Another One Bites the Dust ... New M37 Owner

My project time has flown by with the 12 short months I set aside to complete it for my upcoming trip. I want to thank Papa-Bear and the CAMO crew for all of their support when I was stationed at Ft Benning .. without their assistance the recovery and restoration of my M-37 may never have happened.

My association with SS has been my key to the restoration. The advice from members, pics, sharing of knowledge and above all, the encouragement from SS members has made my projects success a certainty. I take a huge amount of pride in being a member, and am never shy about mentioning SS when someone asks me "Where did you start with your restoration"

God Bless You All,

Mark

1943ht said:

My project time has flown by with the 12 short months I set aside to complete it for my upcoming trip. I want to thank Papa-Bear and the CAMO crew for all of their support when I was stationed at Ft Benning .. without their assistance the recovery and restoration of my M-37 may never have happened.

My association with SS has been my key to the restoration. The advice from members, pics, sharing of knowledge and above all, the encouragement from SS members has made my projects success a certainty. I take a huge amount of pride in being a member, and am never shy about mentioning SS when someone asks me "Where did you start with your restoration"

God Bless You All,
Mark

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The pleasure was all ours Mark and you did as much for us as we did for you!
We are still waiting for you to realize you belong down here rather than up "there"!!

@%@^#^$% Jules and I took our 1st long distance test run in the beast Sunday with the results that at any speed above 30-35 the vibration and noise from the transfer case were so bad, that the headache rack was vibrating like a tuning fork! Pretty sure a gear, shaft or a bearing(s) is toast!

New seals, correct lube and levels, lots of grease , all new universal joints/bearings and my drive-shafts are in great shape with no appreacible wear and absolutly no "wiggle" when assembeled and in place .. Axles are in good shape from what I observed when replacing bearings, but I never really had the ability to check out the transfer case until we put her to the test.

When I climbed under the beast after coming back Sunday, I noticed that the front axle drive-shaft yoke was sloppy where it runs into the transfer case and that shaft is "not all it should be" when I twist it .. we did not drive the beast in 4 wheel drive during our run.

Due to time constraints I purchase a new transfer case from John at Midwest ($$$ $$$) it's still in the crate (Manufactured in 1972) need to swap the yokes out and then I can install .. had to delay the swap as I'm going to be in Little Rock for a couple of days assisting my brother James .. will plan on swapping out Fri.

PICS to follow ...

Mark,

Make sure to put new seals in your new transfer case or you will have new problem to deal with.

Did you have the drive shafts completely apart? If so you better make sure that you have them oriented correctly.

Bert

I don't remember if your M37 has freewheeling hubs or not, but even with the transfer out of 4x4, the front shaft will spin as it is drven by the tires. Freewheeling hubs while not stock are a good investment as you will notice an improvement in fuel mileage, a reduction in front tire scuffing (cupping), less wear on the front half of the transfer case and less wear on the front differential. Not to mention less transfer whine, a slightly faster top speed and slightly easier steering on the road.

Waiting for your adventure reports with interest.

UPDATE: Due to not having the canvas for the trailer (Vendor fell behind and did not finish it until SEP) and the drive-train issues the week before I was supposed to leave for Dawson Creek BC, I decided to scrap the Alaska trip as the beast was untested for distance drives and trailer was to be my home away from home for much of the trip and I needed my canvas.



That being said, I decided to visit family in Ohio and figured a drive out and back would be a test of the beast and an opportunity to test my work (engine, drive-train), so to speak.

All in all, a very successful 1800+ Mile trip. Had a chase vehicle and dolly follow just in case, but other than 1 flat tire (inner-tube failure) and a failed coil (1 of those New-Star pieces of ##$@ that failed at the 900 mile mark) we had an excellent journey. Did not pull the trailer, but had extra goodies in the truck to include 2 spare tires, POL, and a robust tool box.

The journey although a little slow 45-50 MPH was an opportunity to see some beautiful country as the route was developed for back-roads and state highways. We had lots of interest and photo ops from locals wherever we stopped for fuel, food or to sleep. Weather was perfect and I drove the entire trip with the top off. The M37 is a very comfortable ride, I only wish it had a little more leg-room. Some pics before departure with the trailer and a couple of pics of the trailer with its new canvas. Have had the beast at two car shows in SEP since getting back and the crowd loves the set-up regards comments, votes and a trophy.


SPECIAL THANKS TO PAPABEAR!!!!


Next project this winter is to finish preserving my half-track turret and to start on a MUTT. .

Cheers,
Mark

Worth Reading

Mark,
I don't know how I missed your build post, but I certainly did enjoy it finally!
Thank-You For Your Service
Happy New Year,