My First M37

[LuisMellado]

Hello everyone,
Brand new to the M37 family and glad to learn more about this great vehicle. I got introduced to MV with the restoration of an M715 that my father gave me(here is the pic).



Then purchased a 58 M37 about 1 month ago(also a pic).

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I am quickly discovering how well this vehicle is built, and to make things better parts are very much available, more than the M715 itself. Being in Puerto Rico getting parts locally is out of the question but at least there is pleanty of suppliers in the states. Here is one more pic of how the fixes are moving along. Hope to learn a lot from this truck soon,

Thanks,
Luis

[Gordon Maney]

Welcome to the group. You did a marvelous job on the 715, and it looks like your M37 is a great truck for your beginning.

[Cav Trooper]

I hope you M37 will give you as much fun as mine has. I purchased mine last summer as a driving restoration (whatever that means) It started and ran great, brakes made me a little jittery. I drove these when they were new and thought maybe my memory of drum brakes was lacking how bad they really were. Well, new dual chamber master cylinder and all that and we are waiting for check valves, enough said on that.

Wrenching on these beast/beauties can give you hours of enjoyment. I've installed a heater from Midwest, a winch assembly from various sources, new rear pinion seal and custom made seal carrier, timing was off so, I discovered previous owner had installed the oil pump one tooth off which wouldn't allow the distributor to retard enough, truck still ran great but, spark knock on hills and acceleration was terrible. PO removed original fuel pump and installed electric pump, used a piece of 1/8" plate to block the fuel pump opening, leak like a sieve, I put a non functioning, minus the lever, to look more correct and stopped the oil leak.

Transfer case was leaking also, so, I decided to replace the seals, removed case and found that the needle and roller bearings were pitted, teeth ok but needed a input shaft and gear also, just getting ready to reinstall the transfer case. Put turn signals on and they worked once, flasher went south, brand new too. The vendor I bought it from stood behind it 100%, really great guy.

Checked the rpm since I couldn't get over about 35 mph, rpm was at 2500, adjusted to 3200 and it ran great for about a 1/2 mile then started bucking/surging. I adjusted the governor to no avail, removed the carb, intake/exhaust an installed new heat riser door, adjusted the governor back to basic and found a piece of black rubber stuck in the carb fuel inlet, it looks like maybe a piece of gas hose when the electric fuel pump was installed, most likely has been starving the engine at high throttle which could cause the bucking/surging. Will have the wait until transfer case is installed to test drive and adjust if needed.

A few more oil leaks like the front timing cover crankshaft seal I think, I'll have to remove radiator etc. to see. Most like, as I've found else where, there were new seals installed, all NOS and never anything done to the shaft surfaces so, even old design seals didn't stand a chance. Also, rear differential vent was completely plugged, trans case open, front diff. partial plugged. Passenger door glass broke from being in a bind with one of the cat whisker seal retained clips not inserted all the way into the hole and the glass hit on the clip too many times and finally cracked.

The list goes on. Most of the things are little but they can be a challenge to find out what's wrong and then track down the parts to fix. Windshield wiper motors are vacuum but not for an M37, they are for a Mutt 151 and don't have to stay parked in the horizontal position over the windshield, they don't have that feature so, when you drive down the road, they drift down to vertical. I'm looking for correct motors, don't want electric. It's a journey that I thought I had quit persuing when I sold my Cuda and Chrysler 300 after restoration. My wife keeps asking me about my answer when she asked if this one was already done when I bought it. It was done, he sold it and I began the next episode. Having a ball!!!!

I have two neighborhood Boy Scouts who shovel my driveway in the winter who I promised a ride and they can't wait. We will drive the subdivision off of the main roads since there are no seat belts. Wish I could let them ride in the back like we did at 18 and 19 years old. Now on to accessorizing ; )

PS there are some great guys on here who are willing to spend the time to help with troubleshooting and have more patience than anyone could hope for. Thanks to all for your input. Hope to see you at the Dayton Convention, I plan on being there since I live about 35 miles away.



CT

[LuisMellado]

Thanks CT for your reponse. So far the journey has been great, but as you made clear by the huge list of repairs on your reply it always comes with a price.

