Type: Car, Scout, M3A1, 4x4
Government Number: G-67
Model: M3A1
Manufacturer: White Motor Company, Cleveland Ohio U.S.A.
Date of Delivery: February 1943
Serial Number: 261682
Ordnance Number: 10388 (estimate)
JXD Engine Number: 1301526
Registration Number: U.S.A. W-6083651 (estimate)
Technical Manuals: TM 9-705, TM 9-1705, TM 9-1706 and TM 9-1709
History of U.S. M3A1 Scout Car 261682, above photo:
This M3A1 Scout Car chassis was produced by the White Motor Company, Cleveland Ohio as Serial Number 261682 with
the armored body being installed and fitted by the Diebold Safe and Lock Company, Canton, Ohio. After fitting, the final
assembly and inspection was done at the White plant. This M3A1 was accepted by the United States Army in February
1943 under Ordnance Contract W303-ord-1260, Ordnance Serial Number Range 9377 through 13376 (4000 vehicles in this
production range) M3A1 Lot 6, Engine Lot Number 7. The Army Registration Number 6083XXX (the last three digits are
currently unknown at this time) was originally painted on either side of the armored hood. The engine was fitted with
Carburetor 400729, Generator 400900 and Cranking Motor 313490.
The WWII service history of this Scout Car is currently unknown.

After WWII concluded in September 1945, from 1946 to 1949 the third phase of the Greek Civil War resumed. The Greek
Civil War was fought between the Greek government army (supported by the United Kingdom and the United States) and
the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) — the military branch of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) (supported by
Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria). The Soviet Union avoided sending aid. The fighting resulted in the defeat of the DSE
by the Hellenic Army in 1949. The civil war resulted from a highly polarized struggle between left and right ideologies that
started in 1943. From 1944, each side targeted the power vacuum resulting from the end of Axis occupation (1941–1944)
during World War II. The struggle was one of the first conflicts of the Cold War (1947-1989) and represents the first
example of Cold War post-WWII involvement on the part of the Allies in the internal affairs of a foreign country.

On March 12th 1947, American President Harry S. Truman presented before a joint session of Congress, known as the
Truman Doctrine, to supply $400 Million in military and economic assistance to Turkey and Greece, to contain Soviet
geopolitical expansion, in what would later become known as the Cold War. This M3A1 Scout Car was one of the many
vehicles sent to Greece during this period of assistance during their civil war. This M3A1 Scout Car would serve in the
Greek Hellenic Army with the Registration Number EX80201, until the later part of the 20th century. It was sold as surplus
by the Greek Government and imported to the United States by Sam Winer Motors Inc., Akron Ohio in the late 1980's.
QuestMasters Museum would purchase this M3A1 from a private military collector in 2019.
This 1943 M3A1 Scout Car was produced by the White Motor Company, Cleveland Ohio as Serial Number 261682 with
JXD Engine Serial Number 1301526. On the passenger side of the engine block, above the oil pan, are two different data  
plates. The Serial Number plate was applied by Hercules Engine Company, Canton, Ohio, and the second plate is when
engine was rebuilt was on September 30th 1970 by the Greek Army's 301 Base Depot.
1942 M3A1 Scout Car factory production, White Motor Company, Cleveland Ohio, above left and right photo.
1943 M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682, pre-restoration 2019, above left and right photos.
M3A1 Scout Cars, Abilene Texas 1945, above photo.
These M3A1's have the Army Registration Number 6087247, 6086885, 6086867, 6088877, 6015304 painted on the armored
hood sides. 1943 M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682, in the QuestMasters Museum collection, carried the Army
Registration Number 6083XXX, similar to the M3A1's shown in this photo. The placement of the star on the armored hood
is noteworthy.
2020 Map of Europe, Asia and Africa, above left photo. 2020 Greece and Turkey Map, above right photo.
Understanding March 12th 1947 Truman Doctrine:
The Turkish Straits are two internationally significant waterways in northwestern Turkey. The straits create a series of
international passages that connect the Aegean and Mediterranean seas to the Black Sea. They consist of the
Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. The straits are on opposite ends of the Sea of Marmara. The straits and the Sea of
Marmara are part of the sovereign sea territory of Turkey and subject to the regime of internal waters.

