Need buying advice ...

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 9:35 am

Would you then say that anything under 90 should be passed over or at least be mentioned and well considered in the price?

TRACTORg25 · Post by **TRACTORg25** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:08 am

If you can afford the cost and have the time to perform an engine rebuild and the rest of the truck is in good shape I would not pass it up. However if the rest of the truck is in rough shape than it may not be worth the investment . That you will have to decide on your own.

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:12 pm

As of right now I need to avoid an engine rebuild. I won't be hauling heavy loads but I do want a truck that will not fall on its face when you run into a slight incline.

How about valve noise? Is any level of valve tick normal? Can you think of any situaiton where some valve tick would be normal (due to valve type/setup)?

Can ticking valves be easily adjusted quiet or can that be signs of wear or issues?

m-37Bruce · Post by **m-37Bruce** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:29 pm

vascrats wrote:I have not been looking at these forums too long but I seem to have seen a wide range of information on compression readings. The most together information I found was from a gentleman from MseriesRebuild who said the following in a post

'The very best readings would be in the 120-130 PSI range. This is what you would expect in a newly rebuilt engine with 1,000 or so miles to break it in. The 110-120 range is good, certainly not in need of a rebuild, but showing normal wear. 105 is getting on the lower end of acceptable in a good engine while 100 is border line. 90 PSI or lower will likely be running irratic with a high likelyhood of 1 or more cylinders skipping. Ideally, readings from 1 cylinder to the other should vary no more than 5 PSI. Low readings can come from ring/cylinder wall wear or valve train issues.'

Would the majority of those here agree with this information?

The bad thin is I have talked to someone who claims to have a truck with a re-ringed motor with about 2000 miles on it talking about it having 90-100 psi readings sayig it is not bad for an old truck.

Greetings Phil, Welcome to the fold!
I was away last week, a Gillespie Coatings tromp into/up to Levittown, PA.

Are you a member of the local MVPA Chapter, or do you know any of the folks there? I think it's the Intermont Chapter?
Have you lurked around Gordon Many's web page/Forum, the Power Wagon Advertiser? www.powerwagonadvertiser.com ; There is a Classified there. Used to be one here somewhere to?

www.mvpa.org has a classified page, but like most site, you must register for access, I think there were/was an M-37 in our neck of the woods?
I'll check it out for you.
Again, Welcome,

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:14 pm

Thanks for the welcome Bruce!

I am not part of the MVPA but if I can get a truck I am sure I would join. I am keeping my eye on a number of different classified sites. There have been a couple trucks pop up that looked like excellent deals but they all have been on the West coast so far. I have even been contacted by several folks here, one of which I am still tossing the idea around about.
Right now I am waiting on some pictures from a guy who has what looked from one add picture like a not too old restoration for around $7500. He has been on vacation for a couple weeks so I have been trying not to get too far along with other prospects as my wife actually liked the one picture we saw and is most on board with it. Since I don't solely control the check book her approval is vital. There have been several nice sized arguments to date

The biggest thing against that truck is that it is located a good bit away from me (down south). If he can't work with me on either the truck price or shipping, I may have to toss that one out regardless of the pictures.

Levittown, PA huh, I was originally from the Easton, PA (not too far from Levittown) area before moving to VA as a child.

Anyway, if you see something nice in our general area, feel free to pass it my way. You are also welcome to pass me some pics of your truck.

Thanks Again!
Phil

m-37Bruce · Post by **m-37Bruce** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 4:59 pm

Army Motors/Supply Line Classified Ad

1951 M37
Rolling chassis and drive train. Also most body parts forward of cab; $700.
Glenn Hurley; (757) 630-8250; rfwave@aol.com (VA).

obxron · Post by **obxron** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:38 pm

From what I'm to understand, most of the body is missing from Glenn's truck, He was using it for parts on another M-37 he was rebuilding and doing a good job on it when I saw it last Nov. He has the rolling chassis stashed in the Lexington area.

TRACTORg25 · Post by **TRACTORg25** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:10 am

No valve noise is normal. Some ticking could indicate need for valve lash adjustment. However if adjusting the valves doesn't remove the noise than you are looking at a minimum of replacing the springs possibly valves. Worst case you would have to replace camshaft, valves, springs, guides and seats. If your going into it that deep may as well do a complete overhaul.

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:03 am

I have recently heard mention of 'solid lifters' in the light of some ticking being normal for them. Can someone explain what 'solid lifters' are and why ticking would be normal for them? Are they not stock to the standard M37 motor as the consensus seems to be these motors should not tick.

I am not trying to doubt anyone, I am just a troubleshooter by profession and when two things conflict in my head I want more info to be sure what is truly correct.

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:27 am

Solid lifters are "old tech." With them, your valves have to be adjusted periodically as wear occurs. This is a messy job and the adjusters are hard to get to on an inline flathead engine. Hydraulic lifters made manual valve adjustment virtually unnecessary, as they "pump up" and compensate for valve train wear. They can plug up, though, so a good oil filtration system is a must.

On the other hand, some seriously competitive racers replace their hydraulic lifters with solids because they guarantee a specific valve opening. They aren't concerned with long-term valve performance because they tear the engines down after every race, anyway.

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:18 am

Thanks for the great description there Lifer. It seems the more I get answered, the more I want to ask

.

I can understand the concept of the solid lifters from your description but does that mean that they are inherently 'ticky' under normal conditions even if they are adjusted properly or does that mean that they are more prone to needing adjustment to remove the 'tick'? Also, are solid lifter an uncommon or undesireable thing? How often are we talking about needing adjustment as opposed to hydraulic lifters?

Thanks!
Phil

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:37 pm

Under normal conditions, properly adjusted solid lifters will not "tick."

"Way back when" our trucks were designed, solid lifters were all there was. They work well and are reliable, so nobody ever bothered to change the design. "If it ain't broke, don't 'fix' it."

How often you need to adjust the valves will depend on how much you're going to use it. If you're going to be using it as a work truck, hauling stuff all day long every day, you'll have to adjust 'em a little more often. It's hard to say how often, though. I think it's safe to say that you'll only have to adjust 'em once to get rid of any "ticking" that may be going on and then you can pretty much forget about it for many years to come.

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:10 pm

Lifer wrote:Under normal conditions, properly adjusted solid lifters will not "tick."

"Way back when" our trucks were designed, solid lifters were all there was. They work well and are reliable, so nobody ever bothered to change the design. "If it ain't broke, don't 'fix' it."

So what you are saying then is that all M37 trucks with the stock motor should have 'solid lifters'?

TRACTORg25 · Post by **TRACTORg25** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:20 pm

That is correct

vascrats · Post by **vascrats** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:13 pm

I am getting ready to look at a guy's truck this weekend and from what I remember seeing in a picture (can't find at this time) it looked like the left bumper (as it is a winch model) was angled down a bit and also the left fender looked like it was sagging down as well. He said on the phone tonight that the 'entire truck' is sagging a bit to the passenger side.

Can someone tell me what may be going on and what I should look for with such a symptom? Could this be an issue with spring(s)?

If it is springs, are they readily available? Any idea on price?

Also, the truck is a hard top. Are the hard tops easily removeable?

Last question...Would the hard top have to be remved if I wanted to fold the windshield down to look for rust underneith it?

Thanks as always!!!
Phil

Need buying advice ...

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