New here - looking long term at getting a M37

[moose97]

My wife keeps telling me I need a hobby, and that I should get a truck to fix up (lucky guy, I know). Well, after several discussions and looking around, I think I want a M37. Well, I would love a duce and a half, but don't have the space or the tools to work on such a beast - at least not yet... Anyway, I came to this conclusion after just missing out on a M37 on eBay for $750 (it ran but had bad brakes, needing a new master cylinder). Since then, everything's been significantly higher, or in poor shape, yet still more expensive. I think that I'd like to spend no more than $2000, and closer to $1500 (or less if possible). Ideally, I'd like something that runs so that I can have some fun with it while working on restoring it too. I have no illusions that I'll end up with a nice clean already restored truck, and that's okay. Fixing it up is supposed to be half the fun (and keep me out of the wife's hair), right?

So, am I in the ballpark on my price, or was that $750 truck a fluke? I understand that the M37 is an appealing restoration candidate because some engine parts are available at the local NAPA/O'Reilly - is that mostly correct? As the title says, I'm not ready to buy today - I'm thinking fall or even maybe around Christmas. Any advice would be great, thanks!

[M37UK]

Hi Moose97

Welcome to the forum where you will get all the answers (and probably more) than you will ever need!

The amount you spend on buying your truck will always depend on how much you can afford and the amount of time and work you are prepared to put into it, notwithstanding your technical ability.
I suppose the only advice I can give is beware of anything that appears a bargain.
Whatever you end up paying just remember that these trucks can suck a serious amount of $$ out of your wallet. They are very addictive and once you start
you will always have "just one more thing" to buy or fix.

Try not to think about the cost too much though, as anyone on here will tell you, they are a great hobby to have and the guys on this forum are the best you will find anywhere.
Oh, and dont plan on seeing much of the missus once you buy an M37

Cheers
Stu

[RMS]

my first m37 was a runner with good breaks and nice body. it was listed for 3500 and i got it for 2500. the truck was beat, it belonged to a logging company. the springs were sagged, bushings were pounded out and there was no preload on any mechanical component. it took me four years and $9386.07 to rebuild every thing(motor alone was $2,578) . over the ten years i have owned the truck I have spent $14,970.48 and that dose not include the lockers, compressor or the 4.89s. granted when i started i knew nothing and every thing was farmed out.


the truck im building now cost me $500 but she came in pieces and i have spent the last year removing silicone and doing rust repair so i can paint. i will need to pay for wire, paint, rubber, glass, canvas and machining of the block and crank. i expect to dish out $4000 to $6000 to see her on the road. for me its better to buy a truck that some one has sunk tuns of cash into or a truck that no one has messed with.

I hate undoing other peoples bright ideas


here is a link to a good article for fist timers http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=12575 i know its for datsuns but it has a lot of good info

[Tanner]

Interesting to see a 510 reference... I was into Datsuns and once had a sweet '72 510 2-door. Hate that I sold it.

Back to the OP - where are you located?

I'd recommend that you buy a truck that is as complete as possible to start with - you can get nickel/dimed to death getting all the missing parts together...

Welcome to the Olive-Drab Illness.

'Tanner'

[moose97]

I'm in northern Minnesota. I contacted the North Dakota Military Vehicles Assn (since they are likely closer to me than the MN Assn in the Twin Cities), and found out that member who has a M37 lives in my town. I'm trying to get in contact with them to get some info and network.

[8543bob]

WELCOME, AND GOOD LUCK FINDING A SUITABLE M 37,
I got my M from gsa auctions about four years ago. She needed a battery to get her started, all else was good, for awhile. I paid $1,300. Then I decdided to have her sandblasted and I painted her, Then I decided she needed new seat covers, Then I decided she needed paint again, Then I decided she need a new canvas top. Then I decided, or she decided for me she need new rod bearings, so i rebuilt the engine. GET THE PICTURE. HAVE FUN BOB

[k8icu]

There is an old saying. You get what you paid for. In some cases that's true about old Army Trucks. If you pay 1500 for a M37 you will get a 1500 truck that is 60 years old (give or take) It may have very little wrong with it or it may need a lot of work. If you want something that will need alot of attention this will do it. Then gain there is no promis that a 4k truck will give you anything better, but chances are that the truck that is a bit more expensive will need less done to it to keep it running (or get it running) than say the cheeper truck. Biggest thing to look for are the mechanics and wiring. If those are in good shape the body can be made to look purdy too. Good luck and welcome to the infliction. It's called OD disease and once you get it there is no cure. I've had it for over 25 years.

[MSeriesRebuild]

While what K8icu says makes perfect sense; there is another side completely.

He has said pay closer attention to mechanicals, and less to body generally speaking. We work on these trucks daily, and almost 100% of the trucks we build cost more money to get the bodies in decent shape than all the mechanical rebuilding cost in total. My strategy is look for a good body while you know that the mechanicals are much easier to deal with. I'm not saying mechanical rebuilding can be done at bargain basement prices; but it's much less labor intensive than building a good body in the majority of trucks. Mechanical rebuilding done right is straight forward, and many good parts are still out there in quantity. When it comes to rebuilding a body, the story is most often very different. Good replacement body parts are not plentiful. We spend untold hours on custom fabrication of body panels and installation of same. You may get really lucky and find a truck with a good body, but they are certainly becoming much harder to find, with many of the good ones not being for sale. We have had many that were thought by their owners to have very good bodies only to find them in utter shambles after they were disassembled and sandblasted. One of the first things I tell potential customers is that we really have no way of even thinking about any cost estimates before a trucks components are blasted back to bare metal. Only then do you see what you really have to work with in order to bring it back. Some customers are aware of what it cost to bring a 60 year old truck that has been used and abused back into the reality of being reliable, while some still use that old out of reality saying, "that's more than I paid for the truck." Just because you paid $1,000 for it 15 years ago just doesn't mean you can make it reliable for that today. More than you might think actually do have that mindset still today.

