Zach Nattrass lifts up the hood of his truck and points out the engine to a war veteran.
The engine looks just as clean and new as the day the truck pulled off of the assembly line ? 54 years ago.
Zach and his dad, Keith, have spent the last 13 months working on remodeling a 1954 M37 Dodge truck.
Keith wanted Zach to work on his own truck to appreciate it.
‘It was supposed to be the first car I was going to drive to high school,? said Zach, who is now a senior. ‘Now I can’t drive it to school. The parking lot is too dangerous.?
When the two found the truck down in Ohio it was covered in white paint and rusty with only 31,000 miles on it. They took it for a test drive, heard the creaks and various other problems and decided to save a piece of history from the scrap yard.
‘We had no idea what we were getting into,? said Zach.
The pair took the truck apart until the frame was empty and the pieces were laid out in the garage and laid the electronics in the floor of the basement. They sandblasted parts and removed seven layers of paint of the truck’s body, which protected it from rusting.
They found all of the original parts to the vehicle. Most of the parts were found online, and in stores neighboring states at a jeep surplus store in Columbiaville, Ohio and Midwest Military in Minnesota.
Keith wanted a vehicle his son could appreciate more because he worked on it.
‘I learned a lot from it. I didn’t know how an engine worked,? said Zach. ‘I knew a little bit about cars but not the depth of what I learned.?
They downloaded all of the original drawings, found all of the original manuals and worked from there. Zach even used his project as an assignment for school.
During the school year he worked on it every day. Zach spent up to eight hours a day during the summer on it.
Now he knows exactly what is wrong with it if something turns off.
‘The whole truck can be taken apart with 10 wrenches,? said Zach.
‘And we have proven it,? Keith added.
Zach and Keith went to local machine shops for help when they didn’t know the answer. Clarkston Radiator redid the tank, Springfield Automotive helped with sandblasting, and Morgan’s Complete Auto Service is adjusting the engine for them.
They also found themselves taking daily to Ace.
‘Ace is definitely the place,? said Keith.
The only thing they deviated on was electronics and lights for backup lights and a cargo light. The changes blend in easily and are reversible.
After finishing the truck, Zach decided he wanted to give back to the veterans who served in the Korean and Vietnam War and used the trucks and give back to history.
‘I wanted to show them they are still around and people are still using them,?
Now he takes it to senior centers, veteran shows, parades, and reenactments.
The truck’s last public appearances were at Clarkston’s Homecoming game. Keith drove the ‘Wolf? in the leading car of the caravan of vehicles carrying the Homecoming Court to the field.
Most of the reactions they have received have been amazement to the quality of the truck and but they get a lot of surprised reactions it was a teenager who put a lot of the effort into the truck.
‘For a lot of the guys brings back memories from when they served and drove one of these,? said Zach. ‘A couple guys have shared memories, ‘oh I drove one of these. It’s nice to see they are still around.??
While researching their particular truck, they did find the number for the truck. They couldn’t find the identification for the truck ? where it would be located for the Army and what it was used for.
Zach took the identification number from one of his favorite books, Bands of Brothers ? 101AB 506 EC 25 which is 101st Airborne 506 Regiment, Easy Company truck 25.
The truck fit with Zach’s interest in the army. He had always watched the history channel, liked reenactments, and visited museums.
He has also applied to the Air Force Academy.
‘It kind of fit,? said Zach. ‘I always liked the military. I might as well get a military car for my first car.?
The M37 can reach the speed of 42 miles per hour, so Zach stays off the highway, and it gets 5-9 miles to a gallon.
While Zach worked for Habitat for Humanity, he told a few older gentlemen he was working on a M37.
‘It was nice to connect with these guys,? he said.
Zach plays the tenor drums in Clarkston High School’s marching band and plays baseball. He is taking AP Physics and AP Calculus at CSMTech and has a 3.1 GPA.
Zach and his truck are schedule to be at the Independence Township Senior Center on Nov. 5 for their Veteran’s Recognition Lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be at the Orion Senior Center as they honor Veteran’s Day with a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 10.
Zach can be contacted to visit senior centers or special events. He can provide a slide show or bring the M37 for an appearance. Email him at ArmyM37@comcast.net.