My 1953 Dodge M37, 4x4 3/4 ton Military Truck, 26,366 miles
Yes I'm green. I've been recycled.
This M37 was bought at a closed bid county Highway Department Auction in MO. I was the winning bidder and am now the proud owner. The truck hadn't run or been used in a few years, but the engine was not stuck. Tires hold air, and rear tires are like new. Some rust in the usual areas on an M, under the headlights, and the bed floor is gone. Other than that the only major body issue is the Drivers Door has been opened up against the fender (door check busted) way too hard. Plans were to use the engine and drive train from a donor 1994 3/4 ton Dodge Ram 4x4 and make a great modern powered trail truck. Now after checking into the issue of putting the modern axles under the M (Narrowing Axles and Steering), I've decided to stay with the M's axles and add Disc Brakes and Lockers. I've bought a 1968 Dodge W200. with a 318 V-8 and a NP435D3 Transmission that will now be used to Power the M37.
| TRUCK, CARGO, 3/4 | TON. 4x4, M37 WoW |
| ORD. STOCK NO. | 62741-8358322 |
| Mfr. Ser. No. | 80257890 |
| Contracting. | 12107 |
| Date Del. | 12-7-53 |
| Model: | T245 |
| Frame No. | 80257890 |
| Cowl No. | 49202-3366 |
| Brach | ORD CORPS |
| Hood Number | ARMY 201012036 |
Re-Powered with a Mopar Small Block (LA) V-8 Specifications:
Displacement: 323 cu. in. (318 bored 30 over)
Cam: Melling Performance - Duration 278/288 Lift .422/.444 (MTD-1 WG-1116)
Fuel: Holley 502 Pro-Jection Fuel Injection, Throttle Body, 670 cfm (502-20S)
Ignition: Mopar Performance Electronic Conversion (DCC-3690426)
Additional Truck Specifications:
Clutch:
11" 10 spline 1" by Brake & Clutch
Exchange
Transmission: New Process Transmission - NP435, 1st gear ratio is 6.68:1
Transfercase: Stock New Process Transfercase - NP200 (1.96:1)
Front Axle: Stock Dodge Full Floating Hypoid Axle with Tracta Joints, 5.83:1 with
ARB Air Locker
Rear Axle: Stock Dodge Full Floating Hypoid Axle, 5.83:1 with ARB Air Locker
Hubs:
Drive Flanges now, I was running
Milemarker 11022-01
Selectro Classic Locking Hub
Wheels: Custom MRW (Marsh Racing
Wheels) Bead Lock Wheels
Tires: Super Swampers - IROK
39.5x13.50-17LT tires
Brakes: Helitool (Ugly Truckling)
1 Ton Disc Brake Conversion Front & Rear (GMC - MS, Calipers & Rotor)
Suspension: Stock leaf springs
Steering: Saginaw Reverse Rotation Power Steering Box (Snake
River 4x4 Style)
Accessories: Warn 12,000#
Electric Winch
My M's Length: 188"
35th Brigade, 1140th Engineering Battalion, Company C, Unit 53 - National Guard
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| 2004.4 | September through December 2004 | |
| 2005.1 | January through March 2005 | |
| 2005.2 | April 2005 | |
| 2005.3 | July 2005 | |
| 2005.4 | August 2005 | |
| 2005.5 | September 2005 | |
| 2005.6 | October 2005 | |
| 2005.7 | November 2005 | |
| 2005.8 | December 2005 | |
| 2006 . | 2006, The Year of a New Job and Move (No work on the truck) | |
| 2007.1 | April 2007 | |
| 2007.2 | May 2007 | |
| 2007.3 | June & July 2007 | |
| 2007.4 | August through December 2007 | |
| 2008.1 | January through February 2008 | |
| 2008.2 | March through April 2008 | |
| 2008.3 | June through August 2008 | |
| 2008.4 | September through December 2008 | |
| 2009.1 | January 2009 through March 2009 | |
| 2009.2 | April 2009 | |
| 2009.3 | May 2009 | |
| 2009.4 | June 2009 | |
| 2009.5 | July through August 2009 | |
| 2009.6 | September 2009 | |
| 2009.7 | October through December 2009 | |
| 2010.1 | January through May 2010 | |
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The 2010 National Dodge Power Wagon Rally - Iowa 2010 Well I had another great time at the Rally. Good Food, Good Friends and Good Times, and as always an adventure. This year was wetter than most, but we had fun again at the Kerr Farm, playing in the woods and mud. I broke a tail light coming down one steep hill, and managed to have another Holley TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) go out this year. I'm not sure why they fail, but thinking they might not be able to stand up to the heat. This TPS went out on the way to the Kerr Farm, and I quickly changed it out on the side of the road, good thing I carry a spare and a Swiss Army knife. The first five pictures are from Jay's collection. the next three are from Ewa's collection VPW quickly built from scratch a Teeter Board in a Day and we gave it a try. It worked, but needs some fix's. I balanced, but the board was not level. Ron did manage to get it to balance level with Taylor's WC though. The Kerr Farm Swamp was a little deeper then last year, and lots of fun. The "mudders" as most refer to the WC's (Jason, Bruce & Butch) were there a week early and having lots of fun. Mark brought his M37 again this year as well. I guess you noticed the front end damage, well it was one of those stupid mistakes. Butch was ahead of me in his WC, and he made it to the bottom of a steep muddy hill and was turning to clear, so I started down. As I ducked under the limbs and looked ahead I saw Butch was not able to make the turn to clear the bottom. Well there was no stopping and no control of where the M was going, so your in for a ride. Butch had no where to go, so he set tight and waited for the impact. We hit, not real fast, but the weight and the slide did some damage. Nothing major, all repairable. It didn't even brake the light, just popped it out and bent the housing. Now to make the repairs. One of the highlights of the weekend was Jon proposing to Jill, yes he proposed and she accepted. 06/10-12/2010 |
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Well I took a little time to straighten the front body, knock out the hood, straighten the grill and fix the KC Light. Not too bad, there is still some dents in the hood, but not bad enough for me to take it any further. 06/16/2010 | |
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As a preventative maintenance I pulled the drive flanges, and found some water in the right side. So I pulled the hubs apart and the axles out for inspection. Not a lot of water, and it might have gotten in from the pressure washer rather than while driving through the swamp, as there wasn't any mud evidence. The right Tracta Joint had a little more play than the left, and depending on how you measure it, either slightly in or out of the Mil Spec tolerances. As the axles were NOS in August of 09, I'm assuming it's just the way the set was made, as I see no wear. 06/18/2010 | |
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Happy Independence Day 2010! | |
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July Family MO trip 07/25/2010 | |
1968 W-200 Engine/Tranny Donor
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