What is this on my grille?

[Tyler]

Ive had this M37 for awhile and quite haven't figured out what it is. I don't think it was a radio truck? and i've yet to see anything like it while searching.

Thanks

 

[emr]

that would be cool if it was set up for starting aircraft, i heard about such things, but do not know about them, hope it is something cool like that

 

[bratpackdad]

Clearly a power unit...but for what??? That's the mystery.....maybe one of those M1449876D's (portable turkey fryer.)

 

[hndrsonj]

that would be cool if it was set up for starting aircraft, i heard about such things, but do not know about them, hope it is something cool like that

There is ABSOLUTELY NO way that would EVER start an aircraft.

 

[NDT]

That's easy. Selenium Rectifier for the first generation Leece Neville 100 amp charging system. Someone pulled the alternator and the regulator for that system and replaced them with the standard 25 amp generator and regulator. That rectifier was very prone to burning up and locking the alternator. Had it happen to me on a M37 a long time ago. Your truck might have carried a radio set or shelter at some time.

 

[maddawg308]

What he said. Unless you put a lot of radios back in your truck, you won't need this, however they are sought after by those who do. Pull it, ebay it, and make buku bux.

 

[bratpackdad]

Baloney! It could totally start this plane!!

 

[pwrwagonfire]

Gents:

This is the 100v rectifier that was added to the M-37 to turn it into an M-42....powered more radios like some have said. My truck had it installed but not hooked up, we also have a truck at work that has it still installed!

An easy way to tell if your truck was an M-42 is by looking for a rectangular cut hole in the radiator shroud...heres a pic of mine, best I could do without being near my truck!

 

[pwrwagonfire]

That's easy. Selenium Rectifier for the first generation Leece Neville 100 amp charging system. Someone pulled the alternator and the regulator for that system and replaced them with the standard 25 amp generator and regulator. That rectifier was very prone to burning up and locking the alternator. Had it happen to me on a M37 a long time ago. Your truck might have carried a radio set or shelter at some time.

Excellent, what he said!

 

[Tyler]

I have that cut out! does that mean mine is an M-42? the placard on the dash still says M37-B1?

i found the cables that go to it(as seen in the pics), in the toolbox in the bed.

also, checked ebay, seems the rectifier is only $25. i was hoping to sell it so i could have some cash to get it running. its pretty much original(but rusted), with all the military black lights and such.

thanks for the info.

 

[Tyler]

also, pwrwagonfire,

aren't the '57 models classified as K6W300's? i knew the one i had was.

 

[pwrwagonfire]

I have that cut out! does that mean mine is an M-42? the placard on the dash still says M37-B1?

i found the cables that go to it(as seen in the pics), in the toolbox in the bed.

also, checked ebay, seems the rectifier is only $25. i was hoping to sell it so i could have some cash to get it running. its pretty much original(but rusted), with all the military black lights and such.

thanks for the info.

Yup, this means that at one point your M-37 had the M-42 command truck kit installed in it...I've heard that many were taken out as they used the trucks for other things or swapped around their jobs.

The only W300's Ive heard referenced to are civilian dodge power wagons...hope this helps!

 

[M42Dodge]

The manuals covering the 3/4 ton trucks seem to present a conflict with the information provided here. The manual changes seems to indicate the two items in question didnt exist together.

The 100 amp system was introduced in 1965 with TM 9-8030 C8, the corrections and additions for the TM 9-8030, the basic Dodge 3/4 ton truck manual.

In the same C/A manual, all references to the M42 Command trucks were deleted. The M42s were removed from service and converted into M37s as of 1965, probably earlier.

The C/A manual gives me the impression that the M42s and the 100 amp system did not overlap. The original M42s in the TM 9-8030, did not have 100 amp systems. The 100 amp sytem was not part of the "M42" kit that was listed in the parts manual.

It is my understanding that 100 amp systems were on M37s that were used as radio trucks or other high demand service. A truck with 100 amp system was probably a radio truck but not a M42.

