1954 Dodge M37 Restoration Project

[Blue Chips]

I've been doing some more research on my M37. It was manufactured in March of 1954, and at some later date it was converted by the military to an M42 "command" truck, which in this case was basically an M37 with the addition of radio gear, a hefty 100-amp alternator, rectifier bank, and some other accessories such as a canvas bed canopy with windows. It was converted back to an M37 (possibly in May of 1966) by the removal of the radio gear and replacing the M42 data plate with an M37 data plate, stamped with a May, 1966 date. I think the removal of the radio gear may have been required in order to release the vehicle for public sale or transfer to some other government entity. It was not originally manufactured with turn signals, and I suspect that the turn signals might have been added at the time of its re-conversion in order to make the vehicle more streetworthy. Judging from old paint colors, it may have been procured by the U.S. Forest Service after its release from the military. Some of this information is speculation; more research is needed.

As to restoration progress, I'm moving slowly, but in the right direction. I bought a replacement turn signal switch that matches the old corroded one that had been installed in my M37 except for the paint color, which is easy enough to change. The switch appears to be an NOS item, as there are no signs of it ever having been installed. I also received the two red 'Gama Goat' tail light lenses that I ordered (as mentioned above).

In preparation for duplicating the information from the old data plates onto a new set of reproduction data plates, I bought a set of Capris 1/8-inch number and letter stamps. They appear to be good quality, and the sides of the stamps are engraved with the characters, making them more user friendly. It would be nice to have a holder for them with some space between the stamps for easier extraction, but that's a minor detail, as I don't have that much data to copy onto the new plates. And besides, space is at a premium in my small shop, so the more compact the tools, the better.

 

[Blue Chips]

Getting back to work on the M37 project.

My 1954 M37 is amazingly rust-free, but there are a couple of places that almost always tend to rust out on these beasts. One of those places is the front bed-support cross-member, which collects dirt and water that drains into it from the bed floor, leaving the cross-member perpetually filled with mud. Here's the rusted cross-member:

I was all set to start fabricating a new cross-member, but then I spied a reproduction cross-member online for $175, which I thought was a very reasonable price, considering the work involved, including drilling lots of holes, fabbing up and welding brackets, and welding in a ton of captive nuts. It seems to be very well made and well worth the price, plus it frees me up to do other restoration tasks that are more interesting.

Below is the new cross-member after relieving the sharp edges with a sanding block (to hold paint better), thoroughly scrubbing it with mineral spirits and acetone, and priming it with self-etching primer. I always insert temporary bolts into nuts or threaded holes before painting to keep paint out of the threads.

Since the above photo was taken, the cross-member has been painted Marine Corps green and is drying.

Now, some repairs:

Today, I repaired some 'drain holes' in the floor of the under-bed tool box. Apparently, it was not uncommon for soldiers in the field to add drain holes in the bed and tool box with whatever tool that was at hand, and in this case, I suspect that the handy 'tool' was something like an M1 Garand or perhaps some later model.

First, I closed up the holes as well as I could:

Then I cleaned the area around the holes, welded them shut, and ground them. Here are a couple of the welded-up holes after rough grinding:

And with a coat of temporary primer, just to check the repaired surface:

The next step is to repair one damaged mounting flange on this item, and then sand blast it. I'm looking around for a local blasting company. I have a small blasting cabinet, but this is way too large for it. I do have a wet-blasting attachment for my pressure washer, but it's very messy to use, although I'll resort to that if I can't find any reasonably priced local sandblasting services.

 

[dobbslc]

That's the first time I've seen gun shot repairs on a truck

 

[pedrobedro]

It would be nice to have a holder for them with some space between the stamps for easier extraction, but that's a minor detail,

I learnt that it is easier to line the numbers up if you stamp them backwards, start at the end and end at the start kind of thing unless you are left handed.

 

[Wildefalcon]

It's a difficult balance, restoring, versus respecting the whole history of the vehicle, especially if it has served.

 

[Blue Chips]

It's a difficult balance, restoring, versus respecting the whole history of the vehicle, especially if it has served.

Absolutely true. I'm trying to keep my M37 essentially original, other than a few minor (and reversible) safety mods. If I actually knew the full history of the vehicle, I might have even considered keeping the bullet holes, but there's a good chance that they could have been shot through the tool box by a later civilian owner, simply to allow drainage, and, because of the location and angles of the holes (shot straight up or straight down), it's very unlikely that they are combat related.

