Work on My F8, No. 11

[king of obsolete]

i was wonder where you went, you still have gotten lots done is the last little bit. has the temperature cooled down so you can work all day????

thansk
KoO
Published Author

[Jim Price]

Had another short week. I had reserved two vendor tables at a local gun show and was there for 4 days starting on this past Thursday. Sales were good. Saved most of my earnings for the truck resto! In any case, we did accomplish the following:

Finished the cleaning and painting of the engine early in the week and installed it this past Wednesday.

Completed all the hooking up of all lines, hoses and wiring today. (Second time around!) Didn't have enough oil for the crankcase and no gasoline so will try to start up the engine tomorrow. No water leaks this time!

Got good news from my attorney that the seller of the engine with the holes in the cylinder walls has refunded the entire amount I'd paid for the engine. He picked up his engine this past Saturday. Was glad to have that sad affair behind me!

Used a round-over bit on the wood planking and cover for the gas tank to avoid having splintering and sharp corners. Used a hole cutter to cut the hole for the tank drain but have yet to cut the 5" holes in the top planking for access to the filler cap and spare tank switch and fuel line.

Purchased 5 tires from a tire wholesaler in Australia and arranged for them to be shipped in a conainer destined to another military vehicle collector/restorer here in my community. The tires are the MRF Sandgrip and they should arrive here early next year.

Picked up the fenders and braces today from the fabricator. Need to have the fenders panels arched and they'll be ready for the painter. (Thanks, Mike, for all the drawings and pictures!)

It's been 6 months since the truck arrived and I had hoped to have it finished by now. Have learned a lot in the intervening time and understand and appreciate all that goes into a restoration! However, it's been fun! The heat is gone and has been replaced with days in the low 70's F, much easier climate to work it!

That's it for now!

Regards,
Jim

[king of obsolete]

glad it has cooooooled down for you. of course we will need more pictures. you are on the toughest part of a project, "completion".

-37C as i type this.

thansk
KoO
Published Author

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Jim Price

It's been xxxx months since the truck arrived and I had hoped to have it finished by now.

This is a quotation that is writ large on the walls of garages, sheds and workshops the world over. If you look closely at some pics on MLU, you can almost see it painted above the main door!

[Jim Price]

Aah, Tony, you are so correct! I'm strongly considering having such a sign made up and hung on my garage wall!

We, however, have persevered and over the past several days have completed the following:

Finished the installation of the engine and started it up. Runs like a clock! Idles perfectly with no roughnest at all! No blue smoke out the exhaust! If the project had to stop now and all I had was this engine, I'd sit out in the garage and just listen to it! Well, maybe not for long! (Note: The wiring will be cleaned up! )

By the way, we jacked up the rear wheels and placed a pair of jack stands under the rear axles so that we could test the transmission. Kept the speed down so as not to jar off the stands! We also had to alter the filler tube for the tranny. Picked up one for the C4 we installed, did some bending and welding and now one can check and fill the tranny through the same access used to add oil to the engine.

When the truck arrived the linkage between the accelerator pedal and the carbuerator was no where to be found. A review of the parts and maintenance manuals found no pictorial reference to how this linkage should look. We've come up with a plan for a bracket and arm system for attaching the linkage rods to but would certainly appreciate some pictures or drawings of how the linkage system should appear in a F8.

Inserted replacement insulation into all the engine compartment walls. I got this from Mac's and it is fairly thick and is covered on both sides by a moderately heavy reflective aluminum skin.

Bolted on the seat rails. The seats will need to be put in place before the back bottom body panel is installed.

Installed the floor for the last time. Don't know how many times we had that floor in and out but more than I wish to remember! Placed beaded welting around the inside of the wheel well wall where it meets the floor.

Installed the passenger side of the engine compartment. Used copious amounts of frame webbing!

Fixed the leak in a transmission cooler fitting. The leak was my reward for not using some teflon tape when installing the cooler fittings.

Called the painter and the remainder of the body parts should be ready for pickup this coming Friday or Saturday. More to follow!

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

The painter called and the remainder of my parts will be ready for pickup on this Saturday. Since we won't be working tomorrow I decided to provide you all with an update on our activities this week.

Finished installing the driver's side engine compartment wall with the exception of the top panel above the steering column. Am leaving it open for the moment until the wiring is complete.

Installed the emergency brake and boot. The original was bolted to a bracket which was in turn was bolted to the standard transmission. Because we installed an automatic tranny it was necessary to weld a piece of angle iron just under the edge of the floor for attaching the lever. We then attached the original rod to the bottom of the lever and the yoke. All lined up fine and functioned well with little adjustment! See the pictures.

