M880 factory colour ?

[RichM882]

Hi all.
Does anybody know what colour the M880 was painted when new from the factory ?

 

[MattL]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?119569-correct-color-1976-m880

 

[M813rc]

In the Marines, late 70s-mid 80s, ours were mostly painted MERDC Winter Verdant (34079 green, 30118 brown, with small patches of black and tan). The few all-green ones were FS 34079.

Cheers

 

[bikeman]

I painted mine full 34079... well, 24079, but flat. Looks pretty nice actually.

 

[RichM882]

My friends who are Vietnam re-enactors seem to paint their vehicles in a colour which looks like Olive Drab. What point in time did O/D cease to be the prevalent colour of US Army military vehicles. The green in the tri colour paint schemes looks a little light to me.

 

[nattieleather]

The stock GI paint color has changed over the years. In wwII there were two shades of OD, then the color changed at the end of WWII till the early 50s. Then changed again until the mid 70s when MERDC 4 color camo was introduced and then changed again in the early 80s when the NATO 3 color camo went into effect. The color from around 1952 (ish) until the mid 1970s was 24087 Semi-gloss green. This green is a dark green with a brown tint to it. A friend of mine who served in the engineers in both Germany and Vietnam in the late 60s said they couldn't get 24087 to paint their trucks but because of the engineer equipment they could get black and yellow. So they mixed the two together to make GI OD. So...... it's a crapshoot when it comes to what color is OD.

 

[RichM882]

So 24087 is the Vietnam era Olive Drab ...How does this compare to 24079 or 34079 ???

 

[MWMULES]

24087 OD and 24079 forest green are both semi gloss, 34079 is lusterless (flat) forest green. Never saw an in service 880 semi gloss but have seen military purchased Dodges in semi gloss , Navy grey, AF blue, an Army green.

http://www.rapcoparts.com/padenew.html

 

[nattieleather]

The Rapco list is a good reference and goes with what I was saying. Forest Green like 34079 is different than 24087. You might want to give some thought to the color 34086 which might be the factory color that Dodge M880 series trucks where painted. "34086 Lusterless Olive Drab – Current Issue Darker olive drab found on some tactical vehicles and ground support equipment." That makes sense as it's a dark OD green and I would guess that's the color the trucks came originally.

 

[M813rc]

1974 saw the introduction of the MERDEC paint schemes (1973 if you were on Fort Hood) to replace the OD on military vehicles.

During my military time I never saw an OD M880 series truck, they were all 34079 or MERDEC camo. I was a model builder at the time, so I was specifically interested in "correct" colour.

But your mileage may vary - there are always exceptions to the rules.

In case anyone is confused, the first number of an FS code indicates the shine (or lack thereof). 1=gloss, 2=semi-gloss, 3=flat or matte. The second number indicates the colour range, 4=a green, 0=a brown. Thus 34079 means Flat Green #079: 14079 would be Gloss Green #079. Same colour, different shine.

Cheers

 

[RichM882]

Thank you. That is the most useful information I have learned in a long time. The US system makes more sense than RAL or BSI colour systems.

 

[M813rc]

You're welcome.

The M880 series was produced beginning in 1976, which is post-OD.

Now, the comments above do not apply to civilian type Dodge pickups used by the military, we were specifically talking about M880s. All the US services used "off the shelf" civilian vehicles, from all the major manufacturers, for a variety of administrative duties.
The Marines usually painted the non-tactical vehicles in either 34079, or in 34052/24052/14052 "Marine Green" depending on its use.
The Army used the greenish shade of 24087/14087 with a white top to the cab.

To add to the confusion, there are several shades of OD, from greenish to brownish, and two distinct colours numbered 34087, depending on what year you are dealing with! Do a search on here, the topic has been discussed in depth.

Cheers

 

[RichM882]

34079 may well be the colour..... I will have to compare some swatches with the interior of the cab. I will read the discussion elsewhere on the forum in detail !

 

[bikeman]

The MASSTER Merdec-Dual-Tex book is good and shows color swatches and patterns in it.

 

[Bob H]

some 34079 from the factory

 

[nattieleather]

Now to my eyes (and yes I know my monitor is different than everyone else) but to me those trucks on the rail car look like the 34086 and not 34079 forest green which is what Bob H. Avatar looks to be painted. I do not claim to be an expert, but I have a good eye for color and I've been in this hobby for 30 years. 34079 is a greeny green. In the lighter shade than what those trucks look like. I've painted a few camo trucks in my life and painted a few just the 34079 and they are a lighter green. Where as the 34086 is a darker green like the trucks in the picture. Just my $0.02 worth but that's the way I see it.

 

[bikeman]

Now to my eyes (and yes I know my monitor is different than everyone else) but to me those trucks on the rail car look like the 34086 and not 34079 forest green which is what Bob H. Avatar looks to be painted. I do not claim to be an expert, but I have a good eye for color and I've been in this hobby for 30 years. 34079 is a greeny green. In the lighter shade than what those trucks look like. I've painted a few camo trucks in my life and painted a few just the 34079 and they are a lighter green. Where as the 34086 is a darker green like the trucks in the picture. Just my $0.02 worth but that's the way I see it.

I'll be honest, my 34079 (Flat 24079 form Home Depot) is darker than I expected. Judging by the black tires and comparing my black brush guard (since my tires are old and not really a 'bright' black), I'd say it is a good possibility it's 34079.

we're also looking at a scan of a printed photo that has now been copied, reformatted, definition/depth lost, who knows how many times...

 

[NDT]

My 2 cents: I suspect the M880's factory color is the same as inside the cab, behind/under the seat, where sunlight has not hit it. I think Bikeman nailed it (see his thread).

 

[RichM882]

That could be the most fool proof way !!!!

 

[bikeman]

My 2 cents: I suspect the M880's factory color is the same as inside the cab, behind/under the seat, where sunlight has not hit it. I think Bikeman nailed it (see his thread).

Sadly... for restoration purposes... the shop that painted the truck for Iowa DNR did it right. They pulled the seat and the bed. The only place I've found green so far is when we pulled the tail lights.

Overall I'm very happy with the color. I have the paint to do MERDEC but I'm wondering if I'm going to... it'll stay 34079 until spring at least.