I think these brackets are for the fording exhaust, but I've never seen a set like these before, so I might be wrong...
The upper bracket looks stock judging by how its riveted to the artic top, and the bottom bracket is bolted to the box. There are no fording controls in the cab, or valves on the original engine, so I'm beginning to suspect that perhaps the box and top are from a different truck altogether...
Those are interesting, I don't believe they are for fording, at least not what I have on my truck, and they look very robustly built with the rubber shock rings, they are on just the one side?
Some of the cryptographic radio trucks used a telescoping mast that was very heavy, I have a picture below, but from the wrong angle. http://m37.crwdesigns.com/m37radio.jpg
Carl Reinemann
1953 M37 USAAF
1953 M101 Trailer
1961 M416
Too many military collectibles to mention
I have the fording kit on my '51 and the brackets are nothing like these. In fact, that lower bracket looks like it would be in the way of the exhaust stack from the fording kit. They do look like they might be for something like the big radio mast as creinemann suggested. Here's a link to a website (RamTank home page) with a good amount of information on the Canadian M-37s. Perhaps you can spot something similar there. http://www.ramtank.ca/m37list.htm But do let us know what you find out!
I had a look at the two trucks parked here at my house and one has a slightly different bracket on the hardtop corner but no bracket on the box. Both trucks have 3 or 4 extra holes in the bottom of the front flange of the box as though a bracket was installed at one time. I'd be interested in how the bracket is attached as it looks substantial but the area it bolts to on the box is just sheet metal. Is there a brace across the front of the tool compartment or something similar?
I'm still inclined to think that it was to support an antenna mast of some type even though the M152 was the choice for radio trucks after their introduction around 1955. Any idea where the truck came from, as that might give you some idea of what Unit specific equipment was installed. I've seen prototype photos of a/t rocket mountings but they didn't attach anything to the hardtop what what I recall. There has to be an old in-service picture somewhere that will solve this for you.
I'm looking at the second picture of the lower bracket and I noticed something odd. The vertical cylindrical mount appears to be firmly welded to the two ears that attach to the frame attached to the truck but underneath is an odd looking rig. It appears to have a long stud sticking straight down but with a rubber cushion on it and then a large washer and finally a nut. Does any of that adjust or do anything? Since it's welded together above that, I'm wondering what it's purpose is.
The upper mounts is oddly constructed. If you'll notice they're made with a horizontal U shaped bracket with a bolt through it and a wing nut on the bolt. It's pretty obvious that that's were the missing device attaches. But what's curious to me is that there is a single rubber donut in the center of the brackets, apparently to cushion the missing device. But since there's a rigid arm on both sides of the top bracket and only one donut I don't understand how it could cushion anything. It appears that there should be a donut on each side of the missing device but if you look at the top bracket, there's only one donut in each and the donut is too thick to allow room for a second one, so it's not clear to me what it's supposed to be doing. The bottom bracket has a thinner donut and it looks like a second thin donut and a metal arm from the missing device could fit on that bracket. Yoda, do the bolts come out of the brackets if you remove the wing nuts or are they fixed?
Regarding the metal top; I suspect this truck was equipped with that top for the specific purpose of mounting whatever device is missing and not for the climatic zone!
Joe wrote:I'm looking at the second picture of the lower bracket and I noticed something odd. The vertical cylindrical mount appears to be firmly welded to the two ears that attach to the frame attached to the truck but underneath is an odd looking rig. It appears to have a long stud sticking straight down but with a rubber cushion on it and then a large washer and finally a nut. Does any of that adjust or do anything? Since it's welded together above that, I'm wondering what it's purpose is.
The upper mounts is oddly constructed. If you'll notice they're made with a horizontal U shaped bracket with a bolt through it and a wing nut on the bolt. It's pretty obvious that that's were the missing device attaches. But what's curious to me is that there is a single rubber donut in the center of the brackets, apparently to cushion the missing device. But since there's a rigid arm on both sides of the top bracket and only one donut I don't understand how it could cushion anything. It appears that there should be a donut on each side of the missing device but if you look at the top bracket, there's only one donut in each and the donut is too thick to allow room for a second one, so it's not clear to me what it's supposed to be doing. The bottom bracket has a thinner donut and it looks like a second thin donut and a metal arm from the missing device could fit on that bracket. Yoda, do the bolts come out of the brackets if you remove the wing nuts or are they fixed?
Regarding the metal top; I suspect this truck was equipped with that top for the specific purpose of mounting whatever device is missing and not for the climatic zone!
I will see if I can get the brackets apart, and post some additional pictures. As for the top itself, all the Canadian trucks came with the hard top only, we had no other choice, climate conditions or otherwise...
Does anyone know if the bed (or truck in general) would have any other tell-tale brackets that would help decipher what these brackets are for? Are there another brackets I should look for that when combined with these would make it obvious that its for an antenna mast (or other device)?