The rarity of a vehicle, in my opinion, is a significant factor in deciding to how "stock" to keep it. As it happens, M37s are very common. Between 1951 and 1955, they manufactured 63,200 M37-series vehicles (including variants), and another 4,524 Canadian versions. From 1958 to 1968, 47,640 M37B1-series vehicles were manufactured (the M37B1 is essentially an M37 with a few minor changes). There are still thousands of M37s in existence, many of which have been restored to their original state, while others have been modified to varying degrees...occasionally with major modifications. My plan is to keep mine quite close to the pure stock end of the scale, right down to the military paint color. If I could find the history of the vehicle, I might even include correctly-stenciled unit markings.

My planned mods are pretty modest. I had mentioned that they include a tandem master cylinder, brighter stop and signal light bulbs and possible lens upgrades (but using the original housings), seat belts and shoulder harnesses, and of course modern lubricants. Possibly a removeable set of head rests, as well. If I weren't going to be driving this vehicle, I could skip these mods, but I want to have some fun with it. Lots of local car clubs hold cruises/shows/social events, and I'd like to be able to drive to these events.

 

[Bullet2012]

Absolutely true. I'm trying to keep my M37 essentially original, other than a few minor (and reversible) safety mods. If I actually knew the full history of the vehicle, I might have even considered keeping the bullet holes, but there's a good chance that they could have been shot through the tool box by a later civilian owner, simply to allow drainage, and, because of the location and angles of the holes (shot straight up or straight down), it's very unlikely that they are combat related.

The rarity of a vehicle, in my opinion, is a significant factor in deciding to how "stock" to keep it. As it happens, M37s are very common. Between 1951 and 1955, they manufactured 63,200 M37-series vehicles (including variants), and another 4,524 Canadian versions. From 1958 to 1968, 47,640 M37B1-series vehicles were manufactured (the M37B1 is essentially an M37 with a few minor changes). There are still thousands of M37s in existence, many of which have been restored to their original state, while others have been modified to varying degrees...occasionally with major modifications. My plan is to keep mine quite close to the pure stock end of the scale, right down to the military paint color. If I could find the history of the vehicle, I might even include correctly-stenciled unit markings.

My planned mods are pretty modest. I had mentioned that they include a tandem master cylinder, brighter stop and signal light bulbs and possible lens upgrades (but using the original housings), seat belts and shoulder harnesses, and of course modern lubricants. Possibly a removeable set of head rests, as well. If I weren't going to be driving this vehicle, I could skip these mods, but I want to have some fun with it. Lots of local car clubs hold cruises/shows/social events, and I'd like to be able to drive to these events.

It’s your vehicle to enjoy, if that involves modifications to suit your requirements, then carry on. Stuff the you should have kept it original brigade, tell them to sort one for themselves.

 

[Blue Chips]

It’s your vehicle to enjoy, if that involves modifications to suit your requirements, then carry on. Stuff the you should have kept it original brigade, tell them to sort one for themselves.

Not to worry, I don't feel any pressure from anyone to keep it stock. It's just my natural inclination to keep this particular vehicle pretty close to original for several reasons:

- It was already very complete and original when I bought it, without anyone's modifications.
- I LOVE the original design of these trucks and the many unique military features that you don't see on civilian vehicles.
- If I were to sell it at some point, it would typically be worth more as a restored vehicle, rather than modified, although that's only a VERY minor consideration.
- I registered the M37 as an "antique auto" with the state, which saves money on annual tax and registration fees, and there is no MOT required for registered antique vehicles, even though this vehicle (when finished) could certainly pass the MOT, with the exception of emissions tests in some states. I forget the exact wording, but one of the requirements for registering a vehicle here as an antique is that it must be essentially original. Also, as an antique vehicle, rather than as a primary-use vehicle, I can get better deals on insurance, too. There are other registration categories, such as "street rod" or "custom vehicle," which don't have that requirement, and you can go hog wild.

I've had a number of other antique vehicles in the past, some original and some modified, such as a 1953 Studebaker Commander 2-door hardtop (a beautiful car) with a Buick V8, reversed rims, modified suspension, traction bars, high-end instrumentation, racing harnesses, etc., etc. That's one of my cars that I should have kept...oh, well.