Wasn`t the 100 amp sevice introduced with the "B1" later production trucks? There were no "M42B1s".

I would be interrested to hear more discussion about this. Thanks for your time...

TJ

 

[NDT]

M42Dodge, first of all welcome to the site. I am nearly sure you are correct, the 100 amp system is no indicator that a M37 is or was a M42. Now, holes in the middle of the cargo bed where the table mounted might be.

 

[pwrwagonfire]

I guess I must have been miss-informed. BUT, I have seen several descriptions like this, makes sense to me:

The M42 was an M37 with a "Command Car Kit" applied. The kit included the
following: Map light and reel, map harness, junction box, map table, side
curtains with clear plastic windows, and end curtains, an additional step, a
manual, and data plates. Also, most M42's were also radio trucks, which had
radios that were bolted down to the troop bench directly behind the driver,
and also had the larger 100 amp generators.

 

[nattieleather]

Your truck was a shelter carrier and had the 100 amp system for powering all the equipment in the shelter. We're talking several tubed (yes I said tubes) radios, teletype machines, converters, power supplies, and lights. M42 may have had two or three radios mounted in them for command and control, but they did not have the power consumption that the commo shelters would have. Therefor the 25 amp stock system would have been fine. This also applies to the telephone switch shelters too as they are big power hogs also.

 

[M42Dodge]

The M42s couldnt keep up with the increase of communication gear that occurred post war. They eventually went to bigger vehicles and abandoned the idea of a "Command Car".

The M42 map table legs didn`t actually fix into the floor of the bed. They had rubber feet on them and they extended so that the table could be fixed to the tailgate and used outside. on the ground behind the truck if desired. There can be holes in the floor for a number of reasons, but the table wouldn`t be one of them unless it was some sort of field expeidient to that particular vehicle.

The place to look for holes might be on the dash where the M42 data plate was affixed. The M42 plate location was also the location for some other plate, which escapes me at the moment, so it isnt a 100% positive proof either.

The interesting thing is that M42s were delivered right from the factory as M42s but they had M37 data plates. One might be able to research delivery serial numbers and possibly connect them with M42 shipments. Then of course, some M37s were converted into M42s at some time in their existance.

I think Nattieleather says it the best way. The manuals also seem to indicated the idea that the 100amp system and the M42s did not co-exist. It is unfortunate that historical evidence or documentation about M42s is nearly non existant. I have yet to find a clear photo of one in service. The closest I have come is a rear shot of a heavily camo netted M42, with the split rear curtain, being used as an artillery spotting post with the 50th armored division, rather than a command vehicle.

I am new here and thanks for giving me some room to discuss this. I have been researching M42s for almost ten years now and they seem to be one of the more obscure vehicles the Army ever put in the field...

TJ

 

[mkcoen]

Okay, here' s a twist. I have the same cabling that goes to a 25amp regulator (parts truck no engine so no gen to check) but the "rectifier" appears to be smaller than the ones posted and bolted to the outside of the glove box instead of by the grille. I assume by the positioning of it near the grille on other trucks it was for air flow to cool it so why would mine be on the glove box inside the cab?

 

[mattveeder]

The truck obviously had an 100 amp set on it at one time. That doesnt mean that it was an m42 but may have had a comm shelter on it at one time or another. But as you can tell there is not a 100 amp setup on it now.

 

[jollyroger]

There seems to be a lot of obscure things that happened with the M-37's. I have one that I have always thought was an M-42 and it has most of the things described here including the "removed" data plate location but I am starting to wonder what it really was. I will have to do much more research before I can make the absolute claim. However at this point I don't know if anyone can truly make the claim unless it has the dash placard.

It's like running the arctic winterization kits on the cargo area. Dad bought some on surplus from Tooele back in the sixties and he and my uncle had them on thier trucks till the canvas wore out. I have heard that it is only "correct" if it has the hard cab with it etc. Funny thing is the hard cab is not in the crate as part of the kit. And I can't find any pictures of them installed in the field. So what was really "correct"? Who knows.