This is something you all in the Great White North came up with and is not standard US GI. Since you have what look like rubber doughnuts in the middle of the brackets I would have to think it was something signal related. Possibly what ever it was they wanted a ridged mount but insulated from the body or what would be ground in a normal vehicle set up. (All M37s are body ground/frame ground) Maybe it was for a radar set up. You might want to search for Canadian forces signal and radar mobile operation pictures and maybe you'll find something like it. That's my best guess anyways.
Its definitley signal related of some sort. In my attempt to take the lower bracket apart for some better pictures, I removed the large nut on the bottom of the bottom bracket. The threads piled up, and naturally I broke the stud off flush with the nut. Under the big nut however, was a large copper or brass washer. Now, I'm no radio expert, but that type of hardware is usally associated with signal cables and radio wiring. I'm thinking it was there to provide a hookup for a ground stake maybe? Either way, I'm becomming more and more convinced they are for a radio mast.
Both bolts and wingnut assy's. are removeable, so it was designed to have the attachment only semi-permanent. The rubber bumpers would allow the mast to sway in the wind without excessive strain on the bracketry, as the lowest mount would have so little leverage on it, that simply bolting it through the sheetmetal at the bottom of the box would be sufficient to hold it up. This is all just guestimation on my part, but the logic sounds feasible...
Master Yota wrote:
Does anyone know if the bed (or truck in general) would have any other tell-tale brackets that would help decipher what these brackets are for? Are there another brackets I should look for that when combined with these would make it obvious that its for an antenna mast (or other device)?
Does it have the holes for the spare tire (tyre to you guys!) mount in the bed? Or holes for the jump seat or troops seats? If it was built as a radio truck I suspect that those would be left out. OTOH it could be a repurposed truck! If you have enough time and patience, you might try seeing what holes it has in the bed that can't be matched up to any known antenna, seat or other known item. That might give you an idea of the shape and size of the missing equipment.
Is this a Canadian truck? I assumed that it was US and that the metal top was not normal but if it's Canadian then that's out!
Master Yota wrote: Under the big nut however, was a large copper or brass washer. Now, I'm no radio expert, but that type of hardware is usally associated with signal cables and radio wiring. I'm thinking it was there to provide a hookup for a ground stake maybe? Either way, I'm becomming more and more convinced they are for a radio mast.
Something electrical anyway, given the copper washer. But it could also be a ground for a welder or a power generator. But those don't explain the mount at the top of the cab. IF it did have a welder or generator then you can probably find signs of them on the transfer case or some other source of engine power. Does this truck have a winch? Is there anything unusual about the transfer case such as extra pulleys or extra brackets or mounting holes around it?
BTW is there any sign that it had the radio electrical power outlet installed in the front of the bed and the battery wiring under the passenger seat? I'm not sure if that was installed in all US and/or Canadian models but it's missing out of all of the (few) US ones that I've seen. Do you know if that was or was not installed in all Canadian trucks? If your truck was setup for a radio then that should be there or at least signs that it was there. Does the truck have the 100 Amp generator and grill mounted rectifier assy? Or the four groove engine crankshaft pulley?
PS: You might check for signs of a microphone and/or speaker in the cab. But absence doesn't prove much. With an antenna that big it's doubtful that they could move around (and use the radio) while the antenna was elevated.
Master Yota wrote:
Does anyone know if the bed (or truck in general) would have any other tell-tale brackets that would help decipher what these brackets are for? Are there another brackets I should look for that when combined with these would make it obvious that its for an antenna mast (or other device)?
Does it have the holes for the spare tire (tyre to you guys!) mount in the bed? Or holes for the jump seat or troops seats? If it was built as a radio truck I suspect that those would be left out. OTOH it could be a repurposed truck! If you have enough time and patience, you might try seeing what holes it has in the bed that can't be matched up to any known antenna, seat or other known item. That might give you an idea of the shape and size of the missing equipment.
Is this a Canadian truck? I assumed that it was US and that the metal top was not normal but if it's Canadian then that's out!
The truck is a Canadian unit, so its not surprising that it would be slightly different than the US version. It also has both the spare tire mount in the bed, and the jump seat bracket and seat is still there, along with the rest of the troop seats. All the knockouts are still installed in the bed, so your idea about it being re-purposed is totally possible.
Also, the spelling of variant of "tyre" is purely a European and Australlian thing, we here in the snowy north spell tire just like you do...
I tried to do some web searching yesterday for picture of Canadian M37s with radios or radar etc and couldn't find much. Didn't you all take pictures up there? ... It would be cool to find out what it was for and then replicate it. I'd bet you'de be the only one with that set up.
On the other hand...... What if it wasn't for radio at all, but for some type of target holder. In the US we would mount targets on jeeps and trucks above them and then drive then down the range so that soldiers could use dummy rounds or small caliber rounds to practice hitting a moving target with TOW missiles, Buzzukas etc. Did the Canadian Forces do anything like that? I'm worndering if it was some type of mount for holding a moving target?
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It would be cool to find out what it was for and then replicate it. I'd bet you'de be the only one with that set up. 
