USAF Strata Blue M38A1s...

[JEB]

I will soon be looking at an Army painted M38A1.
The paint job looks good in photos, but who knows what it will be like in person...or if there is any body work, or more likely, holes filled that would require paint.

Deep in my heart, I would like to have it painted Air Force blue (25045)...my dad was an officer and pilot so I grew upon bases on the '50s - 60s and I served for 20 years.
As a kid, our neighbor on base, a reconnaissance pilot who would go onto win a Silver Star flying RF-101s over North Vietnam, let me drive his surplus M38A1 hunting/fishing/horse trailer Jeep...which still had remnants of its Air Force scheme in it.

Also, the most recent Kaiser Willys supply catalog has a great looking example on its cover.

So....were AF Jeeps blue all over?
Or did they have OD under the hood...as they could have been is they were allotted to the AF after being built and (presumably) painted Army OD at the factory?

If the answer is the expected, "They should be blue under the hood" , is it terribly difficult to remove the engine to get the paint on the firewall?

 

[Mullaney]

.
Without knowing about all the Air Force trucks and how they were done, I don't know that we can say for sure. The Air Force did have its own builds that were painted in Strata Blue from top to bottom. There were some that were green too. I personally have seen a few pictures where the engine bay is green. Best part about this hobby is that you get to decide how the finished product will look. Removing the engine & transmission isn't easy and it is HEAVY.

If you end up with a "new to you" M38a1, it would be definitely be neat for you to paint it blue and possibly letter it up to a unit that would have been where your dad served. Heck, you might even build a truck with the big yellow flightline FOLLOW ME sign on the back. Several folks here have done similar things in honor of their family members. If there is something we can help you find, let us know?

 

[Recovry4x4]

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[CMPPhil]

I will soon be looking at an Army painted M38A1.
The paint job looks good in photos, but who knows what it will be like in person...or if there is any body work, or more likely, holes filled that would require paint.

Deep in my heart, I would like to have it painted Air Force blue (25045)...my dad was an officer and pilot so I grew upon bases on the '50s - 60s and I served for 20 years.
As a kid, our neighbor on base, a reconnaissance pilot who would go onto win a Silver Star flying RF-101s over North Vietnam, let me drive his surplus M38A1 hunting/fishing/horse trailer Jeep...which still had remnants of its Air Force scheme in it.

Also, the most recent Kaiser Willys supply catalog has a great looking example on its cover.

So....were AF Jeeps blue all over?
Or did they have OD under the hood...as they could have been is they were allotted to the AF after being built and (presumably) painted Army OD at the factory?

If the answer is the expected, "They should be blue under the hood" , is it terribly difficult to remove the engine to get the paint on the firewall?

Hi

They look sharp in blue pop over to mvmvc.org and hit the photo tap at the top of the page you will find some good photos of M38A1 in blue. If you have questions hit the contact button at the bottom of the page, the guy who reads and responds to those messages owns one of the Air Force blue jeeps and has a lot of information.

Cheers Phil

 

[jtpasto]

My 1953 M38A1 was painted blue over he olive drab. The interior, including the upholstery, was all blue. Under the hood was still olive drab with the white stencil markings still in place. I went to sand the blue to paint the body and it came off really easy. The olive drab is what it looks like after the sanding.

 

[JEB]

I looked at the Jeep yesterday and it is real clean. Not a speck of rust anywhere.I
Nice seats, tires, runs and drives well. Straight body.

MV mechanic said it does need a new wiring harness, though.
Also, the usual nitpick stuff...shifter boots and detail stuff like a new steering wheel.

I'll likely buy it....

I asked the MV shop which recommissioned it for the seller of they do paint work.
Yes, was the reply.
I asked him about painting it blue, sure he said and quoted a lower than expected number since the Jeep does not need bodywork.

He said he had only seen two ex-AF Jeeps that were completely blue.
All the others (some just out of service) ...and he has seen a lot since there are several ex or current AF bases in the region,...had green firewalls and back of dashes.