Now the rebuild starts

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m-37Bruce
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Re: It runs!!!

Post by m-37Bruce »

Your doing great NAM VET, our love of these vehicles gets us to go the extra mile, and with food at the end of the line, anything is possible.
Bruce,

1953 M-37 w/ow

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Keep Em Rollin'

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Re: It runs!!!

Post by NAM VET »

Went out yesterday to set the timing of my superbly running rebuild, and couldn't get my high-tech digital timing light to work, as it is for a 12 V system. I tried to get 12V off one of my truck's batteries, but no signal. So talked about it with Charles T, who suggested I just hook my alligator clips to a good 12V source. So clipped my light to my nifty four 6V battery test system, just two of course, and instantly had a read out. Then clipped the inductive pick-up onto the timing wire that goes between my armored cable and the #1 plug, and found my ignition was about 12 or more degrees too far advance,d but my idle was too high, about 1200 RPM. Charles T reminded me it had to be set at 600-650 RPM to avoid centrifugal advance. This AM, being the really only time I can be out in the sun in my driveway I spent about two hours trying to get the hand throttle wire to work. It kept binding somewhere, so I just removed it, and set the idle with the throttle screw, at anything over about 700 RPM it is smooth as a modern car. I think some of the variation in my idle is because my gas has been in the tank under the sun, bed is off, since last fall. And I suppose the hand throttle wire will keep the linkage more stable too.

It was frustrating to have such a hassle with something so simple to do on any cheap lawnmower throttle cable. I'll work on that later. Turning my distributer clockwise all the way to the stop, I got the advance now down to about 8 degrees too advanced. Then, remembering the "coarse" bolt adjustment under the body of the distributor, it was an easy reach with an open 7/16 wrench from below where I found that adjustment was all the way over to full advance. I had never thought to check that when I had it off the car. Put it back about in the middle of its arc, and watching my slightly hesitant idle and the flicker, a little turn of the fine adjustment and it is 4 degrees from my motor's TDC at about 650 RPM. Locked it all down. I was worried I had misindexed the oil pump, apparently a common and easy problem. But I suspect if I was off a whole tooth, it would be hard to get room on the Distributor to get a perfect time. My motor starts now near instantly.

By the way, even as low RPM as 800 the centrifugal advance is apparent. Tomorrow I'll put on the driver's fender and lights, and hook up the lighting wires, and then decide if I just want to put the bed back on, and take it off and prime and paint the underside in the cool of the fall, or do it now, and put the bed on for good.

Getting close, guys. By the way, my start video is on Utube at M 37 truck start.

getting close now,

NV
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Which one is not like the rest??

Post by NAM VET »

After a light breakfast and two cups of coffee out on the porch, decided it was time to get going before the sun just got too hot. First up, mounting the driver's fender and inner splash shield, the passenger's side went on without too much trouble. But soon found the fender was just not going to line up with the front bolt holes that hold the fender to the radiator side L bracket. Put it off and on, took the L bracket and side bracket on and off, just wondering how it was so easy to take off. Thought about having to drill holes about an inch out from the L bracket ones. On and off, there just to way the fender was going inward enough to line the holes up.

Then studied the already installed passenger side, and noted that the front edge of each fender fits Under the radiator side panel, not just up against it. Decided I needed to raise the whole radiator mount up just a little to slide the fender edge under it. Use my jack and a piece of wood to raise the radiator mount up about a quarter inch, slipped two more washers between the frame and the radiator, and snugged the big bolts down. Then down as much as possible on the big L bracket, and the inner edge of the fender slipped right into place. A few minutes with my wrenches, and the driver's fender was all bolted up. Then went to put the inner splash shield on, and it just wouldn't quite slide in, until I reached for my big pry bar to lever a inner lower lip just a tad, and it too slipped into place. So now both fenders and shields are on, with new rubber edges on.

A few other minor tasks, and now in for the day, just too hot for me out side. Lunch, then probably a nice nap.

I enjoy watching some of the car hot-rodding/rebuilding/restoring shows on TV, and it is interesting to see how extremely careful they all are to avoid scratching the new paint jobs as they reinstall this and that. Hah, there is no way one can put all the sheet metal back on these beasts without pry bars, drift pins, wacking this or that, sliding nicely painted surfaces against bolt and nut heads. Gives my truck character, I guess. I may respray them later.

Saw the Dunkirk movie yesterday. A truly epic and heroic English endeavor. Good movie,

NV
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m-37Bruce
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Re: It runs!!!

Post by m-37Bruce »

A drift pin and a wooden mallet are necessary items. We were going to see Dunkirk, it started to late, ended up going to Baby Driver, I am sure they had several stunt drivers, noisy too. We see Dunkirk next week.
Bruce,

1953 M-37 w/ow

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Done!

Post by NAM VET »

Finally. My truck is drivable, after sitting since late last year in my driveway. I can't work out in the sun once it gets hot, so I tend to have breakfast, and then spend 2-3 hours on this or that project. If It was cooler, I could have accomplished things a lot faster. Once I got the front sheet metal back on, tackled hooking up all the loose wiring for the lights and such. First had to remount the lights, turn signals, black-out, running side lights on, run those wires into the engine compartment, put some protective polyethylene loom where necessary, tapped several new grounds, then use the wiring diagram to see which Douglas or Packard connection went where. Several of my Packard's had pulled loose, so dug thru my spares, and re-soldered them; I wanted to keep my water-proof connections.

Then, with some anxiety that there would be sparks and shorts and the smell of burning rubber, switched on the lights, and was greatly relieved to see everything worked, even the turn signals I put in this past spring.

