M38A1 CDN in goat pasture

[David Dunlop]

Tony, your vehicles Canadian Army Registration Number 53-3XXXX would normally be stamped in approx. 1/4-inch numbers on the top of the left side frame rail somewhere forward of the grill assembly. I think the reasoning as that the frame rail would be a reasonably permanent location. The frame horn could get damaged and be replaced, taking the number record with it.

David

[TonyRoper]

I managed to drag the front bumper off and went at the driver frame horn with a wire brush. The only impression I can see is what appears to be a punch mark.

This area was directly in contact with the bumper above and may have been pitted into oblivion.

[TonyRoper]

I saw an example of frame horn stamping that doesn't look as if it got much past the paint. That number may be long gone.

The data plate is very damaged, presumably from sandblasting. I have been trying ink and polish to get some contrast out of the numbers but results have not been encouraging.

I think the serial number may be 20065x. Is there anyone skilled at reading the damaged plates that I can send this to?

Edit: Got out a *good* camera with an ED macro lens and took a bunch of photos using different light and angles.
I am about 85% convinced the last digit is an 8, making the serial F-200658. Will that get me any closer to a service number?

Thanks - Tony

[Frank v R]

try using paint and 3M pad lightly on the frame , even in the photo looks like it is there,

[TonyRoper]

Originally Posted by Frank v R

try using paint and 3M pad lightly on the frame , even in the photo looks like it is there,

Thanks for the call and input yesterday. I hit the frame horn with some flat black and am letting it dry. I'm not optimistic looking at the area. On the underside of the bumper where contact is made with the frame rails, there is a 1-2mm deposit of pitted, crystallized rust.

On a semi-productive note, I did a little exploratory work on the passenger door area and found the edge of the dog dish. It was under about 9mm of filler and had been welded over. About then, my cordless tool ran out of juice. I'll return to the area with a respirator, grinder and flap wheel and lose 30 pounds of filler.

[Wayne Hingley]

Originally Posted by TonyRoper

...It was under about 9mm of filler and had been welded over. About then, my cordless tool ran out of juice. I'll return to the area with a respirator, grinder and flap wheel and lose 30 pounds of filler.

That's a lot of filler Tony! I found using a heat gun and a scraper was a good way to get old filler off (in large chunks). If you want to save on making 30lbs of dust, that might be an option. Who knows what treasure you will find hidden in that save receptacle dish.

Hopefully the paint and 3M pad works for the CFR number. Frank obviously has better eyes than me, because I don't see it...haha.

[TonyRoper]

Doesn't look too good so far. I took a couple of high resolution photos of the frame horn. First is the frame horn, second is the area on the bumper that was in contact, flipped horizontally to make any numerals readable.

Frame Horn

Inside of Bumper