ausb1 wrote:I thought it was a dissapointing book ,excerpts from manuals etc nothing about engine rebuild ,saw one at a local gunshop for $50.00 they then reduced it to $25.00,[couldnt sell it ] so i bought it and sold it on ebay and actually made some money for once,ridiculous prices for copies on the net .There is also the book How to restore your Harley Davidson by Palmer which is also now exorbitantly priced but evidently this is a very good book ,im going to get a flathead 750 shortly .Maybe someone else could put out a genuinely Decent book on the M37 Restoration ,im sure Charles could do this ,if he could find the time even if it was something like a $100.00 would be worth every cent
I've said way more than enough about this book over time, and I expect this post will wind out my comments on the subject. After receiving an email prompt this morning that the subject comes up once again; one more thought that I don't recall mentioning in great detail before is why Mr. Ahl actually did this the way he did? For me being the perfectionist that I am, my first thoughts were this guy didn't need any kind of a restoration project, as he made it appear he was likely a suburbanite who couldn't cut his own grass without mower issues. I could be all wrong, I don't know him at all, this is simply to say these are the thoughts he left with me after scanning the book. There is no way any mechanical project could turn out well with his apparent mindset. It was mentioned there was no section on engine rebuild. With good reason, there was no engine rebuild that took place. I learned this via a phone conversation with the buyer who bought the project truck from Ahl, thinking it must be a well built truck; he also got a massive dose of extreme disappointment, another story entirely. This would explain why any book would need a valid section on making a wise truck purchase based on real issues.
Moving on to more recent thoughts; it would appear that Mr. Ahl felt he had to attempt to put some comedy in the book (at least that's all I could make out of it) to make it interesting for readers. It also shows a very obvious lack of knowledge on the subjects at hand. Now I know this immediately jumped out at me because of my experience with M37's and military equipment in general, maybe not quite so obvious for others, especially those new to these vehicles and bought the book expecting to have an extensive guide to a great build. I've never been one who wanted to spend $$ only to realize later that I had totally wasted said $$. My many responses here and in phone conversations about this book have been based on that feeling totally, nothing against Mr. Ahl other than the fact he put out a mostly useless book for actually accomplishing what the book's title suggested, leading to unsuspecting seeker's getting scammed. THE END.
On the other hand, writing a really detailed manual on rebuilding / restoring a M37, with exerts on common repairs in certain areas, and what to look for when purchasing a truck, or when specific issues arise along the way from bumper to bumper would be a challenge to do it right, yet I would love to do it at some point if interest in the hobby stays alive. Looking at the BIG picture of the USA and the world right now, I WONDER about many things. Moving on; even while omitting all the useless stuff about surgeries caused by things we all know better than to do, wife's complaints and dislikes, vacations, building garages, etc., plus the other totally stupid stuff like footprints in the bed floor paint job, just to name a few totally unnecessary chapters; writing a good book that would be useful to all would take a tremendous amount of time. I would love the challenge, but just don't have the time to spend on such a project right now. I have 4 guys working on 4 large restoration projects currently while I'm personally trying to keep up with the run in stuff. It's Saturday now, while everyone else has the weekend off, I'm about to get started on finalizing the build of a Jeep trans/transfer case which will take most of my day, then getting disc brake kits and other items crated / packaged for shipment next week. Too many distractions during a normal work day for me to make good progress on things although I try; Saturday is no phone, no distractions about issues on other projects, etc. I can be relaxed, concentrate, and get things done. I have 4 of the absolute greatest, most capable, employees imaginable working in our shops 5 days a week, all things considered, they really distract me a very minimal amount, but then there is phone calls, emails, issues with finding this and that for the needs on various projects that seem a never ending stream sometimes. I'm not complaining one bit, it is a grand feeling for business to be going great in the economic times we are faced with at present. For that, I give the glory to GOD alone. Knowing the details of all this, I see very clearly where the blessings as attributed to M Series Rebuild have come from. It's clear in every aspect of the Company, right down to how our people came to be employees at M Series. I could write another book on all these blessings that might be a really good seller as well.
In the mean time, I'm certainly willing to help anyone to the best of my ability. Response may not be immediate for obvious reasons, but I will respond at first opportunity.
