Home 
Seems high time for an update!
I have broken down the bed and identified pretty well all the spots that need body work. The floor of the bed is in great shape except for a small spot on the centre seam. The rest of the rust was mainly over the rear wheel arches, as well as the toolbox area right over the exhaust. The crossmember behind the toolbox was pretty bent up, almost like a log had caught there while backing up in the woods, and the bed floor was pushed up in this spot too. Shouldn’t be too difficult to straighten out I don’t think.
I also removed the rear crossmember from the frame as it was bowed around the pintle hitch (surprise surprise) and also one of the welds had broken where the triangular braces attach on the back. So, it is now straight and will get a good cleaning before going back in, this time attached with bolts instead of rivets. I suppose I will also weld the braces back as originally found, although they are also bolted to the crossmember where the bumperettes attach. I am wondering if the small weld here is necessary, but if Chrysler did it then I won’t worry too much and I’ll just weld the brackets as well.
About a week ago some goodies arrived from Midwest Military (Thanks John!) including a new rear crossmember for the bed, and some lockout hubs for the front axle. I also bought new hardware for the bed to replace all the horribly corroded bolts that I removed. I resorted to a grinder to remove all the Phillips head screws on the bed floor, as they were all absolutely stuck. It was actually really satisfying to take them out with a punch and a hammer after that!
Anyway, work is progressing, slowly. Current project is to clean up the frame, reinstall the rear crossmember then run the new fuel lines before moving on to sheet metal work on the bed. I’ll add the pictures once I get them resized on the computer.
M37CDN "Gertrude"
Moderators: Cal_Gary, T. Highway, Monkey Man, robi
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
- tumblr_bf17e77cc91bf6362ce0db7871623169_62971b14_640.jpg (108.67 KiB) Viewed 21448 times
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Nice! They’re definitely fun cars, and easy to work on. I have had a few over the years but now just have a 78 280z. I found it to be the most enjoyable to drive. Doors close nicely and just feels more solid than the earlier cars. It also is running an rb25det so there’s a bit more get up and go too. Up here in Ontario there are very few Datsuns left.
RMS on here is a Datsun/ Dodge guy too.
RMS on here is a Datsun/ Dodge guy too.
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
ya im bad, current collection consists of 5 1/2 datsun 510s (68 4dr "like jdm yo", 69 2dr " 6inches of rust", 70 4dr "better red than dead", 71 goon "Roll the dice", 72 wagon trailer "the nickel" and a 73 2dr I haven't started on) http://www.the510realm.com/index.php, 4 m37s ( 51 "265 CDN", 52 "Dark green Canadian", 52 "slow old and green", 53 "propane conversion" and one ffpw with 22,000 miles on the clock..... it was part of the Aubrey ‘Bob’ King Collection. https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/bc-tr ... ut-of-luck the story goes: a fight over pay and time off with the Teamsters caused Bob King to shut down his companies in 1958 and lock up his downtown Vancouver warehouses. His trucks gathered dust until buildings on Pender Street and Main Street and Terminal Avenue were opened in 1974 after his death. the truck was stripped down to make way for a small block conversion. the PO got a family and the project stalled and sat in his carport till 2007 (?) when I bought it to steal the 4.89s. the truck now lives in a 40ft shipping container till I gain the parts and skills to do a proper restoration...... I can say with confidence it has no rust on the cab or frame.... box is a little rusty as it was outside for some time....
.............................. use it ...............
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Well RMS, sounds like you really like bodywork if you have that many Datsuns!
Work is progressing here when possible. I often get out to the shop at least once a week now that the weather is improving. In any case, the rear cross member is back in, with bolts. Glad I went this route as they fit tightly and will be easy to remove if ever necessary. Since the weather is changing I primered the rear portion of the frame. In the spring you can get flash rust pretty quickly here if you aren't careful as the temperatures can swing pretty widely from one day to the next. Next up is removal of the front spring hangars so I can fix the cross member and the thin spots on the frame. I have also since dropped the rear axle out, and I am separating the spring leaves so I can check the center bolt and remove any heavy scale between the springs. I think I'll give them a light coat of primer between springs, then paint the exposed surfaces and reassemble.
