M37 Disaster

[kdaniels]

I have been helping a friend of mine do a frame off restoration on a 1952 M37. I know the trucks well as I have three that I've done the same to. Well it seems my friend left it outside of his garage this past month to make room for something eles and the unusally cold sub freezing temps we had for 36 straight hours down here in south Alabama did a J>O>B on his block.


He discovered it was cracked about 2 1/2 to 3" long just above the freeze plug on the drivers side. Really sad too because this truck was nice and tight with a excellent running engine ..all new seals in transfer/transmisson....new wheel clyd's...brake lines...diff seals....list goes on and on.

Told him I would purchase it and part it out. I've put in a new wiring harness , had the radiator
re-cored and fuel tank relined not to mention all the NOS parts he has with the truck.

I could have buried him up to his neck in fire ants when he told me about it. All that work down the drain. I will try and post ( in the correct area) any parts that come up for sale soon.

SEMPER FI !

keith

 

[hndrsonj]

With that much work in it already, why not just put in a new motor?

 

[Squirt-Truck]

Why part out the truck just because of a cracked engine block????????????
If it is as nice as it sounds, put another block in and enjoy it.

 

[doghead]

Perhaps the crack can be repaired.

 

[Tinwoodsman]

Can't figure this one out. opcorn:

 

[rtk]

I agree , R&R the engine , complete engines are not that hard to find and will the power train is out it would be a good time to detail the engine bay . BTW , if the block froze , how is the radiator ?

 

[kdaniels]

Maybe the crack can be repaired....I just learned about it recently and I am still trying to compose myself enough to go look at it. Sure there are LOTS of options....but I'm working on my WC52 project right now and I dont desire nor do I have the time to repair some one eles stupidity. So being that he doesn't want it any way I can A.) Store it in the back of my shop til I feel like fooling with it or B.) part it out and be done with it.

A new engine or block will add to the cost of the vehicle and as I have stated I already have three VERY nice ones that I will never recover anything close to what I have invested in them. Not that we do this for investments (thats a laugh) but I just don't need the duplication with one more M37 that will pull more time and money away from my other projects. And say I do find that the block can be returned to a serviceable condition and I put it up for sale. What do you think the new "potential" buyers expression would be when I told him it had a cracked block but it's been repaired ????? I bet you can deduct points for that from your check list. Just sayin.


SEMPER FI !!

keith

 

[kdaniels]

Radiator is fine....we just had sit the cab back on last month and he "thought" that by having the radiator off and in storage it would be fine. He forgot about the engine flush and the water left in the block.



SEMPER FI !!

keith

 

[Tuko]

You can buy these motors running for scrap value, there's a guy on g741 with one for sale foe cheap and he can't give it away, when i pull mine for a 4bt I'll probably have to use it for a boat anchor. Better yet give me 400 and it's yours, engine and trans it will give me an excuse to upgrade

 

[Warthog]

If the block isn't cracked too bad, you may be able to use a product called stitch-lock. They use it on Cummins diesels all the time.

Absolutely no need to part the truck out.

 

[Tuko]

Lock n stitch has questionable results on the 53 block cummins, hopefully it would work better on these motors

 

[kdaniels]

Thanks for the info guys....Once I get it here to my shop I will have a closer look at it. It just pisses me off to see such a nice truck damaged this way. Did a search of the forum for this issue and I didn't find any one who had this happen and repaired on a M37.

I'll try and post some pics the first of the week after I trailer it home. Blood pressure should be stablized by then.

SEMPER FI !!

keith

 

[bikeman]

Sounds like a good opportunity for someone to pick up and finish the truck. that's the market I was in when I got my Jeep, just finishing it off really.

 

[zout]

Use to weld up pump castings when they cracked - make sure you can find the end of the crack and drill a tiny hole in it first before any welding takes place - get it super cleaned out - bevel the crack to feed in weld - get some heat sink paste and totally surround the area good to capture the heat so it does not spread.

Reason to drill the holes first - it will continue to crack if you do not end the fracture - like why they make airplace windows round instead of squared in the corners - the stress will make the squared corners to crack and fracture - the circular cut will not as it has no place to travel.

 

[Storm 51]

That is sad. For everyone.

I hope you find a good home for the truck and someone who will finish the restoration.

Storm 51

 

[EMD567]

Put the whole mess up for sale, and see what happens.

 

[JimC2]

I can't figure this thread out.
1) I've welded several M37 blocks using cast iron rod. Usually no big deal. You can braze them too.
2) replacing the engine is dirt cheap and can be done in a couple of days.
3) you can stick a 318 in it in about the same amount of time.

I see no reason whatever to abandon the project, nor to be aggravated by the incident. I certainly wouldn't part the truck out.

 

[3dAngus]

I would like to know the price of it as is Keith. Maybe I can save you the trouble. Please give some thought to PMing me a price, and if it is right, I might take it on as a summer job this year. Dothan is about 3 hours from me and I have a trailer I can drive down with.

 

[JimC2]

Sell it to Angus.

 

[3dAngus]

Thanks Jim. I'm sure I cannot afford it right now, but I will make every effort just to keep it intact. I hate to see a M-37 dissolved. They are my favorites of all time. Just beautiful and really cool functional machine with a top speed of 45???
Heck, my Ford Model A goes faster. I love it!!! I promise to keep it original if I can just get my hands on it.