 

[Blue Chips]

Back to work on the M37 this week.

I just started restoring the headlights. I blasted, primed, and painted the brackets that mount the headlights on the fenders, as well as the zinc/pot metal brackets that go under the headlight bodies.

I just received a set of replacement rubber headlight mounting grommets today and installed them in the headlight brackets. I would NOT say that they were fun to install, as they had to be squished with considerable force to start them in the holes. Once started, they slid in fairly easily until the bracket snapped into the groove in the grommet. I managed to insert them with no tools other than my fingers and a little grease, but my fingers are a bit sore. I'm sure it helped that the rubber was reasonably pliable. I also left the whitish waxy storage coating on them, as I figured it added a bit of lubrication for installation. I'll clean it off later.

 

[RichardM]

Back to work on the M37 this week.

I just started restoring the headlights. I blasted, primed, and painted the brackets that mount the headlights on the fenders, as well as the zinc/pot metal brackets that go under the headlight bodies.

I just received a set of replacement rubber headlight mounting grommets today and installed them in the headlight brackets. I would NOT say that they were fun to install, as they had to be squished with considerable force to start them in the holes. Once started, they slid in fairly easily until the bracket snapped into the groove in the grommet. I managed to insert them with no tools other than my fingers and a little grease, but my fingers are a bit sore. I'm sure it helped that the rubber was reasonably pliable. I also left the whitish waxy storage coating on them, as I figured it added a bit of lubrication for installation. I'll clean it off later.

View attachment 459352 View attachment 459353

Sometimes warming them up in hot water makes them more pliable and easier to install.

 

[Robotstar5]

Back to work on the M37 this week.

I just started restoring the headlights. I blasted, primed, and painted the brackets that mount the headlights on the fenders, as well as the zinc/pot metal brackets that go under the headlight bodies.

I just received a set of replacement rubber headlight mounting grommets today and installed them in the headlight brackets. I would NOT say that they were fun to install, as they had to be squished with considerable force to start them in the holes. Once started, they slid in fairly easily until the bracket snapped into the groove in the grommet. I managed to insert them with no tools other than my fingers and a little grease, but my fingers are a bit sore. I'm sure it helped that the rubber was reasonably pliable. I also left the whitish waxy storage coating on them, as I figured it added a bit of lubrication for installation. I'll clean it off later.

View attachment 459352 View attachment 459353

I find Hellerine lubricant is good for that sort of thing, I got a big bottle many years ago and still plenty left, a little bit goes a long way.

 

[Migmac]

That's the first time I've seen gun shot repairs on a truck

I’ve seen it once on a Toyota Tercel, student we had decided it needed a sunroof!

 

[Migmac]

Great restoration bluechips, the attention to detail is brilliant

 

[Blue Chips]

Sometimes warming them up in hot water makes them more pliable and easier to install.

That's my usual approach for tight rubber bushings, tubing, etc. These grommets/bushings were already fairly warm after sitting in the sun for a while, but I didn't want to heat them so much that I'd lose the wax coating, which I think really helped me slide the grommets through the holes after getting them started...sort of like an extreme pressure lubricant.

I find Hellerine lubricant is good for that sort of thing, I got a big bottle many years ago and still plenty left, a little bit goes a long way.

Interesting. I wonder what all of the ingredients are. I did see ethanol and castor oil listed on a safety data sheet.

 

[Blue Chips]

As mentioned earlier, I want the front and rear turn signal/stop lights to retain their original 'outward' appearance, but I want to increase their visibility when in use. One thing that I plan to do is substitute LED lamps for the original incandescent bulbs. The other thing will be to repurpose the "blackout marker light" slot of each light to serve as an additional amber or red light. The slot at the bottom of the light is the blackout marker light, as shown below, and when the original blackout light was in use, it only displayed two small, dim, modified triangles.

I removed the parts from the blackout marker light slot, as shown below:

The plan is to replace the above parts with a section of a modern red stop light lens for the rear lights and an amber turn signal light lens for the front lights. But before doing that, I wanted to paint the light 'doors' the correct color. The two light 'doors' shown below are for the front turn signal lights. The blackout marker light parts have been removed, and the glass lenses have been masked using a liquid "frisket" instead of masking tape, which was much easier to use than tape because of the shape of the lenses. It's important to allow the liquid masking frisket to dry thoroughly before painting.

