These are utilitarian. These are heavy. They are hard to own and harder to find parts for. They are noisy and underpowered.
They're old, full of rattles, leaks & creaks & groans. They only have a top speed of 55MPH.
They aren't stylish, they aren't pretty.
So who in their right mind would want one of these things?
Me, I do. Want to know why?
Because they are bada$$. They make a down low grunt that can haul an anti tank gun up a mountain.
They can pull a half track out of the mud in the middle of nowhere. They helped win wars, build bridges, save lives, put out fires and lots of these have survived all of this, only to sit in the back of buildings on an industrial estate, unused, retired and ignored.
Power Wagons, in the USA are going up in value. This is an M37, probably the least valuable, most unloved style of power wagon.
They have always spoken to me. Fully restored and updated power wagons of the right year range, can sell for 250K.
That's not what this is. It's a giant hunk of steel in the shape of a boxy looking old Jeep. It's 9 hours from where I am.
Sitting on ebay Motors, looking at cool old junk- I placed a "best offer" bid on something. When I woke up the next morning I found I was the proud new owner of this:
I still have to actually pay for the thing, but the required emails have been sent, waiting on telephone contact.
Until the shipper is on the way to pick it up and the title is in my hand, the deal isn't done- at least as far as I'm concerned.
The reason for this whole deal is because I found another cheap "engine makes a sound like a bag of hammers in a washing machine" AWD Hemi Truck.
I was just going to buy it, sit on it, leaving it parked until I needed it for another international. The current Hemi #4 international build has progressed just fine, it stalled out waiting on someone else to send me parts for the engine, but that should all be back on track this week. I can't wait to get back on that International build, I don't like waiting on anybody. Supposedly, there is another Hemi International build waiting in the wings AFTER #4, but Hemi #4, the green one- comes first.
Annnyywaaayyy....
I saw this Hemi truck online DIRT CHEAP and early Sunday morning, I made the deal and just like that- I owned a lovely black & gray storage shed for me to put parts into:
Meanwhile- My good buddy Chris (here in the UK) did some searching around and found this picture somewhere and I instantly became all fired up about this M37 Build;
Now that one, is big money. The yellow one you'll see in the pics down below, took the guy almost 4 years full time, and it's basically a more modern Dodge Cummins diesel 4x4 under it. Value? Yeah, way north of 50k GBP I'll bet. Mine? It might not even get paint.
This gives you the story. What I bought, (or at least if the damn deal completes itself lol) and what I've got planned for it.
The yellow truck above, took over three years. I want Hemi #4 done and shipped out, and this M37 well on it's way to running in three months.
Really, both done in 3 months would be good, but I have other stuff to do besides these, that'll never happen.
But I'm on it.
To paint or not to paint....