My first purchase of parts was a little more than $2,000. Although the truck was in running condition it was clear a few things had to be done. So far we have replaced the gear box and rebuilt the connections on the bars that drive the steering. Then the entire brake sytem has been overhauled(master and wheel cyliners, copper and rubber brake lines, shoes and rebuilt drums). Water pump was rebuilt, replaced sparks and wires, condenser and point set. On the transmission, the 2nd gear was screeming when down-shifting, so the syncronizers were all replaced. Horn assembly was replaced and canvas for the seats were purchased.

Lastly(yet to come) is painting the truck in original OD paint, replacing the tires, exhaust system and brand new markings.

Total the truck will end up costing about 15K between the vehicle and restoration. This M37 is a gift to my father so I am sure He will not believe it when He sees it.

Will send more pics and updates as the project propers.

Take care,
Luis

[Jay Turnbull]

Yo Luis!
The truck looks like a winner just sitting on the jack stands.
Sounds like a lot of work, but I just imagine the look on your father's face when he starts up the finished truck for the first time. A moment of priceless treasure.
Keep the Forum posted on progress; there is a lot we can learn by your shared endeavors.
Regards, Jay Turnbull

[Cav Trooper]

Luis, you will have about the same $$ into your truck as mine, but, for the money, where can you buy the history and the fun of doing something for you Dad. It's priceless.. Whatever you put into it you will get hundreds of time more in satifaction and enjoyment.
Good luck and great job.

CT

[Frank Irons]

Thanks CT for your reponse. So far the journey has been great, but as you made clear by the huge list of repairs on your reply it always comes with a price.

My first purchase of parts was a little more than $2,000. Although the truck was in running condition it was clear a few things had to be done. So far we have replaced the gear box and rebuilt the connections on the bars that drive the steering. Then the entire brake sytem has been overhauled(master and wheel cyliners, copper and rubber brake lines, shoes and rebuilt drums). Water pump was rebuilt, replaced sparks and wires, condenser and point set. On the transmission, the 2nd gear was screeming when down-shifting, so the syncronizers were all replaced. Horn assembly was replaced and canvas for the seats were purchased.

Lastly(yet to come) is painting the truck in original OD paint, replacing the tires, exhaust system and brand new markings.

Total the truck will end up costing about 15K between the vehicle and restoration. This M37 is a gift to my father so I am sure He will not believe it when He sees it.

Will send more pics and updates as the project propers.

Take care,
Luis

Luis, the brake line tubing should be steel.

Frank

[LuisMellado]

Thanks CT and Jay. Indeed I am very anxious to see his reaction. A short story on how these 2 trucks come into play:

When my father was 7-8 years old and while living in the small town of Carolina PR(small at the time of course), there was a brand spanking new M37(circa 1958-59) that for some explanation would be parked every day in front of my grandfather's house. And as much as He wanted to jump on the truck and at least "make up" some driving time, my grandfather would not let him get near the truck or "SAPA" as we call this type of vehicle in PR stating that He would get in BIG trouble(believe me He was no saint either).

When my father turned 40, He started looking for his dreamed M37. But since no internet was available in the 80's and not being able to find one, He had to settle for an M715(my current truck). After having it for less than 2 years, the Army MP's showed up riffles on hand at my father's house to collect the truck stating that it was stolen. My father being a lawyer, began civil action against the US government and took him 4 years and a lot of $$$'s to convince them he paid the truck fair and square. Problem was the M715 ended up as practice target at the Vieques range here in PR and a retired officer purchased 3 M715's as garbage($50 each) and made one good truck out of them.

To make a long story short, when the army returned the truck it was done. Rust all over, engine stuck, well, a complete disaster. for more than 10 years He tried to restore it without success until one day He told me "if you want to rebuild it it's yours", and of course I said yes. Almost 20K later I have the truck of my dreams....only problem is that He never got his.....

So that's where my truck comes from and that's why is so important for me to make this happen for him. He is 64 and feels healthy but when your dad is over 65 every day of life is a blessing and would like to make this happen while He can still enjoy it.

Sorry for the long explanation but I believe the nice people who have replied to me pefectly understands how important this might be for me.

Take care,
Luis

[Cav Trooper]

Luis,

That's a great story. I will be 64 this year and don't have son willing to go to these lengths to do something that great for a father. He surely has a son to be proud of. Good luck with your retoration and I hope your father has many more years to enjoy such a gift.

CT

[LuisMellado]

Thanks for your kind words. Will send pictures of the official inaguration acts. :-)