Bitumen paint (sealant) on front differential hardware...

[DavyBoySmith]

I have a 52 M135 that had a blown CV, purchased in MA.
I bought an axle from NE.
I noticed that the nuts and studs all seem as though they were brushed over with Bitumen Paint..
Was this a standard practice coincidental to this era?

I found this: https://web.anl.gov/PCS/acsfuel/preprint archive/Files/09_4_ATLANTIC CITY_09-65_0179.pdf

It does appear that the government was using this as a sealant in several different areas.

Dave

 

[USMC 00-08]

I do not know if this was standard practice, but one of my four M135s (truck #5314) possibly had this all over the frame, axles and wheel wells. It was all sandblasted off last year because I didn't like the way it looked.

 

[DUUANE]

Could those have been marine corps trucks? We use a bitumen based paint called Apexior 3 at the drydock..its like black glue. But for immersion service nothing beats it.

 

[silverstate55]

Or it looks like it may have been some commercial undercoating applied over the red paint....

 

[USMC 00-08]

The red paint was definitely put on over that coating.

I don't believe these trucks were ever in use by the Marine Corps.