Occasionally you can get REALLY lucky thru GL and find a folder with the trucks maintainece records in the cab. Usually with the USAF trucks..
Seems the USAF keeps their records both on paper and on computer, and forwards atleast the paperwork itself on with the truck as it moves from unit to unit.. If it doesnt blow out the window, get rained on or somehow lost from it's last unit to GL, you may get lucky and still have it.
I was lucky enough to get my whole trucks COMPLETE history, starting from the "build order sheet" that was on it as it went down the assemby line on Feb 4, 1988 to the email saying it had reached it's 18 year service life on January 24, 2006, and EVERY inspection, service, oil change, and fault ever noted and fixed on it. Also in the bed was the complete set of TM's they used with the truck, each one had the registration # on the cover for that exact truck.
Even some wierdo stuff like the Bill Of Lading shipping it from AM General to Hancock Field, NY. Strangely, it sat for almost exactly a year once it was built in AMG's holding yard before the USAF told them where to send it.
The most unusual thing was the receipt from a Ford Dealer in Syracuse NY in August 1990 for $504 to paint the CARC camo pattern on it. (It was CARC 383 Green from the factory)
USAF maintaince records are NOTHING like US Army ones.. With the US Army trucks/trailers, if you dont get the SAMS-E disk (unlikely) about all you can do research thru is the bumper #'s, and CANAC's info. Also, the stray 5988-E or DA-2404 that you may find in the glove box or under seat may lead to some unit history also.
The attached pic isnt of my truck, but usually, the envelope has the records in it. If your lucky, this is what you'll see when you inspect the truck.
As for MWO tags, this is what they look like.. No bigger than a quarter, and riveted (on wheeled vehicles) on the drivers side B post, clearly visible.
The MWO number thats listed is the # for the MWO. In the case of M35A2's, the biggest MWO is for adding the seatbelts, MWO 9-2320-200-35-1
In the MWO tag picture, it shows the tag with the MWO # inscribed. It is important to note, this is NOT a rebuild tag. It's just stating the MWO was done to the truck. As for the date thats listed, it's a Julian Date. The last digit of the year, and the day number of the date it was installed. The only problem is that a Julian date doesnt tell the decade. Meaning the MWO could of been done in 1989 or 1999. To get a better "read" on the date, you need to research when the MWO was issued, (which in this particular seatbelt MWO was October 198
and use some common sense..... if the MWO was issued in 1988, it makes sense that it was installed in 1989, as the MWO was a ROUTINE one, and units were given several years to get it installed. Yes, it is possible that the MWO was done in 1999 also, but unlikely. As for the other 3 digits on the tag, 315, when "converted" to a Julian Date, it becomes November 15th.. January 1st is day #1, which would look like 001, all the way thru to December 31st, which is 365.
Some other MWO's are URGENT, or EMERGENCY, and you have much shorter windows to get them completed.. The Emergency ones tend to be a "dont drive this vehicle an inch until this saftey MWO is applied. MWO's are all kept track of at TACOM, but we dont have access to that info.
Every drivetrain componant on my truck has a 1 inch +/- tag with a date on it , referring to rebuild date.
