Military Vehicles, March 1997,: M-37 Advice

M-37 Advice

rbong@cda.com
Thu, 06 Mar 97 16:00:03 EST

I need some advice/info regarding a M-37:

I looked at a M-37 sitting on a farm. I believe it used to be a brush
truck at one time. It last ran in the last year. The body is in good
shape (two dents in the hood is about it) and no rust. The engine,
tranny, drive train are questionable since it didn't start (could be
due to drained batts). There is no canvas on it, so everything has
been exposed to the elements.

Brakes: The brake fluid has leaked out, since the pedal goes all the
way to the "metal."

Tranny and Drive Train: I did not inspect the transfer cases and
tranny to see if any water leaked into them (as a result of no canvas)
and froze up thus possibly causing the cases to crack. What should I
look for? (I didn't know about looking into this until Jim Rice gave
me this advise --thx again, Jim).

The tires appear to be decent and inflated.
The antifreeze looks bright green and the radiator appears to have no
leaks since the level of antifreeze was near the top.

I didn't check the oil. ( a mistake--although I would drain it and
drop the oil pan to remove any deposits)

What should I do to try to get the thing out of there? What
oil/fluids would be proper/compatible for the truck? How does one go
about bleeding the breaks? How do you know if the master cylinder is
shot?

Getting under the thing represents a challenge, as there are thorn
weeds growing under and around it--enough to tear up a pair of levi's!

I realize the best thing to do is haul the thing out of there onto a
flatbed. What can I expect to pay to drive it 200 miles up to where I
live?

Any advice for a novice would be greatly appreciated.

Russell Bong
Rbong@cda.com