS of my original plate in the first pic.....please let me know.

thanks,
bob

I have a headache now from all that info! Here's the plate off my USMC 53 truck. Though now I am wondering if it's a 58.

Hi Refit,

Sorry for the headache.
Your truck was made in February 1953, per the M37 Production Manual.

regards,
bob

I'll throw this out, we have a local graphics supplier about 10 minutes up the road that does the nicest plates I've seen anywhere, bar none. We got a set for David Cial when he did his M101 trailer if you need a reference. All info is laser etched. We've used on many trucks, many satisfied customers. If anyone has interest, I can hook you up with Abby, the young lady who gets it done at Cadillac Sign Co.

I also got a set of trailer plates from Cadillac (through David). They are beautiful Plates!

I also believe that you can get complete data plate sets from Midwest Military or Vintage Power Wagon. Steel Soldiers also has a place in in Montana that makes great data plates. You will have to search the Steel Soldiers site, but it shouldn't be too hard to find.

52 M-42

Pardon my ignorance but does this Cadillact place make new data plates and are they the raised letters like original? Does laser etch mean that the entire plate is raised lettering or just the numbers they fill in on an existing data plate?

Laser etched is not raised letter. We have had them done with the correct info laser etched like everything else; or with the blank spaces etched, then we put the correct lettering in the space here, customer preference. Folks who have show quality trucks like the laser etched, appearance is superb.

Hi Charles,

Can you stamp the crossed cannons Army symbol? I can stamp the rest of the info on the plates but not the cannons.

I tired contacting David at http://www.mvdataplates.com but can't seem to get him to respond. So I am interested in finding a source of a complete set of plates.

Alan

I haven't seen anything that Abby can't make happen on a plate.

I found a seller on Ebay that makes the inspection stamps for US military rifles. His seller name is bardall1. He has several types, and has the crossed cannons and the eagle with three stars, the two inspection stamps I have seen most frequently on M37 data plates. I ordered one from him and just received it. His work is top shelf-the stamp is made from some form of hardened metal (looks like copper but is much harder). Though intended for wood stocks, it stamps the aluminum data plate just fine! Now you can stamp your own data plates complete with the US inspector's stamp.