Walter

[tbone1004]

Here's the start to my build thread.
I picked up Walter for very very cheap from my local town office who had it for decades as a brush truck. I haven't found the whole history on it yet, but I'm sure as dis-assembly and what not goes on some history will show up. I got lucky in that it is in really good shape and has the original tailgate. The hardtop is weird in that it is from a Chevy, but I think that will be coming off in exchange for another hard top, whether it be CCKW or one of the originals. This is a long time down the road since this is a fun project more than anything right now. Photos will stay in the Facebook album so they don't go anywhere and the album is public.



All the 12v stuff has been pulled since it had murdered the second 12v battery and has no use for me. Walter is going to be a restomod as far as getting some modern creature comforts in the cab, but will remain largely original for a long time. Saving up right now for sandblasting and painting and color scheme is either going to be forest green with black fenders, or going with my alma mater and doing red with black fenders. Whole underside will be protected against the lovely road conditions in the winter up here. Plans are to put modern bucket seats with belts in the cab, custom center console and keep the dash original looking with modern gauges. Will keep the flathead for as long as possible and hopefully get it up to 12-15mpg with a free flowing carb and some other tweaks. Eventually as funds permit, I will end up with 4.89 and lockers in the axles.

In the meantime, I plan on completing the 12v conversion and will mount a 12v alternator running to a deep cycle battery for a modern radio, inverter, and trailer connection. I design bullet proof vests, performance aerospace fireblockers and acoustic insulators and other high performance fabrics for a living, so this will hopefully end up being a fairly quiet, well insulated cab experience when it is all said and done.

[jim lee]

You know, we're developing a 24V version of our stereo system for our M37. Its an amp & USB charger that hides under the dash. You plug in your music source (iPhone, iPod) inside the glove box.

Here's a link to our 12V system we're startig from : http://www.leftcoast.biz/iWeb/Left_Coas ... tereo.html

-jim lee

[tbone1004]

Jim, that thing looks sweet although I think I will end up going with a traditional stereo where I can control the music from a normal console. That thing looks perfect for a boat though! I just don't like changing music from the ipod while I'm driving, would much rather hit the next button from a toggle switch on the dash like I can with my stereo in the jeep.

[Hemiman]

Nice truck! Of course all M-37s are. So . . . where did the name come from?

My family has names all of our vehicles. The M-37 is referred to as "The Galloping Goose".

Good luck with the project.

[tbone1004]

Name has a few references, the primary being Jeff Dunham's puppet Walter, the second is a convenient plug at Walter Chrysler, and the third is the main character of the show "The Finder". Plus, it's just a good name for a crotchety old man!

[tbone1004]

Guess I shouldn't have disconnected all of the 12v stuff. Looks like the coil/distributor has been changed to a 12v somewhere along the line and it was tapped off of the single battery. Not a fan. Hooked it back up and I've got spark back which is good but it still won't catch. It tried harder than when I wasn't getting spark, but not enough to fire. This is giving me much more motivation to switch everything over to 12v and use a series-parallel switch for the starter and let it run on 12v a la some RV's and buses. Thoughts? The cute wiring was a wiring straight from one of the 12v batteries to the ignition switch then out to the coil. Needless to say, I was rather confused by this.


Letting some MMO sit in each of the cylinders tonight and we'll see how that goes. Have new coolant and oil at the house so will pull the head and drop the pan this coming weekend even if it fires up tomorrow. Unfortunately it isn't in the garage right now otherwise I'd drop it now and let it drain out. I am hoping the MMO will loosen up anything in the valves, especially to see if I can get compression up from 0 in the second cylinder. Any suggestions for getting the manifolds off or is it just easier to pull the head and get access? It seems like there is a whole boatload of stuff in the

[tbone1004]

