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I am about to lay paint on my WC51. I am doing it in US Navy grey. I know that basically the grey was basically only where it could be seen. Engine bay ,underside inside cab, inside rear body was OD. I am copying the scheme from a j**p. Under the front wings and axle suspension at the front including bumper are grey. Was under the rear wheel arches and rear chassis/suspension grey or OD. I cannot tell fro the picture I have. I realise that depending on who did the painting vehicles varied but what was the basic scheme or wasn't there one. Mine is being painted as Pacific Theatre. I am starting to realise that there is not a lot of info on US Navy vehicles. I am only doing it because I loved watching McHales Navy when I was a kid!

My son has a WC63 that was a Navy truck. It was completely OD with the USN number on the sides of the bed in white. The bed was taken off and stored and never repainted while the rest of the truck was farmer painted green. The farmer purchased it in 1947 as surplus from Port Hueneme, CA.

Hi PHIL
I think that all USN VEHICLES that where used in the PACIFIC THEATER where OD or USN Forest Green MY GTB BOMB SERVICE & GPW .Are both Green I do have some information on painting USN VEHICLES if you want me to send it to you TONY

Hello Tony.
Thanks for that. Oh dear what do I do with all this US Navy Fleet Grey paint I have had mixed. I understood that OD was used from '44 onwards and grey was used prior to this. I know of three other WC51's in USN grey in the UK but have not had a close enough look to check out what is grey and what isn't. An MVT collegue has a Jimmy in USN grey and he said from what info he could find it was a case of spray grey what you could reach! I know all USN vehicles started out OD. Thanks again for your help.

Hi Tony.
Sorry I sent my reply without adding I would be grateful for any info on USN vehicle colours and markings. I have recently aquired a 2nd ltn uniform (chocolates) with the bling and flat top and bought a set of shades with prescription lenses for driving the Dodge. How sad is that!

Tony - What is the info you have on painting Navy vehicles?

Phil - You want it gray, paint it gray as there were gray Navy vehicles in the Pacific although maybe not the GTB or jeeps originally. I do remember seeing a gray command car in a picture at NAS Adak and International provided trucks for the Navy that were in gray, I almost bought a IH M-2-4 that was gray under all the other colors plus many of the non-tactical trucks they provided were often gray, as was the Chevy G7100 panel a friend has. Also I saw an early open cab 1/2 ton WC that was flightline yellow with black Navy markings and that was the original paint as well as a Navy follow me jeep the same way. I have seen picutes of Pearl Harbor during the attack tha showed gray trucks but couldn't tell exactly what they were since the picture cut off most of the truck. I have also seen period pictures of jeeps used on aircraft carriers that were gray. What do you need to know about markings?

In a very early edition of the MVPA's Army Motors, there was a detailed article on Navy paint and markings by Messrs. Sunderlin and Pelouze. If I recall correctly, tactical vehicles were largely Non-Specular (ie Flat) Blue-Gray (same as Navy Aircraft and apparently similar to the blue drab used for Army hood numbers) or Marine Corps Forest Green with occasional batches of OD.

The battleship grey was said to be reserved largely for administrative vehicles.

There is good coverage on markings too as they differed considerably from the Army setup.

This article is still available from the MVPA in reprint Number 3 of Army Motors. I think you can order them online.

At the end of the day, it's your truck so you get to chose what colour you like.

I've read that article in the past and had some issues with it but I don't remember the details now, I tihnk it was more in the markings area. The blue-gray is often considered an early war color by some but anything could happen once the vehicle is at it's base/ship as what the old man wants happens, it is a much lighter color than blue drab though. It has also been stated by some that Navy vehicles didn't have stars but some did, I have seen pictures both during the attack at PH and at other bases of Navy vehicles both gray and OD (for sake of putting a name to the dark greens as a generic since it is hard to tell with b/w photos) with the early style aviation stars with the red centers painted on them. In talking to people with Navy jeeps some have told me they had Army style stars on the sides but when they were applied is still up in the air. The geen on Navy vehicles depended on what the source was for the vehicle, ones coming through the Army supply system usually were OD (initially at least ) and ones coming through a Navy contract from say Willys were Forrest Green and those were designated as NOM for Navy or Marine.

Navy and Marine registration (hood) markings, although similar, are each unique to their respective branch and along with the CG are completely different than the Army hood numbers. I have spent ten years researching the Navy numbers of WW2, which actuall seem to begin around 1935 and end at the change of the numbering system in 1950 to the one that is in place today with little luck in finding a pattern.

Thanks to GTBGUY, Tony, Robbo, and Mike W for the info. A painting we will go in Grey (gray). It was nice to see that the Pearl Harbor vehicles were grey as I am doing mine as a PH vehicle with 'Spirit of USS Arizona' on the left side of the bumper . I will also have VP-12A on the RH side of the front bumper and rear bumperette as this was the original Black Cat squadron of PBY's. I know that most of the markings are fictitious but I am a USN and PBY fan. I used to look after the PBY in the museum at RAF Cosford many moons ago though it was one of my favourite aircraft from a kid. (Even more moons ago!) Again thanks everybody.

If any one is doing a Navy vehicle in the North Carolina area, I have several cases of fresh made Polyurethane Flat gray paint. Selling it for $35 a case of 12 cans.
One of the few, Frank