Photo: Benny Kirk
Not every military 4x4 starts off in life as a machine of war and winds up on the streets of civilian America. Sometimes, it's the other way around.
Look no further than this spectacularly well-preserved 1950s Dodge M37 utility truck seen on display outside the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York. What makes the Airpower Museum so special is that it's a living museum in most non-literal senses of the word.
Many of the two-dozen or so aircraft on display here at the former site of the Republic Aviation production facility are flight-capable, and have been up in the air as recently as a few months ago as of late fall 2021. You can even have a seat inside some of them if you ask politely. So it only fits that museum staff would let you behind the wheel of this truck too.
The Dodge M37 was a bit like the U.S. Army's idea of aftermarket custom-tuned car mods. The truck has its roots in the very civilian and very sought-after Dodge Power Wagon, and the two trucks shared vital drivetrain components, like the 251 cu-in. (4.1-liter) straight-six engine. Make no mistake, though, this is not some farmer's truck that the U.S. Army decided to fit some armor plating onto. The M37 shares zero sheet metal in common with the Power Wagon, so this is a bonafide military pickup truck first, and a modified Power Wagon a very distant second.
The U.S. military found all sorts of different uses for the plucky little truck, including ambulance service, mobile radar communication posts, and even fire engines. These trucks were employed in combat zones from the early days of the Korean War up until the end of the Vietnam War. Many tasks once delegated to M37s were taken over by the AM General Humvee in the early 80s.
In the off-roading department, there wasn't much for American personnel to complain about. The 1:1 and 1.96:1 high and low range transfer case and diff locks ensured the truck had every chance of powering through thick mud or up rocky terrain.
The M37 pickup parked in front of the American Airpower Museum looks right at home next to some of the aircraft it served alongside. Like the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and Grumman A-6 Intruder. On first entering the cabin of this truck, it's blatantly obvious that the U.S. Army's foremost thought wasn't comfort when they ordered 150,000 or so of them. It's spartan and utilitarian in every sense of the word.
The interior consists of rough canvas seats, only the most basic of gauge readouts, a gear shifter, and controls for the four-wheel-drive system. That's about all the Army had room in the budget for. But if you suspected anything more from an Army Truck, you only have yourself to blame.
Our thanks go out to the staff at the American Airpower Museum, and be sure to check back for more from our trip right here on Autoevolution.
Many of the two-dozen or so aircraft on display here at the former site of the Republic Aviation production facility are flight-capable, and have been up in the air as recently as a few months ago as of late fall 2021. You can even have a seat inside some of them if you ask politely. So it only fits that museum staff would let you behind the wheel of this truck too.
The Dodge M37 was a bit like the U.S. Army's idea of aftermarket custom-tuned car mods. The truck has its roots in the very civilian and very sought-after Dodge Power Wagon, and the two trucks shared vital drivetrain components, like the 251 cu-in. (4.1-liter) straight-six engine. Make no mistake, though, this is not some farmer's truck that the U.S. Army decided to fit some armor plating onto. The M37 shares zero sheet metal in common with the Power Wagon, so this is a bonafide military pickup truck first, and a modified Power Wagon a very distant second.
The U.S. military found all sorts of different uses for the plucky little truck, including ambulance service, mobile radar communication posts, and even fire engines. These trucks were employed in combat zones from the early days of the Korean War up until the end of the Vietnam War. Many tasks once delegated to M37s were taken over by the AM General Humvee in the early 80s.
In the off-roading department, there wasn't much for American personnel to complain about. The 1:1 and 1.96:1 high and low range transfer case and diff locks ensured the truck had every chance of powering through thick mud or up rocky terrain.
The M37 pickup parked in front of the American Airpower Museum looks right at home next to some of the aircraft it served alongside. Like the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and Grumman A-6 Intruder. On first entering the cabin of this truck, it's blatantly obvious that the U.S. Army's foremost thought wasn't comfort when they ordered 150,000 or so of them. It's spartan and utilitarian in every sense of the word.
The interior consists of rough canvas seats, only the most basic of gauge readouts, a gear shifter, and controls for the four-wheel-drive system. That's about all the Army had room in the budget for. But if you suspected anything more from an Army Truck, you only have yourself to blame.
Our thanks go out to the staff at the American Airpower Museum, and be sure to check back for more from our trip right here on Autoevolution.
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