New to G-741, New to M37

[52m38]

Hello to all. New member here. And new to the world of the Dodge Power Wagon M37. I am going to pull a 5? M37 out of the woods on Sat. I have been looking at it for about 5 years now and finally was able to track down the owner. As luck would have it he was interested in selling it. He claims it was running when he parked it. I havn't been able to get a real good look under the hood but he claims it is all stock with 24 volt and all. Lucky for me it has been under cover since 1998 when he parked it. There is No rust (eastern Washinton state) and very little damage to it. The bed floor is in real good shape. I am real excited about this find and know that any info I need on this Rig can be had from all of you. I will post pic's of removal from the place it is sitting in the brush and what she looks like. Till then. Thanks. Brett. Oh ya, I think $800 was a good deal. YEE-HAA

[cuz]

Welcome aboard. Heckuva deal!

[refit1701]

Looks like you got a good deal. We love pictures around here so when you can, do post some.

[Lifer]

Welcome to the forum from me, as well. You'll learn a lot about your new toy from forum members. The first thing you'll learn is not to refer to it as a "Dodge Power Wagon M37." The Dodge Power Wagon was a civilian descendent of the WWII era Dodge WC series of vehicles. The M37 is a totally different military descendent of the old WC series.

The second thing you'll learn is that people will refer to your M37 as a "Jeep." You can correct them until you're blue in the face, but they'll still call it a "Jeep."

Okay. Class dismissed for today. Enjoy your new M37!

[Cal_Gary]

Welcome aboard, Friend! Glad to have you with us-always neat to find and save another one! Keep us posted on your progress, and ask your many questions so we can help you out!
Gary

[Glenn]

Welcome, definitely sounds like a good deal. You seem to have a lot of enthusiasm which is good, that makes it much more fun to work on these creatures. I gave up on stopping my wife from calling mine a Jeep. At least she doesn't call my 3 Jeeps trucks.

[rixm37]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good folks here and great info !!!

[SOTVEN]

WELCOME FRIEND!!! LOTS OF GREAT PEOPLE HERE!!! TONS OF HELP TOO. I HOPE YOUR M37 IS ALL YOU EXPECTED AND MORE. PLEASE POST PICTURES SOON.

[52m38]

Thank you for all the welcomes. I wish it was Saturday all ready. I'm so excited I could wet myself. After driving past this thing for the last 5 years it's a realy great feeling to know that it's finally going to be all mine. The fun part is going to try and get it running. Any suggestions on what I should do first. Like pull the plugs,drain the oil and put in new,disconnect the fuel line. I don't really know.???? What do you guys think ? Thanks. Brett

[Cal_Gary]

Haul it home; do a thorough top to bottom inspection (and check your gear boxes for lube), and do NOT rush to get it running-a complete diagnostic check is in order first (engine compression, tune-up, fresh gas, fuel filter, etc.). Get the emergency brake operational then the service brakes. Take each mini-project one at a time so you don't overwhelm yourself. Keep a fire extinguisher and first aid kit nearby. Work safely and have fun!
Gary

[Oddjob]

I'm still in the process of doing what Gary suggested and I got mine a few months ago... That sounds like a good price it's nice to find a vehicle in that condition... I got mine for a real good price too I won't expand on the good price but it was so good there was no way I could pass it up... I have a few rough spots here and there on mine there really isn't anything that can't be patched up on these old trucks my concern was trying to find a truck that was at least 95% complete...

You might need yourself a crank to turn the motor manually when you pull the plugs and put some lubricant down the cylinders... I made mine out of 3/4 round bar it took 4 feet of it... cost me 10$ and a couple minutes of welding...

Pic's we all love pic's...

[Nickathome]

They all claim to be "running when parked". 1998 as you well know was 12 years ago. That's a long time to be sitting idle. Most assuredly the gasoline has turned to Shellac. The carb is probably gummed up badly. The rubber parts on the truck most surely have some rot on them. More than one mouse, and hornet colony has probably taken up residence. The wiring is probably shot. What I'm trying to say is, don't take that old bullshit "running when parked" to mean there is nothing wrong with the truck. Not trying to scare you, just trying to make you aware of reality.

In my case the guy I bought from said the truck "runs" when I inquired about it. I bought mine from a show and the truck was on the back of a flatbed. As soon as I asked the guy though he hopped in and cranked it up, so I was good to go in that respect. I did however have to tune the truck up and replace everything in the distributor once home. Yeah the truck ran, but it ran like shit and the distributor had a crack in it and the coil gave up the ghost an hour after I got the truck home.

So take it this way..."running when parked" means it hasn't run in 12 years.

[52m38]

Looks like the pic host I had went out of bussiness. Heres a repost of pics.

[HingsingM37]

Welcome aboard Brett. Sure looks like a nice rig you rescued. Always good to see another truck saved.

[52m38]

Just wanted to post an update on the OL' Girl. Got her runnin' about a month ago.
Although its not the stock engine, I think it'll be OK for now. Thanks to Mitch and Brett, I have been able to get some much needed parts. Now I'm working on the front end. Brake shoes look good and drums are fine with a little emery cloth. I just hope the new master cylinder doesn't blow out the wheel cylinders.
It's amazing how much the outer bearing and race cost. Mainly the race. Almost half again as much as the bearing. I can get the inner bearing and race for about the same as just the outer race. That blows. Oh well, I guess that's part of owning an MV. Till later.
Brett