XM195 Experimental Utility Truck Restoration Process

[Nathan Privat]

Bringing her home.

 

[tennmogger]

I like it! Any known history about it?

 

[Nathan Privat]

Here is where I'm at right now to catch ya'll up.

 

[Tracer]

View attachment 776161View attachment 776162View attachment 776163
Bringing her home.

Nathan here's a couple more from the 2018 Tower Park meet.

 

[AVLJeeper]

Nathan, thanks so much for starting a new thread with the pictures. Looking forward to watching the progress on here and Instagram.

 

[Nathan Privat]

Well sorry guys I've been falling behind on my posting, its been a hectic few months, anyway here are a few photos of what I've gotten done. Got the bed off and the engine out, I put the engine on a stand and I'm working on making one for the transmission. I just need to get the springs off and I'll be starting in on rehabilitating the frame with another M37 frame. Thankfully the exotic parts of the XM frame are fairly sturdy and can be saved, however there are a few places on the lower part of the frame that I am going to cut from the M37 frame and weld in on the XM frame. Can't wait to start putting things back together instead of tearing down. I'll try to keep you updated with more regular posts.

 

[Nathan Privat]

.

 

[Nathan Privat]

I like it! Any known history about it?

Surprisingly there is a lot of information on it in David Doyle's Book "The Military Machine U.S. Dodge" Volume 2 Chapter 14
If you look in the book you will see numbers on the doors of the trucks, the truck I own is 00124955. I did some Light sanding and found that number on the door and on the hood.
I know my truck was at Yuma Proving Ground but the book really goes into detail, you really just have to read it. I'll post some pictures from the book.

 

[319]

Readers might be interested in this also:

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?18278-Any-pictures-or-information-on-the-Dodge-XM195

 

[nattieleather]

@Nathan Privat keep at it. You are a remarkable young man for taking on this project. But as you know this may be the only one left so I think it's great you are working to restore it. You are a few hundred miles from me so I can't help you turn wrenches, but if anyone can help even if it's just moral support let us know!

 

[Nathan Privat]

Man it's been a minute, sorry for the absence of progress updates school and work have been keeping me busy but I'm hopefully back at it.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Did you clean and rebuild the engine? If not that's the cleanest in service flathead engine II've ever seen.

Welcome back! We all get sidetracked. It is getting back to a project that's the hard part!

 

[Nathan Privat]

No work done, just opened it up. Pretty amazing.

 

[Nathan Privat]

Planning on just cleaning and painting the outside and possibly a little valve work, leaving the internals alone.

 

[Nathan Privat]

 

[Austringer]

So what was the point with the experimental? Lower profile?

 

[G744]

I saw the 195 target 20 or 30 years ago at YPG.

DG

 

[nattieleather]

Here is what the original porotype looked like. Is this the end goal?

 

[Nathan Privat]

So what was the point with the experimental? Lower profile?

More power than a m37, smaller than a m37, and bigger than a jeep. So round about answer yes.

 

[Nathan Privat]

Here is what the original porotype looked like. Is this the end goal?
View attachment 833977

Yep. (Check out David Doyle's book "U.S. Dodge" for lots more pictures. I believe it is the second volume.)