DOD/Possible hood numbers for my jeep? GPW-29401

[Awonder]

My 42 GPW has serial number GPW-29401 anyone have an idea on DOD or hood number as both are long gone from the jeep?
Any insight would be appreciated.

[Chuck Lutz]

You will need to post a CLEAR pic of the frame number and if Tom sees it, he may be able to help you out. If he does, send him some money to support the kind of research he does up at the Ford/Benson Museum that allows him to help guys out. Just paypal his email address and then send him a thank you and a heads up on it being sent.

He lives in Ohio and the cost of gas, motel and food each trip and the cost charged for documents by the Benson staffers adds up.

[Awonder]

Cool ill try that out. The serial numbers are strong and there is no question what the serial number is.
Thanks!

[Awonder]

http://s1084.photobucket.com/user/awond ... t=2&page=1

The frame number picture is in this album.
If anyone knows who to get ahold of this person to get me some info on this Jeep id love to know.
Thanks again!

[ghiltgen]

That Serial number corresponds to a GPW produced in May of 1942, registration number on the hood would be in the range from 20107275-20116198. I believe the star prior to the GPW indicates which factory it was produced in, but Im not absolutely sure. There were 5 different ford factories producing jeeps during WWII. My info is from a published source ("The standardized War Time Jeep 2", by John Farley). As noted, Tom W. is the real GPW authority and should be able to tell you which factory it came from and hone in on the DOD.

[Chuck Lutz]

A good example of why you should NOT rely on Farley for a USA number. If he states the range for a GPW with an as-yet unidentified factory is 20107275 to 20116198 something is amiss....Personally I trust Tom W.s countless hours accumulating information at Benson/Ford much better.

My GPW is 17963 4/24/42 and a Chester, PA jeep, and has an estimated (by Tom) USA number of 20113475. So it would seem that it would not be possible for a May '42 GPW to have a USA number in the range of 20107275. So...maybe two or three weeks LATER would have a USA number up to about 5,000 LOWER than mine? I seriously doubt it.

Pending Tom's assistance with this one, GPW 29401 could be a late May or even an early June jeep, depending on which factory built it based on a collection of pics of data plates I have.

['42 Peep's Motorpool]

Hi Chuck,

My understanding is that the hood numbers were allotted to the different plants, so one factory might have been assigned a higher number than another, all in the same period. Peep is a May '42 and the original hood registration number is in the 20104xxx range from Louisville. So it's just like the motor numbers not being assembled into frames in any sequential order in the sense that each plant was using the hood registration numbers set aside for it. Some plants had higher numbers, and some lower.

[Awonder]

Gents,

This is the reply I got from Tom.
GPW 29401 should have come from the Dallas Texas assembly plant.
The most likely DOD is in the range of June 3,4,5 1942. The hood number
range looks to be about 20123250 to 20123450. The Jeep was delivered on wheels and not in a crate.
Hops this helps.

And I also donated to Toms efforts in sequencing the GPWs.