Razorback 1,337 #9726 Posted 3 hours ago 10 minutes ago, Blue Chips said: I'm making slow but steady progress on the M37 engine overhaul. The new pistons and exhaust valves just arrived. The valves are 21-4N stainless steel, and I've asked the machine shop to install new hardened exhaust valve seat inserts to pair with the new exhaust valves (we haven't decided what kind of inserts yet, maybe sintered metal), so the engine will be properly set up for using unleaded fuel. The shop will be boring the cylinders .020" to pair with the .020 Silv-O-Lite pistons, which are a hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloy that expands less when heated, so they are sized for a closer fit in the bore, and the silicon helps keep combustion heat in the chamber. They came with new piston pins (floating type), and I'll check the piston pin bushings in the connecting rods and replace the bushings if necessary. I just ordered a set of .020" oversize Grant piston rings. I'm also gradually moving ahead on the chassis and cab work. After removing the cab with my engine hoist, I rolled the chassis out of the garage and lifted out the transfer case with my front-end loader, since my engine hoist is still hooked up to the cab. The transfer case was covered with a thick layer of decades-old hardened dirt and oil that was about as tough as epoxy (or so it seemed at the time). Here's how it looked after SIX cycles of de-greasing and pressure washing. Not too bad, but there is still some dirt left to be removed, and of course I'll make sure it's spotless before opening it up to see how things look internally. Hopefully it will be in good shape, but I'll replace anything that may be needed. At the bare minimum I would be replacing all six seals and all gaskets. I still have to finish cleaning up the portion of the frame hat was under the cab. As mentioned, the frame is actually in pretty nice shape. I just need to sand a few small areas of light surface rust, de-grease it again, pressure wash it again, let it dry thoroughly for a few days, and then prime and paint it, followed by all-new grease fittings and a thorough lube job. BTW, the olive drab paint you can see on the part of the frame that was under the cab is the original paint. Not bad for 72 years old. It's raining off and on today, and I'm taking a bit of a break. Should be nice weather tomorrow, and I hope to get moving again on the frame cleanup. This looks like an awesome project, on a vehicle I wish I had!!!! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blue Chips 767 #9727 Posted 3 hours ago 1 minute ago, Razorback said: This looks like an awesome project, on a vehicle I wish I had!!!! It's a fun vehicle to work on, and there are still a lot of them around if you're ready for a new project . 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Razorback 1,337 #9728 Posted 3 hours ago 4 minutes ago, Blue Chips said: It's a fun vehicle to work on, and there are still a lot of them around if you're ready for a new project . I'll have to force myself to fight that urge..... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
