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

[Big D]

Hi all,

I have the hydraulic lines for the clutch and brakes fitted in place in the front of the M8 now. I was in the process of making up the lines for the clutch using 1/2" tube, as per the manual. Copper nickel 1/2" tube is available in the US but not easily available here in New Zealand. I finally found a brake specialist here who could supply it, so I made up a template out of 3/16" tube and asked the brake guy to make me the same thing in 1/2" tubing. I wasn't confident I'd be able to fold the 1/2" tube without any kinks so figured I'd get a specialist to do it. The other lines I did in 1/4" and 5/16" came out good but the 3/8" was getting a bit difficult to bend without kinks.

When I spoke to the brake guys, all their 'experts' asked “why the hell would you need 1/2" tubing for that clutch application?” I told them that's what the manual says and that's what the M8 used, so go to it and make me it please! However, they came back to me later and said that while they could supply the ½” tubing they were having a real battle getting fittings for a 1/2" tube to match the 1/2" UNF thread on the master cylinder.

I told them about Malcolm's experiences (http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=29422) in that his M8 had 5/16” hydraulic line for the clutch and it worked fine. The brake company owner came out and looked at my M8 and the master cylinder for the clutch and he also thought 3/8" or 5/16 " tube should do the job for the clutch. He went away and had a look at the connectors he could get and the only way he could get lines and connections to fit the ½” UNF thread on the master cylinder was to have a 5/16" line with an adaptor to bring it up to 1/2" UNF for the master cylinder.

So, to save any more mucking around I told him to go for it and make me that line in 5/16" which he did. Interestingly, he used copper-nickel tubing which they bent by hand. Hopefully it works for me and I will update how this works/if it works, once I am able to test it.

I still need to complete the hydraulic lines for the throttle master cylinder. I have used 3/8” tubing for the lines, as per the manual. It took me a while to work out that these master cylinders use a tapered fitting, presumably of some NPT thread. I’ve sourced the T connections for the bleeding area so I’ll post pictures of these once I have them all fitted.

I spent a heck of a lot of time stripping down one of the two engine fan pulleys I was working on. If I could have found one on the shelf, I would have just bought it, as it cost me days of work trying to get it all apart. This is the one that was heavily corroded when I got it and I soaked it in molasses to clean it up. It had all just about become one big piece of metal and it was a real pig to get it all apart. The molasses did clean the metal up but I think it getting into the insides of the pulley didn’t exactly help in my efforts to strip it. The retainer wouldn’t let go, nor would the little spacer between the retainer and the bigger of the two bearings, and nor would the spacer between the bearings on the main spindle. I had to make bigger and bigger tools with bigger and bigger levers to try and undo the retainer, but I was starting to worry about the stress on the housing and in the end I virtually had to destroy the retainer to get it out. If anyone has a spare (as per the photo), it will save me time and money making another one.

After finally getting the pulley housing apart, I can see that I was never going to be able to press the pin out of the bearings as the metal was all completely stuck together. Liberal use of a cut off disc was required in the end to get the spacer and what was left of the bearings off, but it is now rebuilt and ready to fit.

I picked up a pulley wheel that is a bit quieter than mine, along with another adjuster, so I cleaned them up. I’ve also done a bit of painting and tidying up of some other parts.

I am back to working on the other two axles next week and I’m aiming to have those on the hull in the early new year.

Does anyone know which of the spacers in the photos is correct for the headlights? Both types were sold to me as being for the M8. I see the metal sleeve that sits in the hull actually sits a little proud of the hull when the brass bush is fitted from within the hole for the locking pin. The black spacers have a slot in the middle which fits over the metal sleeve but with this spacer on, it would take a lot of effort to push the sleeve down far enough into the hole in the hull to get the brass bush in place.

That’s it for this week.

[Big D]

More photos.

[John Mackie]

Darryl. You are doing a fabulous job on the M 8. When did the crankshaft in my WSC I found that bolting up all the main bearing caps the crankshaft would not turn. After a lot of recearch I was conviced that the crankshaft tunnel was out. I had the tunnel line bored to a size that did not need the shims, I also had the conrods given the same treatment. It then went together very nicley.

