M37 Restoration advice sought

[ausb1]

Hello ,
i bought my M37 26 years ago was a Former Israeli Truck that was imported into Australia by a ''Milwreck '',due to different dramas in my life which i call ''WAR '',Women ,Alcohol,Religious [fanatics] it all got put on hold and shelved ,until now ,iam determined to get it back together and running and keep it ,as its the longest i have ever owned a vehicle and want to keep it ,i have been agonising over whether to keep it original, or make it a v8 and or 12 volt ,i bought a Complete wire harness from MVP in 1998 and [ im sure its not complete ] and discovered its Douglas connectors and my truck is a B1 with Packhard connectors which means i would have to buy all Douglas [connector gauges etc for it to work] wondering whether i should just trash all the 24 volt stuff and make it 12 volt for a usable practical truck ,but then lose its originality[ driving me nuts ]

[52PLOWERWAGON]

leave it original on the outside and stuff the inside with modern drive train components

there can only be so many original trucks why not make it more practical so its not another trailer queen

that's what my plan is but its just an idea

[w30bob]

Hi Ausb1,

As for original versus modified.........I'm afraid that's your call. You can get plenty of opinions both for and against either way, so that ball rests firmly in your court. As for the wiring harness..........it's no big deal to change the Douglas connectors to Packard or vice versa. All you need to do is contact Vintage Wiring of Maine, or VPW, or Midwest and have then send you the Packard connectors you need............you don't need a new harness! That's why many of the NOS tail lights you see for sale have no connectors on them.........they can be set up either way. Simply slide off the rubber thingy that holds the metal collet on the wire and slide the Douglas connector off. Replace it with the Packard rubber shell and little "c" clip and you're good to go. I don't remember if the Packard uses a different rubber thingy or not, but the vendors can supply that as well. You can probably strike a deal with whomever you buy your Packard connectors from, where you simply exchange your Douglas shells for the rubber Packard shells. The Douglas shells are harder to find and worth more than the Packards, so don't toss them, whatever you do. You can also buy an NOS M35 Packard harness usually pretty cheap and just cannibalize the Packard connectors if shipping to and from Oz is cost prohibitive. Any harness with Packards can be cannibalized..........so just look around and pick them up when you find them cheap.

From a practical standpoint converting to 12V is a LOT of work. Everything touched by 24V must be changed. The 24V system is pretty darn reliable, but finding spare parts does take a bit of work. As for changing the drivetrain.......that's even MORE work. If you've got lots of time and money.....and you never plan on selling the truck......I guess it could be fun to do. I suspect you're a "hands-on" kind of guy, in which case such a project could be a lot of fun and maybe even a stress reliever. But if you're the type who doesn't get dirty and just pulls his wallet out to pay for other people to do the work of converting the powertrain and electrical system..........it's going to be stress increaser..........and wallet drainer. You'd probably do best to plan it all out if you decide to convert..........figure out the time it will take, the cost, etc.........and then double it! The good news is there are lots of folks on here to help guide you thru the process.

regards,
bob

[Cal_Gary]

Bob is right-it's your call. Mine was already 12V when I got it so I stayed with it, in case I ever need a jump-start. Also, from a distance view there is nothing that indicates 12V vs 24V. From the interior my 12V Auto Meter gauges tip one off, and under the hood, the alternator gives it away along with the civvy distributor, and the Painless Performance wiring harness. I can live with those differences and sleep soundly.

Again, it is your truck to do as you wish-thanks for saving another one, whichever choice you make on voltage or anything else.
Gary

[MSeriesRebuild]

Check out our website, happy to offer pointers that may help you with whatever your final decisions may be. I can offer this bit of advice up front; you spoke about converting electrical to 12-volt to make the truck more user practical. The 24-volt system is much better unless you possibly have some specialized end use in mind. Changing to 12-volt is no real plus except in specialty applications that sometimes demand it.

[carolinamv]

I don't see too many original trucks... every M37 I run into lately has been semi restored or incorrectly restored in some ways , major or minor. If you do have a lot of correctly restored M37s in your area then maybe do a restoration modification .

[ausb1]

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice ,i have decided to keep it a purebred with 24 volts[and stock up on 24 volt parts] and 230 engine ,decided i havent the time or patience for an engine change and all the [i thought it would fit and doesnt ,and ''didnt think of that'' moments etc] I have only ever seen 3 other M37s in Australia ,i not interested in making it a show truck or trying to pump it full of Viperoids so it does 160mph ,just something original and usable ,after seeing the price of new wire harnesses im glad i bought mine when i did ugh ! will let you know how it all goes thanks
Cheers