A coworker of mine has a 2000 Chevy 1500 that he is sending out for scrap and said that I can take whatever off of it that I need/want. Alternator, PS Pump and AC compressor are likely coming out. Fairly certain I won't be able to use them for their intended purposes, but the PS Pump may be altered for a hydraulic fan that I have, and the AC Compressor will probably be used for onboard air at some point way down the road. I was planning on adding a separate 12v Circuit to the truck at some point so I could use normal trailer plugs, have a radio etc, but with the newfound wire debauchery I will probably swap out the generator for the 12v alternator and put a series/parallel switch in.
I was talking with Charles Talbert and was going to go all the way back to a 24v system on everything, but I would still need to have 12v somewhere for a radio and my trailer outlet, and while a step down converter isn't terribly expensive, the trailer plug makes it a bit more complicated, and finding out that I have a civvy 12v coil and distributor is making me lean towards swapping it out completely. I read somewhere there is a Napa Wilson starter that will work on this beast and that some are using the old 6v starters and just running them at 12v? Anyone have any part numbers for these? The starter is still running a bit slow even with two brand new batteries in it, so it sounds like it is just time to bite the bullet and swap it all over, especially since the wiring on the generator looks questionable at best.

[Hemiman]

My truck was converted to 6V! Yes, SIX VOLTS by someone in it's history. Most likely, when they swapped the 241 hemi into it. I changed the hemi to 12V electronic ignition, (small block distributor drops right in). So I converted the whole truck to 12V. However, I left the 6V starter on the hemi. Turns over nice and fast! Higher voltage (within reason) really doesn't hurt a starter motor. However, LOW voltage will kill one in a hurry.

[tbone1004]

yeah I have no issues with the 6v starters, but I don't know which one has the right meshing mechanism

[tbone1004]

He lives! I got him started today and drove him up and down the street. Engine is running rough, but at least I know it runs. Will be doing a full fluid flush and replace gaskets and what not over the course of the next week. Has to start with half throttle and no choke, but he's now starting to idle at true idle and the exhaust isn't billowing white smoke now, so all is starting to look up. Looking forward to pulling the head and oil pans to clean everything up and see how well he ends up running.

[tbone1004]

Drove him to get some more gas and some milk this morning. Did the 3 mile round trip pretty well so that's good.
Used an old vin decoder to find that the cab that is on there is from a 1966 Chevy half ton. That will have to come off. It's done fairly well from the exterior, but the interior job was a little funky so that will probably last one more winter then get sawzalled off next spring/summer. Hopefully find someone getting rid of a cckw top until I can afford one of the ones from Boyce. In the meantime, a 6v starter is will be en route this week, will get the alternator swapped out. Need to find a copy of the Maine inspection report. It passed the 2010 inspection, but have to double check everything.

[Cal_Gary]

Congratulations! Glad to have you with us! I remember mine running for the first time, too; one of those first proud M37 moments
Gary

[tbone1004]

My better half shot a video of me rolling back into the driveway with it. Didn't have the camera for the way out, but oh well. Drove 12 miles into work this morning to have the gussets on the tailgate removed. Got up to 45 with no worries although I can see where people get weird about the brakes. Will definitely be saving up for discs and be putting a dual master cylinder in soon. It stops fine, but a lot longer than I'm used to. He's starting to sound a lot better which is good. Still running seafoam and MMO in it to keep carbon buildup down until the gasket set comes in to do a full cleaning.

Hoping the gusset removal will allow the tailgate to go up where I can lock it in for the time being but it seems that they welded a plate on top of the tailgate and I may have to remove the whole thing and get creative to get it to where it will swing up again, but at least it should be free on the hinge instead of being welded in. Picking up a new 12v coil from NAPA today since I had to bypass the resistor when the cotton on the inside went up in flame and the stud is turning inside the coil so I couldn't get the wire off to replace the resistor.

Once the tailgate can be removed, I'll be putting new taillights in so it will pass inspection on 24v before I finish the conversion. Here's to a good inspection this week!