Sorry I only have a single picture, I often feel not much changes from one shot to the next!
Rob
Work is progressing here when possible. I often get out to the shop at least once a week now that the weather is improving. In any case, the rear cross member is back in, with bolts. Glad I went this route as they fit tightly and will be easy to remove if ever necessary. Since the weather is changing I primered the rear portion of the frame. In the spring you can get flash rust pretty quickly here if you aren't careful as the temperatures can swing pretty widely from one day to the next. Next up is removal of the front spring hangars so I can fix the cross member and the thin spots on the frame. I have also since dropped the rear axle out, and I am separating the spring leaves so I can check the center bolt and remove any heavy scale between the springs. I think I'll give them a light coat of primer between springs, then paint the exposed surfaces and reassemble.
Sorry I only have a single picture, I often feel not much changes from one shot to the next!
Rob
- Attachments
-
- IMG_1320.JPG (47.16 KiB) Viewed 21395 times
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Alright, well a year on and a few things have moved ahead. 2020 was very busy with little time to spare for working on the truck, but I do feel some forward progress was made at least.
-The leaky rear axle pinion seal was replaced using a modern seal set into the old carrier. It was a bit of a job to get it all apart, but Now the axle is no longer leaking any drips. We will see what happens after a few miles... the old pinion nut was full of stress cracks and so it was pitched, and a nice new one replaced it.
- I bent up a new set of brake lines for the truck using the nickel copper alloy lines along with some stainless armour coil. What great stuff to work with. Bends and flares very easy, and will hopefully last for a very long time. The spring armour was tough stuff to cut, but a cutoff disc in the dremel turned out to work really well to get it into the right lengths.
The rusted out crossmember behind the transfer case was cut out, new metal was welded in, and then it was bolted back into the frame and welded back along the top like originally found. It was a tough job as a lot of the metal was 1/8 inch which I didn’t find easy to form by hand, but I eventually got it all done, as well as repaired the lower flange of the frame where water has collected and rusted it paper thin. Since this is right where the spring hangers are located, I did not want to leave any weak spots and so had some 1/4” steel bent up, which was then welded in place. New grade 8 flange bolts were used to put everything back together. I researched using rivets, but in the end I couldn’t justify it, and instead went with bolts which will do just fine.
- The springs were disassembled, cleaned and inspected. It turned out two leaves were cracked on the drivers side, so they were replaced. The local truck shop had no problem cutting new leaves and arching them for a very reasonable fee. Then everything got a light coat of paint and was reassembled. The old bronze bushings were in pretty sad shape as were the shackle pins, so a new set was ordered. Using an adjustable ream and patience, everything came together to the correct slip fit. The local tractor supply had some bearing shims which fit nicely between the shackles and the mounts and tightened up the movement there as well. I was amazed by the amount of wear that was evident on some of the pieces, but with a bit of patience and careful fitting it all came together nicely, with no slop.
-Looks like once I get some paint on the frame I can start reuniting the frame, springs, axle and run the brake lines and fuel lines. Then I can roll the truck outside and clean the shop of a years worth of dust and grit from cutting and welding.
I will see what pictures I can add to this novel.. stay turned!
-The leaky rear axle pinion seal was replaced using a modern seal set into the old carrier. It was a bit of a job to get it all apart, but Now the axle is no longer leaking any drips. We will see what happens after a few miles... the old pinion nut was full of stress cracks and so it was pitched, and a nice new one replaced it.
- I bent up a new set of brake lines for the truck using the nickel copper alloy lines along with some stainless armour coil. What great stuff to work with. Bends and flares very easy, and will hopefully last for a very long time. The spring armour was tough stuff to cut, but a cutoff disc in the dremel turned out to work really well to get it into the right lengths.
