Depot rebuild truck data plates

[ida34]

While cruising GL I found the attached pic. In another post there was a discussion of different rebuilds. Individual components as opposed to full or limited depot rebuild. The tag show in the photo is the like the ones I have seen on depot rebuild trucks. They are generic with a place to specify the manufacturer while all the original data plates I have seen have had the manufacturer silk screened onto the plate making the actual data plate slightly different for different manufacturers. As I understand it Depot rebuilds start out with the truck being totally disassembled. The individual parts are checked and put out for install in trucks. They do not necessarily get put back on the same truck. This would make it necessary to remove an original data plate. When the new truck is assembled from the mix of parts you would have a mix master truck without the original parts. This is why the odometers and speedometers are zeroed. If you see a generic data plate it would indicate a depot rebuild but it also could have been just a cab replaced also. I would think that if the cab was replaced they would just swap in the original data plate but I don't know this for sure. When the depot rebuilds are completed they serial number of the frame becomes the serial number for the new data plate. I do not know if they also use the original reg number for the truck the frame came from. At any rate here is the pic. I am not an expert and I am sure someone can correct me on any misconceptions I have about the process.

 

[ida34]

The depot rebuild should also have a depot rebuild tag affixed on the dash near the data plate with the date and location of the rebuild. The one pictured looks like it has a rebuild tag below the data plate but it is not the one I usually see.

 

[FMJ]

Hmm, that truck looks familiar......

 

[Recovry4x4]

Thats an old NOS data plate for sure. I might have some of them in the garage.

 

[DDoyle]

I disagree with Kenny - I don't think this is a NOS plate that was made by or for a truck manufacturer....the reason I say this is because the manufacturer's name is blank - to be filled in manually. Clearly, Reo, Lansing Division of White or Kaiser-Jeep (the only people who I recall using the "CA D-54" designation) knew who they are, and why would they pay someone to hand-stamp their name rather than having it screened on the plate when as the plate was being made?

I believe this is a "generic" replacement.

My .02,
David