[Big D]

Hi John

Thanks for that. Interesting about the JXD. I hadn't heard about that before.

[Big D]

Hi all,

Here are a few photos of what I’ve been working on over the last week.

Thanks to Willy for confirming the black rubber type spacers are the correct one for the headlights. These spacers do have a slot in the middle for the top rim of the headlight sleeve to fit into. When fitted on the sleeves, they need a bit of downward pressure into the hole in the hull so that the brass bush in the handle hole can be pushed through to lock the sleeve in place.

I have the fuel pump and fuel lines fitted in the front of the hull now. The line in the foreground of the photo would normally be at the very front of the hull but it seemed to fit nicely as I have it so I left it at that. I used a bit of thread sealant on all the connections so hopefully all will be well with them.

The reassembly of the intermediate and rear axles is progressing. I’m now at the stage of making up the fixed brake lines for the axles. I have no templates so I am working off photos and the plans from the parts manual to do these.

Does anyone have any axle brake T connections spare that they would be prepared to part with? I have fitted four of the six required but the other two I have are both used and have damaged threads. Originals seem to be very hard to find. Can anyone assist please?

What is the easiest way to install the intermediate and rear axle? The manual says that the back of the vehicle needs to be lifted to a height to get the two axles under it. I guess then it is just a matter of aligning the ends of the leaf springs with the two openings on each of the axles.

My plan was to get the boys in the engineering workshop next door to bring in their truck and hiab crane. We’ll lift the front of the hull and then fit the front wheels to the front axle. Then we can lift the rear of the hull enough so that I can roll the intermediate and rear axles under the hull.

Once the rear leaf spring ends are in the slots on the axles, will the weight of the hull settle enough on the axles to stop them moving around, or will I need to get the torque rods locked in straight away?

There is not a lot of information in the manuals about the torque rods in the manuals, and how they are fitted and adjusted. Has anyone got any first-hand experience with these? Are the top ones adjusted simply to keep the alignment of the axles correct?

I’ve noticed that the handbrake cable is a real bugger to fit into place on the hull side. The cable comes down tube in the side of the hull and has to make an almost 90 degree turn to go into the mount on the hull. The cable is quite stiff so getting it to slide down the tube and then sideways into the mount is not easy. Does anyone have any bright ideas on this? My one is just into the mount but it really needs to go in about another ¾ inch.

That is all.

Merry Xmas.

[Big D]

More photos.

[Big D]

Hi all,

Xmas seems to have come and gone in a flash.

I have fitted the brake lines to the rear axle, along with the brake line shields that I had. I am missing one section of shield but will hopefully pick that up at some stage.

I didn’t have a lot of photos of the actual layout of the brake lines so hopefully these photos might help someone else who is doing them from scratch. The lines are a bit finicky to make to the right shape to fit the shields, and they need to have quite a tight angle to get around the shield and then up into the Tee connections.

I have found the brake Tee connections I need so they should hopefully be on the way to me shortly. I’ve made up the brake lines for the intermediate axle and will finalise these when the Tee connections arrive.

I have fitted the hydraulic lines from the front of the hull down into the engine bay area now. I still need to finalise the length of the extra sections for the bleeder nipples at the ends, and will get this done once I’ve finished all the rest of the plumbing.

A bit of a strange request, but can anyone post a photo of the underside of the pedestal headlights? I have the blackout headlight but want to confirm the pin configuration on the pedestal headlights so that I can finalise the headlight wiring connections in the front of the hull. I only have the one blackout light so not sure how the pins are configured on the actual headlight.

The paint stencils have arrived. Good fast service from Axholme Signs in the UK. A few engine parts also arrived.

While I am waiting for the Tee connections to arrive, I will do some work on the turret which is sandblasted and painted and ready for me to pick up. I will need to give the roller bearing surface on the underside a tidy up when it gets here, as it was moved along a concrete floor before it was taken to the sandblasters.

I’m looking at the best order to fit the gun parts. I have an idea that before the turret is fitted to the hull, it would be preferable to fit the gun cradle into the turret and the recoil system to the gun cradle. The barrel and sleigh could then be fitted into the turret (maybe through the back panel in the turret?) after the turret is fitted to the hull.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the best order to fit the gun?

That’s it. Happy New Year.