FGT Restoration

[rob love]

I pulled off the steering box last night and it had a bonding strap from the frame to the box, with an extra bolt hole half way along the strap. They may have been for the floor toe plate or the front cowl. There is a part number on a little plate attached to that strap, so maybe the prefix to the part number will give an idea to the rough date. At this point I don't have the FAT specific parts manual, rather I am using the earlier and more generic manuals which covered all the Ford CMPs in one manual.

[rob love]

Below are some shots of the spacers for the crossmember just behind the transfer case. I have to remove these and move them over to the other frame. They were welded to the tractor crossmember and the whole unit rivetted to the frame. Since I am moving the crossmember forward, there is the need for these spacers. I am also showing why it is better to remove the rivet head before center punching and drilling. You just can't trust the peened end of the rivet to represent center.



Best bet is to get rid of the rivet head and center punch the shaft. I then like to drill around 1/8 about 3/4 the way through the rivet. I follow that up with a 3/8 bit, then knock it through with a punch and hammer. A pnematic hammer with punch are also good, but the neighbors will not like you and as well you lose the tranquility.

[rob love]

Today I removed the cab floor, the transfer case, the engine and transmission, the transfer case shifter, and a few other mechanicals. Another day and this frame will be done. I need to remove the crossmember for the transfer case yet, the front axle with springs, and the steering box bracket. That bracket would appear to be mostly bolted along with a few welds. I will have to check the two at work to see if they were welded as well, or if this was post service.

[rob love]

Amongst the many decisions to make now, is whether to keep this 8BA engine, or go back to one of the original Ww2 engines. I am leaning towards the 8BA but putting on the truck water pumps, the WW2 exhaust manifolds, and am tossing on whether to go back to the early distributor or retain the 8BA top distributor. In fact (for the weak of stomach, shield your eyes and ears) I am leaning towards making this a 12 volt vehicle. That will be a first for me.

[Lynn Eades]

I'm very hazey on this Rob, but should you consider putting the earlier heads on the 8BA (or vice verca) I understand you need to open up a couple of the water ports in the block? Apparently the new style starter bendix holds up better using 12 volts, with a 6 volt starter. A 6 volt instrument cluster would need a voltage reducer for fuel, oil and temp guages. It's easy. You can buy them for singles, or a unit that does all 3.

[rob love]

I can live with the 8BA heads (maybe), or I may do as you suggest. As to the starters, I have used a separate 12 volt battery on all my carriers over the years and never had a starter issue. Besides,starters are a fairly common item, and are also readily available online.

This is my first Ford with the round gauges, so I may end up replacing all or most with their equivalent in modern repros as used on the US military stuff.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by rob love

This is my first Ford with the round gauges, so I may end up replacing all or most with their equivalent in modern repros as used on the US military stuff.

Chev CMP gauges are dead wringers for Jeep, etc, and therefore modern replacements. The visible difference between the CMP and jeep/modern ones is that the CMP's have a flatter outer ring holding the glass on. The faces of Ford gauges are different (go figure). Example battery voltage instead of ammeter.