C8 progress in Texas

[Alex van de Wetering]

David, Excellent work on the dash! I can certainly use this as a guide when I get to refurbish my gauge cluster....although my speedo gauge was lying rusted on the cabin floor with the needle missing in action.

I have attached a few pics of my C8 dash to add to the discussion.

Alex

[Lynn Eades]

Well there it is. The light belongs there. You'd better retrieve your light from the bin David.

[David DeWeese]

Thanks a million, Alex!
A picture is truly worth a thousand words! Thanks everyone for all your help.
The little light goes back on....
Thanks, David

[Alex van de Wetering]

No Problem David. I checked some pictures this morning and Nick Bullock's C8 also has the light So, I recon it is a real wartime configuration.

Alex

[aj.lec]

It amazes me the amount of variations in the same model vehicles
Neither of the c8's of mine have a hole for a light or vacuum line
I suppose it could be a differences specified for each country demand vehicles ?

[Max Hedges]

We have the same light on our Cab 11

Andrew the Cab 12 has a fold out windscreen and therefore the vacuum wiper line had to be run in another spot. On fords it ran up the right hand side of the cab support post (or 'A pillar'). Chevs, dunno where it went.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I checked and my C8 had the light there too. They say the memory is the first thing to go, don't they?

[aj.lec]

Originally Posted by Max Hedges

We have the same light on our Cab 11

Andrew the Cab 12 has a fold out windscreen and therefore the vacuum wiper line had to be run in another spot. On fords it ran up the right hand side of the cab support post (or 'A pillar'). Chevs, dunno where it went.

Ahh That makes sense
Was forgeting it is a cab11 C8
Both mine are cab 12

[David DeWeese]

Hi,
Dissasembled and sandblasted my inner and outer windshield frames this weekend. The inner one looked solid until blasting, which opened up a couple of big nasty holes in the lower corners.
Used construction epoxy that is used to mount bolts in concrete to fill the the lower windshield frame problem areas, as I didn't want to end up making bigger holes by trying to weld up the thin metal with the mig.
Sanded epoxy, primed and painted the frames.....
Very glad to have serviceable winshield frames to work with!
Thanks, David

[David DeWeese]

My steering wheel has some major cracks, so ground out all the problem areas with a grinder, and filled them with the same structural epoxy that I used on the windshield frame. Used body filler in the imperfections and sprayed several coats of black epoxy sealer on top.
Should the steering wheel be gloss or satin?
Thanks, David

[David DeWeese]

Was in need of a replacement fuel tank toggle switch lever for my existing switch.
Looked like another of those unobtainable items for an 11/12 cab, so found a replacement until I can locate an original..
Looked around in my junk and came up with an old M-series vacuum wiper motor with an interesting lever, then modified it to fit the original C8 tank switch.
Looks pretty convincing at ten feet away...
Thanks, David

[jaap de wit]

david ad vintage car parts webside there is a lamp for sale that looks like yours I think. the hole it needs is 10 mm.
so if there are more people who want this lamp take a look at the webside.
cheers jaap

[Bob Carriere]

Even with a cab 12..... when the windshield...ahem I mean windscreen... is opened forward don't you still have a central pillar in place that can hold the vacuum line similar to a cab 13....?

....or is the Holden models done differently...?

Still trying to learn about CMPs..

Boob

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Even with a cab 12..... when the windshield...ahem I mean windscreen... is opened forward don't you still have a central pillar in place that can hold the vacuum line similar to a cab 13....?

....or is the Holden models done differently...?

Still trying to learn about CMPs..

Boob

There is no centre pillar on cab 12 CMP's either Chev or Ford as the hinged windscreen is one piece rather then the 2 piece cab 13 one. Holden only built cab 13 models not the 12 cab which were either imported fully built up or as complete CKD

[Max Hedges]

Bob, Cliff is on the money
Max

[Bob Carriere]

.... I will be at the barn tomorrow evening to check my two cab 12,,,,, be darn I never noticed that before.....???

Thanks for the edification...... it's all in the details...details...details

Boob

[Max Hedges]

Yá gunna hav ta come down under to old Oz so we can show ya cannucks a blitz or two and further your edumication on the finer points of these wonderful old trucks.

MaX

[jaap de wit]

Originally Posted by David DeWeese

Thanks a million, Alex!
A picture is truly worth a thousand words! Thanks everyone for all your help.
The little light goes back on....
Thanks, David

he david this is a bit late maybe but when I read this thread again, I notished that my C15, cab 11 has a whole for the light aswell so it is not only for a C8 i think. just want to let you know.
cheers jaap

[David DeWeese]

Thanks very much for the photo, Jaap!
Been out of pocket for the last few weeks on a vacation with my daughter in Colorado. After the family fun was over, it was time for me to have a little fun of my own...
Still lots of old iron to be found.
Am trying to locate the owner of this very nice GP Jeep in New Mexico. It was for sale, but the sign had rotted off the windshield and the phone number was unreadable.
The AFKX 352 I have known about in Wyoming for a few years now, but it was a little pricey, and would take a low-boy equipment trailer to move legally, so I decided to pass it on to a man with the money to do it up correctly. Found it's sister in an old scrap yard the next day. They were both apparently used as rural school buses in the area years ago. I have a friend trying to deal with the eldery lady who owns the yard, so we'll see what happens.
Picked up this very straight 1.5 ton ex USAF Chev, but had to leave it in Nebraska. Will probably go back for it later in the summer.
Also found this modified T-16 and several half tracks in Nebraska, so will try and find out more information on these when I return to the area.
Thanks, David

