new to site and M37s

dealing on my first M37 as a first vehicle for my 13 year old son. we are very intersted in old cars and trucks especially jeeps and M37s/power wagons. i have a few questions. how reliable are M37s. this is a 1962 M37B1. good condition, price is 5500. would it make a good first vehicle for my son. he already has a 87' GMC jimmy and a 49' chevy.but says he will get rid of both for an M37. anything to watch out for with the M37. thanks

Don't know much about the M37...they look nice! Welcome to the site.

M37 Quirks

Hello,

Welcome to the forum. The trucks are pretty reliable if they are kept in good shape. Less technology and gadgets bolted and wired in make for a fairly reliable vehicle. However, they have their quirks.

Mechanically, each truck is a little different in condition. For instance, mine was in good running shape when I got it. When I started to do what I would have considered routine, it was obvious a lot had been neglected and I ended up rebuilding a lot of subassemblies. That was OK with me, might be OK for you and your son as well. Good truck to start out and learn basic "old school" mechanics from the ground up. The trucks do need "routine" maintenance kept up on them. Again, nothing big if you keep up on it.

They tend to rust in predictable areas: under the headlights, in front & below the windshield, low areas of the cab, and a few other predictable areas. Those are some of the areas mine has rust and that I've consistently seen on others.

I would suggest reading this site, powerwagonadvertiser.com, dodgepowerwagon.com, and the G741.org site to get a feel for some of the problem areas. It really isn't that hard to work on these. The parts are still relatively available. The forums are great sources for help if you need it. Post the truck data on the G741 registry site when you can and lets see some pictures!

I have had an M37 for about 30 years. I used to drive it to work every day. Fuel mileage of course is not good, but I ignore that factor if the vehicle is what I want. My truck has a winch on the front. It has been there and done that for me in many cases. It is now used for wood cutting and hauling and other farm chores. They are really tough trucks, and better than the Jeep M715 in many ways. We also had one of those for several years. No parts problems with the M37. You can get the points and condensor at the NAPA store. All civilian engine parts fit the military motor except for the watertight ignition distributor, plugs, and wires. I recommend them as a solid dependable truck and cheaper than the out of sight priced Jeeps nowadays! They do drive like a truck, meaning they will go there and do it, but you know you are in a heavier, more solid vehicle than a civilian truck. They have the 16" rims. Tires are no problem. You can go with military tires or commercial made. We put on Interco Super Swampers and like them very much.
Regards Marti

Good trucks

They are very well built trucks, but like others have said, mantanace free does not enter the equation. They have a very flexable frame that allows them to do very well off road, and are geared like a bulldozer.
One thing to be careful about is over reving the engine. They do not like long sustaned hight RPM's. You will be lucky to get 50 MPH with a strong tail wind. The one you mentioned is a B1 so if it has the original transmission 2nd through 4th will be syncronized.. The older ones were not.
If you get it and are looking for parts go to the G741 site or post in here and I and others will connect you with some very good parts suppliers.
Very fun trucks to drive on and off road just remember its 50 year old technology. No power steering,slow and ruggid,and very fun to own..

RE: Good trucks

Oh.. .and another thing.. For $5500 it should be a pretty good truck in MHO. Tailgate,rear bows,good top,run good, and all the extras intact. B1's should have the spare tire carrier on the drivers door,troop seats and so on. PS the spare tire carrier looks cool but is a pain in the ass.

RE: Good trucks

Actually, the early series transmissions are synchronized in 2-4 as well. Different threads on the input shaft bearing retainer, slightly different pitch to the gears on the countershaft, different location for the fill plug, longer shift lever on the later model (although very easy to swap from one to other...).

As far as a M37 goes: great truck, very capable offroad, easy to work on (get the manuals on CD format from Military Media and you pretty much have them all), good parts availablity, lower cost to insurr/tag then some other vehicles in the MV world (looks and acts just like a "regular old pickup" to the DMV/Insurance folks. Good choice IMHO for a first/project truck.

I have some info about them on my site at www.garbee.net/~cabell

The other spots mentioned are great resources as well (as is this site...).

