Brian.
Interesting idea about a 'reserved' block of numbers for some of these 1/4-tons, but it might also be explained just as well by introducing an oddball block of 1/4-tons into the equation.
My old M38CDN was a 1952 Ford Canada unit serial F100187 and CFR 52-30196, so it was very early in the system. Odds are both Ford and the CFR Number assignments started with a "…01" point and would run sequentially from there as needed. I think this CFR Number system came into effect at around the same time as the introduction of the M-Series fleet to the Canadian military.
The M38's in particular get messy because so many of them here in Canada had Southwind Heater systems installed. Part of that process required the data plates be removed from the dash panel and mounted on the windscreen defroster box. When these vehicles surplussed out, the heater equipment was stripped out and the data plates lost. I remember two huge M38 auctions here in Manitoba: one at Shilo and one at Kapyong. Missing data plates were more common than vehicles with them.
It might be useful to see if the CFR Number system for 1/4-tons continued into the M151 fleet and if the numbers look like they might have continued in sequence. If so, perhaps, before the M151's became available in quantity, the Canadian military discovered they were short 1/4-tons in their fleet for whatever reason. As a stop gap until M151 numbers increased, they bought from the USA, or elsewhere, a block of the cheapest 1/4-tons they could quickly get their hands on to equip as needed for a short period of time. This could explain a bunch of very early vehicles being on record with unusually high CFR Numbers. Also, I recall militarized CJ5's being in the Canadian vehicle mix at one point. Why i do not know, but did they also bear the CFR Numbers and how sequential were they to the list?
Not sure that makes sense, but thought it worth tossing out there.
Just another thought. Any one know what the production numbers are for the M38CDN, M38A1CDN, CDN2. CDN3? If that number totals 3,000 plus, it takes us into the CFR Number range where we see the anomaly.
Cheers,
David
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