New to the site

[Mag]

Hello all,
I’ve just registered to the site and thought I’d introduce myself. My name is Morgan and I live in a small town on the West coast of British Columbia Canada.
I bought my 1952 M37 CDN from a military auction in 1978. I was 22 years old and needed a work horse for my fledging construction company. Being my only vehicle, the truck was driven daily for 8 years. Marriage and children forced the truck into retirement with the rare off road jaunt into the coastal backcountry. Crazy how life gets in the way of living!
The truck was completely original and in great shape when the military released it. The odometer read 1,943 miles and had a set of military tires dated 1962. The pioneer rack had what I believe were the original tools as the axe handle had started to rot at the head. There were two Budd tire sockets along with a slightly bent breaker bar in storage under the box and a first aid kit next to the passenger seat.
There were 21 trucks up for auction, 18- M37 CDN cargo, 2- M43 CDN ambulances and 1- M152 CDN panel truck. I arrived early and was allowed to test drive any and all vehicles. My focus was on the M37 with winch of which there were two. However both trucks showed signs of abuse. Torn fenders, a missing tailgate, bent bumpers and one had the body sitting skewed on the frame. After visually inspecting the remaining sixteen I narrowed it down to five that “looked” to be well maintained and low mileage. Drove all five around a very muddy field and got down to three trucks. Of the the three, two had a beefy roof rack come storage cage welded to the cab roof (all the trucks were hardtops) which I would need to remove to get the truck indoors.
Starting bid was $1,000.00 CDN and I won the bid at $1,200.00 . At the time, being self employed, I thought it would take a lifetime to pay off!
Fast forward. 46 years later I’m about 2 years into a ground up restoration plugging away at it whenever I have a few hours to spare.
Truck info:
M37 CDN model T249 251 cubic inch
Ordinance Code No. 2502
Mfd. by Chrysler Corp. of Canada Ltd. Windsor Ontario
Mfr. Serial No. 91401334
No. Stamped in frame left side behind the cab. 1268107 and 1268109 MC
Contract No. CDLV601
Date Delivered December 11 1952
Truck Assembly No. 1334 of 2,399 built w/o winch between October 1951 and December 1955.
Truck No. 47 of 113 built in December 1952

Cheers,
Morgan

[Cal_Gary]

Welcome Morgan!
You've shared quite a story-glad you found us!
Post your many questions or use the search engine. Lots of experience here to help you along!
Thanks for saving another one!
Gary

[Forgotten Waypoints]

Awesome!

Post some pictures when you get time, I'd love to see it!

[Murf]

Welcome !

[T. Highway]

Welcome to the site Morgan, thanks for saving another truck and sharing the details about it. We look forward to hearing more from you.

Best Regards,
Bert