New member, soon-to-be-owner...

[LesBerg]

That's what I'm thinking. See what performance upgrades I can do with a stock engine without sacrificing functionality. I'll look into the 302 as well. Thanks!

[52PLOWERWAGON]

this guy has tons of parts for the 302
http://www.alfaheaven.com/
he may also have complete running engines
for more info on the 302 look up JIMMY SIX

[sturmtyger380]

The 302 has lots of power and there are auto hot rod folks that tune them. But in the M211 trim it get about 3 miles per gallon. Why do you think the M211 has a 60 gallon fuel tank.

[52PLOWERWAGON]

I think with a manual transmission you would get better mpg

plus am m37 or m43 is lighter than an m211

but it would look correct under the hood , its period correct , and its a military engine so you could claim it was a field modification

[LesBerg]

I have all the original numbers off the truck.
Bumper numbers are:
Left
121C-R
75M

Right
FH
19

Does anyone have definitive info on this?

Tentatively, it looks like 121 (Armored) Cavalry*, 75th Medical (detachment?), FH (field hospital? though the regs say that should have been 'FLD'**), vehicle 19

* Info I found indicated that 121 Armored Cav was only 'active' between '65 and '67, which would put this truck squarely in Vietnam
** It may be that regs had changed and FH was a commonly used abbreviation for Field Hospital. This is total supposition.


I haven't found anything that corroborates any of what I have above, but I'm digging. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

The hood number is 753457

Thanks,

Les
Left

M43-BN-L1.jpg (238.04 KiB) Viewed 2049 times

Right

M43-BN-R.jpg (231.23 KiB) Viewed 2049 times

Of course, the bumper numbers could be completely bogus. The hood numbers, however, are on the bottom layer of paint - though it's possible that it's not the original hood.

[LesBerg]

Hood left:

M43-H-L.jpg (242.85 KiB) Viewed 2049 times

Hood right:

M43-H-R.jpg (252.94 KiB) Viewed 2049 times

[Cal_Gary]

Could be 121 Cav-Recon, as the Armored Cav (Regiment) when I served is usually indicated as ACR; 75M I agree would be the 75th Medical; Right side could be "Field Hospital" (vehicle) 19.

Just my thoughts,
Gary

[LesBerg]

Thanks! I knew about the ACR acronym, so the Cavalry was throwing me off.

Would it be out of line to post some detailed info about this rig and ask what a fair price would be?

[Cal_Gary]

Not at all! I would advise that you'll get a number of responses indicating differing value-what's worth a lot to one may not be worth it to another, depending on your priorities and finances, of course!
Gary

[LesBerg]

Here's the rundown.

What would you value an M43 under the following conditions:
-Engine, trans, and all underhood stuff in missing.
-No rims/tires
-Instrument cluster is missing
-most switches & other dash components are missing
-Wiring is hacked to 12v, most of the original wiring is missing, though it would likely be shot if it was present
-Transfer case is present, appears that all drivelines are included
-Axles and brakes appear to be present and complete. The rear axle in oddly clean and there are fresh nuts holding the third member in.
-All sheet metal is present and straight
-All exterior lights are present except the rear blackout lights
-Surgical light is present & complete
-Spare tire carrier & 3-handle hold-down are present
-spotlight is present & mostly functional
-All seats are present, only the front are torn up. Rear seats/litter racks are present & presentable, though dry rotted ( I can use them as patterns - I do canvas work)
-Usual surface rust is present. There are spotty rust outs along the drip rail of the back, along the drivers rocker, and above the front doors under the 'vents'
-90% of the glass is present, but needs to be replaced
-All door latches and window regulators are present & functional except the mechanism on the driver's ride rear door
-I don't know if the rear heater is present, I don't know where to look
-I don't know if anything under the seats in the back is there - I don't know how to open them and all the front sheet metal is in the back.
-Registration number is present and legible on the hood
-unit markings on the rear are painted over, but legible as well

Research I've done online suggests that it's very rare that the numbers are present. Given that most of the current layer of paint is peeling to reveal the base layer OD, I see no reason that these numbers aren't legitimate.

I'm very curious as to the vehicle's actual value in this condition. The major unit number on the back is 121C-R, which seems to be 121 Cavalry (Recon), which was active during 65-67 in Vietnam. which would place this vehicle squarely in that theatre.

[52PLOWERWAGON]

theres an m43 by me for sale
about the same situation no motor t case and axles are there
not rusty as I could tell and they were asking 800 $

id say about 1000 to 1200 would be what id pay for it, maybe 1500 at most

[ashyers]

I started playing with M37's nearly 2 years ago, so my experience is a bit more limited than many on this site, but I have had the pleasure of digging into 2 of them and have learned a few things along the way.

My suggestion is take the time to determine approximately what it will cost you to get the vehicle where you would like it to be from where it is. Assume most, if not all, of the mechanicals need attention. There are big ticket items such as the diffs, then there's the $20 items. Someone on this site was discussing $ and M37's made the observation that their truck seems to be made up of thousands of $20 parts, many of which they needed! You may find after running the #'s that you would like to be paid to remove the truck .

[LesBerg]

thanks guys, I appreciate it. I suspect Rich is going to try to angle for both the Dart and the Fairlane in trade. If he does, I'll shoot for getting something I can trade off or put to work.

[LesBerg]

well, I suspect the bumper numbers are bogus at this point. I'm not finding anything to corroborate either 121C-R or 75 M. If the parts interchange for the bumperettes is small enough, for example, if they only interchange with the WC-54 and not two dozen other trucks, then it may be fruitful to peel the paint layers and see what's there.

[LesBerg]

We closed the deal the day before Thanksgiving, just waiting on them to dig it out and deliver it.