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just scored an M37 in a lovely metallic brown/patina color, nearly everything is working on it! needs a bit of work on stuff like the door/window trim (wood needs replaced, i'll get to that soon) and the windows are a bit hard to roll up without pulling up on the window. Only mechanical things i can think of that i need to address is the fuel pump seems to be leaking fuel from the gasket area (i'm hoping a new gasket will fix that) and the aluminum braden winch is leaking oil from what appears to be a small drain plug hiding behind a spring on the bottom driver's side. headlights and heater work, and all the gauges except for the fuel gauge, but all the other electrical needs to be looked at. overall great shape for a 1952.

the tires on it are michelin XL 11.00R16, which look great on it as far as size but they are getting really cracked and weathered and i'm afraid to take it too far from home (again) without a spare. the spare has a big hole in the sidewall from too many years of UV damage. I'm looking at the michelin xml 325/85R16 tires, they're the same height but about 2 inches wider from what i can tell (supposed to be 13 inches wide instead of 11)
has anyone run these on their truck? i think they'll fit but i'm pretty sure i'm going to have to widen the rims by 2 inches by adding a ring and bringing the front half of the rim outward. i don't think there's enough clearance inboard for the wider tires, as i've already managed to hit the steering linkages at full lock when running chains in the front.
kind of rambling here but this is my first post so i figured i would make it count

What's the minimum rim width recommendation for the 325's?

I run 13/38/16 super swamper tsl's. They are 12.70 inch wide and fit fine on the old split rim. In fact I have the same tires on it since 1988. I don't see any problem with the 325/85/16's fitting. Would like to find a reasonably priced one piece aftermarket wheel using my centers. Vintage has 17x8's available for $450 each, too much. I run the swampers because the michelins are about 50 pounds heavier.

Are those Super Swampers radials?

No, bias ply, 6 ply, I think the Michelins are 8 ply.

Thanks squeeky, i think i'll try them on the stock rims! i'm a bit worried they're gonna be too far inset when i run chains, but maybe i can just move the chains to back and it will be okay. the first and only trip i've taken in the truck was 240 miles, 80 miles of which was absolutely off-road, down and back a 40 mile stretch of "cat trail" through the alaskan wilderness. The bed is so small i don't really want to carry a spare tire, and i figure the chance of a flat with the michelin's is a lot lower than with the super swampers. I can always carry a spare tube or two, and an air pump and tire patch kit, but a spare tire in the bed takes up about 1/3 the usable cargo area. I think if i swap the drums for disks it will account for the weight difference.

i know i saw it somewhere before, but now i can't remember if the recommended rim is 8" or 10" for them

With a tire mounted on a too-narrow rim, bead seating and likely air loose is always the issue, but running tubes and flaps help prevent the air loose. The other issue is how the side wall reacts when you are in any position other than flat straight conditions. The side walls may be more prone to tire deflection in conditions that create side loads. The other issue for on-road use is tread wear, they will have a greater tendency to ride on the center of the tread rather than flat across the full width of the tread.

I have never had an issue with the 13/38/16 swampers on the 6.5 inch military budd wheel as to crowning in the center due to the narrow wheel. I ran a strip of white chalk across the tread and they ran flat, probably because of the weight of the truck and a 6 ply tire. I can't remember the tire inflation pressure but I know the rear had less than the front. Plus these have been on the truck since 1988. Also, being on a narrow rim protects the side of the rim from rocks. Personally I would like to go bigger but a 15/42/16 swamper would be pushing it. Am looking for aftermarket wheels that will use my center, but don't like the flat plate type wheels.

Isaac,

Good luck with your new rig..........post some pics when you can. I'm interested in seeing the door/window trim that needs replaced, as there's no wooden parts on an M37.....so that must be a custom touch. I can't comment on your tire question but just as an FYI........check over your wiring very carefully. More than a few of these trucks have burned to the ground due to wiring degradation. Everything is metal in these trucks, so when the insulation frays on the wiring you're looking at a dead short possibility just about everywhere.

regards,
bob

here's my truck, after we found a set of 2 chains hidden in the side boxes. Literally the first trip we took it on. 240 miles round trip, 80 miles of this kind of terrain

it has the metal cab and topper on it, and the wood is along the back edge of the side windows, running vertically, attached to the cab where the windows close against. they look stock rather than custom, i'll get more pictures soon

Looks like fun! What part of Alaska is that? The hard top you have is a CCKW top used in the US to convert trucks. The factory hard top has a rectangular sliding rear window and is all steel. The wood was used to adapt the slight differences between the cabs. Lots of them out there although I have never seen one close up. In Canada, all the M37s were equipped with factory hard tops as standard, along with the 251 and T98 Acme trans and pto. I am in the process of changing over to the Yellow Sea tires but they are not nearly as wide as what you are looking at. WIth the soft ground you encounter, better floatation will be an advantage. At one time, Charley Aarons posted pictures on the old Big E M37 site of his trucks on the tundra with big tires. Not sure about Charley or his situation, now some 10 or 15 years later. He listed as his location as Alaska but don't know where. His photos may have survived and be on the picture page here...

I'm heading your way in August to do a round trip and see all the sights and any MVs we pass by....

Jess

This was about 100 miles north of Nome, middle of the Seward peninsula.

That explains why there are a few things about the topper that don't fit perfect, like there's a 2" square hole in front of the side windows where water pours in, which i've since patched. And the cab top and topper rattle a bit on the driver's side, i'm thinking of adding another bolt or block of wood between them to tighten them up where they meet.

wider tires are going to make a big difference, i'm setting up a civilian power wagon (also a 52) with DC3 airplane tires, and then going to put chains on it for rolling across the tundra.

isaac_alaska wrote:...wider tires are going to make a big difference, i'm setting up a civilian power wagon (also a 52) with DC3 airplane tires, and then going to put chains on it for rolling across the tundra.

That should work well. Be sure to post up some pics of that!

I think the picture I mentioned that was posted by Charlie Aarons showed a couple of M37s and one of them had big aircraft tires. Probably DC3 if they are available in your part of the world. At one time there was lots of surplus aircraft tires available but in later years they seem to have disappeared around here. They would be great for floatation on soft ground.

Jess

that truck looks great ! I never would have thought that colour would work on a 37

Jess wrote: At one time, Charley Aarons posted pictures on the old Big E M37..........