Located in the western part of the landmass of Eurasia, the Turkish Straits are conventionally considered the boundary
between the continents of Europe and Asia, as well as the dividing line between European Turkey and Asian Turkey.
Owing to their strategic importance in international commerce, politics, and warfare, the Turkish Straits have played a
significant role in European and world history. Since 1936, they have been governed in accordance with the Montreux
Convention.
1943 M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682 Restoration:
Army Signal Corps Photo 178641 and 178642, above left and right photo, via National Archives College Park Maryland.
The rear of each photo is marked: "These Scout Cars have been declared surplus by the Army and turned over to the U.S.
Treasury for sale. The cars were used to train troops which have since been issued later models. The cars are at the
Lordstown Ordnance Depot, Warren Ohio, and are part of 2215 scout cars recently declared surplus by the Army".
November 1944.
July 30th 1943, M3A1 Scout Cars, carrying white flags of truce, above photo.
These Scout Cars under command of U.S. General Keyes, enter the Royal Palace in Palermo Sicily, to receive formal
surrender of the city. Photo by Charles Corte, Acme Newspictures, for War Pool.
These Scout Cars have been field painted with tan camouflage over the factory painted olive drab paint. Additional armor
plating has been added to the front and rear of the body.
During the removal of the paint on this M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682, the following paint layers were observed
(in the order painted and not removed): #1 Factory Olive Drab, #2 White, #3 Orange and then finally #4 four-color Greek
camouflage scheme of Olive Green/Brown/Black and White. When the last three paint schemes were applied is currently
unknown.
Auto-Lite MAB 4071 Starter, above two photos.
This Auto-Lite MAB 4071 Starter was removed from the 1943 M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682 JDX Engine Serial
Number 1301526. This Auto-Lite MAB 4071 Starter has been crushed glass blasted, bench tested and repainted for
installation on the JXD engine.
M3A1 Scout Car Rear-End Data Plate, above photo.
This data plate was found riveted to the rear-end on the M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682. The data plate is
stamped T O D MAR.1.54 G.S. This rear-end was rebuilt at the Tooele Ordnance Depot, Utah, in January 1954. It is not
known if this rear-end was rebuilt as part of this M3A1 or rebuilt as a spare part for delivery to the Greek Army as military
assistance and installed later in M3A1 Serial Number 261682 while in the Greek Army.
U.S. M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682, November 2020, above photo.
This is M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number 261682 as of November 2020. 90% of the entire body has been crushed-glass
blasted, inside - outside and underside. The armor has been welded back together and shown here during fit-testing.
M3A1 Scout Car factory production Lot Number and Serial Number Chart, ORD 7-8-9 SNL G-67, February 5th 1944, above
photo.
The M3A1 Scout Car 261682 in the QuestMasters Museum collection was produced under Ordnance Contract
W303-ord-1260, Ordnance Serial Number Range 9377 through 13376 for 4000 Vehicles, M3A1 Lot 6.
Calculating M3A1 Scout Car Ordnance Number and Hood Number estimates:
Because the M3A1 frame was assembled by White Motor Company and then the armored body was later installed and
fitted by the Diebold Safe and Lock Company, and the final assembly and inspection was done back at the White plant,
the vehicle Serial Number, Ordnance Number and Army Registration Hood Number are not symmetrical during Lot
Production. QuestMasters Museum calculated the Ordnance Number and Army Registration Number by taking 10-known
M3A1 Serial Numbers and Ordnance numbers produced in Lot 6, listed on the database:
http://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=125429
Subtracting the Ordnance Number from the Serial Number between these 10-known numbers had an average value of
251,377. Subtracting 251,377 from your Serial Number will give you estimate of the Ordnance Number: For example,
QuestMasters Museum's M3A1 Serial Number 261682 minus 251377 equals 10305 (Ordnance Number estimate). 10305
plus 6073263 (Key Number) equals 6083568 (Army Registration Hood Number estimate).

Using a known Serial Number 261369 Ordnance Number 10065 and Army Registration Hood Number 6083328 from the
G503 database, Serial Number 261369 is 323 vehicles before 261682, in the QuestMasters Museum collection.
Adding 323 to the known values above, Serial Number 261682 should have an estimated Ordnance Number 10388 and
Army Registration Hood Number 6083651, which is very close to the sample calculations expressed above.
QuestMasters Museum WWII Hercules Engine Company JXD Engine Paint research, above two photos.
The JXD engine, used in the M3A1 Scout Car, was produced by the Hercules Engine Company, Canton, Ohio. The
Hercules Engine Company was founded in 1915 and closed in 1999. During WWII, the JXD was fitted to the Studebaker
6x6 Truck, T-17 Armored Car, M3A1 Scout Car, M8 Armored Car, M20 Armored Utility Car as well as many other vehicles.

During the breakdown for restoration of the JXD Engine Serial Number 1301526, fitted to M3A1 Scout Car Serial Number
261682, in the QuestMasters Museum collection, gray paint was found on the underside of the oil pan. This gray paint
was applied during the original wartime production at Hercules or during rebuild in 1970 while in the Greek Army. It is
highly unlikely that in 1970, the Greek Army would try to color-match a 30-year old engine and would have applied
another engine paint, as they did to the entire exterior of the vehicle. QuestMasters Museum does not believe this engine
was repainted in 1970 during rebuild.

QuestMasters Museum is currently testing variations of modern commercial engine paint for comparison to the existing
paint on the oil pan. Shown here are VHT Engine Paint SP137 Ford Gray, top left; Dupli-Color DE1612 Gray Engine Primer
(dead flat - no sheen), top right; Dupli-Color Engine Paint DE1611 New Ford Gray, bottom right; and the original paint on
the JXD oil pan, bottom left. This photo was taken in natural light.