The rusted out crossmember behind the transfer case was cut out, new metal was welded in, and then it was bolted back into the frame and welded back along the top like originally found. It was a tough job as a lot of the metal was 1/8 inch which I didn’t find easy to form by hand, but I eventually got it all done, as well as repaired the lower flange of the frame where water has collected and rusted it paper thin. Since this is right where the spring hangers are located, I did not want to leave any weak spots and so had some 1/4” steel bent up, which was then welded in place. New grade 8 flange bolts were used to put everything back together. I researched using rivets, but in the end I couldn’t justify it, and instead went with bolts which will do just fine.
- The springs were disassembled, cleaned and inspected. It turned out two leaves were cracked on the drivers side, so they were replaced. The local truck shop had no problem cutting new leaves and arching them for a very reasonable fee. Then everything got a light coat of paint and was reassembled. The old bronze bushings were in pretty sad shape as were the shackle pins, so a new set was ordered. Using an adjustable ream and patience, everything came together to the correct slip fit. The local tractor supply had some bearing shims which fit nicely between the shackles and the mounts and tightened up the movement there as well. I was amazed by the amount of wear that was evident on some of the pieces, but with a bit of patience and careful fitting it all came together nicely, with no slop.
-Looks like once I get some paint on the frame I can start reuniting the frame, springs, axle and run the brake lines and fuel lines. Then I can roll the truck outside and clean the shop of a years worth of dust and grit from cutting and welding.
I will see what pictures I can add to this novel.. stay turned!
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
You've done some great work Rob! Thanks for the picture too!
Gary
Gary
Cal_Gary
1954 M37 W/W
MVPA Correspondent #28500
1954 M37 W/W
MVPA Correspondent #28500
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Looking good, Rob!
I figured replacing rivets was more trouble than it was worth, since I have little experience with them (and NO experience with anything that size). I found a reference in TM 2300-247-40 (Frame Repair) that said new Grade 8 fine thread bolts with new washers and self-locking grade 8 nuts is an approved repair method when replacing rivets, so I went with that. (Section IV: Criteria for Frame Repair, paragraph 17, if anyone is interested.) I had to order some from Fastenal, since none of the area hardware stores stocked them.
I figured replacing rivets was more trouble than it was worth, since I have little experience with them (and NO experience with anything that size). I found a reference in TM 2300-247-40 (Frame Repair) that said new Grade 8 fine thread bolts with new washers and self-locking grade 8 nuts is an approved repair method when replacing rivets, so I went with that. (Section IV: Criteria for Frame Repair, paragraph 17, if anyone is interested.) I had to order some from Fastenal, since none of the area hardware stores stocked them.
1951 M37 "Brutus" w/Winch and 251 engine
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Thanks Gary
I'm with you on that John. I thought that while it might be fun to get a big rivet gun and try doing hot rivets... I feel a lot better about bolts for the one fact that I know what I'm doing when it comes to bolts, and it is a lot easier to make sure that I have done it up correctly. I sourced mine through fastenal as well, and drilled all the holes out to the next size up.
Here are a few pictures of the repairs
Cutting out the thin piece
New piece ready to be welded in
I'm with you on that John. I thought that while it might be fun to get a big rivet gun and try doing hot rivets... I feel a lot better about bolts for the one fact that I know what I'm doing when it comes to bolts, and it is a lot easier to make sure that I have done it up correctly. I sourced mine through fastenal as well, and drilled all the holes out to the next size up.
Here are a few pictures of the repairs
Cutting out the thin piece
- rusty frame
- IMG_1496.JPG (60.77 KiB) Viewed 20942 times
- Outside of passenger rail
- IMG_1491.JPG (84.07 KiB) Viewed 20942 times
- Inside passenger rail
- IMG_1492.JPG (98.1 KiB) Viewed 20942 times
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
a couple more..
Springs being cleaned and painted with zinc primer
Breaking down the old pinion seal
The new seal went inside the outer carrier, after it had been smoothed and cleaned up
Springs being cleaned and painted with zinc primer
- leaves
- IMG_1727.JPG (147.25 KiB) Viewed 20942 times
- pinion seal
- IMG_1673.JPG (159.28 KiB) Viewed 20942 times
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Two steps forward, one step back... Turns out the new seal is not working. I moved the axle around the shop trying to organize things, and it is leaking, about as much as before. Looks like I will be opening it back up again and trying something else. Oh well, better to find out now rather than when it is back under the truck. I did install a speedi sleeve, and used a little sealant around the edge of the carrier and on the splines of the pinion so I thought I had everything covered.
