relatively new to Maine and have a new project truck which is my first go at restoring. I purchased a '51 Dodge M37 from my town's VFD. I am not doing an original restoration which has a lot of the military guys a bit miffed, but want to take some hot rodding techniques and do a nice restomod that I will be able to DD. It desperately needs a new drivetrain as the 90bhp flathead 6 is barely able to keep the thing out of its own way. Would love to meet some guys around me and might be able to help me with some of the aspects of this restomod that I have never done before. https://www.facebook.com/tmnelson1004/media_set?set=a.10153134056735134.502570133&type=3 Here's a link to the album with the pictures I've taken so far. Desperately need to add the updated pictures to the album, but it's coming along
Welcome to the HAMB, from Chillie Central VA! You know it's your truck, you saved it, do w/it what you like. Don't forget to upgrade the brakes! BTW I sent you a friend Request on fb.
Welcome! sweet truck, I would vote for a 360 Mopar or 5.9 Cummins. Definitely gonna need some new gears out back too, if you want to do more than 50 on the highway. Should have a 230 in it now? Dependable but not a Hotrod.
welcome ! that's a nice truck and its yours do as you want, those that say no after your done will end up saying- that's just what I would have done. Enjoy
unfortunately the big diesels are both too heavy and too big. It's a good sized engine bay but the 5.9 is quite long and I was debating on a Ford IDI but it's still quite a bit too heavy. There is a guy locally that has an Isuzu 4bd2t and he said he'll sell the engine and tranny for $1500 straight out of the npr truck it's in. The 318/360 have been on my mind as the v8 possibilities but instead of about 20mpg that the diesel would get I'd be around half that. I'm hoping to find a bit cheaper Isuzu diesel without the tranny and adapt a Ford ZF5 as it is a lot shorter than the NV4500's that everyone is using.
Welcome to ya & Walter...I reckon the problem with the M37 is that you've got low gearing & an engine that develops max torque just off of idle, so the beast is designed to be a stump puller as opposed to a tire burner. I've heard a few Cummins 4cyl TDIs running around, if I didn't have so many flathead 6s in the front yard, I'd try that route myself. But it is your truck, I say do what ya want with it...you pay for it, you drive it, you live with it
Welcome and I would vote for a Cummins 4bt. Can find them in old delivery trucks. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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