Hey, I have a friend who can't work on his 1956 M37 any more, and he has asked me to do the brakes. Sounds simple enough...can't get the front wheels off, looks like the dualmatic locking hubs are to close to the lug nuts. Do I have to pull the hubs to get the wheels off? Should we get smaller lug nuts if he wants to keep those hubs? HELP!
Not sure I understand the problem.....are you saying you can't get a socket on the lug nuts......or that the hubs are so close you can't even get an open end wrench on them. Meaning if you turn them with the open end wrench the points on lug nuts won't clear the Dualmatics? The skinniest socket for removing the lugs nuts is the socket that came with the M37 originally. If that won't fit on or just turning the lug nuts with an open end wrench makes them contact the hub...........you'll have to remove the hubs. Here's a link to one on Ebay so you can see what the socket I'm talking about looks like.
Yeah, the regular socket won't fit and they are tight enough that an open end wrench won't budge them. Looks like I'll pull the hubs, got to get them off anyway to get the drums off. Thanks
you shouldn't need to pull hubs to get the drums off, but if you go to Lowes, they have a 1.5" 12 point socket in 1/2" drive. Obviously not the best, but it will be thin enough to get around the hubs. I've used them quite successfully on all four of my tires many times.
if the drums are worn and the shoes are tight the adjuster will need to be backed off to allow extraction of the drums. depending on the condition it may be a good Idea to free up the adjusters before taking the wheel off as one could easily pull the truck off a jack or jack stands with vigorous wrenching. upper adjuster/cam (minor) up to increase clearance down to reduce. the bottom adjusters/cams have little arrows that should point to each other for max clearance.
most new tools are too thick to work on a m37. 40s-50s blue point, pre 80s craftsman and most stallwalt and hazet wrenches/sockets work best. I have a bunch of bud wrenches and most wont clear the hubs
.............................. use it ...............
That's because I sent you the wrong link. That socket is for the bearing retainer, not the lug nuts. I guess I had my head in my ass on that one. I looked at the bud lug nut wrench that comes with the M37 and it's pretty thick too.........so that won't help you. Sorry about that.
Thanks for all the info, I did know about the left and right hand thread lug nuts, but the adjusters on the backing plate was very helpful. I removed the Dualmatic locking hubs and then the regular socket worked fine. I'm replacing all the wheel cylinders and the master cylinder, the brake hoses and the brake shoes. Does anybody know if a regular brake shop will turn those drums?
Now that it's stopping, I've found out that the head gasket is leaking pushing out antifreeze out the overflow tube while giving it gas, bubbling with the cap off and idling Is that head gasket hard to find? Can't imagine it's to hard to replace, how prone to cracks are the blocks?
you may jsut have the radiator overfilled. the system is designed to run low in the upper tank for expansion. it will find its own level. or you can drain the system and look in the book for exact coolant capaicty and measure as you fill.
blocks are not prone to crakcing at all. I have never seen a cracked mopar flathead. anything can crack obviously but the nickel moylbdenum content in these castings was very high by any standards
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Hey, I have a friend who can't work on his 1956 M37 any more, and he has asked me to do the brakes. Sounds simple enough...can't get the front wheels off, looks like the dualmatic locking hubs are to close to the lug nuts. Do I have to pull the hubs to get the wheels off? Should we get smaller lug nuts if he wants to keep those hubs? HELP! 
pushing out antifreeze out the overflow tube while giving it gas, bubbling with the cap off and idling 
Is that head gasket hard to find? Can't imagine it's to hard to replace, how prone to cracks are the blocks?
