Need buying advice ...

[vascrats]

I am sorry if this has been a repeating topic but I searched and did not find it.

I had floundered in the military vehicle hobby a few years back jumping from a White scout car project to an M37 and finally to a Ferret. The ferret was overwhelming for me to try to keep running and made me very sorry I ever sold the M37(which I did not have long enough to get intimate with).

At any rate I am looking at buying another M37 and was looking for advice on what to look for in general as far as the running of the truck goes. I am somewhat mechanicly inclined but not a mechanic. Unfortunately I would not know how to tell if one had a cracked block, bad head gasket, valve problems, etc.. Since this is my last shot at getting a military vehicle (wife very skeptical from previous dealings & baby on the way), I need to be as sure as possible I get a good base truck and not take on someone else's problems. I have an idea of what to look for rust spot wise but the drive train is where I need major help.

I know my question is quite vague but my M37 knowledge is like a clean slate.

Thanks in advance and hopefully my first post won't annoy the community too bad .

Thanks a 3/4 ton,
Phil

[Lifer]

Welcome to the forum and I'm glad to see that you have "returned to your senses" after having sold your first M37. That was an insane move. The fact that you're now looking for another one is an indication that you're on the road to recovery...or getting as close to "normal" as the rest of us, anyway.

Regarding a truck, they run the gamut from total junk to overly restored, with prices to suit every condition. Since you're "mechanically inclined," but no diagnostician, I'd suggest looking for a truck that runs well but may have some minor cosmetic issues, Something in that line could run somewhere in the $3K to $5K price range.

If you feel comfortable replacing known bad components, you can do what I did and get one that has a basically sound body and replace parts. (My truck's engine had a rod sticking through the block when I bought it. I have since discovered that engine overhauls are MUCH more expensive than they were 40 years ago. I'd have been better off to get one that already ran well, I think. I'm not one to pass up a good "deal," though, and this one was available for $600 "as is." I jumped on it.)

That said, happy hunting! Hope you find what you're looking for. There are still M37s out there.

[jbxx]

This one looks good:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Tru ... .m14.l1318

Not mine.

Good advice from previous though. If you have a new baby on the way,
don't plan on spending a whole lot of time with a car project.
Get a runner, and if you can afford it, get one that has either sat in a
fire station (usually well maintained) or one that someone has resurected already. You will never get out what you put in but it's all worth it.
If you are going for a restoreable, learn how to use a compression tester.
Look out for jury rigged wiring and crispy fried wiring. 37's like to"mark"
their territory so don't be too concerned with slow drips. Make sure things shift smoothly and dont jump out of gear. Beware of "ran when parked"
unless you can spot the jewels in the rust. Ask how long the gas has been in the tank, gas just isn't what it used to be and these beasts are prone
to valve seizing <sp?>, you can hook up an aux tank with fresh gas and
have much better luck getting a non runner up and running.
More will chime in.
Good Luck!
J.B.

[Lifer]

That looks like a possible candidate for you! It has "issues," but nothing that can't be overcome relatively easily. The best part is that it runs and the body is pretty much intact.

Oddly enough, that's the first time I think I've ever seen a totally honest description on e-Bay! Usually, it's way over-rated, problems are glossed over, or you get the "it ran when parked" thing. This guy admits that it has "problems" and identifies them "up front" without glossing them over.

[Nickathome]

I am sorry if this has been a repeating topic but I searched and did not find it.

I had floundered in the military vehicle hobby a few years back jumping from a White scout car project to an M37 and finally to a Ferret. The ferret was overwhelming for me to try to keep running and made me very sorry I ever sold the M37(which I did not have long enough to get intimate with).

At any rate I am looking at buying another M37 and was looking for advice on what to look for in general as far as the running of the truck goes. I am somewhat mechanicly inclined but not a mechanic. Unfortunately I would not know how to tell if one had a cracked block, bad head gasket, valve problems, etc.. Since this is my last shot at getting a military vehicle (wife very skeptical from previous dealings & baby on the way), I need to be as sure as possible I get a good base truck and not take on someone else's problems. I have an idea of what to look for rust spot wise but the drive train is where I need major help.

