1974 m51a2 Colors?

I am restoring this 1974 M51A2 Dump which is currently 3 camo green, black, and brown.

I was doing some reading I guess everything pre 1975 was just Olive Drab?

Having trouble deciding to go Olive or 3 camo. Opinions welcome!

Either way, there are a lot of codes listed on the painting page

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?116608-Paint-Information-(Codes-and-Sources)

Any idea which green, black, and brown this truck is?

should be 383 green and 383 brown and flat black

When we wore the uniform you had to follow the rules. Now we have a choice to personalize it toward your liking either way its a signature of your vision.

383 refers to the actual camo scheme for the green/black/brown. The green used is FS 34094, the brown 30051. When you see something referred to as "383 green" they mean 34094.

1975 saw the introduction military-wide of the MERDEC 4-colour camo schemes. Ft Hood, Texas, had most of their tactical vehicles painted MERDEC starting in 1973 as a test.

Your truck covers the time span from the end of OD, through MERDEC, to modern overall 34094 or 3-colour camo.
It is unlikely that model truck went to the desert, but I suppose 686 camo, which is overall sand/tan, could be an option.

Your truck, the decision is yours!

Cheers

Thanks for the info guys.

I guess I will swing by Home Depot and see if they can mix up the 383 paints for me.

I really like the 686 colors but living this far north might look a bit strange. Nothing but trees and mountains for probably a thousand miles!

Rapco is $10 more per gallon than Behr. Worth the price?

Rapco is excellent paint. I have used it on all my vehicles for many years. The biggest advantage I see is that the spray cans and gallons are the same paint, so always match. Nice for touch ups later. It necessitates some care in using the cans, since the paint is high particulate, but with a little practice they yield excellent results.

Rapco flat black (911) does not fade as fast as other brands. I have had some "quality" black paint turn light grey in less than a year, Rapco stays black a long time.

I have no experience with Behr, but many seem to like it.

My , you get what you pay for.

Cheers

Wow, I failed to account for shipping.

Rapco comes out to $60 a gallon when I add shipping. I guess I will try some Home Depot paint for $30 a gallon and see how it turns out.

I am going to pick up a sampler quart today and go do a test spray to see if it truly is identical or not.

Thank you all for your information. I really appreciate it!