1963 Dodge M37B1

Dodge M37B1 1963 Description

1963 Dodge M37B1 Cargo Truck. This truck is mostly complete, except for the passenger seat cushion assembly, no spare tire and an incomplete gas can mount on the right front fender. The odometer shows 31,100 miles. The date of delivery was July 1963. I often wonder if I may have seen this exact truck when I was in Vietnam.

Prior to acquiring this truck years ago, I had a very nice 1953 M37 that my nephew always admired. He wanted one of his own, so I bought this one for him. We drove it to our farm, where he fooled with it off and on for a couple of years, until other things, like girls, became more interesting. It has been sitting in a corncrib orold cattle shed ever since. It is time to let someone else enjoy it.

The truck apparently had been sitting out for some time when I acquired it, resulting in the wood cargo seats deteriorating. (All of the hardware is present, so the wood slats are an easy replacement.) The soft top was mostly in shreds, which caused the exposed plywood base and back cushion cover on the passenger seat to rot away. The driver’s seat cover is mostly gone, but the foam seems to be in surprisingly good condition. (The foam may not be original.)

The truck has an “anti-theft” device on the floor under the steering wheel. It was common in Vietnam to loop a chain that was welded to the floor through the steering wheel and padlock it so no scoundrel from another unit could take the truck for a joy ride.

Remarkably, there is no rust in the bed or cab from the exposure to weather. The only rust I can find on the truck is where the base of the folding windshield rests on the cowl, and apparently trapped moisture between the base of the windshield and the cowl. When the windshield is folded, a series of small rust holes concealed by the base of the folding windshield can be seen. The holes do not show when the windshield is upright.

When I went to move the truck from a corncrib to the cattle shed several years ago, the fuel pump had failed, so I rigged up a gravity fuel feed and drove it out to the cattle shed and backed it in, where it sat until I pulled it out to take the attached pictures. I will hook up the gravity fuel feed so the successful bidder can drive it onto a trailer, if the successful bidder brings two strongbatteries to start it.

The side window glass is perfect, but the windshield glass is delaminating at the bottom of each pane. The brakes do not work. A simple trailer hitch has been welded to the back of the truck, which can be easily removed if desired. The M37B1 had the spare tire mount on the driver’s door, but this truck thankfully has the old style spare mount in the bed. There is no spare tire.

Four additional serviceable tires and wheels are available to the successful bidder for an additional $200.

I kept the genuine GI bed canvas enclosure from my M37 when I sold it. The successful bidder may buy the complete bed cover, which consists of three bows, the main canvas, and both end flaps, with the original ropes still attached. A brief check of the various canvas reproducers seems to show that reproduction canvas bed cover alone would cost over $600, and that does not include the bows. (I saw no bows being offered by any canvas vendor.) The successful bidder may buy the complete bed cover assembly as described for $600.

My nephew acquired a genuine GI heater assembly that the successful bidder may also buy for $200.00. I cannot guarantee the heater is complete, but appears to be. (The truck has some kind of heater mounted under the dash and wired to one battery.)

My nephew also acquired a hardtop kit. The kit uses the CCKW hardtop with adaptors to fit it to the narrower M37 cab. It goes with the truck. It was never installed and is not complete.

The truck is located near Castana, Iowa. The truck is sold as is, where is, as shown, with no warranties of any kind, and no return privilege. A non-refundable $500 deposit is required within 24 hours of close. Certified funds required within seven days of close. Buyer must arrange to pick up or ship the truck. Payment must clear before the buyer can take possession. Title is clear and will be signed over to the successful bidder upon full payment.

Please email with any questions. Please do not ask me to call you. Thank you for considering this nice old M37.