CDN M37 Restoration.

[AB Padre]

I am just finishing a restoration on a very nice CDN M 37 (52-40355). The truck has given up a lot of its history as it was in the process of being restored, and now that it is almost finished I have a few questions that I would like to put out to the MLU community for some help. The first challenge is with the free swinging (door mounted) spare tire mount. On the Ambulance and M 152 variant the spare tire mount is bolted to the door through a small piece of hat channel welded to the door. This allows the tire mount and the door to move at the same time. Without this the driver must roll down the window each time the door is closed in order to secure the spare tire mount. Not at all soldier friendly. Any information, or history on this (Canadian) modification would be very helpful. Next, is the welting for the front fenders. What I have is made of canvas with a rubber insert and, is bolted to the front fenders. I can not find anyone who still supplies this type of welting. The modern rubber replacement is not quite the same look. Does anyone have any suggestions or possible suppliers? Many thanks for your help. Looking forward to reading your replies.