excited newby here

[safire]

hello all,
very excited here as day after tomorrow i make the short trip from my house to a little town outside austin to pick up my very, very long awaited '53 dodge m37. i have waited for this all my life, ever since i was a kid bombing around the dunes of white sands missile range in new mexico. truck was a former volunteer fire dept brush truck, so it is only fitting that i buy that one since i am a firefighter with san antonio. it is coming complete with an extra nv4500 5 speed tranny also. the original flat head 6 and tranny are there although removed from the truck right now, these i have no plans for as i will be installing a modern engine and tranny for everyday driving back and forth to work. i plan on setting it up in the workshop and just looking and planning for a few months as i have a few honey-do's left to do. i think i will take it down to the frame and start from there. i was blown away when i found this site and have spent the last week lurking and reading.......have seen some beautiful trucks and am chomping at the bit to get started. i think i got most if not all of my bases covered, i can weld, turn a wrench, fabricate, cuss, etc.....i also have a father-in-law who is a retired machinist that is dyed in the wool dodge...he used to blast around in his 440 powered ramcharger when i dated his daughter......i also learned how to paint vehicles a few years ago. needless to say, i am ready to go...gotta make momma happy first and then it's off to the races.....
thanks
bill

[Bruce B]

Bill, make sure to take lots of before, during and after pics and postem here so we can see your progress. Have fun, BB

[rickt4498]

new M37 owner...

bump... and

BILL...welcome to Gordon's site... a lot of knowledge available here...

just ask, and someone will have an answer

[safire]

guy i bought it from sent me a bunch of pics, they can be seen here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/STKEMP

i am wondering what to do with the engine and trans, they are running units. i don't plan on using them and i can't bring myself to scrapping them. any ideas there. you can see the motor and trans in the pics section above. i was considering the chevy vortec 350 with a nv4500 trans and keeping the original transfer case, or maybe a dodge 318 or 360 with the tranny that he gave me with the truck. any way, i will keep you guys up on whats happening and get some pics when i get it home and try to post them up .
thanks for the feedback

[pieter]

Welcome and looks like a nice find. Body seems to be in really decent shape and should not take much to get it looking fine.

The purists will say to keep the stock engine and trans. Those less pure, will say to at least keep the engine within the Dodge family. Those that want to be like everyone else will put in the SBC ;o)

If you are planning on daily driving this truck and driving with lots of traffic and such, you will want to convert to disc brakes on the front. Just makes things much safer and reliable.

As for what to do with the spare engine/trans - post a selling ad and sell it. There are enthusiasts who have the room to keep a spare. Especially if it is a running engine!

Pieter

[safire]

the only reason i was thinking of the small block chevy was that i have done this with a 72 shortbed 4x4, putting a throttle body injected vortec 350 in it with computer and such and an overdrive auto init for my son. came out really well and with 33's on it got close to 19 mpg's....ran really good also and was very dependable truck. i dont mind going the mopar engine if i can transplant an injected motor in it. as for the original motor, well- i drive almost 60 miles one way to the firehouse and i would get killed on the highway with that setup. i just cant bring myself to destroying the motor with the history it carries, that is why i am looking for a way to keep it in circulation so to speak and not send it to the graveyard. if i knew of a museum type thing that restored these for display or parades or something along those lines, i would maybe donate to them if they want to come get it. i have asked my dad to look into this as he is the commander of the local vfw and see what he can find. as far as the body, i can only think of a few trucks i would like to have over this m37, and they are all old dodge's, mainly the rounded bodies of the ambulances and trucks .....say in the 40's i think. i have the truck i have been after for a long time and finally have a place to work on it and build it....**** my wife thinks i am going to make a bed up next to it. it will be protected by my big rotty, ranger and a safe full of firearms. i think i will put a spot in the cab for my taurus "judge" also........just in case someone thinks they want it more than i do.......anyway- thanks for all the input and i will try to get pics put up when i get her home and comfortable in her new "diggs"
bill

[pieter]

60 mile commute one way with a flathead 6 would get fairly interesting and probably get you run over.

Just put a posting up that you have an engine and trans for sale and I'm sure someone will jump at it.

You are in Texas and there are some on the forum down there. It is a big state, but someone will bite unless you need gone yesterday.

pieter

[OLD DODGE]

Texas......

museum......

donate........

Try here
http://www.texaspowerwagon.com/

I'm sure Paul Cook would be happy to take that stuff off your hands.

[safire]

well, i got my little jewel home a few hours ago, my 20 y/o son wanted to arm wrestle me for it. he was all over it , drooling, asking if it would ever be his......."sure son, when i die- you can fight your brother for it". it is in much better shape than i thought and i am really excited about it. how do i post pics from my computer to this thread?
bill

[74w300uteline]

Judge 410

tell us about the Judge 410. carjackers nightmare. How is it for crack zombies? I live in NJ, we can own rubber bands, but no paperclips. I need to live vicariously through Power Wagon friends who live in free states. Welcome Safire

[Desoto61]

well, i got my little jewel home a few hours ago, my 20 y/o son wanted to arm wrestle me for it. he was all over it , drooling, asking if it would ever be his......."sure son, when i die- you can fight your brother for it". it is in much better shape than i thought and i am really excited about it. how do i post pics from my computer to this thread?
bill

Congratulations.

Only subscribers to the magazine or premium forum users (those who donate to the site) can post pictures. Both are good ideas (especially the magazine) for all the help available.

Otherwise you can post the pictures at a site like Photobucket, Flickr, or Picasa and paste the link here.

[safire]

tell us about the Judge 410. carjackers nightmare. How is it for crack zombies? I live in NJ, we can own rubber bands, but no paperclips. I need to live vicariously through Power Wagon friends who live in free states. Welcome Safire

i can tell you this, i own 2- colt 45 auto's and a stainless .357 mag and the weapon next to my bed is the judge. 3 ft. pattern with #4 shot , first 2 rounds are #4 shot and the next 2 are 00 buck and the last is a slug. i love that gun, it is great for home/personal/vehicular defense. i got other great news today......there is some kind of detail shop across from the firehouse and he has a few old breadtrucks parked next to it.......see where i am going? anyway, the owner told me his brother was the mechanic for the bread company and when they closed down, they sold their trucks. his brother bought 2 of them, both having recently had their motors replaced......well it seems this guy needed a generator for his deer lease and i just happen to have a military surplus 8kw generator i dont need. no sooner did i suggest a trade and we were shaking hands on the deal, generator for cummins 4bt with very few miles on it. i have a nv4500 fron a gas motor dodge and am trying to find someone who can answer a question- will this tranny work on the 4bt or do i need to find a diesel variety nv4500? will the original m37 4 speed work in the truck with the 4bt cummins? anyone that can help with this question , i would be very grateful.
bill

[pieter]

The NV4500 will work behind the 4BT, you just need the correct bell housing. The stock 4-speed will work as well with the correct bell housing. Not sure if they are the same bell housing or not, but others will know for sure.

Start a new thread and you will find your answer...

Pieter

[BobbyMike]

how do i post pics from my computer to this thread?
bill

The easiest way if you're not a subscriber is to post them on a third party site (photobucket, flick'r, etc.) and then paste the corresponding link to the thread using the "Insert Image" button above.