1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

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JeffTheMarine
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1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by JeffTheMarine »

So thanks to G741.org I found an M that was exactly what I wanted. A nearly rust free body, bed and frame. Soon I will begin the build but I have found there are a few parts that I am going to need to look for that were not with the truck when I purchased it. I am going to need the rear bumperettes and a non winch front bumper. Also I want to get a stock fuel tank and just modify it for the diesel use. The truck didn't come with a tank unfortunately. I will get some more pictures uploaded this week. But for now this one of the hood is the only one I took. Looks to be an old Army truck. Too bad it wasn't a Marine truck. It still retains the original numbers and marking under the old fire department paint job.

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Looks to say US Army 3A1724. Is there a way I can find some information about it with this number?


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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by Tuko »

What's the rest of your drivetrain plan?
51 Dodge M37 W/W 4BT/NV4500

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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by m-37Bruce »

More than likely, the hood # will yield no info, as the different agencies kept no info and didn't share any either. Some Marine identifer's would be paper clips on the front bumpers, hood handle on the front of the hood and the rear would have different side mounted clevis hooks, left & right.
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by JeffTheMarine »

Well I purchased the truck in pieces so I am assuming there is no way of getting the exact original state. I can assume though that since it said Army on the side that it isn't a Marine truck. I was only saying that because I now own 2 Army trucks and am myself a Marine.

The intent for the drivetrain will be as follows. VE Pump 4BT Cummins (VE instead of P because I would rather have better mileage than a crap ton of power)
I will be running a Dodge Dana 60 rear and Dana 44 front. I am still up in the air on if I want to use a driver drop HP Ford Dana 44 or if I would rather just use a Dodge passenger drop. If I do go with a driver drop Ford then I am going to run a G360 Getrag 5 speed 2wd version and a divorced transfer case. If I run the driver drop then I will probably end up swapping the NV4500 out of the 81 Dodge Crew Cab that I have right now and put a NV5600 in the 81 because the gap between 3 and 4 in the 4500 is really annoying when towing. I will put all Isspro gauges in the truck and a newer steering column and wheel. I am going to be using HMMWV tail lights and turn signal lights. If you have more questions then feel free to ask me.

Jeff


Edit: Also I have the title for the truck, there are two "vin tags on the firewall near the cowl. One looks official like it is original to the truck. The other looks to be added at some point. It appears to be hand stamped in a normal piece of aluminum and is cut out and in no way square.
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by m-37Bruce »

Your actual VIN #, or what was given to your frame will be stamped on the drivers side, just in front of your steering box, 3/4 inch tall numbers, might start w/800######. B-1's had a diffeerent starter #, I think? You might need to lightly sand some paint away? The cowl tag is another entire subject, do a search engine here for it.
Sounds like you have an excellent drive train plan!
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by Tuko »

nice plan, I have a 4BT and NV4500 waiting to go in. I plan on keeping the rest of the drivetrain stock. for now. :twisted:
51 Dodge M37 W/W 4BT/NV4500

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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by JeffTheMarine »

Well i found the number you were talking about, 80009488. Funny enough they were obviously hand stamped because the last 2 8's are upside down. Also according to the registry my truck originally had a winch.


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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by m-37Bruce »

Not a terribly big deal, who/where did you find or purchase the truck? The winch may have had some issues as well, cost cutting maybe? Glad you found your vin #, I just guessing, did you add it to the registry or was it already there?
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by JeffTheMarine »

m-37Bruce wrote:Not a terribly big deal, who/where did you find or purchase the truck? The winch may have had some issues as well, cost cutting maybe? Glad you found your vin #, I just guessing, did you add it to the registry or was it already there?

The registry said that the truck was in Lyons,OR. I purchased it from a man in Salem,OR. I found it here off of this website. I posted a thread in the swap meet section that I was looking for a body and frame and got a response from someone who was actually not a member here but told his friend about it who had the truck. I found the truck in the registry and sent a PM to Robi to get it updated. I will be getting some more pictures posted up here today of the truck.


Thanks
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by JeffTheMarine »

So here are some more pictures. Spent the morning welding up a trailer that I have need to finish for a while so I didn't do anything on the M yet. However I did wander around the junk yard in search of some axles. No luck yet. It seems whenever you need something it's never there, but as soon as you don't need it anymore there are a million of them lying around.

Here is the only remnants of the truck when it was used at a fire department.
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Drivers side undercab
Image

This is the only portion of the entire truck with any rust. Just this one small section where the batteries used to be. I am going to cut it out and repair this area. Also going to run dual 12v batteries back in the same area.

Image

Here is the top of the cab. Sorry for the poor picture. My garage is too full right now to be able to pull it out further
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Passenger side of the bed
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Drivers side of bed
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Tool box section, there is nothing wrong with the center. Just some junk attached to it. However there is no rust at all. It has already been sandblasted. I am going to remove this section here and POR15 it to prevent it from ever rusting and then reinstall it.

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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by neverfinished »

Hi Jeff, unfortunately that hood didn't come from your truck. It was on my 53 which was an Air Force truck. Since it was going to be gloss strata blue, I used the straightest pieces on it, but there really wasn't that much difference in the two. Yes, your M was a winch truck-I still have all of that setup :D . It was with Marion County Fire District in Salem,OR before being sold to the guy I bought it from. I later sold it to the man in Lyons and you know the rest of the trail! Glad I was able to get you guys together so it's journey can continue.
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by neverfinished »

Jeff, it just occurred to me that I could probably edit the registry since I was the one who registered it. I did change the info when I sold it, so I guess I still could. Let me know if I can help out. Also just noticed that I should update my signature info, since your 51 is still listed there.
Ted
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by JeffTheMarine »

Ted,

So then for clarifications purposes do you know if the truck was originally an army truck? Or what branch it came from? My wife keeps giving me a hard time because I am a Marine and I thought that I now own 2 Army trucks. It would be nice to hear that it was a Marine Corps truck. Either way just knowing exactly what branch it came from would also be interesting.


Thanks for the info and the truck in an inadvertent way

Jeff
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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by T. Highway »

Jeff,

Please explain it to your wife this way. It is semi-official Marine Corps policy "to go shopping whenever we were around another branches service gear" so actually you are still following SOP. Just remember to put a handle on the front of the hood, paper clips on the front bumper, change out the dash ID plates, get a pair of rear airlift brackets (from Storm here on the forum) and paint on the USMC markings.

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Re: 1951 M37 4bt Modern Repower

Post by neverfinished »

Hi Jeff, I never found any original markings on that truck-whoever painted it did an unusually good job of prep it seems. I don't recall seeing anything but the typical green paint under the yellow, but you'll know for sure when you sand on the cab and doors. Also, it didn't have any of the usual Marine extras. Can't wait to see what you make of it.
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