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Ok all-
Into the Power Wagon breach for me...
First, a little history....
My first dream vehicle as a kid wasn't the "Army Jeep" like most kids. I saw a M37, but had no idea what it was. It wasn't until years later when I saw another one and asked about it that I learned the designation.
Since that time, I've been searching for one. Every one I found pre-internet was either a rusted hulk or was so priced out of my range that it may as well be priceless....
Fast forward to 2007. I'm not actively hunting an M/V, but still have the coals of the M/V fever glowing in my heart. I'm driving and see a 1969 M35A2 for sale.... After realizing how much I **need** that beast in my life, I buy it and become friends with the man who sold it to me.
He too is an M/V enthusiast and we are talking and he says "Lemme show you my pride and joy.... and he takes me into his shop where a 1950's half track is sitting with the quad .50 A/A propane fired replica guns.... as I'm walking around drooling on this monster, just outside the back of his shop I spot.... an M37 Dodge..... we go back and look at it and it turns out it was his first vehicle. His father and he got it and started working on it when he was 13 years old. He drove it all through high school and has kept it since.
I casually asked if it was for sale and he was really quick to let me know that it wasn't.
Due to the vagaries of life, we lost touch in about 2012.
Fast forward to last year.... I've sold the deuce, bought a 5 ton and am restoring it and who do I run into at a high school football game, but my buddy I haven't see in years! We exchange numbers and a few weeks later we are shooting the bull and talking M/Vs and the subject of his old M37 comes up and he states "I really need to do something with it as all it's doing is sitting at my friends rusting away because I don't have time for it and if I don't do **something** it's going to be ruined.
I asked if we could go look at it and he set up a time. We met and boy... is she rough.... But I crawled all around it and realized it's mainly cosmetic environmental damage to the truck, that she is restorable....
He and I talk and he says "Get in touch with me and we will discuss a price".
I texted a few times and never heard back, so I assumed the deal wasn't going to happen, so I gave up on that dream again....
Right now I'm offshore working nights, so I wake up at 1500 and message my sweet lady and tell her how sore and tired I am and she responds with "Can I make your day better?" "Sure" I said.... "You're the proud owner of a 1952 M37 Dodge!"... my brain isn't processing this..... "Wait... what?" She says "I got in touch with him, made an offer and he accepted. The truck is yours!
Honestly, I teared up.
SO... when I get home, I'll be recovering her from where she has sat for the last three years. Here is the message my friend sent about the condition (and I know he says "Ran when parked", but I know this man and believe him...):
Ran when parked 3 years ago. needs either a new cab or lots of sheet metal to repair it. The only non-original items are the tires. I put Michelin XL radial 11:00R16s instead of the NDT 9:00R16. It has correct troop seat brackets/hardware, original cargo cover bow corners and hard parts for the bed (including tool rack on the tailgate). Needs new wood. Original 24v coil is weak and needs replacement. Recommend full flush of fuel system. Can probably start with a gravity fed external tank run to the carb. It has the original flat-head 6 cylinder T245 with the sealed ignition, all original engine, transmission, transfer case, transmission mounted PTO and Braden PTO winch.
All-
I'm super stoked and downloading TMs now.... I know I need to replace glass, seats cushions and canvas, and body canvas (soft top cab and cargo cover). I had seen a website that had a TON of NOS replacement parts and cannot find it again. Any ideas?
I appreciate any and all help, and will start a recovery/rebuild thread when I get home and recover her....
Unfortunately, I don't have any pics right now, bit that will change during recovery....
Oh, and her name is Ethel.....
Into the Power Wagon breach for me...
First, a little history....
My first dream vehicle as a kid wasn't the "Army Jeep" like most kids. I saw a M37, but had no idea what it was. It wasn't until years later when I saw another one and asked about it that I learned the designation.
Since that time, I've been searching for one. Every one I found pre-internet was either a rusted hulk or was so priced out of my range that it may as well be priceless....
Fast forward to 2007. I'm not actively hunting an M/V, but still have the coals of the M/V fever glowing in my heart. I'm driving and see a 1969 M35A2 for sale.... After realizing how much I **need** that beast in my life, I buy it and become friends with the man who sold it to me.
He too is an M/V enthusiast and we are talking and he says "Lemme show you my pride and joy.... and he takes me into his shop where a 1950's half track is sitting with the quad .50 A/A propane fired replica guns.... as I'm walking around drooling on this monster, just outside the back of his shop I spot.... an M37 Dodge..... we go back and look at it and it turns out it was his first vehicle. His father and he got it and started working on it when he was 13 years old. He drove it all through high school and has kept it since.
I casually asked if it was for sale and he was really quick to let me know that it wasn't.
Due to the vagaries of life, we lost touch in about 2012.
Fast forward to last year.... I've sold the deuce, bought a 5 ton and am restoring it and who do I run into at a high school football game, but my buddy I haven't see in years! We exchange numbers and a few weeks later we are shooting the bull and talking M/Vs and the subject of his old M37 comes up and he states "I really need to do something with it as all it's doing is sitting at my friends rusting away because I don't have time for it and if I don't do **something** it's going to be ruined.
I asked if we could go look at it and he set up a time. We met and boy... is she rough.... But I crawled all around it and realized it's mainly cosmetic environmental damage to the truck, that she is restorable....
He and I talk and he says "Get in touch with me and we will discuss a price".
I texted a few times and never heard back, so I assumed the deal wasn't going to happen, so I gave up on that dream again....
Right now I'm offshore working nights, so I wake up at 1500 and message my sweet lady and tell her how sore and tired I am and she responds with "Can I make your day better?" "Sure" I said.... "You're the proud owner of a 1952 M37 Dodge!"... my brain isn't processing this..... "Wait... what?" She says "I got in touch with him, made an offer and he accepted. The truck is yours!
Honestly, I teared up.
SO... when I get home, I'll be recovering her from where she has sat for the last three years. Here is the message my friend sent about the condition (and I know he says "Ran when parked", but I know this man and believe him...):
Ran when parked 3 years ago. needs either a new cab or lots of sheet metal to repair it. The only non-original items are the tires. I put Michelin XL radial 11:00R16s instead of the NDT 9:00R16. It has correct troop seat brackets/hardware, original cargo cover bow corners and hard parts for the bed (including tool rack on the tailgate). Needs new wood. Original 24v coil is weak and needs replacement. Recommend full flush of fuel system. Can probably start with a gravity fed external tank run to the carb. It has the original flat-head 6 cylinder T245 with the sealed ignition, all original engine, transmission, transfer case, transmission mounted PTO and Braden PTO winch.
All-
I'm super stoked and downloading TMs now.... I know I need to replace glass, seats cushions and canvas, and body canvas (soft top cab and cargo cover). I had seen a website that had a TON of NOS replacement parts and cannot find it again. Any ideas?
I appreciate any and all help, and will start a recovery/rebuild thread when I get home and recover her....
Unfortunately, I don't have any pics right now, bit that will change during recovery....
Oh, and her name is Ethel.....
