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Jerry Cans

Discussion in 'Early Jeep Restoration and Research' started by mickeykelley, Oct 29, 2016.

  1. Oct 29, 2016
    mickeykelley

    mickeykelley Well-Known Member

    Republic of Texas
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    I'm thinking of adding one after running out of gas 50 yards from our gate in the country. Naturally the guage is dead (another issue to solve) but I don't want to deal with this again. So, first of all, I have an old can from my youth in the the 70's that is the old WWII metal style with spin off metal lid, except it's red and at one point I think I must have replaced the nozzle because it's the smaller style that fits the new unleaded holes. But it pours painfully slow. Before I try cleaning it up and painting it, are the older large nozzles still available? Are the older style cans available still?
     
  2. Oct 29, 2016
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    yup you can get a big nozzle just be prepared they tend to be spendy, personally id go newer nato can they have some 2.5 gal ones that would fit on the fenderwells by the roll bar
     
  3. Oct 29, 2016
    PeteL

    PeteL If it wasn't for physics, and law enforcement... 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Check ebay. GI or NATO can types, both new and old are available in a wide range of price and quality. I just paid $25 for a chinese knock-off.

    I also bought a 1952 GI can at a flea market last week, in excellent condition, for under $10.

    Original GI-type nozzles are somewhat hard to find and expensive.
     
  4. Oct 29, 2016
    Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    Apopka, Fl
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    Just a FWIW, I've had a cheap can partially collapse when the gas inside it cooled overnight.
     
  5. Oct 30, 2016
    mickeykelley

    mickeykelley Well-Known Member

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    Just happen to find one today at an antique shop. It was older one that is well built and clean as can be inside, so gave $60. Now just need an older 'donkey dick' as I have been informed.
     
  6. Oct 30, 2016
    68BuickV6

    68BuickV6 Well-Known Member

    Hesperia, CA.
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    I just use a super siphon. Skips all the hassle IMO.
     
  7. Oct 30, 2016
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
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    The older GI cans have the date stamped on the bottom so you can frequently tell the age of the can from that. If a true military can they frequently have the service stamped on them also. For example, I had one stamped USMC 1951 years ago.
    Before purchasing one of these cans check the interior condition very closely. Frequently the coating is peeling off or they are rust buckets inside.
    There is a vent hole on the surface where the spout is threaded in. If the gasket covers this vent hole, pouring will be painfully slow regardless of the size of spout. Even the newer "unleaded" spouts have approximately a 3/4" to 1" inside diameter so will still pour liquid fairly quickly. If yours is not, check the vent hole for blockage.
     
  8. Oct 31, 2016
    Focker

    Focker That's a terrible idea...What time? Staff Member

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  9. Oct 31, 2016
    PeteL

    PeteL If it wasn't for physics, and law enforcement... 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Some people say that USMC actually stands for the maker, not the service, depending on the location of the marking.

    From Olive-drab.com…


    What Does USMC Mean?


    [​IMG]

    The manufacturer will be one of many who made cans in the war years or afterward. You will see names like "BENNETT", "CONCO", "RHEEM", "MONARCH", "NESCO", "MCC", "RADIOSTEEL" (makers of the Radio Flyer in peacetime) and "USMC". It is USMC that causes the most confusion. When USMC appears in the manufacturer line, it is not the Marines. Rather the initials stand for U.S. Metal Container Company, of Miami, Oklahoma. The company is still around, owned by the Elmburg family since 1966. They continue to make the cans for the commercial market under the name Blitz USA, Inc.

    If the can actually was procured for the US Marine Corps during World War II, for gas or water, they used a different design. The basic can was the same size and shape, but the pouring spout was similar to the British can with a cam-lock lid. These cans will have "USMC" stamped on one side at the bottom, replacing the "US" or "USA" found on the Army cans.

    Most of the USMC cans were manufactured by CONCO. One reported can has markings similar, but not identical, to the usual pattern:

    ICC-5L
    CONCO
    20-5 1/4-44

    In addition to the Marine Corps cans, there are examples of "USN" marked Jerry Cans made by ICC Co. and dated in the 1940s.

    Not all US style cans with the cam-lock cap were original USMC production. After the war, when thousands of US jerry cans came on the surplus market, many were modified with a German/English type spout for use in delivering heating oil. This commercial modification was made so they would be more leakproof than the US-style screw on lids.
     
  10. Oct 31, 2016
    mickeykelley

    mickeykelley Well-Known Member

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    I believe Blitz filed for bankruptcy and is no longer around.
     
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