1952 Dodge M37 - Military Truck - Should I bid or pass?

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Trucks_in_WI - 02 Feb 2005 02:13 GMT

How hard is it to find parts for this truck. I am considering
bidding on one. The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs has two
of them for Online Auction at WisconsinSurplus.com. They say they
are not running, how hard are these to work on? Would it be a good
project?

Thanks for your input,

Trucks_in_WI

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Daniel J. Stern - 02 Feb 2005 04:41 GMT

> How hard is it to find parts for this truck.

Not hard. They were made for many years, all the mechanical parts are
still readily available and most of the cosmetic and body parts aren't
hard to find, either.

> I am considering bidding on one. The Wisconsin Department of Military
> Affairs has two of them for Online Auction at WisconsinSurplus.com.
> They say they are not running, how hard are these to work on? Would it
> be a good project?

They are very easy to work on and would make an excellent project.

DS

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Ad absurdum per aspera - 02 Feb 2005 22:32 GMT

This site might prove to be a great help, though the M37, basically a
pre-Slant-Six/square-body era Dodge Power Wagon, isn't a particularly
rare or esoteric thing by their standards:
http://www.mvpa.org/mambo/index.php

See also
http://www.dodgepowerwagon.com/main/intro.htm

I'd suggest that you start by reading up on all these things so that
you can learn what to look out for.

The other thing, and I don't mean to sound condescending, is that this
is not even a stripper model of a modern SUV. It is built for serious
work and might well have been used for same. This has a large
influence on its driving qualities and its (lack of) creature comforts,
as does the fact that it is two human generations and several
technology generations old.

Enthusiasts, of course, think that's all part of its charm.

The 230-cube flathead Six needs no such quibbles and excuses. It gave
smooth and torquey service in trucks and luxury cars alike until the
"horsepower wars" of the 50s finally sidelined it.

Anyway, those are the generalities; it then comes down to the
particular vehicle and the pre-auction inspection period. The best
case is that you get a good price on a low-mileage, lightly-used
example of a beast of a machine. The worst case involves 53 years of
Army-type use and Rust Belt winters, together with auction-fever
pricing.

Best of luck,
--Joe

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Steve - 02 Feb 2005 23:18 GMT

> This site might prove to be a great help, though the M37, basically a
> pre-Slant-Six/square-body era Dodge Power Wagon, isn't a particularly
> rare or esoteric thing by their standards:
> http://www.mvpa.org/mambo/index.php

Didn't the real Powerwagon (as opposed to Powerwagon-tagged light pickup
trucks offered later) keep the flathead six all the way until the end of
production in the late 60s? The slant six replaced the flathead for
passenger cars and trucks in 1960, but IIRC the industrial version of
the flathead was kept around until the late 60s and was the only engine
in the Powerwagon.

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Daniel J. Stern - 02 Feb 2005 23:37 GMT

> Didn't the real Powerwagon (as opposed to Powerwagon-tagged light pickup
> trucks offered later) keep the flathead six all the way until the end of
> production in the late 60s?

Yes.

> The slant six replaced the flathead for passenger cars and trucks in
> 1960, but IIRC the industrial version of the flathead was kept around
> until the late 60s and was the only engine in the Powerwagon.

Correct.

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Edward W Michalowski - 04 Feb 2005 22:11 GMT

As a wheeled vehicle mechanic during the Korean War era, we used to
consider these vehicles as the best riding vehicles in the Army's
inventory. That's one of the reasons why they were often used as
ambulences.

Ed

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