My M37 "Long Haul"

[JRRLNM37]

So I was looking for a Deuce about a year ago and I stumbled upon this m37 in Indiana and it was just screaming "Buy me Buy me". So I loaded up the truck with the girlfriend and we headed to Indiana (from New York) for a 1000$ piece of rust (her words not mine).

We arrived at this very run down old farm and that's when I was starting to think she was right. The man the walk out of the front door had to of been in his early 100's (Me only being 22 it is hard for me to judge age but you catch my drift) He said that he had bought it from the fire dept. and had hoped to restore is one day but he had fallen on financial hardships and never got around to it. As he lead us around back to the barn and opened the door I could not believe my eyes when I saw this beautiful old truck sitting in the middle of the room. I could not hand the money to him fast enough. He told me a kid about my age had showed up earlier and offered him 500 for it so he could build a mud truck and would be back the next day with cash.. Never in my life have I been so happy to arrive with cash in hand.

We got it loaded up and sped back home to get going. I got the front clip broken down in an afternoon. the fuel tank holds fuel and from what my mirrors and eyes tell me is 100% clean. the soft top he sent with it was about total junk.. I was going to try and sew my own using it as a pattern but there just wasn't enough left.

as far as I could tell I was only missing 3 things. a top. the two bits that go under the hood to the fenders (need help figuring out what there called =/ ) and a power plant......

I decided to go with the power plant first because it was in my mind the easiest to tackle. The man sent a very nice looking Chevy 350 with the truck. I promptly sold it. No place for a bow-tie on my old wagon. I found an early 1960's w200 with a 318/np435/divorced. I know it isn't the stock motor by any means. But It's close to the same age and it's a Dodge motor so I am happy with it.

Then my day job really picked up over the winter and I lost 4 months due to double shifts every day.

and this is where I stand. I have a motor. I have time. I have energy. I have (some) money.

I am going to attempt to finish this journey this summer and I may need guidance. Will you help me SS? I have been watching your sight for some time now and you as a community are share a large amount of wisdom. I just want bring my beauty back to life and prove that my generation is not as lost as the world thinks!


-Jai


Some random pictures of what happened above.

 

[JRRLNM37]

Oh side note. the entire cab was full of parts and pieces. It has already had all the lights replaced with 12v. It's not so much a restoration but a repower with a v8 and some tlc. all the door handles and windows function properly. pass door and hood are the only real tough rust spots. Pinion seal is leaking and will need replaced.


I am sorry if this is a jumbled mess. I have just been meaning to post here and I continue to forget and forget.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

$1000 is a great deal, looks like a pretty solid truck!

Yeah, when I went out to preview the last M37 I bought at auction, some guy from the county works department was out there. "I want to buy it for the $1500 worth of mud truck axles under it!"

Me and EMD567 tried to explain that while the axles were good in an M37 with stock engine off road, they don't hold up well to a high torque high HP modern powerplant going full bore through the mud and woods. He just laughed us off and said we were trying to talk him out of bidding so we could get it cheap, he knew what he was talking about... Some people!

Good luck with it and can't wait to see you breath life back into the old girl. Might I suggest that you try to keep the truck and frame as original as possible, that way if someone else or even yourself gets the urge to restore it to full factory condition, it won't be a nightmare. But it is your truck, and you are free to do as you please! I make changes and upgrades to my trucks, but I try to make it so the original can be put back very easy down the line. Too much bubbafication goes on sometimes.

 

[JRRLNM37]

I am going to leave as much alone as possible. The only reason I am going with this v8 is that it had a standard tranny behind it and the price was right..

I worked on the brakes a little this evening. They all function properly!

Anyone know what those peices on the front that go between the hood and the fenders are called / where I could possibly get them?

 

[Tuko]

Vpw has them nos:

http://www.vintagepowerwagons.com/pdf/parts/17hood.pdf

 

[T. Highway]

Very nice looking truck to start with. Make sure to register on the G741.org site, its only for M37s and has allot of great information and people to help answer your questions.

 

[majorhitt]

Yes the G741 site is helpful, Are they Gama goat lens I see?

 

[JRRLNM37]

318 is a bust. Block is junk. Looking for a bt4 cummins now.. thanks tuko

 

[Dodge man]

You're probably better off without that old 318. It's probably a PolySphere engine. If so it's heavy and not very powerful. A "modern" 318/340/360 Wedge motor from about 1967 on up should bolt right up to the same bell housing and they're GREAT engines! They even make a V-10 version of the 318 now! I'm not sure it would fit but it would look cool as **** in your M37!

A Cummins is a great motor but LOTS of work and they're asking for $3500+ for the ones that I've found! You should also be on the look out for a set of civvie Power Wagon 4.89(IIRC) axles or gears too. The stock 5.87 gears in your M37 are going to over rev the **** out of a modern V8!

I've got TWO spare M37s engines here in Florida and a guy owes me one more!