From: Bjorn Brandstedt (super_deuce@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Jun 15 2003 - 06:36:15 PDT
Morning MV'ers,
We finally fired up the 1953 M37, on it's 50th anniversary, no less. It was
brought home from the Floyd county HS automotive shop a couple of weeks ago.
We put it in the garage so that we could work on it (working indoors makes a
LOT of difference). We replaced 100% of the wiring, cleaned up the light
fixtures, re-wired the instrument panel, installed a turnsignal switch and
started to check out the engine. The vehicle belongs to my son (15) and he
loves working on the truck. Living in the country, his class mates can't
often come over to help out, so I do what I can to keep things going. Adrian
singlehandedly rebuilt the carburetor and the double action fuel pump. He
didnt have a re-build kit for the fuel pump, but it was taken apart, cleaned
and reassembled.
We are still working on the fuel tank, so we placed a container of gas about
level with the tank location and inserted the newly installed fuel line in
it. The priming lever on the fuel pump worked great.
A fuel pressure gauge was installed in the line feeding the carburetor.
We checked the timing (the engine had been taken apart at the High School)
and are ready to fire it up.
Adrian turns on the ignition switch and steps on the starter "button". With
a small dose of starting fluid it comes alive. Goosebumps! It sounds like an
old radial airplane engine (we don't have an exhaust pipe/muffler
installed).
We run the engine for several minutes, checking for leaks and find some,
nothing serious. Great!
The truck was hauled out of a cattle field, where it had been resting for
20+ years, about 3 miles from here two years ago. Not much was done to it
until it was taken to the HS back in January. It was a "basket case". The
kids replaced almost all suspension/steering parts and removed the welded-on
sheet metal hard top. The bed was completeley rusted away and new cross
members and deck was built.
The troop seats needed new wood, which we custom made from air dried oak
using the original slats as templets.
This M37 now sports a MERDEC camo pattern, which is what the kids like. It's
not a show vehicle, we are just restoring it to a running condition and
loving it.
By the way, the fuel tank was also rusted out, huge holes on top. We cut
most of the top off with a fine toothed sawzall, cleaned it and coated 100%
of the inside with fiberglass, we made a new top, which we will permanently
install to make the fuel tank whole again (more fiberglass). A fuel level
sending unit has been installed in the top using blind threaded inserts,
"rivnuts".
The question I have: The fuel pressure recorded was only 1.5 to 2 psi. Is
that close to correct? It seems a bit low. Is it possible that the cam may
be worn to a point where the fuel pump lever is not fully deflected? The
truck has about 60,000 (rough) miles on the odometer.
Thanks,
Bjorn
MVPA 19212
Meadows of Dan, Virginia (where it is still raining once or twice a day)
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