New member with new M37

[Hal O'Peridol]

New guy here, just paid for my first M37 tonight. ZFound it at a local FD sitting off to the side. Hadn't run in years, but appears to be all there. Radiator appears to have a leak, as does the brake system.....pedal went all the way to the floor. God thing is no apparent rust through.

This is my third Milsurp vehicle, already own a M1009 CUCV Blazer and a 1944 GPW.

I got an embarrassingly good deal on the truck....going to be a fun resto

Mfg'd in 1953, with winch model. Here are some pics:










































Su, what would be some first steps from here? Best pubs to buy, other hints from you all who have gone before?

[Cal_Gary]

Welcome aboard, Hal! That's a nice rig to start with-got the winch which is a biggie for most M37 guys. Great pictures-always popular here! Depends on your needs but I'd start with fixing the brakes (assuming it runs) so you can move it under its own power. Get TM 9-8030 for addressing most maintenance adjustments such as valves, brakes, etc. Don't spend a bunch of money on the "M37 Restoration Guide" by David Ahl-while it has some good information within, it is by no means a "resto guide".

Some of our vendor friends also visit this forum regularly-John Bizal at Midwest Military will be your best friend once you start looking for parts. Vintage Power Wagons is also a solid M37 supplier, but higher in price. Check them both out on line.

Lastly, there are a thousand M37 "experts" (in varying degrees, right guys? ) on this forum who can answer most any question you might have. I'd also recommend using the search engine for info on differnt topics such as wiring, brakes, welding, etc. Most of your questions will have already been discussed at length by those of us who've been here a while.

Again, glad to have you with us! Where are you located?
Thanks,
Gary

[Hal O'Peridol]

I'm north of Bellingham, WA. I found the truck in Sumas, WA, right up on the Canadian border.

[Brigand]

Welcome to the asylum. The truck looks like it has great potential. I like the handle as well . Of course you could have gone with L. Dopamine . Neither one is indicated for M-thrax

[k8icu]

Welcome. Looks like a good canidate for restoration. Are you going to do a make it run and look purrty restoration or ground up fix or replace everything type of restoration?

Oh and keep the pictures coming. We all like pictures...

[RMS]

good to see more m37s being built in the northwest, keep the pics coming

[w30bob]

Hal,

Welcome and great find! But you gotta tell us about the "embarrassing good deal". Personally I love seeing these trucks in their original paint with their original military markings. You can restore it 100 times....but it's only original once. Not saying you shouldn't restore the old girl.....just that I like seeing them like yours is now. Brake parts are still plentiful, so you shouldn't have any issues there. Is she running?

And thanks for the pics!!!

regards,
bob

[Hal O'Peridol]

So far my plans are to clean it up, degrease, repair what needs fixing, and paint where needed. Need to stop what rust is there, interior will be the dark green,exterior will get dents fixed, derusted, and painted the lighter green it is now. Replace all markings as it has now.

I don't want to over restore, It will be along the lines of a "motorpool" resto. I want to drive it around and go four wheeling in it. Lots of nice trails in lower BC, I want to go on the west Harrison Lake trail.

[Hal O'Peridol]

Oh, yes, the embarrassingly good deal.

700 dollars. Wich I got by selling off a Browning M1919A4 kit I bought a while back for 349 dollars.

[HingsingM37]

Welcome Hal. Looks like a good find. There is a lot of good folks here to help you along. Keep those pics coming

[RMS]

Lots of nice trails in lower BC, I want to go on the west Harrison Lake trail.

I love Harrison, wasted many dinosaurs there. your welcome to join the convoy to the lake when your up and running http://www.g741.org/PHPBB/viewtopic.php ... een#p40172

[majorhitt]

Welcome aboard!! Great find tail gate looks like new. I also like the don't drop on the hood.

[Cal_Gary]

Washington State? You might join the MVPA (if you haven't already)-the national convention is in Portland, OR July 25th, 26th and 27th this year and you could find tons of stuff for your rig.

I'll be attending and would be pleased to meet any of our forum members who are going (I'll only be there the 25th).
Gary

[52 M-42]

Welcome, Hal!

That is a great looking truck and it appears to have almost all the major components; and yes, that purchase price would appear to be closer to "theft" than "sale" but if both parties were satisfied with the transaction, then so be it.

I work in Bellingham, but live in Kenmore at the north end of Lake Washington. I've had my truck for 33 years and restored it twice. If there is anything I can do to help you with your restoration, please let me know. If you are interested, I can send you my email address and phone number. You are welcome to come by a crawl around my truck if you are ever as far south as Kenmore.

Good Luck with your restoration, and post lots of pictures!

52 M-42

[Hal O'Peridol]

I get down to Bothell every now and then to go to D&J Pawn....Kenmore seems to be very close. Hopefully this project won't end up in the jeep category....just empty every pocket.