Looking for deuce owners, 0125-xxxxx vin, NK0XXX reg numbers

[DDoyle]

Hello folks,
Still working with the data I have amassed so far....and time to get down and dirty.

Any of you fellows on cargo trucks with VIN numbers beginning with a 0125 prefix AND having army registration numbers beginning NK0? If so, please contact me - it appears that this trucks were subjected to an extensive rebuild program, and I'd like to determine exactly what the nature of the program was.

Thanks,
David Doyle

 

[jasonjc]

RE: Looking for deuce owners, 0125-xxxxx vin, NK0XXX reg num

I've got that one with a 0125 and two with the NKO but none with both sorry.
If you need to know more about any of them I will do what I can to help.

 

[67Beast]

It was my understanding from previous posts and other research that I've done while lettering these trucks is that trucks with a 0125 prefix where from late 66' thru 67' and that the NKO registration numbers were not started until the mid 70's. It is also my understanding that once a piece of equipment is assigned a registration number, it is not changed. That number must stay with the vehicle its military lifetime. This makes sense to me as my truck is a 67' with the vin # of 0125- but has a registration # of 4K8941. My truck was in US inventory as late as 1997 as evedent by the carc 97 paint markings, and had a major upgrade 10/89 when it was converted from an M35A1 to a M35A2 but retained the 4K registration #.

My buddy has a 67' M35A1 that has never been upgraded. It is still a non-turbo with rear exhaust exiting over the duels, sprag transfercase, and small mirrors. I know when it was at my house that I checked the vin # and it was also a 0125- prefix. I do know one thing though, his A1 is a dog compaired to my A2. It is amazing how much more torque mine has over his. Here is a pic of his as we used it to haul mine home after buying it.

 

[DDoyle]

Dave,
What you state about the registration numbers is by and large correct - the exception would be when things are extensively rebuilt. This is typically the case for armor - such as when a tank is converted into a tank retriever - such as a M4A3 into a M74.

Which is precisely why I am so interested in this. So far I have about 450 vehicles in my database - this should rise sharply Monday when I get access to some of my older records. There are five venicles with 0125-XXXXX numbers that do have NKOXXX registrations. Three of the five are neatly in a block of 1200 vehicles. To me, this indicates that this is not an error in record keeping - rather an en masse assignment, or reassignment, of numbers. Unfortunately, I don't have the contract numbers for these vehicles.

If I can locate one or more owners of these vehicles, then examination of the vehicles themselves may reveal "the rest of the story".

As far as your buddy's truck goes - if it is a M35A1, it should have a turbo - but it should also be powered by a LDS-427. As these engines were phased out, they were replaced first with the LD-465, and later the LDT-465 - so widespread was this that some editions of the TM give instructions for the engine swap.

Once upon a time I was at an auction where a bunch of depot-fresh LDS-427-powered water purification trucks were sold - I'll likely never quit kicking myself for not buying one of these - on a couple of counts.

Best wishes,
David Doyle

 

[emmado22]

That is correct about the reggie #'s. The reggie #'s follow the vehicle from cradle to grave. Once they are assigned at the factory (TACOM gives the factory the list of reggies, the factory marries them up to truck serial #'s) they are NEVER EVER changed, unless a VERY extensive depot level overhaul is done. The only time I saw that done is when my unit traded in M1A1 tanks for M1A2 SEP's.. Basically, the only "old parts" they reused was the hull itslef and some gun cradle parts. All electronics, powerplant, drive line, and everything else were brand new. The M1A2SEPS were "born again" and had new reggie #'s.

 

[67Beast]

Dave,
As far as your buddy's truck goes - if it is a M35A1, it should have a turbo - but it should also be powered by a LDS-427. As these engines were phased out, they were replaced first with the LD-465, and later the LDT-465 - so widespread was this that some editions of the TM give instructions for the engine swap.

Best wishes,
David Doyle

His has a LDS-427, but it is non-turbo. It smokes like a frieght train while driving it! I thought the turbos were only on the LDT-465 motors. And was added as a way to help clean up the exhaust.

 

[DDoyle]

The first military Multifuel engine was the turbosupercharged LDS-427 - which quickly earned some reliability problems (though there are those in the hobby who swear that they are the most powerful, I haven't yet the experience with them to form my own opinion).

The next engine for the deuce was the LD-465 - these were much more reliable, and smoked terribly - both the LDS-427 and the LD-465, like the OA-331, originally came with horizontal exhausts.

Later LD-465 had a vertical exhaust, with the muffler under the passenger's side floorboard.

Due to envioromental concerns, a turbosupercharger was added to the LD-465, resulting in the LDT-465. In the cargo truck, these all have vertical exhaust. Because of the commonality of parts, I presume that one could fit the NA exhaust of a LD-465 to a LDS-427 block, creating a one-off LD-427, and unless extensive tweaking of the injection pump was done, it would most assuredly smoke, even more than the LD-465.