[Cal_Gary]

Welcome Moose! Lots of great folks here on the forum and some have already weighed in on your situation. Now it's my turn I suppose:
Getting an M37 in any kind of shape for $750 would be a steal but also would come with a ton of work. Mine was 95% complete and also a complete basket case at $600, and other than the frame and engine I've replaced or rebuilt nearly everything and still have a way to go. While it is a mover I still need better brakes before I contemplate any long-term use, and I've owned mine since 2004. One of my favorite parts of our hobby is finding all the missing/replacement parts-fenders, cab, bed, windshields, tires, rims, winch, bumperettes, tailgate, on and on and on (you get the idea). All of that comes at a price, of course, so you have some decisions to make-primarily, are you in a hurry to get one and drive it? If so, then pay more for a more complete truck initially and fine-tune it to your preferences. If time and cash are limited and you're in no hurry, get a rough one-you can work through each sub-project as you go, taking a lot more time but you can work at your own pace-whatever your family commitments and budget will allow.

Charles and Joe and the guys have all offered their expertise-each of us work on our projects based on what our priorities are, but all will agree-GO OUT THERE AND GET ONE! You won't be sorry-the project won't bankrupt you, and parts and vendors are readily available along with all of our FREE advice on this forum. Be prepared for "buyers remorse" at some point once you get one-we've all been through it. Just take it one sub-project at a time (like brakes first!) and keep a journal of all you've done-it will be your reminder what you've done 10 years ago, if like me you can't remember everything. My philosophy is "mechanicals over cosmetics" and I approached my M37 that way until it got to the point that most of the mechanicals were satisfactory-you might consider this approach.
Enough of my rambling--glad to have you with us!
Gary

[skinnedknuckles]

Hi Moose,
Welcome to the forum I realize that its a drive but there will be a decent military vehicle show in Iola, Wisconsin August 10-12 there have been a few buildable m-37's for sale there in the past. You might want to see if you could attend it. There usually are quite a few restored m-37's and if you talk nicely with the owners and explain your situation you may end up going on a ride in one.

[moose97]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'd love to be able to make it to Iola (and maybe a month ago, I'd have told you I'd be there), but as it sits, this summer has been crazy, and another trip seems unlikely. I'm working to get in touch with that couple who has the M37 in town (sent an email), and maybe can get a ride in one that way. As the title implies, this is a long term project, and I hope to eventually put a pic up here of my purchase. Thanks again guys!

[bpj911]

I have a nice M37 I am considering selling. 712-299-2279.

Nice truck with 5 new Michelin XZLs, would drive home anywhere if you got the time and the gas money. All original except for the tires and the heater. No rust, no dents, original paint (sort of), good canvas, complete, rewired front to back with vintage wiring of maine harness. 6500.

I sold this truck several years ago to a gentleman in FL and he called and I bought it back. I really have moved on due to my family not fitting in it but couldn't bear to see it not go to another good home.

Take care.

[MSeriesRebuild]

Well Moose, if you are serious about an M37, look into this one, if it has been represented truthfully, the asking price is very fair. As always, I'd still highly recommend having a look see before writing a check. Personally, I would feel much better about a purchase from this forum than I would from ebay where chances are better than good of getting your hide burned off.

[52 M-42]

Welcome, Moose!

Just to add my two cents worth, I'd like to give you an example of constant-dollar purchase price for these trucks from my own experience.

I bought my truck on the 5th of November, 1980. I paid $1,800 for the M-37 and a M101A1 trailer. Neither was perfect, the yoke on the 101 was bent, neither vehicle had any canvas, the wiring was a terrifying mess, but it ran and most stuff worked; well mostly worked most of the time. I drove it home at night, in rush hour traffic, in the rain, on the freeway with the lights working pretty much all the time (kinda'). It was a high anxiety sorta' trip.

Today, at 2012 prices, I would have paid over $5000 for that truck (check the US Depart of Labor Statistics inflation calculator for actual numbers). The most important thing to remember when buying these trucks is NOT what you pay for them, but rather how much you will put into them. I've had my truck for 32 years now and I've restored it twice. In the interval I've maintained it (tires, parts, canvas, "improvements & accessories", etc). The "purchase price" loooooong ago became irrelevant. I don't know, and don't particularly want to know how much money I've put into this truck (it probably tops 100K over 32 years), but my family and I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of it and it will be something my children, and hopefully their children will enjoy.

My suggestion is to judge it by the enjoyment you get out of it not by the amount of money you will put into it over time.

52 M-42

[refit1701]

Howdy Moose!

Back in November of 07, I got bit by the OD bug bad when my friend took me to a MV show. I hunted around and found this truck:



I got it for $700. It ran but had no brakes. A running engine was about all it did have.

The bed was totally rotted out and the tailgate was gone. So I eventually bought a very nice bed with a mint tailgate and troop seats, etc., for $1000

The cab was rusted bad underneath and was beyond my skills to repair (at the time) so I bought a decent cab from a club member (by this time I had joined Dixie Division) for $300.

So without buying anything else I now had $2000 in my truck. My truck turned out to have been someone else's parts source so I have had to buy nearly everything for it, including a new engine to replace the civilian 218 the truck came with. I think I have about $5000 in it now and it's JUST now starting to go back together.

Back before I bought this truck, I had turned down a complete running truck with 95% of the parts on it for $2500.

I should'a shelled out the cash for the better truck to start with.

I have learned a lot about the M37 along the way, having to become an expert in what parts to buy and all that.

As the others have said, it's better to pay now than pay later.