New Members Truck (m37) and some general questions

[ke6rwj]

hey all,

New member here in BHM, AL, wanted to post some pics of my truck and ask a few questions...

1) I know the "proper hardtop" conversation is covered well, i just wanted to know if anyone has seen one like this... looks like the top portion was custom, or hacked in.. it looks funny to me..

2) there is something missing in front of the voltage regulator.. whats thats. (still waiting on manuals to arrive)

3) i've looked for pictures of the inside seating area, seats in particular, anyone got good original photos of that? Battery compartment?


Ive got a little work ahead of me, but i'd like to try to make the rally this year.. it might look like ****, runs good, but it will still be a fun ride!

btw, we bought it from the state os south dakota a real gem..

thanks.

chris

 

[Mike_L]

The plate in front of the voltage regulator is where the original fuel filter went on the earliest trucks. It was moved to the fuel tank and stayed there until the end of production. Some folks have supplemented them with inline filters patched in before the carb rather than continue to clean them.

As to detailed interior photos, you may check over at the G741.org site and peruse the member photos section. Someone may eventually post them here but they may already be posted over there.

My truck was like yours when I got it, no battery box. Just a couple of truck batteries sitting on a piece of plywood. The passenger seat was a piece of 3/4" plywood cut to fit over the riser with some 2" foam covered with OD canvas.

 

[68t]

Well chris , the body looks good, MY nephew finished his 1953 m37 up last years. Your top might be home made, it does not look like his top. its factory made. i would post a few pictures but can not get them posted, not to good at that. Hope you get her all fix up. I will ask my nephew if he can post a few picture. Its got a 50 cal on it too.

 

[ke6rwj]

The plate in front of the voltage regulator is where the original fuel filter went on the earliest trucks. It was moved to the fuel tank and stayed there until the end of production. Some folks have supplemented them with inline filters patched in before the carb rather than continue to clean them.

so there is a filter IN the fuel tank, or one near it? it seems odd to put a common service item in a hard to reach place.

As to detailed interior photos, you may check over at the G741.org site and peruse the member photos section. Someone may eventually post them here but they may already be posted over there.

I did go over there, i didnt see anything that showed what i was looking for. I'll probably need to link up with some m37 owners in Alabama here and get a first hand look..

My truck was like yours when I got it, no battery box. Just a couple of truck batteries sitting on a piece of plywood. The passenger seat was a piece of 3/4" plywood cut to fit over the riser with some 2" foam covered with OD canvas.

Well i will have to do exactly that for now i think. at least until i can get a handle on the OEM look and feel and priorities for repair.

thanks

Chris

 

[ke6rwj]

Well chris , the body looks good, MY nephew finished his 1953 m37 up last years. Your top might be home made, it does not look like his top. its factory made. i would post a few pictures but can not get them posted, not to good at that. Hope you get her all fix up. I will ask my nephew if he can post a few picture. Its got a 50 cal on it too.

WOW a 50 Cal, that sounds like fun for traffic!! i mean get the H#$@# out of my way!!

It might be a hybrid roof, i think they cut the very top off and welded this other one on. At any rate its ugly IMO, and its going...

Chris

 

[Oldfart]

From what I can see at the edge of the photo, it looks like someone welded a sheet metal panel to the soft top frame so there is a stock edge to meet the door window. I can't make out how the top of the cab was mated to the soft top frame. It is not the usual cobble job of so many one off hard cab conversions, but I don't recognize it as any kind of military conversion. There were lots of WWII deuce cab's around for a while so the military made conversion kits to make the CCWK top fit the M37 cab. Yours is not one of those. It does look like a better than average shop made top probably done by the fire department. ~~ The original wire screen serviceable fuel filter had rubber lines that tended to crack with a little heat and age. Since all that was upstream of the fuel pump, air would suck into the fuel line and cause vapor lock. Over time things like the fuel primer pump and fuel filter were changed to make things more simple and less prone to trouble.

 

[IMagius]

I did go over there, i didnt see anything that showed what i was looking for. I'll probably need to link up with some m37 owners in Alabama here and get a first hand look..

