1958 M37 flooded 7 years ago

[vesman]

I recently inherited a 1958 M37 that was completely covered in river water 7 years ago. I towed it to my house last fall and power washed all the mud off it. The oil plug was pulled to let that water out before the winter set in 7 years ago but that was all that was done to it. I recently pulled the drain plugs on all the axle's, mostly water came out. What steps should I take to get this ready to start up? I'm not a mechanic, so any advice will help me get this beast running again.

Thanks. I have attached some photos...

 

[m1010plowboy]

That's a big green Steel Soldiers Welcome!

I think if a truck looks that good after being stored in a river, I'm going to drive some trucks into a river. It's beautiful.

I can't play the mechanic role but one can guess that everything could be taken apart, cleaned, bearing and rusty races replaced, oil it up and go drive.

Some pictures of the tear down to see how things held up would help evaluate how much work you have. Remove the items you can like the valve cover and get some shots of the white goo....if there is any. The best part is you're further ahead than most of us that don't have a flood truck and your M37B1 has a birthday coming up on the 28th, so just another excuse to party.

 

[Artisan]

I am concerned about ICE expanding inside things.
Pray things are Ok but don't be surprised if it has issues.
Better yet, might be best to just spend a couple G's and
ship it to me in sunny So Kalif so I can dry it out proper!

One hellofa1stpost BTW!~

 

[vesman]

Haha, sorry for the misunderstanding, it wasn't stored in the river, there was a flood 7 years ago and it was was covered in water for a couple days. Artisan, I was worried about the same thing, hopefully the gears didn't get warped. It would definitely dry out in California, wouldn't have to worry about another flood.

 

[bikeman]

drain everything, inspect interiors as much as possible. replace hoses, filters, and possibly the wiring system. check any "sealed" boxes that may not have maintained their seal. Some of these trucks were designed for river/beach crossings, but not sure how a few days would affect the system. Was it salt or fresh water? (just double checking).

 

[vesman]

Fresh muddy water, its in Pennsylvania.

 

[T. Highway]

Welcome to the site,

With your statement of not being a mechanic I have a feeling that you will need to learn allot and buy tools for this disassembly and re-assembly.

I would venture to guess that the axles, steering box, trans, transfer case and engine will need total inspection inside. All of the electrical components will need to be opened up to check for water infiltration. If this truck still has the original wire harness I would put money on that it will need to be replaced.

Bert

 

[NDT]

I had to do axle service on a M37 that was forded for rescue work, years afterwards. The wheel bearings were rusted to the spindles and it was a nightmare to get apart. Needed all new wheel bearings.

 

[mhassett]

Looks good for the life experienced.
MHassett
Bush, LA

 

[elkhtr]

If it was mine, anything that I wasn't tearing into immediatley would get drained and filled to the gills with diesel.
Good luck with it.

 

[vesman]

If it was mine, anything that I wasn't tearing into immediatley would get drained and filled to the gills with diesel.
Good luck with it.

Would the diesel help with rust?

 

[vesman]

Anyone live near Harrisburg, PA that is willing to help? I have lots of beer and food, haha.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Diesel won't help with rust but it will help flush out any contamination that got into the item being filled up. The truck actually needed to be cleaned with as soon as the receding flood waters would allow. Getting wet is bad enough but sitting with moisture in it for a long time is even worse.

 

[nattieleather]

Unfortunately I'm in Cleveland so it's not around the block to get your free beer and food... But the best thing you can do is down load the maintenance manuals for the M37 and start learning. Find You tube videos on how to repack bearings etc. Let's start with some basic questions. Do the wheels spin okay? Do the differentials move? Does the Engine turn? Do all the gear levers move? Does the steering wheel turn the wheels? If the answer is yes to any of these questions then you might not have a big headache on your hands. If the answer is no then you have some work ahead of you.

I stated that you should get the manuals and read them, follow them on how to do the preventative maintenance on the truck. Lube everything that is suppose to get lube or grease. Put fresh oil where it belongs. You will probably need to go through the brake system and repair/replace as needed.

If the truck had been maintenance right after the flood things might not be so bad, but 7 years later... You are going to have some work cut out for you.

And look around for a local MVPA chapter in your area. Go to meetings and get some local help/advice.

Welcome to the madness that is Olive Drab!

 

[Sephirothq]

Can you get the spark plugs out?

 

[SteveKuhn]

I'm curious to hear the results from the checks provided above. Might be a good idea to visit the Aberdeen thread and announce you'd like to meet up with somebody down there to talk M37 rehab in person.

Steve

 

[dmetalmiki]

Welcome, and a Great looking original truck. As said before you are going to have problems, as the water and mud will be everywhere inside the engine and other parts. You should NOT attempt to turn the engine over because items like push rods and and inlet and exhaust valves will be rusted in the valve guides and damage will certainly result when the pistons (even if they move) will strike the "stuck" open valves. And valve springs, =same. distributor, =same, the list goes on and most certainly on.
However, do not be discouraged, this restoration will be a good learning experience, and time should be taken to methodically strip individual assemblies one at a time, the workings and repair taken a step at a time. This task is going to take a long while, so get into the right frame of mind to start out from the outset that everything and anything will need sympathetic assessment strip down diagnosis and rectification. Keep a diary of the progress and album for the pictures. Keep us informed, and go to it with a good heart and confident attitude. You Will need the full set of t.m.s.

 

[vesman]

Hello SteveKuhn, I didn't get a chance to try any of the above, I will hopefully have time next week. What is the Aberdeen thread?

Thanks everyone for all the advice, it's gives me a great place to start!
Neil

I'm curious to hear the results from the checks provided above. Might be a good idea to visit the Aberdeen thread and announce you'd like to meet up with somebody down there to talk M37 rehab in person.

Steve

 

[marchplumber]

Welcome aboard!! It is a sweet looking truck, but as in life, the exterior isn't always the best thing to judge on. You've heard some sound advice. Especially like the idea of getting your mind in the right frame. It will NOT be done tomorrow, but it will get done. You have some work/fun ahead of you. I prefer to look at it as "fun". Anything worth having is worth working for!! If you "inherited" it, then it's already got special meaning to you, the work you do with/on her will only increase that!! Congrats on the truck!! Enjoy the adventure of making her come back to life!!!

 

[m16ty]

I'll give you a honest opinion. Drop the oil pan, diff covers, and any other gear case covers you can easily get to. If everything is rusted up as I suspect, you have you a parts truck. You can probably buy two good M37s for what it's going to cost you in time and labor to get it going if everything is rusted bad.

The body looks in good shape. Maybe you can find a good runner with a junk body to swap parts with.

I've got a cj5 that was in a flood back in 2008- http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?136949-My-M38A2-(CJ5)&highlight= . It was under water for a couple of days but the difference is that as soon as the water went down, everything was drained and fresh oil was put in. It was ran for a couple of days and then the fluids replaced again. Other than still finding some mud in some hidden places from time to time, you never know it had been flooded. 7 years is a long time for gearboxes to have water sitting in them.