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M37 Barn Find

jeffhuey1n

SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
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I found a M37, I think it's a M37B1. It's said to be a 1966 Fairly straight, has a winch, heater and trump seats. Top is in poor shape. Little to no rust. It has a couple "upgrades". One is a V8 engine and the other is power steering. We've already shaken hands on the deal, just waiting on the paperwork.
here's a few pics. Any ideas what type V8 this is?

will get more pics in a few days.
 

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M543A2

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Looks like a Mopar 318 polyspherical motor, but could be a 277 301, or 326. All of this series had the valve cover bolts down through the center of the valve covers. Probably '57 to '66. Good long life motors. Many parts the same as later year 318 LA wedges.
 

jeffhuey1n

SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
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Got a question, all the data plates are made of brass or a brass colored metal. Also, the data plate indicates the truck was built by Doge, a division of Chrysler. Not sure if this is a 1966. After checking several specimens on the web, I'm thinking maybe a mid fifties truck. As far as I can tell, the 1960's trucks had aluminum data plates. Can anyone provide and details on data plate material and when they were used?
 

hndrsonj

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Got a question, all the data plates are made of brass or a brass colored metal. Also, the data plate indicates the truck was built by Doge, a division of Chrysler. Not sure if this is a 1966. After checking several specimens on the web, I'm thinking maybe a mid fifties truck. As far as I can tell, the 1960's trucks had aluminum data plates. Can anyone provide and details on data plate material and when they were used?
Does it have the door mounted spare? B1 transmission? I think Charlie's 65 has some brass plates on it.
 

jeffhuey1n

SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
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Got the truck home. One heck of a retrieval though. Very tight area. Very small "barn"! We arrived at the home of the owner thinking we'd be done fairly quickly. After all, it's just a matter of pulling it out and loading it up, right? Nope, not even close. It took almost an hour to maneuver the trailer into a very small (for a 16 foot trailer and a F250 four door 4x4) driveway. Then we had to work out the mechanics of a very old and damaged garage door. After battling that open, a quick call to hendersonj to help figure out which lever was the brake and which was the winch control. There was an overhead street light over the doorway, broken loose from its mount and hanging by the wires. Inside the globe was a very large hornet nest. Very active and oh by the way, I'm highly allergic to their sting. The globe was also hanging down and partially blocking the doorway. So, got the door open, tied off the light to the nearby fence to get it out of the way and figured out the lever situation. Hooked up the winch and started pulling the truck out. And promptly stopped the pull when the bow hit the upper door jam. Ended up having to remove the bows. Just started winching it up when one of the trailer tires went flat. Had to ask to use the air compressor and about 50 feet of air hose to fill the tire. It seemed to fix the problem so restarted the winch. I must take a moment and thank my wife whose help was key to getting the truck loaded. Got the truck loaded, strapped down and ready to go once I returned the various tools I borrowed. Then on the road we went. Getting out was much easier than backing in. All went well so we went to pick my son up from school and just as we were pulling up to the school, I noticed that tire that went flat was now totally shredded. I'll continue this once my hands start working again...
 

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maccus

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Sounds like you had way to much fun. All the easy recoveries I have had I can count on one hand. If you figure it will take 15 minutes get ready for a 4-6 hour event at least.

Looks like you did good and it is a pretty straight truck. You and hndrsonj need to make a trip up here and visit my stash of M37s so you can get some of the items you will need. And while you are at it bring a gooseneck trailer and haul back the 57 REO M35 that is Jim's.
 

jeffhuey1n

SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
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Laramie County, Wyoming
Update: I've been looking all over the truck for evidence that this truck may be a M42. It is a 1952 truck. Is has data plates on the glove box but the only thing written on them is the trucks serial number. There are also three data plates around the steering wheel. There's a map light next to the steering wheel. There are provisions for 2 antennas on the drivers side of the bed. There's an antenna cable fixture on the rear of the bed. And there is a hole in the bed, on the front wall, exactly where the TM indicated it would be. Here's some pics:
 

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tobyS

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Could be a 273 which looks just like the 318. Had one in a Dodge Coronet that could keep up with the 383 until the top end back in 75.
 
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