Regards,
David Doyle

 

[vtdeucedriver]

Dave, one of my deuces is a NK0...........its a non turbo 1972..............I will check on the 125 prefix in the am

Jeff

 

[vtdeucedriver]

I kept the hood number for the truck even though it was not correct for VN.

 

[rdixiemiller]

David
Where is the registration number you are referring to? Is it on the data tag? Mine still has the original data tag with the Kaiser logo silk screened onto it.

Would a batch of M35's that were upgraded from gas to LDT multifuel, and who got new air-shift t-cases and the steering column upgrades at the depot qualify for an NKO number?

 

[vtdeucedriver]

Here is another!!!!! Had this one for over 11 yrs now.

 

[emmado22]

RDX, I dont think so.. Only MAJOR MAJOR stuff would get it changed.. Thats just little stuff..

 

[DDoyle]

The army registration number, popular called the USA number - was stenciled on the outside of the hood during the Vietnam era - and can often be seen beneath the camo even today when the hood is wet. On camo trucks its applied under the hood, and inside the doors - and sometimes on the data plate. When all else fails, send me all the numbers you find on a given truck and I'll sort it out!

I am truly baffled by the anomoly I have found - the serial prefixes indicated they are cargos - which in fact they are - thus eliminating the most likely cause for an extensive enough overhaul to warrant a reg number change.

Thanks,
David Doyle

 

[jasonjc]

I have a ? about My M109A3 shop van it has a NKO number on the ID plate but the ser # and contact number makes it out to be as old as my M36A2 that has the same contract # and is close in the ser number also 10426 for the 109 and 10054 for he m36.
What was the major overhaul done to the M109 to make it an A3 (no cat or allison like the m35A3) and get the new reg number??????? not meaning to start any thing just what to know why if there is a why?? I do know how the gov works or trys to work

 

[emmado22]

One thought, and this is my own opinion, and I have no facts to back it up with, but perhaps the contractor made the M35 chassis, with no bed, sent it to the manufacturer of the shop van, thus completing the truck, and got send to the govt? Chevy did this with the M1031 contact maintaince trucks.. Sent the chassis to Southwester Body, they "finished" the truck, and it got shipped to Uncle Sam... That would explain the cargo #'s on the M109A3's.....

 

[Recovry4x4]

Not that its worth anything but my tractor has 04P35871 stenciled inside the door.

 

[jasonjc]

Sorry I forgot to say that the M109 HAS the 0332 perfix of a m109 vs the 0127 perfix of the M36 it's the fact that these trucks should both 1967's (that the date on the m36) so that means that the M109 sould not have a NKo unless it got a new reg #???? From what I can tell of the pev post here that is why I woundeing.

 

[DDoyle]

Well, Jason, some answers I can give you, some I can't. And, since I am on the road at the moment without my library, I'll have to ask you to take my word for part of it.

As to the apparent difference between registration number style (1972-era) on your shop van, vs the apparent 68-69 VIN number is one of the mysteries I am trying to unravel. However, I can say that your M109A3 was built as a M109A3.

Unlike what one might logically think - and a lot of myth floating around, the A1 and A2 designations do not mean Multifuel, vs gas, or anything else across the board. Rather, they are model specific - and this is most apparent in the shop van. Here is where I wish I had my books with me - even one of the ones that I wrote would say! - but from memory, a M109A1 has a gas engine like the 109, but has a different electrical setup and or window arrangement, and I think the A2 was the first Multifuel, powered by the LDS-427 - - this is from memory now - and when the 465 was installed, whether turbo or NA, the designation changed to M109A3.

Hope this helps,
David Doyle

 

[jdmcgowen]

Dave here some numbers for you. 4H8350 is on my door and on the back of the truck, Vin is 0125-23043. NSN is 2320-00-077-1616. I got the nsn off of the data plate, and I have no way of knowing if that is original dataplate. The DMV here in oregon combined the door# and the Vin# so on my registration, the vin is 4H8350012523043. Hope this can help you some. I tried to find a reg# but couldn't find it anywhere.
John

 

[dwelch]

reg # m35A3

I was also puzzled on how to register a m35A3 I got in Aug from GL.
The frame says manuf date of June 1963 but this truck was re manufactured in 96-97 by am gen the the SEP program.When I called AM Gen they said they had no way to give me a accurate date for titleing purposes as the program ran from 94 through 99? most parts on this truck date code to 96 but the reused frame rails are 1963.They said all of the reman A2s were dismantled in large lots and the best parts sorted out for reuse so one truck could contain parts from A2 manuf from 53 to 88

what date should I put on title sf97 for title??