After spraying the light doors with Marine Corps green and allowing the paint to dry for a couple of days, it was easy to peel off the masking frisket:

Here are the doors after removing the masking frisket:

The next step will be to cut rectangular red and amber pieces out of some modern tail light and turn signal lenses for installation in the blackout marker light slots in the light doors.

BTW, I know that the turn signal lenses are clear, but I'll be using amber LEDs.

 

[Gragson]

Great detail as usual.

masked using a liquid "frisket"

That's a new one on me, mentioned to the wife and she said she sells it in the art gallery...I'm getting some

 

[Blue Chips]

That's a new one on me, mentioned to the wife and she said she sells it in the art gallery...I'm getting some

My wife uses liquid frisket sometimes with watercolors. It's handy stuff for lots of things. Try a little test area first on whatever kind of surface you'll be using it on.

 

[Blue Chips]

More work on the lights. I cut two rectangular pieces out of an amber turn signal lens for a late-80s Toyota pickup. I also cut two rectangular pieces from a red brake light lens (not shown) for some kind of Honda all-terrain vehicle.

I just installed the amber and red pieces in what were originally the blackout marker light slots in the front and rear light doors. One of the photos below also shows a couple of new square-cross-section O-rings used to seal the light doors to the light bodies.

So, just to clarify: The parking and turn signal lamp positions haven't changed from their original positions. The only change is that what used to be the blackout marker light will become an additional turn signal light, which should make the turn signals more visible. It will be the same with the rear lights: The tail light and stop/signal light positions haven't changed from their original positions, but the former blackout marker light will become an additional stop/signal light.

Below is a photo of the interior of one of the front lights with LEDs installed. These aren't the final LEDs, as I'm still experimenting with different types to see what works best. I have a feeling that I won't be making a final decision until I can try them out on the truck in typical day and night viewing conditions., but it's a start, anyway.

These are a few of the LED lamp types that I'm messing about with. So far, for my M37 lights I'm leaning toward the ones without the built-in projector lenses.

 

[Blue Chips]

The original ID data plate for my M37 was missing, so I made an etched-aluminium facsimile data plate from scratch. I explained the basic process in the "Things You Have Made Today" thread, as the process has a lot of other possible applications. Here's a LINK to that post.

Here's a photo of an original ID plate that would be the correct type for my M37.

And here's the plate that I made (actual size 2" x 4").

The ID data plate is mounted on the glove compartment door. It's not the "main" location for the serial number, which is stamped permanently in large characters on the frame.

By the way, I was tempted to improve upon the character spacing and alignment, but I wanted it to be an exact (or as close as possible) copy of the original plate, so I kept the layout like the original plate.

 

[pawsnizzy]

As mentioned earlier, I want the front and rear turn signal/stop lights to retain their original 'outward' appearance, but I want to increase their visibility when in use. One thing that I plan to do is substitute LED lamps for the original incandescent bulbs. The other thing will be to repurpose the "blackout marker light" slot of each light to serve as an additional amber or red light. The slot at the bottom of the light is the blackout marker light, as shown below, and when the original blackout light was in use, it only displayed two small, dim, modified triangles.

View attachment 459512

I removed the parts from the blackout marker light slot, as shown below:

View attachment 459513

The plan is to replace the above parts with a section of a modern red stop light lens for the rear lights and an amber turn signal light lens for the front lights. But before doing that, I wanted to paint the light 'doors' the correct color. The two light 'doors' shown below are for the front turn signal lights. The blackout marker light parts have been removed, and the glass lenses have been masked using a liquid "frisket" instead of masking tape, which was much easier to use than tape because of the shape of the lenses. It's important to allow the liquid masking frisket to dry thoroughly before painting.

View attachment 459514

After spraying the light doors with Marine Corps green and allowing the paint to dry for a couple of days, it was easy to peel off the masking frisket:

View attachment 459516

Here are the doors after removing the masking frisket:

View attachment 459520

The next step will be to cut rectangular red and amber pieces out of some modern tail light and turn signal lenses for installation in the blackout marker light slots in the light doors.

BTW, I know that the turn signal lenses are clear, but I'll be using amber LEDs.

Haven't heard of (or used) Frisket for almost 40 years - blast from the past there