Front Fender & Grill Removal

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ashyers
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Front Fender & Grill Removal

Post by ashyers »

I read the US Dodge books and was interested in the changes they suggested for the WC's design that carried over to the M37. I give the designers credit, the removal of the grill and fenders is pretty slick!
Nose.JPG
Nose.JPG (121.97 KiB) Viewed 957 times
No Nose.JPG
No Nose.JPG (127.42 KiB) Viewed 957 times
They really did a nice job of packaging and simplifying hardware. Wish this was more common in designs these days.
NAM VET
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Re: Front Fender & Grill Removal

Post by NAM VET »

Must be really nice to have a complete shop to do a restoration on these beasts. For me, I am just glad I live in Upstate SC, and did not have to contend with cold temps this past winter and early spring. I have my truck outside in the driveway, and could work on it every day unless it was raining. It is good to be retired. I can see why it can take years to restore these trucks, if one goes to work almost every day. And yes it is nice to just get a big set of SAE tools, and click the wrenches to loosen, and start unbolting things. Likewise, I have singlehandedly increased the net worth of the companies that make ziplock baggies and permanent markers.

It is reassuring that there is not a single metric fastener anywhere on my M42! And for me, that the service TM's are written for someone with a tenth grade education, with lots of drawings and pictures, not to mention having a digital camera to record what things are supposed to look like! I will say that the motor and transmission is a heavy thing. When I call someone and order this or that essential part, I wonder some day if the part supply will slowly dry up and we will cannibalize long forgotten trucks for this or that often trivial but absolutely necessary part. I could never even attempted to restore my own truck without the help available on this and other forums.

Big lump of iron....
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just me
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Re: Front Fender & Grill Removal

Post by just me »

That would balance better with the radiator still on it!
"It may be ugly, but at least it is slow!"
NAM VET
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Re: Front Fender & Grill Removal

Post by NAM VET »

yes, I will put the radiator on before we reinstall it. Plus my son and others will help me manhandle it back in. Had my big high lift jack repaired so we can use that to raise the tail of the transmission if necessary. I do have an engine hoist leveler which helps a lot to partially balance the motor on the hoist.

NV
jim lee
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Re: Front Fender & Grill Removal

Post by jim lee »

Do everything you can to get/build a gantry. That and an inexpensive chain fall can save your life over using a cherry picker on these. I've used both. The cherry picker almost overbalanced and got me. I still don't know how I dodged a bullet on that one. Just wasn't my time, I guess. Since then I've been using a gantry and it's Sooo nice! Sooo much easier to handle.

Yeah, leave on the radiator. +1

-jim lee
NAM VET
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Re: Front Fender & Grill Removal

Post by NAM VET »

My hoist is a slightly better one than some of the choices I had, but I appreciate the dangers of working on heavy parts or under cars. Long years ago, a guy was killed working under his car a few doors from my folks home. It was about 4 months ago since I pulled my motor out, by myself, and as I recall, I had to take the radiator off to be able to get my hoist over my motor, as these trucks sit pretty high off the ground. My winch PTO adds some wt t the rear of the powerplant too. Then too, adding the radiator just puts another 80 pounds on the whole load. There is no way I can build a chain hoist system in my driveway. I used a screw lift leveler with four bolt block attachments to help with balancing the load, but had some interference problems with the hand crank on it. I may temporarily put my head lift eye on more rearward head bolts, but I have to see if I have sufficient reach then with my hoist's arm. I got it out alone, but will have several sets of hands to position it for the reinstall. But absolutely we won't put any hands where they can be crushed with a shift. For that I am thinking thru how we can use some rope or chains from above and to the side of the whole engine/trans. I also had my big floor jack repaired as it lifts higher than most for undertrans support.

In '70, when I was a Lt in Schweinfurt, I was up in our Company office, looking out at our track park, and saw soldiers running towards where we parked our deuce and a half trucks in the battalion motor pool, so we ran there, and found one of the mechanics had parked his truck and walked then behind it and it rolled back against another truck and crushed him. It was sad to have to sprinkle absorb on his blood pool, and then hose it down the drain. I have always hated working under vehicles even with good jack stands securely positioned. And I don't like doing it alone, and have my phone where I can reach it if I get stuck.

You can indeed get badly hurt working around trucks and cars.

NV
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