I know my question is quite vague but my M37 knowledge is like a clean slate.

Thanks in advance and hopefully my first post won't annoy the community too bad .

Thanks a 3/4 ton,
Phil

"Baby on the way", not good from an M37 standpoint. Trust me I been there. I bought my first M37 when my oldest was 6 months old. I caught such crap from the wife about needing help with the baby and that I was always working on that old piece of junk, etc, that it became one of the reasons I sold it. It wasn't the only reason, but it definitely was a reason. If you can get past the wife on that one you might be in good shape. I wish I could help steer you in the direction of an M37 tha tis for sale but unfortunately I do not know of any at the present time.

[obxron]

Not knowing how much time you have on your hands contact some of the more rural fire departments in the valley or mountains to see if they have any in their inventory. Maybe in SW Va. in coal mining country. If you got a MV club in the Roanoke/Salem area that could posssibly be a good source. I've heard of some MV enthusiasts around Clifton Forge and Lynchburg area. At any rate good luck in your search.

Ron
1954 M37
M101 trailer (EUC being processed)

[Lifer]

I caught such crap from the wife about needing help with the baby and that I was always working on that old piece of junk, etc, ...

My wife was much more tolerant back when we were young and still had little ones underfoot. Her philosophy was "he can't drink it, he can't screw it, and I know where he is at all times." Many were the times I had to stop what I was doing to take care of some "domestic issue," but I got to play with my toys pretty much every day.

[Cal_Gary]

Vascrats,
I concur with the other responses and will offer this:
Budget a set amount monthly for the truck once you obtain it, and stick to it. I too began with very limited resources when I got my basket-case M for $600. I alloted a paltry $100 a month to start bringing this one back to life four years ago. Today it is almost road worthy, and with a couple of bonuses and salary increases my monthly allotment is now $185-amazingly small with today's prices, but if you insist on being frugal and hunting down bargains, you can get it done-nobody on this forum has a bottomless wallet and we all long for the parts that are currently out of our price range-do not let this stop you. Get the M, do it right and pass it on to your children as a treasured memory of you in your twilight years .
Gary

[k8icu]

The one on ebay is a good example of what you should look for. I do not know your body work skills so only you can say if you can handle fixing the holes in the bed. But in general you want to look for a truck that is running, in general good condition. When you go to purchase check things like the oil. Does it have water in it? Water and oil don't mix so you can tell the difference. Water in the oil could mean a bad head gasket or a crack somewhere in the block. Look for leaks around the truck. Is the truck marking it's teritory? Leaks are examples of problems.

The good news is an M37 is easier to work on than a ferret and parts are more available too. Not only do you have this forum to ask questions on but there are several other out on the web too with many guys willing to give advice or even give you a hand if they live nearby.

Don't be affraid. Get the manuals and buy a truck!

[vascrats]

Thanks for the welcome to this forum and all of the great wisdom so far. At this point I have a general idea of prices and what to expect for them. My wife is as on board as one can reasonably expect. I know with the baby on the way I won't have a bunch of money to throw at a truck real frequently. That is why I am trying to get the best truck I can reasonably afford at this time while avoiding major unseen issues. I need to avoid having a $6000 to $7000 truck that I have owned for all of 4 weeks or something sitting in my garage with a cracked block or something else major.

The biggest things I need to know are things along the lines of how to check compression and what the reading might look like. How to check the oil for water/anti-freeze, what noises to expect out of a normal engine and what sounds may be signs of problems. Any kind of smoking normal from these truck or do the black smoke=burning oil=bad, white smoke=coolant in combustion chamber=bad apply to the M37?
Let me put it this way, if you all were sending a friend of yours to check out a truck for YOU and wanted to be as sure as possible you were getting a solid running truck, what would you tell them to check and how.

