Another One Bites the Dust ... New M37 Owner

[power wagon]

no real good pics yet but this is how i found her , in a barn loaded down with years of accumilation , the av. shows it still in the barn, if weather clears it will be home this week

 

[papabear]

no real good pics yet but this is how i found her , in a barn loaded down with years of accumilation , the av. shows it still in the barn, if weather clears it will be home this week

Looks pretty good in the pic...congrats.

P.S... I don't think that "boat top" is original?

 

[1943ht]

PW: Sweet ride .. the assault craft is a nice bonus!!! .. it helps when they are in that kind of shape!!

SSSC .. we are a little more mature ..

Pics of today's efforts .. plan on finishing up the priming on Sunday .. ran out of Xzylene and steam this afternoon ( getting old is H**l ) picked up another gallon from my local Home Depot and will start back at it after church tomorrow... Pleased with the TM 9 Primer .. finishes like iron and our paint guru, the UGLYRANGER says that its a great etching primer ... Paul Veins makes a good product! Lots of assist from the CAMO team today .. love it when a plan comes together Hoooohaaaa!

 

[papabear]

Dang Mark...that's quite a transformation!!

Almost gives me enough motivation to start on some of my junk that is sitting and slowly moving further back on the back burner.

 

[1943ht]

Well after a church run, was able to get into the HOOCH (Thanks PAPA BEAR) and finish up the priming shoot ... Starting to look pretty good and now the bare metal is protected until I can get the minor body work done. This week’s goal is to get the engine started. Troy and I filled the radiator Friday and she holds water like a pool ... water level has not dropped a bit... Have 2 new Optima Red Top Batteries that should be here Monday and we plan on twisting her tail... Previous owner installed an electric fuel pump so I know I will need to rebuild the original as I'm sure the diaphragm is probably toasted but the electric pump should be enough to scope out the engine and go from there. Plan on checking out the spare too as we can probably ground-hop that baby on its shipping pallet.

 

[papabear]

Looks Outstanding!!

Er...in pic #3 I see my 66 Fairlane in the hooch. Please tell me it was outside when you were painting

 

[1943ht]

Of course it was ... I'm a little slower these days with the TBI etc .. but that would be a stretch even for me
Pics taken after all the stuff was put back into the shop and before I shut the doors ..

 

[3dAngus]

Just wondering how do you get all that paint off the concrete?

 

[ranger.41]

1943ht,
Nice truck, it is looking good!
ranger.41

 

[BikerBi11]

That sure is a sweet ride. I would not even know where to start to look for one of those. And if i found one, I would not even know where to start fixing it up! Best of luck!!

 

[1943ht]

Thank you R41!
BB11, Found it in AL on a drive-by mission looking for WWII trailers .. figured the best start was to clean it up and go from there .. hate stripping stuff with that liquid stuff and there is a good sandblasting outfit close by .. primer, engine and then drive-train in that order .. brakes, wiring and then some body work. Interior will need a little TLC and I need to get my XL's installed on the rims as the NDT's are toasted .. Trailer is due in this week to be blasted and primed. One bite of the elephant at a time!

It helps to have a team like CAMO with the knowledge and the space/place and equipment to work with since I am far from home and my own shop. I have the time right now to get her in order before I PCS back to my home.

 

[Ghostdriver]

Awesome find!! Hope your wife loves it - they are so much fun.

 

[68t]

Thanks Mark for the great pictures, Man,you high speed on the m37, You done a lot of work fast. Looking great. Well are you going to put a 50 cal on it.

 

[papabear]

Thanks Mark for the great pictures, Man,you high speed on the m37, You done a lot of work fast. Looking great. Well are you going to put a 50 cal on it.

Shoot...He's talking about a quad 50!!!

I told him the truck will turn over if he opens up with em!

(Just kidding)...but don't give him any ideas.

 

[1943ht]

Wendell, good to hear from you .. PAPABEAR is right .. if I could find a way to throw a quad-mount on her I would .. would probably make the "Queen" a little jealous" .. would be like putting a battleship main battery turret on a destroyer

 

[1943ht]

Tim and team (Thanks James) finished the sandblast on the trailer today, and she is looking pretty good with all the rust and old paint removed.. Will plan on moving her back to the HOOCH tomorrow and blast it with a coat of primer before the holiday .. HAPPY 4TH STEEL SOLDIERS!!!!!! Still have a little metal to straighten out on the trailer, couple of bow supports, 1 corner and some minor body work to do, but overall the old girl is in pretty good shape. Pics make it look like the body is warped .. Just the varied heights of the jack stands .. Goes to show that there is quite a bit of flex in the trailer body.

 

[papabear]

Guys and Gals, I wanna tell ya, 1943ht is a rock steady good troop.

Been blown up, legs mangled, brain tossed around (might explain his facination with the CAMO Crew) and is about to retire.
I gotta tell ya...even though he's been off line about a year or two healing up, he's one of the few I would trust to say...I got your back.

Anyhoo...he's been making a mass attack on his M37 and now on his trailer and both projects are above standard for time spent.

Looks like we (CAMO) are gonna lose him to WI. very soon...30-60 days??

I think I might just call the Army fellers and see if I can throw a monkey wrench in his "medical retirement".

Heck...anybody that can hang here can hang anywhere (almost)!

Here's what the good LTC did today:

 

[zout]

Wish I could work on stuff 1/2 as good as 1943 is doing.

That 37 is looking sweet.

 

[3dAngus]

I would die to have a shop like that. Congrats on the makeover. You're doing great!

 

[papabear]

Wish I could work on stuff 1/2 as good as 1943 is doing.
That 37 is looking sweet.

Bro...take a friggin pill and wash it down with some Crown!!

That M43 you are getting squared away is the talk of the Crew...we be proud of ya!!