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Lots of progress today!

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:19 pm
by powerwagontim
You need to choose your friends carefully!
I am a woodworker by trade, PowerwWagon and now M-37 tinkerer by choice. The one thing I need to learn is welding. However, I have a very good friend who is a superb welder, and best of all a horrible woodworker! We have a symbiotic relationship, he does all of my welding and I do all of his woodworking. It has worked well for about 12 years now.
He works 4 10 hour days, and has fridays off so we decided that today was the day to tackle the rust on the cab of the M37. We put in 7 hours each today, unfortunately he had a commitment and had to leave at 2:30. We made a major reconstruction of the passenger front corner , the passenger rocker panel and the passenger rear cab corner as well as assorted floor patches etc. Lots more to go, but a real good start. The drivers side isnt as bad, and now we know what we are working with so it should go well.
Feels really good to see the rust holes turn back into sound steel.
Tim

Best of Both Worlds

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:19 pm
by m-37Bruce
Hopefully he lives close by too!

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:39 pm
by refit1701
Don't you love it when you can see even the slightest bit of progress?

Well done! :D

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:34 am
by k8icu
This thread is worthless with out pics.... :)

No really I'd like to see some pic of what you did. My cab is a basket case and though I'm looking for a replacement in my pricerange I may need to make repairs and the ones you made seem to be a lot like mine. So some pics would be very cool.

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:51 am
by powerwagontim
OK, here is a link to an album of pictures.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v246/ ... 52%20M-37/
Tim

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:18 pm
by HingsingM37
Doesn't it make you feel good? It nice to make progress. :)
I have a good buddy that is a carpenter. I am the mechanic. It works well. I don't touch the remodeling, he doesn't touch his vehicles :lol:

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 5:51 pm
by Wayne64
Thanks for posting the link to the repairs. Who rolled and edged the rear cab repair patch? I have the same issue on the drivers side.

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:43 pm
by powerwagontim
Hi Wayne,
Neil did that. I think a 5 gallon pail played into the radius. I was working on another piece when he did that so I am not sure how he did it. He brought a brake with him but I was suprised how smooth the radiused bend was. I hadnt really noticed how nice it had come out until today when I was taking the pictures. I will ask him next time he comes to play.
Tim

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 2:15 pm
by Wayne64
powerwagontim wrote:Hi Wayne,
Neil did that. I think a 5 gallon pail played into the radius. I was working on another piece when he did that so I am not sure how he did it. He brought a brake with him but I was suprised how smooth the radiused bend was. I hadnt really noticed how nice it had come out until today when I was taking the pictures. I will ask him next time he comes to play.
Tim
Tim, please ask as that piece looks like it was either a store bought repair piece or your bud has some real talent. I would have thought an English wheel and a bead/ flange roller would be needed for those results.

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 3:16 pm
by powerwagontim
Hi Wayne,
It is talent. I was there when he did it, just doing something else, and unless he had the Ronco Pocket Flanger and English Wheel Combo in his pocket it was done caveman style.
Sometimes things look better in pictures than real life. I looked at the piece again today and it is as nice as the picture shows.
I did a bunch more work on it today, and decided to go all the way and pulled the body tub off and set it on horses. Now the paint job will be all over, not just what shows. I feel a lot better this way. I hate doing work that is half way.
Tim

Talent Fer Sure

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:56 pm
by m-37Bruce
powerwagontim wrote:Hi Wayne,
It is talent. I was there when he did it, just doing something else, and unless he had the Ronco Pocket Flanger and English Wheel Combo in his pocket it was done caveman style.
Sometimes things look better in pictures than real life. I looked at the piece again today and it is as nice as the picture shows.
I did a bunch more work on it today, and decided to go all the way and pulled the body tub off and set it on horses. Now the paint job will be all over, not just what shows. I feel a lot better this way. I hate doing work that is half way.
Tim

Good to have a friend like that.

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:38 pm
by vtdeucedriver
powerwagontim wrote:Hi Wayne,
It is talent. I was there when he did it, just doing something else, and unless he had the Ronco Pocket Flanger and English Wheel Combo in his pocket it was done caveman style.
Sometimes things look better in pictures than real life. I looked at the piece again today and it is as nice as the picture shows.
I did a bunch more work on it today, and decided to go all the way and pulled the body tub off and set it on horses. Now the paint job will be all over, not just what shows. I feel a lot better this way. I hate doing work that is half way.
Tim
Tim, where did you get the truck????? Looks familiar.

Jeff..................across the way in Shelburne/ St.Albans
Image

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:07 pm
by powerwagontim
Hi Jeff,
I bought it up in Irasburg from a guy who specializes in Jeeps. He bought several Jeeps from someone and had to buy the M37 to get the Jeeps. He then sold off the M37. I know nothing about it other than it was an Air Force truck.
Tim

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:28 pm
by vtdeucedriver
powerwagontim wrote:Hi Jeff,
I bought it up in Irasburg from a guy who specializes in Jeeps. He bought several Jeeps from someone and had to buy the M37 to get the Jeeps. He then sold off the M37. I know nothing about it other than it was an Air Force truck.
Tim
OK, dont know that truck but that guy is selling his parts on ebay. He had a M151 rim on there but it was too far for me to get and not worth paying the shipping either.

Do you plan on restoring it to a M37 ( as finding a M37 bed???) Nice job sofar. I commend your work as with most guys (including me) would have found another truck.

Any you vermonters gone to see the one that has been on Ebay and Craigslist like 6 times. Its on craigslist again!!!

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:43 pm
by powerwagontim
Hi Jeff,
I had not seen the craigslist truck before. Dosent look too bad in the picture. My plans on my truck keep evolving. It started out to be a woods truck, to get up into the woods behind my house to get firewood. Now the rot repair is coming out so well I am thinking to make it a nice driver, not a show truck but just a good solid driver. I will keep it the Strata Blue that it was born in.
Your post says "Shel;burne / St. Albans" Which one are you in? I am in Monkton, and in Shelburne several times a week on average. I would like to see your truck sometime. You are also welcome to stop by and see my herd, but it is mostly Power Wagons and one orphaned M37.
Tim