Got the maintenance guys at work to cut the steel plates off of the tailgate so it goes up now which is huge. Will get the existing lights working this week to pass inspection and then will swap in the military lights.

[tbone1004]

Still waiting on the 6v starter... Tried to figure the brake lights out and it was rather disastrous, but all is well and with a little bit of wire pulling I should figure out what goes where. It seems like they bypassed the switch to run them as 12v lights but the better half isn't available to help me and doing brake checks from in the cab is well, rather impossible. Until I get some really bright taillamps, I may just run the flasher lights on the top of the cab inline with the brake lights to get all four lit up. I don't have the OD problem of people not noticing me since Walter is red but always better to have good lights.

I don't ever intend on this to be a show truck, but since this was a fire truck from my town and said fire department is hosting a classic car show tomorrow I figure it'll be fun to take him down there so that's the plan for tomorrow.

Replaced the coil today since the other one was shot and it is starting better, but still doesn't want the choke at all but rather half throttle to start. I tried hooking the timing gun up to it but it appears the million year old timing gun I borrowed has a dead bulb. Will probably stop at Advance Auto and pick one up for rent. That way I can get better read with rpm and use the induction leads.

Pulled the drain plug on the water tank and there was a lot of decaying veggie matter in there, so we'll be flushing that out as a continuous process for a little while. Will probably pull the water tank at least until he is restored and may end up leaving it in there. Who knows.

Ordered a coolant filter kit from Amazon. Same one as the NAPA. Should be here sometime early next week. Every vehicle I get goes through a full fluid flush and figured the $50 for a filter certainly won't hurt. Will run from the outlet on the bottom of the block with shutoff valves and tbd on where it is going to mount. Where are you guys plumbing the return? I was thinking about putting a T on top of the water pump and doing it that way to get some good suction going. Thoughts?
More to come...

[tbone1004]

Passed inspection with flying colors yesterday afternoon which was a good thing. Unfortunately it was a hard start after a 20 mile hilly run after inspection. The inspector wanted to take a ride so I obliged, but it didn't want to catch after I dropped him off. It has a new coil due to a similar problem a few weeks ago and it was starting much better, but will have to dig a bit more into that.

Got the brake lights running and they're actually very bright units so they will stay for now. I ended up having to put them on the stud on the coil to get 12v power due to where the wiring was. Not the optimum plan, but enough to get me over until I can switch the whole thing to 12v. New glass from NAPA for the side mirror. Had an ever so slightly larger bolt than the original so drilled out the mirror arm and I can actually see where I'm backing up now which is good.

Still waiting on my 6v starter to come in, but with a nice present from work I have a bunch of 10ga multistrand that is gas/oil resistant and temp up to 105C so it looks like I'll be building my own wire harness this winter. This was inevitable, but with the free wire and a heated garage it'll be good to get in and replace everything. It will get a standard 7-pin trailer connector in the back, and have composite tail lamps with backup lights swapped in for the trailer lights that are on there now. Will keep the 2-pin NATO slave connector hooked up and will try to find another receptacle to put on the rear bumper. I'd like to get at least one of the 2-pin connectors so I can adapt that to an anderson connector for my jumper cables and for the high draw connector for the trailer battery systems. I'd also like to get a few external flood lights, bed front bumper, rear bumper, as well as put on and a couple cab lights. Going to replace the gauges as well and still debating on where the fuse panel will end up. If I replace the seats with Jeep seats and a center console as planned, it will end up under the dash, otherwise it will end up next to the battery compartment.


After many discussions with the better half, and hemming and hawing, we have decided to run with the fire dept. theme of the truck. It spent the vast majority of it's life as a brush truck and with our Alma Mater being red and black, it will stay red. TBD on the water tank as it is just taking up a ton of room, but we got a free diamond plate bed box yesterday in damn near perfect condition except for weak pistons. Not sure if it will go in Walter or not, but it is good to have. Have many more things to deal with before aesthetics and accessories.

Picture of me and the truck at the town VFD Car show