My first power wagon

[citizensoldier]

Welcome to the disease! They will pile up fast in the yard and you will look twice at every possible sleeping spot, clump of steal, or patch of OD for a old MV to save. Put a post in the transportation needs section here on Steel Soldiers. The SS train has many rails and tends to travel in all directions. Great group of people for the most part. A few crazy's and a few .... well no comment.

 

[pwrwagonfire]

Good find and good save!

These things are relatively simple to work on, great trucks.


I'd say scrap the bed and pick a new one up...**** even a nicely done flatbed would look nice!

 

[xm708]

welcome aboard

Like everybody else said welcome aboard. Not all of us are up North but I know there are quite a few. I also have a few beds here in VT and I know there was an offer of some in Maine so if you can't find one down there we can get you one. Is there a winch hiding behind that massive bumper ?

ed

 

[overlordofmars]

That looks like a great starting project truck. Parts are plentiful and they are great trucks to get running. Good Luck !

 

[matttupp84]

Thanks guys. Yes ed there is a winch behind the bumper. The cable is frayed, and does not look very safe. It will most likely need a new cable. I did find me another m37. Its in west virginia. It is a very nice truck, just needs to be put back together. It is a lot more solid than the one i just bought. I'm pretty sure i'm going to buy it. And either use it and get it back together and use mine now for any parts that might be missing. Or just buy it and sell the one i just bought. Or keep em both, who knows. If someone wants the one i bought i'd sell it, just didnt wanna see it go to the scrapper. Now for the next question.... Has anyone shipped a vehicle? If so who did you use?

 

[citizensoldier]

I have had good luck with Uship..

 

[matttupp84]

i have it on uship right now. All the bids have been close to $1,000. I got a quote from a company called new way auto transport. They were $795. Which is still a lot, but it has me worried why they are so much cheaper. I read some reviews and a lot of people were happy with them and some weren't so happy. I didnt realize it was so expensive to ship a car. I've never done it before.

 

[matttupp84]

Opinions please. So i'm buying this other m37. A lot better shape, its a winch truck as well. Its a better foundation to start from than the other one i already bought. So my question is. And i know its horrible to even say, but should i part out the one i bought? Or try and sell it whole. I see just the winch assembly is worth quite a bit. I'd much rather someone buy the entire truck because i really dont need 2 of these suckers. But if noone buys it, would these parts sell pretty easily? Or is anyone interested in buying the one i have now? lol

 

[matttupp84]

Good News!! Finanlly got to work on the truck a little this weekend. the motor was pretty stuck at first, but i Took out the spark plugs, poured a little transmission fluid let it sit over lunch, came back and was able to turn it over by hand. So thats good news that the motor is free! Now the sale of this other m37 fell through, so i'm back on the hunt for a bed and a few other missing parts, running boards, black out lights, etc. etc etc

 

[WhirlingSun]

Can't wait to see some pictures of your progress.

I got my first M-37 back in September. After several months of cutting and grinding away, I am finally at the point of being able to put new/restored parts back on. My truck is probably in as bad a shape as yours. Glad to see I'm not the only crazy person fixing what so many other people unfortunately consider scrap.

 

[matttupp84]

Thanks man, Yea my truck needs a lot of love. It pretty much still looks like it did when i got it. But now that i know the engine will turn over, i'm gonna start tearing the truck apart. I need to a bed though. My bed is completely shot. Theres just not many options in Louisiana. You guys have all the good parts up North. lol. The rest of the truck is suprisingly solid though. Its missing a couple of lights on the front end but other than that its complete. The top was homemade, so i'm gonna chop it off. Its a good truck still, just needs a lot of time. And money lol. But i'm ready to tear into it now!

 

[WhirlingSun]

Yeah, I have a homemade top too. It looks like a very good fabricator started it and then when it was 90% done a chimpanzee with an angle grinder got a hold of it. Its expertly welded, all the sheet metal is done perfectly with a shrinker/stretcher, english wheel etc.