Chris,

I just happen to have a '52 M37(CDN) sitting in my driveway for the foreseeable future. The interior is pretty much original as far as I can tell - I'm not an expert, but i can tell the difference between orignal and "make it work".

I'll try to grab some pics as soon as the rain stops and post them over the weekend.

Is there anything in particular you wanted views of? Anything you'd like to have a tape measure beside for "reproduction" efforts?

You mentioned Battery Box - Ours is complete, with lid and with the Battery Shut Off switch on the front of the passenger seat wall. Only thing missing at the moment is the passenger seating - it's out for re-upholstery.

Let me know what you need pics of and I'll get them asap.

Paul

 

[Oldfart]

OOPS! Earlier I said top built by the fire department, but it looks like those are Civil Defense logos on the door. One should not assume everything painted yellow was a Forest Service fire truck. ~~The battery shut off switch is another non factory item that was added by the military later in the use life of the M37. None of mine have the switch, but I think it is a good thing to have. My son installed a battery cut off switch on his drag car that looks exactly the same as the switches in all of our deuces and 5 tons and it came from a regular auto supply store. The proper 12v batteries are hard to find and expensive. Most of the M37's floating around now have more common batteries like group 24's etc. The battery hold down bracket is usually tossed away and they are hard to find now. The proper battery box lid has a little prop rod to hold it up and most of the boxes that still have a lid are missing the prop rod. ~~ I guess the major question is how original do you want to make the truck for your rally? Your body looks really straight and it looks like most everything is there. If the instrument cluster is missing, there are several options. I saw a deuce panel in an M37 that had been converted to a 3cyl diesel with air. They guy used the deuce panel because it had an air pressure gage, tac and other instruments he needed for his conversion (5 speed deuce transmission too.) The panel bolted in the same hole and looked stock until you realized what was in the cluster. He had converted the wiper motors to air motors from a deuce rather than the M37 vacuum motors. They fit. I have installed 24v electric wiper motors and they look very military, most don't know they are after market (and they work even going up a hill).

 

[zak]

This help?

 

[Oldfart]

Great photo!! An original box with the prop rod tab and lid hinges, not to mention the lid! Looks like the proper size batteries and hold down as well. The seat box even has the pin for holding the bottom seat cushion in place . Many times, the pin is missing. Awsome condition! Looks new! If the rest of the truck is as nice, that Canadian has to be a fine M37. ~~

 

[Greensteel37]

Hi Chris!

I live in Odenville not far from you. I have a bunch of photos in my gallery, see links below:

Rob Young's Immaculate M37

Rob Young's M37 - John Duncan's Photos | SmugMug

My entire section on M37's, including the above gallery

John Duncan's Photos : M37 | SmugMug

You should find what you need there!

 

[zak]

What I started with and after 2 years of taking in down to the last nut and bolt. There's a working RT524 and antenna mount thats in the bed. Bill W is to blame.

 

[ke6rwj]

Chris,

I just happen to have a '52 M37(CDN) sitting in my driveway for the foreseeable future. The interior is pretty much original as far as I can tell - I'm not an expert, but i can tell the difference between orignal and "make it work".

I'll try to grab some pics as soon as the rain stops and post them over the weekend.

Is there anything in particular you wanted views of? Anything you'd like to have a tape measure beside for "reproduction" efforts?

You mentioned Battery Box - Ours is complete, with lid and with the Battery Shut Off switch on the front of the passenger seat wall. Only thing missing at the moment is the passenger seating - it's out for re-upholstery.

Let me know what you need pics of and I'll get them asap.

Paul

A "down" shot to the battery compartment would be great now...

Im focusing on getting it running and safe to drive, it will look like H3(( but i'll drive it. I certainly dont need the batteries sloshing around in there. Now its just an empty box with nothing but batteries..

 

[ke6rwj]

This help?

perfect, but sad :^( mines missing the whole battery box, its just the hole for the seat with cables coming through the floor... i was looking at this thinking "this isnt milspec, how the **** do they secure the batteries!"

its because its missing a bunch of stuff.

Thanks so much.. I get to add that to the list..

Chris.