Good luck.

I have 2 and think alot of them. They are fairly eaisy to service. A 38' tire will usually fit without a lift unless the front springs are tired.Rear axle shafts have been known to break when stressed too much but I haven't had this happen yet.Max speed needs to be kept below 45 with the stock 5.83 gears, the flat head 6 won't stand much RPM. They are able to climb and crawl over trails in stock form very well.Parts I can't get at NAPA I get from John Bizal at Midwest Military. Welcome to the site, hope this helps.

GET IT!!!! (Talk the guy down, too, if possible.)

My '62 M37B1 I got just a month ago was my 14th birthday present, and while it isn't driveable yet due to some repairs we're making, it has to be the absolutely best lawn ornament on earth!

I think your son would enjoy it lots. The guy I bought mine from, well, his 9 sons all learned to drive in it... and plus, where else are you going to learn to double clutch!?

EDIT: The first thing I did with mine when we started working on it was to take the spare tire carrier off, it is a pain. (But at least its incredibly easy to take off)

also, if you're concerned about crash-test ratings, A) they're marine corps certified and B) (story time) my friend's '42 WC (Same frame, different body) was in a wreck with a suburban. The suburban was totaled, and the front bumper was a tad bit twisted on the WC.

thanks for all the advice.as far as the condition, the M37 has a good top,hardly any rust, ndt tires, 11,000 miles, owner says it runs like a top.missing a tailgate though.

Re: RE: Good trucks

CGarbee said:

Actually, the early series transmissions are synchronized in 2-4 as well. Different threads on the input shaft bearing retainer, slightly different pitch to the gears on the countershaft, different location for the fill plug, longer shift lever on the later model (although very easy to swap from one to other...).

As far as a M37 goes: great truck, very capable offroad, easy to work on (get the manuals on CD format from Military Media and you pretty much have them all), good parts availablity, lower cost to insurr/tag then some other vehicles in the MV world (looks and acts just like a "regular old pickup" to the DMV/Insurance folks. Good choice IMHO for a first/project truck.

I have some info about them on my site at www.garbee.net/~cabell

The other spots mentioned are great resources as well (as is this site...).

Good luck.

Click to expand...

Ok Cabelle you win... They shift better than the old ones and I was told different.. My Canadian shifts even better that both the US styles..
I dont pretend to know as much as you about the M37 I was told the older ones are not fully synchronized and the newer one was... I stand corrected..

RE: Re: RE: Good trucks

I think that a lot of folks believe the older tansmissions are not synchronized since folks have abused them so much that the synchros are dead in most of trucks... I've got a truck with the older transmision in it that was a bear to shift until I took it apart and rebuilt it (one afternoon job) with a kit that I got from AB Linn that had almost every internal part in one decent sized box. I sold my spare kit to Mark Ellis (down in Atlanta) to use in fixing his transmission. My B1 truck has the newer trans and it shifts about the same as my rebuilt older one..

I've never gotten to play with a Canadian model I understand that the Acme transmission in them is completely different then the New Process boxes used in the US trucks (88950 and 420) but that they can be exchanged as complete units (same input shaft dimensions and bellhousing bolt patterns...). I'd love to hear more about yours (perhaps for a page on my website?).

BTW: the frame on a WC and a M37 are different, but both are very heavy especially when compared to a modern frame. Of course, a modern frame has different alloys and heat treaments as well.

I have a spare tailgate (unless a guy in the western part of the state purchases the bed for use on his truck in which case I'll gift him the tailgate...) that can be delivered to Aberdeen in the spring if the project truck that is the root cause of this thread is purchased and the new owner needs/wants one...

we know what 50 year old mechnical equipment is like we drive old willys jeeps. my so likes to keep every thing stock on a vehicle also so there is no V8 option as far as he is concerned.

yeah, they are incredibly easy to work on. Just snag a Manual CD (has all $400 worth of printed manuals on 1 CD for $20) any of the sites that sells them (mine's from Military Media) and read through them because unlike everything else, everything is waterproofed and vented through the air breather for deep-water fording. I is a little confusing, but relatively simple once you get the hang of it.