Then someone ground off the standing seam on top of the cab and zip screwed the roof on and tried to "glue" it with bondo. The windshield-to-hood hold downs were sawn off and the windshield frame was booger welded to the roof. Then the welds cracked so it was brazed. Why didn't they make up the pins that make the roof go on like it's supposed to? I can't make sense of it.

I want a canvas top too, but my homemade hard top can be "finished" to work like a real one. I'll probably finish it, insulate it, and keep it as a winter roof.

I got my engine to turn over too... but then decided I will not be using it. It's 850lbs, makes like 78hp and gets 5MPG. Since the truck isn't in good enough condition to make a "period correct" restoration, I'm less concerned about re-powering it. I want to use it, not just for parades. I want a 4BT but I'm on a small block chevy budget. I'm making the mounts and everything with the future 4BT in mind though.

Soon I'll start taking my engine apart to see what's good/usable. I saw the manifold has a crack. Some things I will put on that evil auction site to help finance the build but if you need something specific off it, let me know and I can put it aside for you.

 

[M-37Bruce]

My spare bed is still available Matt! I also have some NOS BO lamps.

 

[matttupp84]

My top was not well made at all. It looks like a 2 year old with a hammer and some sheet metal and bondo made it. They "molded" it all in with about 3 inches of bondo. and screw the back window in with drywall screws and the window isn't even straight! Its bad bad bad. But i'm gonna leave my topless until i get a canvas top. The winters here are very mild. A few weeks in the low 40s is about as cold as we get most of the time. I'm going to keep mine as original as possible. Motor and all. I'm really rebuilding it for my grandfather. I appreciate the offer on the parts. I'll keep you posted if i need anything. I'll know more soon as i tear it down. I know i'll need some plug wires, if yours are in good shape maybe those. One of mine was some how torn in half. who knows.


Bruce, i didnt think you wanted to ship the bed? How much would you like for the BO lamps?

 

[WhirlingSun]

I had to look through my pictures to see if the plug wires are intact. It appears I have 5 plug wires (and plugs) in good condition. One looks like half a plug is broken off on the end of the wire... at least from the pictures. the truck is 100 miles away right now. I'll take them off in 2 weeks when I go up there.Maybe I'll spend the weekend and strip that motor down and inventory the good parts.

There were only 14,000 original miles on it. I bet it's in fine shape.

 

[matttupp84]

Ok that's cool. Just keep me posted. I'm in no rush. I think going to start taking the front fenders hood etc. off this weekend.

 

[M-37Bruce]

Spares

Bruce, i didnt think you wanted to ship the bed? How much would you like for the BO lamps?

Hey Matt,
It's not that i didn't want to ship, I thought you had one in the wing (plus $$)? I'm off tomorrow, I'll find them and get back to you.

 

[matttupp84]

Oh ok. Sorry about that Bruce. Guess I misunderstood. PM what you might like to have for the bed. And about the lights as well.

 

[M-37Bruce]

Well I sort of spoke to soon, what I have are window/lenses for the rear lamps, red & clear. I do have an entire rear lamp, w/the Gamma Goat lens (entirely red) and Packard connectors, but sort of fried. It was an epay sting-buy I fell for! (I never did bench test it)
Your for shipping if it's any good, other wise scrap heap.
The other rear lens, $20 (each plus s&h) You might be able to find the entire lamp, John at; Midwest Military Home Page has 'em I'm sure, or give him a call?
Did you ever contact AB Linn in Salisbury, NC?
He also has a two piece bed floor that ship's a little easier than an entire floor, but is a little pricey!

 

[M-37Bruce]

B/O Lamps

What I had forgotten, I sent MM, aka; Monkey man in New Launceton, Tasmania all of my tail-lamp spare bits quite a while ago! (he sent me all of his windscreen bits & pieces, a good to great trade for both of us.)