C8 data plate

[cletrac (RIP)]

Colin, your engine has the positive crankcase ventilation system that came out on the military trucks in mid 1940. The really early ones just used the road draft tube like the civvy units and had the little slits in the tappet cover. All the other accessories I can see seem to be military too. David Hayward says it's a 1940 production military head so now all that's left is to check the block casting numbers that are kind of hidden by the starter. Some of the motors have the serial number stamped by the distributor but a lot of them don't from what I've seen. If the head was late 1940 it could be the original one for your Cab 12.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Colin R
I've now got round to getting my hands dirty on my C8 and have taken a few photos of the engine bay so I could ask you guys to help ID it.

Yep, that's a C8 engine bay all right!

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

We should need please:

a) Engine number off of the pad off the block
b) Casting number off the block
c) Casting date code off of the block
d) Casting date code off the cylinder head...it's on the flat part of the head and readable with cover off.

[Colin R]

Cheers gents appreciated, especially Geoff for the positive confirmation
I'll try to get those details asap, amongst ordering the new gaskets etc.
Any idea the best place to order the mentioned parts, ideally uk based? Don’t really want to get into cutting my own gaskets.

[cletrac (RIP)]

On my C8 the rear window molding is on the outside of the cab and on my spare cab it's on the inside. The picture is the one I'm restoring. It even has all the twist thingies to attach the canvas speaking tube. If anyone wants any measurements off this setup just let me know. Does anyone have a definitive answer of which side the molding should be on? In the picture it doesn't look like it was ever on the other side.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I just bought this remote for an 11 set on ebay for $36. I guess it's possible to get a good deal there. Now I just need the 11 set to go with it. It'll likely cost me more than $36 though.

[cletrac (RIP)]

Another C8 to add to the list. I didn't have my camera with me but it's a Cab 12 with roof hatch and 1B1 body. It has the wireless grounding straps under the hood but the box doesn't have any radio equipment mounting holes and it looks original.
Serial # 2842001139
Engine # 3766036
Body serial # 146
The above body # is on the data plate but the plate on the box has serial # 599
The truck is fairly complete but has been converted to 6 bolt pickup wheels. The owner is planning a restoration.
At another location I picked up a couple of 25 pounder 1945 dated ammo boxes with decent lettering still there. I also got a spare valves case for my 19 set but there's no contents.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I wonder what the TRIM section says? That has the engine # preffix: MR or WR. Thanks for that: C8 production was truncated as you know.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I made it back to the Cab 12 and took some pix. Note the spare tire holder in the front of the box and the rear window treatment.
I figured I might as well post the Dodge pic too and the ball turret. The turret has bullet feeds for two 50 cals but I'm not sure what it's off of. One of those would look good mounted hanging from a street light pole as a gate guard, wouldn't it?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I now have these in total. Production ended late 1941, so these were all 1942 MODELS but built in Fall 1941:


2842001130 ENGINE # MR3,765,943 BODY SERIAL # 155!
2842001139 ENGINE # MR3,766,036 BODY SERIAL # 146
2842001192 ENGINE # WR3,765,985
2842001330 ENGINE # WR3,766,091
2842001378
2842001395
2842001422
2842001427
2842001497

Note chassis 1139 has body 155, whereas the chassis about 30 minutes later down the line had body 146! I now need to check whether 1192 and 1330 actually had 'MR' engine ' prefixes and not 'WR'..I do wonder if MR was a mis-stamp for 'WR' which was appropriate and used on the heavier chassis. I have no other evidence of any 'MR'-prefixed engines.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by cletrac

I just bought this remote for an 11 set on ebay for $36. I guess it's possible to get a good deal there. Now I just need the 11 set to go with it. It'll likely cost me more than $36 though.

Those things turn up here regularly .. the Aust. ones were made by the PMG, or was it STC , anyway the PMG workshops ( PMG = public money grabbers or pigs meat and gravy ). The PMG was the Commonwealth owned post office and telephone company. We didn't have public telephone companies here til recently ...unlike the USA .

In New Zealand, it was even worse, they had a very weird setup, where the Govt. owned all of the radio broadcast stations .It was a commercial enterprise with paid adverts etc., but all owned by the Govt. Very odd and I've never heard of another case like that ... except in the 3rd world country run by a autocrat.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I found a well deteriorated original canvas cover for a 1B1 off a C8 and this is the stuff they had for windows. There's 32 threads per inch and the material is stiffer than canvas but it is cloth and it seemed to be a lighter green than the canvas. The piece in the pic is about 2 inches by 2 inches.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I traded away my spare 1A2 and loaded it on a semi heading to Ontario. Before letting it go I had to remove the POW carrier. The early 1A2s had one taillight with the POW carrier on the opposite back corner. If you were loading up for a mission in North Africa how would you decide whether to take petrol, oil, or water? The later 1A2s had two taillights so wouldn't have a POW holder. I guess you'd find a few empty spaces to hold a few extra cans.
The spare box had all the radio mounting holes but just holes to mount two seats. (my good one uses three seats) The POW carrier didn't look big enough to hold one of the cans so I checked the fit. Looks can be deceiving since the can fits.
In the pics the carrier is sitting on my 2B1s fender.

[david moore]

David
Re the C8 pictures you showed - did you get a close-up of the spare wheel holder? I have to make one up for my F8. The books show the spare wheel at the back left - or was that just for the radio version?

I note that your pics show that the upper part of the lidded containers have been removed?

The one box seat that came with my truck was in the rearmost position facing right.

Regarding the cab rear window frame - mine had the moulding on the outside with a rather crude flat sheet metal "frame" on the inside.

Last point - my body number is 48 ( 411AC 48 actually) and my del. date is 11/7/41 which I still maintain is 11th November not (US style) 7th July!

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by cletrac

I found a well deteriorated original canvas cover for a 1B1 off a C8 and this is the stuff they had for windows. There's 32 threads per inch and the material is stiffer than canvas but it is cloth and it seemed to be a lighter green than the canvas. The piece in the pic is about 2 inches by 2 inches.

The window mesh on British 8 cwts was apparently a woven brass material , or copper .
Mike

[Alex van de Wetering]

The window mesh on British 8 cwts was apparently a woven brass material , or copper .
Mike

Mike, that's an interesting subject you mention here and one that has been keeping me busy for a while now.
I have seen pics of a beautiful Humber 8cwt restored and fitted with a canvas sporting mesh windows. I also read that mesh is the original material used in WW2 window canvas.

But, does anyone know the story behind the mesh? I mean....they had clear plastic back then...as was used in cab side curtains. So, was mesh used on all trucks which had "windows" in their canvas? Was it a temporary feature of some canvas suppliers who lacked clear plastic for a certain period during production ? Or does it have something to do with the radio equipment??? I presume it's the last, but would love to hear other thoughts.

Alex