So then put on my front bumper extensions; I had refinished them, and with minimal effort lined up all the holes, and snugged them down with new Grade 8's, only to find that I couldn't quite put the winch drive shaft in without removing the driver's side extensions, but having gotten the hang of it, pulled it off, put in the drive shaft, and remounted the extension. Then, used my hoist to instal the winch, just a bit of shoving and prying, and it too dropped into place. Earlier today I made up a brace to ensure my rectifier would not loosen and poke into the radiator. My dad always kept a big box of bolts and such from take-off's, so found some sturdy strapping in it to use.

Just before dusk, stood back, and admired the front of my truck, all military-like with the brush guards on. So it is drivable, and basically done, after so many hundreds of hours and about 6 or 7 months. I did it in my driveway, my son came up three times from Columbia, once to help me take the bed off, and then to intall the motor, and finally to help me fire it up for the first time. Other than that, it was a "one man job."

I still have to remount the bed. One of my interim projects was to remove and have sandblasted and then paint all the bed seat hardware, and I cut and painted all new boards too. So It shouldn't be much to put the bed on, bolt up the hardware, and my M37/42 is ready for painting the rest of the truck. I will do that this fall, I may drive down to Ft. Jackson to do that in the auto craft shop, they have a new paint booth.

But I consider my truck done, just piddly little this and that to do, safety wire a few things, put in the pedal rubber seals, add a seat-belt, minor things like that. I suppose these vintage vehicles are never truly "done", as there always be on-going maintenance and minor adjustments. Told my wife this fall I am going to mount a 30 cal M1919 in the bed.

I might as well now offer my thanks and appreciation to the many fellow enthusiasts on this forum of have helped me, and Charles T, VPW, Midwest, Snake River, and others without whom I could never have attempted this project. And for those out there who are contemplating their own restoration and repair, be assured, if I could do it outside, pretty much by myself, so can you.

Now, off to the beach for a week. All the best guys,....

NAM VET
rickf
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Re: Done!

Post by rickf »

Enjoy the vacation. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
1953 M37
1964 M151A1
1967 M416
1984 M1008
4/1952 M100
12/1952 M100 gone
Cal_Gary
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Re: Done!

Post by Cal_Gary »

What a great accomplishment, and an inspirational story, Nam Vet, and you've kept us looped in as you progressed through all the work! Savor the time you now have to enjoy it instead of wrenching every minute of every day! It took me 10 years to get mine on the road, and that's with old patina for paint and my limited funding, especially early on when my truck needed everything imaginable parts-wise and surviving El Nino storms, a lost job, and a relocation to Utah.

Now's the time to appreciate your efforts-we certainly applaud you for it!
Gary
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Re: Done!

Post by NAM VET »

Thanks, and had a great visit yesterday with my oncologist about my CA, and my tests show it is still in remission, so no changes in my therapy. Bent over for the shot by his nurse, and drove the 200 miles back home. I had driven the 400 miles down and back last week just for my lab draw, as I always want my tests available when I see him. So it was about 800 miles for the great news. But worth it. When you have a physician in whom you place trust for your life, you do what is necessary to keep the relationship.

I have been fortunate, all my truck really needed was an engine rebuild, although I have done other tasks while my motor was at the machine shop. There is no way I could have ever tackled what others are doing, drivetrain rebuilds, welding new panels on this or that, taking a truck down to the frame and then putting it back together. My task this week is to refurbish the frame from the cab back, then re-mount the bed, and paint it later this fall.

Talking with several vendors of a quality 30 cal m1919 gun and mount for the bed. My wife tells me I have to get permission from the local police first.

More to come. Wish I could post a picture of me by one of these machine guns, the aircooled gun, in Vietnam. But can't with the PhotoBucket rules.

Thanks, everyone.

NV
rickf
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Re: Done!

Post by rickf »

Nam Vet, and everyone else. Check out this outfit, it is what I have been using since getting screwed by photosucksit.

https://postimages.org/phpbb
1953 M37
1964 M151A1
1967 M416
1984 M1008
4/1952 M100
12/1952 M100 gone
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Re: Done!

Post by just me »

I just post directly. Use a program to reduce the file size and upload.
"It may be ugly, but at least it is slow!"
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Re: Done!

Post by k8icu »

NV....you do know that your truck is NEVER truly done. You will always find something that needs tweaked or tighten or reworked to make it better etc etc etc.... Congrats on reaching this point, but just know from a HMV owner who's been in the hobby for over 30 years these trucks are never finished.
M37s are HMMWV in my world!
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Re: Done!

Post by sturmtyger380 »

This last Sunday I took a ride up to Hal’s place, (NAM VET). What a nice guy! As soon as I got there we jumped in his M37 and took a ride. He had just met me and was letting me drive!

That engine he has rebuilt just purrs and is so smooth. He gave me a bunch of pointers and loaned me some tools to help out with my rebuild. Plus he insisted I say and have supper with him and his wife. I had a great time! Alan
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m-37Bruce
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Re: Done!

Post by m-37Bruce »

I figured him for being like that, I think we are all of that same fabric, a great bunch of like minded OD fever addicts. :wink:
Bruce,

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Retired Again

Keep Em Rollin'

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Re: Done!

Post by just me »

You won't get supper out of me! But I will let you get greasy and turn a wrench or two! LOL. Then off for a ride.
"It may be ugly, but at least it is slow!"
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m-37Bruce
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Re: Done!

Post by m-37Bruce »

Ha-Ha!
Lunch/Supper good to go!
Bruce,

1953 M-37 w/ow

Retired Again

Keep Em Rollin'

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