M37 Restoration (53-41242)

[rob love]

Check with John Bizal at Midwest Military. He has/had NOS main wiring harnesses for a reasonable price a few years back. It gives you all the wiring under the dash and halfway forward into the engine compartment.

I did one a few years ago and just had to make up the short harnesses to each headlamp/signal lam, as well as the harness from the right cowl back to the tail lamps

[Wayne Hingley]

Thanks Rob. That's a great lead. With the main harness to work off, the remainder is relatively simple to complete. I'll look into that.

[rob love]

The same harness is also available on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-M37-Ch...%257Ciid%253A1

I have also seen the rear harnesses for larger trucks like the M35 for a decent price. You can shorten it for the Dodge, which should give you the mil-spec wire you will need for the two small front harnesses.

You will be able to salvage the shells, the bakelite union, and the little steel grommet rings, however you will have to buy some of the little rubber grommets and the solder/crimp on male terminals.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Wiring - I like Rob's idea too. The M35 is an SMP, bigger, newer and much more common vehicle. If you are pulling the old one out, find a wiring diagram to read the code numbers on the little aluminum clips. They might correspond to the M35's (headlights, tail lights, Blackout, etc).

Installing an aftermarket M37 harness might be a problem of a wire that is just a bit too short where you were hoping for breathing room. The US 3/4t truck is different than the Canadian model, and in some respects, I understand it is the lesser of the two. But 65 years after delivery, and 35+ years after retirement, your chances of finding a good harness are less and less every year.

Frost shields - the concept is to put a stiff plastic surface on the glass that trapped a dead air pocket that won't frost over. The typical installation was on something that had a feeble heater and negligible defroster. The problem I remember with them was the plastic was always fragile, and invariably cracked or the seal let go. Not the mention the visual distortion of looking through another layer. The Highway Traffic Act might have words on visual obstructions ... If you can get away from them, that would be a good thing.

[rob love]

The numbering is fairly universal. There are some variations for the newer vehicles, but the old stuff is all the same.

When I installed one of these harnesses, I did have to add a couple of other wires for the Cdn model. One for the convoy light switch and thru to the convoy lamp, and of course a few extra for the turn signals. Also, depending on the year of your truck, you may or may not have the distributor filter (I think).

Use the M37 under dash harness, order a rear harness for the M35 or larger, and you will be most of the way there.

[Jes Andersen]

Having a new harness built will set you on your ear, and as Rob mentioned, there are some other options. When I got my first M37 about 40 yrs ago, there was no internet and lot of sources who had either a phone number or a small printed catalog. These days there are still a few of the old time vendor and a lot of eBay. If you look, there are reasonable prices but since most are in the US, it can get costly. John Bizal is one of the better US resources and there are still a few in Canada. You'll get to know them all by the time you're done. You likely know the differences between the US and CDN trucks but if you don't, I can give you the short list. Rob as both an owner and a maintainer would have all the answers. My experience is from learning the hard way in the early days with no manuals and only militia experience. Its all good fun. If you plan to strip to the frame and running gear, its a great time to do the wiring harnesses, fuel lines and brake lines. Brian Asbury had the wheel cylinders and some other parts that you may need.
We'll be following along on your new adventure.

[Wayne Hingley]

I had some time today to remove the canopy over the cargo bed. I cleaned out all the mouse turds and pressure washed the truck inside and out.
I also realized the last three digits of the CFR are 242, and not 842 as I originally thought (242 was stenciled on the back of the driver's seat, so I went back and rechecked the frame stamp - sure enough, I had misread it the first time).

A couple of holes were cut in the front left area of the cargo box... should be easy to repair.