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Ok, crossmember work is just about done. Just have to finish painting the lower portion, and then bolt it in.
In the meantime, I’ve started to put the springs back on the rear. I had to look up how they install, as the second leaf has a curl that goes towards the front. In order to install them I found it was easiest to install the front pin, then lift the spring and support it with a jack stand. Then with a little downward pressure it was able to fit. Otherwise the spring was a shade too short without a bit of pressure to extend it.
- 60ADB5D4-85FE-499E-847F-8091EED36958.jpeg (78.15 KiB) Viewed 20918 times
- 582B79AA-E191-4872-AA5D-177D3C304C51.jpeg (106.39 KiB) Viewed 20918 times
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Excellent work Rob!
I'll share a tip on those rear springs:
Pin the front eye first then put a high lift jack in the back, adding just enough lift to hold it in place. Then, take a ratchet strap and hook one end to a lower eye on the jack post and the other hook up on the leaf spring end. Then you can ratchet the rear eye right into place!
Gary
I'll share a tip on those rear springs:
Pin the front eye first then put a high lift jack in the back, adding just enough lift to hold it in place. Then, take a ratchet strap and hook one end to a lower eye on the jack post and the other hook up on the leaf spring end. Then you can ratchet the rear eye right into place!
Gary
Cal_Gary
1954 M37 W/W
MVPA Correspondent #28500
1954 M37 W/W
MVPA Correspondent #28500
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
Hi guys, been a while since I last posted anything about the truck, but I’m still here. Took about a year off working on it to finish my M38 and get it roadworthy, although I did find time here and there to do work on the M37 while I was waiting for parts etc for the Jeep.
In any case, here’s a little update as to where things have gone over the past couple years.
Here are two pictures of the M38CDN, built by Ford in Windsor, Ontario. Let me just say I have had a blast driving it around these last few weeks! It took roughly a year of work to get it on the road as it was already mostly restored about 10 years ago but never finished. I had to redo a fair amount of work that I had done when I was younger and much less experienced, but this was to be expected as this was the Jeep that kicked off my interest in military vehicles.
In any case, here’s a little update as to where things have gone over the past couple years.
- IMG_2023-11-06-182511.jpeg (122.64 KiB) Viewed 19790 times
- IMG_2023-11-06-182408.jpeg (122.1 KiB) Viewed 19790 times
Re: M37CDN "Gertrude"
The truck has come a fair ways as well. When I last left off on here it was a bare frame in the back.
The rear axle was cleaned up, painted and put back. I did not touch the differential except to replace the front pinion seal which was a leaker. I tried being clever with a modern seal inside the old metal pinion seal shell, but I couldn’t make it work right so I eventually went with a neoprene seal of the older design. Seems to be doing just fine at the moment, but we will see once the truck starts moving.
After this I took a break and worked on the floor of the cab which had some rust around the gas pedal. It turned out the pedal hinge was a door hinge bolted to the floor on a stack of washers, so that was all tossed and I replaced the hinge with a spare takeoff I had acquired some time ago.
After a little cutting and welding…
The rear axle was cleaned up, painted and put back. I did not touch the differential except to replace the front pinion seal which was a leaker. I tried being clever with a modern seal inside the old metal pinion seal shell, but I couldn’t make it work right so I eventually went with a neoprene seal of the older design. Seems to be doing just fine at the moment, but we will see once the truck starts moving.
- IMG_2023-11-13-012401.jpeg (122.05 KiB) Viewed 19790 times
After this I took a break and worked on the floor of the cab which had some rust around the gas pedal. It turned out the pedal hinge was a door hinge bolted to the floor on a stack of washers, so that was all tossed and I replaced the hinge with a spare takeoff I had acquired some time ago.
- IMG_2023-11-13-012451.jpeg (116.98 KiB) Viewed 19790 times
- IMG_2023-11-13-012624.jpeg (131.07 KiB) Viewed 19790 times