[David DeWeese]

Hi,
Received a set of nice toggle switch plates and a dash jewel for the C8 from Brian Asbury, (thanks again, Brian), and found a set of suitable ball-end toggle switches from the local hardware store.
After looking through some cab 11 dash photos, I have a question about the order of the switches. I placed them as "instrument", "tail" and "stop", but would that be the correct order for a cab 11?
Thanks, David

[Bob Carriere]

...picture taken at Coe Hill in 2005...... although truck had termianl cancer the interior still showed a good instrument/switch layout..... now this is a C8 and maybe different for a C15a.....

[Bob Carriere]

...so which one to believe....

This one is from my own cab11 C15a.....

First is STOP..... second is TAIL... and the 3rd one is a double sided swithc with a neutral in the middle labelled INST........

[David DeWeese]

Thanks a lot Bob for the photos!
I'm going to go with the switch order on your truck in the second photo as it looks to be unmolested. Wonder why the three position switch on the instrument lights?
Someone spent a lot of time and effort labeling all the controls in the first photo. Enlarged the photo a bit and it looked like the first toggle switch was labelled "heater"? Couldn't make out the others.
Thanks again, David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by jaap de wit

david ad vintage car parts webside there is a lamp for sale that looks like yours I think. the hole it needs is 10 mm.
so if there are more people who want this lamp take a look at the webside.
cheers jaap

Can you provide a link or web site for this?

[Bob Carriere]

Hi David

Now that you raised the question, I went back and using the photoshop contrast adjustment, I have determined the following......

On the white paint labelling which I always believed to be original.....

Well the first one labelled heater says STOP on the small plate.....like mine.

The second one showing Plate.... which I think meant the light for the license plate at the rear...... I could not make out the small metal tag...

...but the last one labelled panel shows a faded INSTR on the small switch plate and is a similar 2 way switch going left or right and a central detent position....agian like mine.

I have a few other cab 11 that I can check but it is dark outside right now.

My conclusion is that the pattern shown on my cab 11 is probably original..... I would defer to Saleman Bob in Aussie land to confirm...... mind you all the Aussie switches are mounted upside down......

Boob

[jaap de wit]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

Can you provide a link or web site for this?

Bruce the webside for this dashlight is www.vintagecarparts.co.uk
and I have seen it on dirk leegwater his webside www.lwdparts.com in the armoured car part.
I hope this helps.
cheers jaap

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi all - hadn't followed this thread to date until I received a heads up from Alex in Kalgoorlie.

Firstly David, it is good to see someone else brave enough to dissemble and refurbish a speedometer. I know what you went through, I have done at least twenty to date and each one is as difficult as the next. Had a look at the Chevs of the '40s site, very good. I notice that the speedometer decal was a "Bright Lights" one? Was that appropriate for your cluster, or should it have been a "Dim Lights" one. I ask anyone who has an original Cab 11 cluster if they would check on this aspect as I am trying to date when "Bright Lights" came in. At least I now know what a Chev Cab 11 instrument configuration looks like. Still working on the Ford variables.

Bob

[David DeWeese]

Hello Bob,
The instrument cluster I used came from a '46 model. My original was so rusted that the speedo was unreadable. Never noticed about that "dim light- bright light" difference before...
Received a serial number plate for the C8 yesterday from Dirk Leegwater,(thanks, Dirk!). Very nice!
Metal was too thick to emboss the number from the back side like original, but no one around here has the ability to do that anyway.
Pulled out one of those label makers and some aluminum tape to try my hand at putting the information on the plate myself. Worked OK, but wasn't enough room for the last digit on the engine number.
At least I can pull it all off if another option arises, plus this way I haven't permanently screwed up my plate.
Thanks, David

[Bob Carriere]

1940 Chev C15A cab 11 says..."BRIGHT LIGHTS"

I have other pcitures of HUP from Halifax with same lettering...

I also have a circa 1941 GMC that says Bright lights......

Boob

[David DeWeese]

Hi,
Hotter than Hell here in Texas, but in spite of it actually made good visual progress on the truck this weekend. Only advantage to the heat is my paint dries very fast!
Pulled the truck out of it's corner of the shop for the first time in months. It's actually starting to look like a vehicle again instead of just a very interesting pile of parts.
Cut and prepared new wood strips for the floor plates and primed, painted and installed the floor plates for good. Had to trim the large floor plate to accomodate the new SM420 transmission, but removed much less material than I had expected.
One thing I am noticing is as I install more cab components, the room for the driver is going away fast! Also installed glass in the windshield frame, but can't install the frame for good as roof components have to be put on the outer windshield frame first. Next weekend for that...
Thanks, David