Thanks for all the input so far!!

Phil

[TRACTORg25]

welcome aboard. First look over the engine for missing parts such as the air cleaner. I must have passed up five different trucks because of missinf ari cleaners. If the truck is ran with the filter missing for any period of time you could be looking at excessive ring wear. The way I check comprssion is first disconnect the ignition, next remove all spark plugs. Crank the engine over to clear out any debris from the cylinders. next begin with cylinder one install compression gauge crank engine over for at least four complete revolutions reccord the reading. move gauge to next cylinder and repeat process. If memory serves me the reading should be between 90-100psi. If it is in the 80psi range perform what is called a wet test. Basically start back at number one cylinder using an oil squirt can put a couple of squirts in each cylinder. again crank over engine to clear excess. Now reinstall gauge and crank over. If the compression reading improves you can expect to have to re-ring the engine. Also if the engine is running listen for popping in the exhaust this would indicat either a stuck or burnt valve. Also with cold engine remove radiator cap start engine and allow to warm up. observe the coolant in the radiator. If it is bubbling really bad this may indicate a blown head gasket or cracked head. Also to answer your question on smoking yes it still applies. However Black smoke = over fueling, Blue smoke = burning oil, gray smoke could be oil or coolant, white smoke = coolant unless you have a diesel than it could also indicate unburned fuel. Next if you have a non contact heat gun/ infrared thermometer you can start engine allow to warm up and take temperture reading at each exhaust port on the exhaust manifold. On a good engine the temp reading will be with in 100 degree F. of each other. Personally I like for to be in the 20 to 30 degree range. If you have a cold cylinder it could be spark, fuel , or compression related. If a hot cylinder most likely fuel related. As far as water getting into the oil look at the dipstick if it has a milky white to gray color you have water getting into it. If it is black or dark brown than its safe to say its oil. However if it is very runny of has a strong smell of gas you have either a fuel pump leaking or a float sticking. This should give you plenty of items to check. Let me know if I can be of more help.

[obxron]

A solid stock engine should start up relatively easy with little or no choke. There shouldn't be any ticks or misses and no smoke. I'm sure the more knowledgeable members will jump in with their insight. I bought mine sight unseen(except for the picture) off E-Bay, 2 years later I have done nothing to it other than check and change fluids when needed. I've been very lucky and fortunate so far.

Ron
1954 M37

[JGPierce]

I am thinking about selling my 1952 M37/M42. Great running vehicle. Mechanicals and electrical have been all gone over. Used to be a daily driver with 4.89 Bob Stahl gearing and starts up instantly. The bed and fenders have rust outs, but otherwise a sound truck. I live in New Hampshire, which might be out of your looking range. Give me an email if you might want to talk about it.

John

jjgpierce (at) yahoo.com

[vascrats]

I have not been looking at these forums too long but I seem to have seen a wide range of information on compression readings. The most together information I found was from a gentleman from MseriesRebuild who said the following in a post

'The very best readings would be in the 120-130 PSI range. This is what you would expect in a newly rebuilt engine with 1,000 or so miles to break it in. The 110-120 range is good, certainly not in need of a rebuild, but showing normal wear. 105 is getting on the lower end of acceptable in a good engine while 100 is border line. 90 PSI or lower will likely be running irratic with a high likelyhood of 1 or more cylinders skipping. Ideally, readings from 1 cylinder to the other should vary no more than 5 PSI. Low readings can come from ring/cylinder wall wear or valve train issues.'

Would the majority of those here agree with this information?

The bad thing is I have talked to someone who claims to have a truck with a re-ringed motor with about 2000 miles on it talking about it having 90-100 psi readings sayig it is not bad for an old truck.

[TRACTORg25]

Charles is right. For a new rebuilt or very low miles 120 is good. However a truck with a lot of miles would be around the 90 to 100 psi range and still run well. Though if heavy loaded you will notice that you will have to down shift and truck may seem weak. But to answer your question Charles is right on. 100 to 120 psi.