M37 engine rebuild pix

[carter davidson]

My friend Ralph and I are doing a complete rebuild on his engine which ran and sounded ok but had low oil press. and compression. The block was hot tanked and had new cam brgs., valve guides and freeze plugs installed as well as the valves ground at the machine shop. The crank miked good but we had it cleaned and polished. Then we started our work installing the new parts and putting it all back together, new rings, main and rod brgs, cam, pilot bushing, seals, gaskets ect. We have it about ready to back in now and we plan on doing that next weekend. Below is a shot of #6 piston and what we found when we removed it before we sent the block to the shop.


This is the eng. as it is now.


Webshots album of the other eng pix:http://news.webshots.com/album/567052133FgKHzt

[Warren Watt]

Looks good Carter

Your friend is fortunate to have someone willing and able to help out with this project. It is always interesting to see what some of these engines had wrong with them and still be running. Thanks for posting these.

[Bruce]

I Just Had A Brain F@rt

Maybe we can meet half way between us, say maybe just out outside of Washington, DC or maybe Woodbridge, VA?

[OLD DODGE]

The break on that piston looks nice and clean, no varnish, fresh metal. Did that happen during disassembly?

[jmacqueen]

Your friend is fortunate to have someone willing and able to help out with this project. It is always interesting to see what some of these engines had wrong with them and still be running. Thanks for posting these.

Yup that looks like a fresh break.

I rebuilt the engine on my old Farmall tractor this summer, I knew it had a problem as I got it free with a frozen engine. I knew I probably broke something freeing it as a piece of what appeared to be piston skirt came out of the oil pan.. but it was free and it ran...

10+ years of use later I decided to rebuild the engine this summer, pulled it apart, and that piston had a piece of skirt missing about like that picture, with a crack that went up the piston, across the dome, and all the way back down the other side.

It was cracked completely in half, but the crack didn't cross the piston pin bore and it held together for all that time grading my sisters drive and whatnot. Only the rings held the two pieces together, and they were cracked as well, about 3/4" to either side of the cracks on the pistons.

I was down right amazed that held together so long.

New wet sleeves and new pistons/rings, a valve job/new springs and carb rebuild and now it humms like a fine watch. I have to fire it up and drive it around just to listen to it when I go down there.

I still have the piston laying around somewhere...

[carter davidson]

Your friend is fortunate to have someone willing and able to help out with this project. It is always interesting to see what some of these engines had wrong with them and still be running. Thanks for posting these.

Thanks Warren, Ralph and I have been friends for over 30 yrs. and I had rebuilt a Civ. Dodge truck engine for him 10+ yrs. ago and he ask if I'd do this one and as inducement he would sell me a complete but disassembled 53 M37w/w for $400 with the promise he'd help me get it all back together and running again. I had to take him up on that offer. He paid for all the parts and the work the machine shop did to this engine and all I have done is get it assembled and running Piece of cake! We installed the engine yesterday and connected everything and next week we plan to get it going again.

[carter davidson]

Maybe we can meet half way between us, say maybe just out outside of Washington, DC or maybe Woodbridge, VA?

Didn't we do that once, or was that something I thought I did back when I was a drunk.

[carter davidson]

The break on that piston looks nice and clean, no varnish, fresh metal. Did that happen during disassembly?

Maybe I broke it but I found the chunk of skirt in the oil pan when I removed it before I took out the pistons. Looks like a new clean break to me also but I can't figure how I broke it with the pistons still in the block and the rods bolted to the crank.

[carter davidson]

"It was cracked completely in half, but the crack didn't cross the piston pin bore and it held together for all that time grading my sisters drive and whatnot. Only the rings held the two pieces together, and they were cracked as well, about 3/4" to either side of the cracks on the pistons."

Isn't it amazing what these old engines will tollerate before the completely die?

[Bruce]

Mostly Sober

Didn't we do that once, or was that something I thought I did back when I was a drunk.

Yeah, We did didn't we!
Regards & Merry Christmas to you, Sandie, Warren, Kevin & jmacqueen & Everybody else on the Power Wagon Advertiser!

[jmacqueen]

That motor sure is looking good in there...

[carter davidson]

Yeah, We did didn't we!
Regards & Merry Christmas to you, Sandie, Warren, Kevin & jmacqueen & Everybody else on the Power Wagon Advertiser!

Yeah Bruce, that was back when the economy was healthier and things were cheaper, except maybe gasoline. How long ago was that, do you remember, 10yrs? Back in the Big Electric forum days.
Merry Christmas Bruce.

[carter davidson]

That motor sure is looking good in there...

Thanks, I hope it runs even better than it looks and it doesn't look all that bad considering a couple of shade tree mechanics are doing the work.

I have been following your progress also. Nice work, you have a really great looking truck. Post more pix when you have a chance, I enjoy seeing what other owners are doing with/to their rigs.

[Bruce]

I'm Jes Guessin'

Yeah Bruce, that was back when the economy was healthier and things were cheaper, except maybe gasoline. How long ago was that, do you remember, 10yrs? Back in the Big Electric forum days.
Merry Christmas Bruce.

I think it was 2001 or 2002, narry miss a drop nowa days......heh-heh.

[carter davidson]

Bruce said "narry miss a drop nowa days......heh-heh."

Well old Buddy, I stopped, it made me Grumpy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy...and I wanted to play Doc with Sandy, it was like I was turning into the seven dwarfs.