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These are the Harbor Freight version. There they were a lot cheaper. Alan

Well my convoy time is over and I fixed the destroyed radiator on the M38A1. It looks like a Frankenstein radiator but it holds water.

It's time to get back to the M37. So I have this really crusty spare engine that I have had for years laying on it's side in a shed on a piece of wood. Hal / NAM VET gave me the wooden engine stand he had made to hold his engine while he worked on his.

Since it was on the stand I decided to give it a turn with the hand crank. It has no head on it so I sprayed it a couple of days with PB Blaster. It turned fine but a couple of valves came up and stuck open. One of them had a whole lot of trash down inside so I was digging that out and kinda taping on the valve to just see if it would want to go back down. The plan was to keep spraying it and get it to move but all that trash had me concerned. Well the dang valve just snapped off!! Argh!!!!

Valve stem was just a bit rusty huh? Now you know what the garbage was you were trying to get out of there, rusted valve stem residue.

Okay now to get back to work!! I cut out the bad part of the bed last night. Now to cut the replacement piece to match and weld it in.

Nice to see that you are back at it.

Bert

I am curious, Did the plasma cutter cut into the crossmember also?

Hey Rick, It looks like it scored the cross member, one side more than the other? How you doing, start you project yet?

Still gathering parts, also still trying to finish up the wife's car so I can get it back in the garage. The floor is still in the trailer right where we put it.

That was an effort, my in-laws were very happy to have met you and your bride!

Yes the plasma cutter did cut into the cross member some. But I figured I would just weld the floor to it. The cross member is in great shape.

Here is the replacement part cut to shape.



Here it is cleaned up with a air tool with a brush.



I gave it a bath in phosphoric acid to kill any rust left on it.

Today I welded the panel in place. You really need to use the special panel clamps to hold the metal flush to the original panel.



To be able to clamp the panels in place you really need a pair of these type long reach vice grips.



Here we are ready to weld the first parts.





You can see in this photo a piece of copper strip I have that I put behind the place I will weld. It will help make a flat backside to the weld and won't stick to the weld.



Here are the first few stitch welds. Doing a few welds in spots allows the metal to cool between welds.



Here is the finished panel welded in place. You can see the two copper plates I use. The copper plate with the little holes I got from Eastwood and it had little magnets in the holes. The magnets fell out over time due to heat so I just clamp it in place. Now it is time to grind off the welds.

Nice work. And I feel like I have accomplished something when I tighten my lug nuts.

Looking good!

NV

You welded over the rust and paint after all the good prep on the replacement panel?! Why didn't you grind back the edge a bit on the old panel?

You didn't see the V groove I had on the old parts I guess. I only want the weld to stick to the groove area. I will grind it back down to the V groove.

"Have a little faith Moriarty, that bridge will be there."

sturmtyger380 wrote:My 1953 M37 I am sure went though the rebuild program and was still in the Army up to the 1970's. The engine has a rebuild tag on it from 1973.

The housing looks green but I see black paint peaking out in spots.

I am trying to figure out what the label on the oil filter housing was as it does not look like the Fram ones I have seen. Any idea what the label on the side and top should say? Brand?





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Alan

John at Midwest has the correct markings for your oil filter canister.