British Hood Numbers

1941 - 1945, MB, GPW Technical questions and discussions, regarding anything related to the WWII jeep.
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august43gpw
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British Hood Numbers

Post by august43gpw » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:35 am

Hi Folks,
Please forgive any errors in my post, I am pretty new at this! However, I recently purchased an August 1943 GPW from Italy. I was originally going to paint it as a captured/borrowed Italian jeep, but pictures seem very scarce. So, as I live in Warwickshire, she is going to emerge from her winter rebuild as a British Jeep, painted up in 2nd Btn, Royal Warwickshire colours. Can anybody throw any interesting images/info at me as I restore her including what range/style of numbers I should use for the hood, what interesting additions may have been seen on British Jeeps, etc. Also, can anyone help me understand the correct knobs to use for choke, lights etc. Are they OD or Black?
Any info gladly received!!!


Mark Jesic
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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by Mark Jesic » Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:59 am

Hi, you seem pretty local to me,as you said you live in Warwickshire, British jeep hood numbers always started with an "M" followed by a seven digit number :D :D Hope this helps.

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by fiveftsix » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:34 am

British additions you might want to look into is the fitment of "Butler" style sidelights mounted on the wings.
Also the rear diff cover painted white and illuminated with a "Convoy" light
A small round tube type light with an end lens that was mounted under the body.
Not many had the US style black out drivers side headlight but were more often fitted with main headlight "Hoods"
Rifle holders were of the British style like a sprung "U" mounted on the dash with normally a wooden block on the floor to retain and recessed for the Butt.
Canvas hoods or tops were mostly of the "Humber" type a totally enclosed affair.
Dash knobs would have been OD, From the left to right your switches should be main light switch,Choke, ign switch, hand throttle and with a panel light switch to the right of the column.
I would advise you get a copy of TM 9-803,TM 9-1803A and TM 9-1803B
These can be obtained now quite reasonable as a combined reproduced book.
Geoff Bull

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by august43gpw » Sun Oct 01, 2017 12:18 pm

Some great info Geoff, thanks so much, I will check each bit out. Cheers!!

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by GSS » Sun Oct 01, 2017 12:43 pm

Here is an excellent resource on British markings. Agree with mods listed in previous posts, and for the most part the average frontline Jeeps were outfitted similar to the US ones. The long range groups had the most mods.

http://www.classicjeeps.co.uk/british-vehicle-markings/
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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by fiveftsix » Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:04 pm

A couple of other points you might look into was the fitment of a 6 inch yellow disc commonly known as a Bridge classification plate
Although if fitted to a jeep were rarely displayed with a bridge weight code.
If a bridge couldn`t withstand the weight of a jeep it was hardly a Bridge !!!!!
But they were placed over a headlight whether blank or showing the bridge classification.From Memory it was classified as 3 and if towing a trailer too would have been a 3 above a 5 with a line between somewhat like a fraction but don`t hold me to those figures age gets in the way sometimes !!! lol
you might also consider the fitment of a Radio being something a little different to a line of jeeps at a show or display.
a WS 37 springs to mind being relatively small these were mostly used for vehicle to vehicle use having a limited range of about 15 miles in open country
if my memory serves me correct.
A command post one would have been fitted with the WS 19 set having a much greater range that of course was much bigger
getting on for almost 3 ft in length with its separate power supply alongside and a variometer which resembled a dynamo stuck on top to tune the aerial in with. rods or poles also would have been carried to rig up a static aerial using two tall poles and a wire run between them for even greater transmission distance.
Your jeep I believe should be fitted with a push/pull type light switch and if fitted originally with a B/O headlight would have had it`s switch approx at 11 o`clock from the main one, when the B/O headlight was removed if originally fitted,that switch was often replaced with the Convoy light switch or alternatively wired into the convoy light at the rear.
All things to think about and research depending on available funds of course !!! WS 19`s now demand quite high prices especially if working,.
You can tune them in to receive standard British broadcast even to this day !!!!
There are many variations you could dipict a linesmans jeep having reels in the rear for laying out telephone cables etc rather than the run of the mill or machine gun varient we so often see.
Geoff Bull

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by august43gpw » Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:28 am

Thanks for all of the info folks. Greatly appreciated. I am now hunting for a convoy and butler lights.

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by Bangle 99 » Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:31 pm

Just move your b/o marker lights from the grill to the wings. You don’t need Butler lights.
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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by horrocks » Sat Oct 07, 2017 2:29 am

Bangle 99 wrote:
Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:31 pm
Just move your b/o marker lights from the grill to the wings. You don’t need Butler lights.
This. As far as I can establish the Butlers were post-war. UK road laws insisted on sidelights being mounted near outside edges of the body. During the war British jeeps, by regulation, had their blackout marker lights removed and remounted on the fenders, but this didn't always happen, particularly towards the end of the war. Post war the blackout markers were removed and replaced with Butler type sidelights (headlights were also Butlers), and the holes in the grille for the b/o markers were also blanked off with a steel plate.
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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by Mark Tombleson » Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:38 am

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by august43gpw » Sun Jan 14, 2018 3:45 am

Another British hood numbers question...

I understand most started with M4, M5, or M6.

Does anyone know what the difference between those numbers were, e.g. were M4 early and M6 late war??

Ta in advance!!

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Re: British Hood Numbers

Post by Mark Jesic » Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:46 am

Jem, is the jeep coming together ?


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