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No promises but there is no reason why I can't. Once I have the yellow lights, it's just a matter of doing the work to pay tribute to another unit. To tell the truth, that yellow nose is kinda cool. I'll do the research on the 8th and see what i can come up with for next year.......................
Okay, after the big event, paint over the armor unit marking, paint the "8th" on it, install those free yellow lights and paint the dang nose yellow!
Thank you for the offer. Down side is, i don't hve any bows for the back. For the short term, i was just going to get the cab tarp and beep the bed open. Maybe pick up a green cloth tarp of the kind used then.
Please dont short a 5 ton cover to fit a deuce.I have a five ton cargo canvas, new 18'x 16' I think. You could cut it down . The end curtains are the same.
That's the data I needed. This years tribute will be to the Tankers for family reasons. next year... Yellow nose sounds pretty good. The base paint and stars are 90% of the job. Unit markings on the bumpers is also simple, I know about the stencil maker on here..name escapes me but i'll be getting with him as the summer gets closer. I've got a line on some of the older style mirrors and yellow lights. When appropriate, and depending on the years project, I'll switch parts/lights to match the unit.
PM sentI have a five ton cargo canvas, new 18'x 16' I think. You could cut it down . The end curtains are the same.
Actually you have a few things incorrect with the markings. Hood stars are 20"s and door stars are 14"s, sometimes the 20"s also got stuck on the doors during a motorpool repaint if that was all they had. It was not very common, but will show up sometimes in pics. Hood #'s where 3"s, front bumper #'s are either 4" or 3" depending on the size of the unit markings and what the motorpool had on hand when they added them. Rear bumperettes where usually marked with 1.5" lettering and all other markings, (TP, fuel cautions, batteries, ect.) were done in 1" letters. As for weather to use decals or painted on markings, starting in the early 60's the Army switched over to decals, so most all vehicles had decal markings for items like Hood registration numbers. The stars where also usually applied as decals. The Army stated that there was to be no mixing of the styles. So it was either to be all marked in decals or in paint. Now I'm sure there was some mixing and matching going on even though the Army didn't allow it. The unit bumper numbers can be a mix as they were applied at the unit level, so sometimes matching styles could not be done easily. This is also why you see such variety in those markings. Now once a vehicle went through a rebuild/referbish everything gets thrown out the window for markings because it depends on where it was done. Unit level motorpool repaints usually ended up with a hodgepodge of markings because the units would use whatever was on hand, as to were a depot level reapint was usually remarked correctly as they had greater resources for the repaint and remarking process. If you want to portray a good clean looking truck then I would recomend going with a decal kit compaired to a paint masking kit. You will find the best prices on complete marking kits here: Delta Team Decals index I've been making decal and paint mask kits for military vehicles since 2004.
From all appearance, field expediency was, as it is now, the word of the day. Make it Work. There will be some inaccuracies to the "pure" markings. It will not be deliberate but I think unavoidable when the truck is done. I want a truck that pays tribute to the Men and Women who served. The truck will reflect an Armor unit in 1970. Since my truck is a little rough around the edges, it's going to get a Motor Pool paint and marking job. I will do my best to make it accurate to that unit chosen. I do have some restraints on my project but come the time to show the truck, I'll be able to show a Vietnam War M35 truck assigned to an Armor unit. Every additional item to include a cargo will be added to create a historically accurate display. If a vet walks up and says that it looks just like the trucks he saw at Motor T or on the road, I've met me goal and paid homage to those who served. As this is a multi year project, evetnually the paint will 100%, the markings 100% and it'll be a good looking depot repaired truck.