 

[ke6rwj]

What I started with and after 2 years of taking in down to the last nut and bolt. There's a working RT524 and antenna mount thats in the bed. Bill W is to blame.

I dunno if i'd say "blame", but my wife would! I've always had a fondness for the 524's... its what i used when i was in. Still looking for a good one to restore... I did already get the antenna stuff though. Truck will be hideous yellow with a bright new fully restored mx-6707 with AS-1729 whip, ill use it with my PRC-77 for now....

gotta get the priorities straight. :^)

Chris.

 

[ke6rwj]

Hi Chris!

I live in Odenville not far from you. I have a bunch of photos in my gallery, see links below:

Rob Young's Immaculate M37

Rob Young's M37 - John Duncan's Photos | SmugMug

My entire section on M37's, including the above gallery

John Duncan's Photos : M37 | SmugMug

You should find what you need there!

Ok im gonna stop whining... my truck is road ready and no rust at all...that thing looks rough.. im amazed what you've done in such a short time.

Ill be looking to attend some dixie MVC meets in the future.

chris.

 

[pwrwagonfire]

OOPS! Earlier I said top built by the fire department, but it looks like those are Civil Defense logos on the door. One should not assume everything painted yellow was a Forest Service fire truck. ~~The battery shut off switch is another non factory item that was added by the military later in the use life of the M37. None of mine have the switch, but I think it is a good thing to have. My son installed a battery cut off switch on his drag car that looks exactly the same as the switches in all of our deuces and 5 tons and it came from a regular auto supply store. The proper 12v batteries are hard to find and expensive. Most of the M37's floating around now have more common batteries like group 24's etc. The battery hold down bracket is usually tossed away and they are hard to find now. The proper battery box lid has a little prop rod to hold it up and most of the boxes that still have a lid are missing the prop rod. ~~ I guess the major question is how original do you want to make the truck for your rally? Your body looks really straight and it looks like most everything is there. If the instrument cluster is missing, there are several options. I saw a deuce panel in an M37 that had been converted to a 3cyl diesel with air. They guy used the deuce panel because it had an air pressure gage, tac and other instruments he needed for his conversion (5 speed deuce transmission too.) The panel bolted in the same hole and looked stock until you realized what was in the cluster. He had converted the wiper motors to air motors from a deuce rather than the M37 vacuum motors. They fit. I have installed 24v electric wiper motors and they look very military, most don't know they are after market (and they work even going up a hill).

You didn't necessarily make a mistake here!


Before the federal excess property program for fire departments/USFS; the distribution of surplus government property was administered by the Civil Defense. Vehicles were given to fire departments, police departments, and local civil defense organizations for emergency use. Many of the vehicles have these yellow stickers on the door, which says "This vehicle was purchased in part with federal funds for civil defense use. Removal or alteration of this identification is prohibited."

Many older pieces of equipment distributed around from the mid to late sixties have this ID tag on them still.

 

[IMagius]

Hope these pics help you ...

Top down view, 45 view with lid, lid closed to show handle and latch.

Ignore the mess, we just got this truck a month ago and havent started any serious work on it.

 

[Mike_L]

so there is a filter IN the fuel tank, or one near it? it seems odd to put a common service item in a hard to reach place.

Yes, the later trucks had them in the tank. The bed has a panel that is removable for access to it. A common service item? The manual pretty much says the filter is inspected every 1000 miles (Crew C interval), which wasn't very often for a tactical vehicle, or when troubleshooting fuel problems.

 

[ke6rwj]

You didn't necessarily make a mistake here!


Before the federal excess property program for fire departments/USFS; the distribution of surplus government property was administered by the Civil Defense. Vehicles were given to fire departments, police departments, and local civil defense organizations for emergency use. Many of the vehicles have these yellow stickers on the door, which says "This vehicle was purchased in part with federal funds for civil defense use. Removal or alteration of this identification is prohibited."

Many older pieces of equipment distributed around from the mid to late sixties have this ID tag on them still.

so does that mean if i scrape it off and repaint im going to jail? I've been in hiding since i accidentally tore off my mattress tag also... :^)

I think the sticker is kind of cool though, I made so high res photos of it to document them...

Chris.