How To: Restoration of Ford M8 armoured car US Ordnance number 7373

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I am rebuilding the traverse mechanism with some new bearings and some fresh paint. Just awaiting a new hand wheel cover and shifter button coming from Brent Mullins.

I've also stripped down the brake slave cylinders and done a tidy up on some of the brake parts I have. Still lots to do on these.

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I did a strip down of the turret seating assembly. They are not in too bad a shape considering. Both seat towers will need a new piece of box channel cut for the back and new rollers on the seats. There is enough left of the mount at the bottom for a template to make two new ones up.

I’ve ordered some new springs from Brent Mullins and I’ll make up some retainers for the bottom to hold the springs in. The turret seating frame will need straightening along with a bit of new pipe.

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I’ve also been following Rick’s lead in using a molasses mixture to remove some of the rust from the more heavily corroded items that I have for the M8.

I’ve attached some before and after photos. I’ve experimented with a 10-1 mix and an 8-1 mix and both gave similar results for me. I gave the few bits I've done a light wirewheel after drying and it brings the steel up very shiny.

What I like about it is that it is non-toxic and you can safely leave it to do its thing in the garage. It also gets into places that a sandblaster can’t and it really leaves nuts, bolts and threads nice and clean. It will not remove paint or grease, but if the paint is flaking, I’ve found it will lift that flaky paint off. I have some bigger and more corroded items in the molasses now so I'll report back on how they go.

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Hi all,

I am hopeful the M8 hull will be progressed in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I have been working on tidying up small jobs like the grenade boxes, 37mm spare parts box, steering box and assorted gun parts.

I also rebuilt the 37mm elevation mechanism. It appears that the turret was a range target at some point. The elevation mechanism has a small arms hole through one side of the casting, through the centre shaft and out through the other side of the casting. There is also some other bullet damage to it. Fortunately the projectile missed the gears themselves. I cleaned up the entry and exit holes on the shaft and replaced the bearings at each end of the main shaft. Although the main gear is now a little out of round, I got it all to work again. It is not 100% smooth and although I wouldn't trust it in combat, it is working.

I am looking for the knob that bolts to the large adjustment wheel on the side if anyone has a spare.

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More photos.

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Hi all,

The job on the hull has had to be put off until after the Xmas break now so in the meantime I am still focussing on a lot of the small jobs with this.

As you can see from the photos, I’ve done some more painting on some of the interior parts as well as the gun parts that I had cleaned up in molasses.

I stripped all the turret hold down roller assemblies. As you can see I am missing one, and one in particular is pretty stuffed. I am on the lookout for a replacement for that one plus another one I need to make up the eight required. I’ll need to fabricate the vertical roller and pin for all of them as well as up the horizontal roller for another three of them.

I pulled the two turret support rollers out of the hull. Once out, one came apart fairly easily and both it and the housing are soaking in molasses. The other one looks like it is quite corroded and refuses to come apart so far. It is also soaking now for the Xmas break. I have another bearing housing which is very tidy and a contact has a bearing put aside for me. I am on the lookout for the gudgeon for that bearing though.

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I had a look at the FT-237 radio mount and the radio tray. As you can see there is a fair bit of work in restoring the FT-237 so I have put that to one side at present while I concentrate on some of the other stuff.

Merry Xmas!