WW1 army vehicles

[businesscar1917]

When Dodge Brothers started production on Army vehicles in April of 1917 were they called 1918 series like the public production that started in October 1917 that is called 1918 series. I'm realizing  my Dodge Brothers business car #159389 production around June 3 1917 was built for the Army the title has 1917 on it.  This is a complete business car painted black not a cargo  or supply vehicle painted OD green. I've been calling it a 1917 Dodge Brothers business car maybe I need to call it a 1918 Dodge Brothers Army business car.

[nearchoclatetown]

Businesscar, not sure if I told you this before or not, but one of the books I have read on this says the Army vehicles came out of the factory in black. They were painted OD when they reached their final unit.  There are also differences of opinion on this. I have a picture of a '18 Light Repair Truck at it's final unit in black. Picture taken in 1930. The last Light Repair Truck found has also always been black. The owner has found NO OD paint on anything, only black. SURE wish I could find pictures of them in the factory. Have you found any numbers on the hood? Would be US on top, a two digit number then a four digit serial number in four inch high numbers. The first thing the last owner of mine did was take paint remover to the hood. 

[businesscar1917]

Yes you did tell me about the paint and I have no lettering on the outside to say if its a Army vehicle other than production of June 3 1917 and it was believe to be bought in a surplus  sale around 1920 on the east coast. It is a complete vehicle why would Dodge build it if not for the Army or would it be something to show the public before public production started in October 1917. I know its history to around 1920 just missing the 3 important years. Would you call it a 1918 series?

[nearchoclatetown]

I would call it a '17, but that's me. I think you should call it what YOU want. DB did so many crazy things it is hard to say what they were thinking. The more I read the less I understand.

[businesscar1917]

I sure do agree with you about understanding the early DB commercial vehicles Army or not I do know in the area around Eagle Point Oregon people called it  "The Milk Truck"  for the milk it delivered in the 1920's and some of the 1930's.  So I can call it a first of its kind    "1917 Dodge Brothers Milk Truck"    Thanks for the reply         Jim

[JB-ed]

Until some time in 1923, DB vehicles were designated according to the calendar year in which they were built. Your car built in 1917 was originally known as a 1917 vehicle for title and registration purposes. In the middle of 1923 the factory changed to designating the car model years according to a fiscal calendar beginning July 1st. To make matters confusing, they also rewrote their listing of serial numbers to reflect this fiscal-year production concept back to the very beginning in 1914. (!!!!)

 

Those of us who try to put our cars back to their original condition usually also date the cars according to their original dating. Hence yours is 1917.

 

According to orders from Pershing, the cars were uncrated at the shipping point and most of them were painted on site. Pershing gives formulas and (brush) painting instructions. At the armistice the army was left with many cars still "on the docks" awaiting painting and shipping. Hence it is likely that some black cars and some OD green cars were then sold as army surplus. It is highly unlikely that cars were returned to the US from Europe after armistice, so all the ones we may have here now never went overseas.

[Spinneyhill]

4 hours ago, JB-ed said:

It is highly unlikely that cars were returned to the US from Europe after armistice,

I believe at the end of WWII, a lot of the materiel the US Services had in this country was left here, some sold, some buried, some dumped at sea and possibly some scrapped.

[nearchoclatetown]

One of my old bosses was a Marine in WW2. He said every night they pushed stuff off the side of the ship on the way home because they knew it had to be inventoried before they were going home once they hit NYC. JBed, if I have never told you before I learned a lot reading your articles from the MVPA magazine. I only joined a few years ago but looked through the back issues and bought all of your articles. THANKS for your effort.