I obtained the services of another neighbor, Terry, to assist Bob. I promised them I'd put their picture in the thread so here they are!

Installed the seats. A previous post showed my efforts at upolstery.

Earlier this week we had drained and then flushed the radiator. We also removed it in order to install the gas pedal-to-carbuerator linkage. (Commentary and pictures of this linkage follow in a separate post as there are four pictures showing we did.) After reinstallation we bungee-corded the battery and gas can to the floor and Bob and Terry drove the truck on it's first road trip! They had to have driven around the block at least three times, their grins getting bigger each drive by! Everything from brakes to steering to tranny worked well! I still have a grin on my face while I write about this major milestone!

That's it for now!

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

Not finding anything regarding this linkage we proceeded with the idea which we had designed earlier. Pictures illustrating the results of each step are attached.

The first step was to weld at about a 45 degree angle a 7" long, 1/2 inch square pipe to a 4" piece of 1 1/2" angle iron. Two holes were drilled into the angle iron for attachment to the engine through the use of two head bolts. The front end of the head appeared to be the best location for alignment with the pertinent points of attachment.

Bob then welded a 4" long 1/2" piece of pipe with an inside i.d. of 1/4" to the top of the square pipe to form a "T".

He inserted a smaller i.d. bolt through the pipe and then welded a 3" piece of 1" flat strap to each end of the bolt to form a pair of "arms" that would turn freely on the "T" pipe.

A swivel post was bolted to the end of each piece of flat strap and the rods to the pedal ball and carbuerator were attached to their respective "arms".

Bob did such a great job with the welding that the only thing else he needed to do was to bend the "spoon" on the gas pedal down so that the sole of his foot touched the flat of the "spoon" instead of the edge!

All functioned great!

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

Although it's only been four days since I posted, it's be two weeks before I do again. Am off tomorrow to California to visit my daughter and her family for week!

We did accomplish a few things in the interim:

Bob repaired the front panel on the engine compartment. The bottom "step" that is bolted to the floor was badly rusted had to be replaced.

Saturday, I rounded up Bob, Terry and Dylan along with another friend, Scott, and we hitched up my trailer and went over to the painter's and picked up all the remaining parts with the exception of the roof/rear window body panel and the windshield frame.

Unloaded all into every room of the house (The weather forecast was for rain which proved to be right on!) with the exception of the truck bed which we installed on the truck. Good thing I'm not married!

Bob and Dylan took a couple of spins around the block and we called it a day.

Today, we fitted the rear fenders to the bed and drilled all the holes in the fenders and supports. Will install them week after next. Pictures to follow.

Was a successful eBay bidder for some voltage reducers (Runtz) for the 6 volt gauges; they arrived as well. Will need to get a stouter one for the horn!

Was the successful eBay bidder and received today an original horn to replace the fully rusted-out one that came with the truck. Works great! Needs to be painted and installed with the voltage reducer.

That's it for now! Enjoy your holiday!

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

Had a great time visiting the grandkids! California weather however did not cooperate; was overcast and rainy most of my visit.

Worked on the truck 4 days this past week. We accomplished the following:

Installed the plank on which the gas tanks rest.

Installed the rear fenders and braces.

Installed the front fenders.

Ran the wire for the headlights and installed them. Have yet to wire them to the control panel switch.

Installed the new (original) horn and hooked up the wiring to make it functional.

Installed the two louvered front panels and the grill mesh. This involved riveting new strips of double beading material where needed.

The count-down has started; our once-a-year military vehicle show is three weeks from today. Hopefully we can have the truck assembled (with the exception of the spare tire brackets, 2nd gas tank and tool box) in time for the show. It appears that we'll have to trailer it to the show as the new tires have yet to depart Australia and the existing ones are scarey just to look at let alone drive on.

That's it for now!

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

It's been a busy week! We accomplished the following:

Installed the front bumper and brush guard.

Reinstalled the headlights; had reversed them when we installed them originally.

Installed a pair of front running lights/turnsignals. (These are definitely not period and will be changed out for a pair of original lights and repositioned when I've found/made some wiring plug-ins for the original fixtures which I have.)

Installed a pair of rear turnsignal/brake lights under the bed as well as a pair of parking/running lights.

Installed the driver's side interior panels.

Ran the wires for all up to the area of the control panel. I'm having a set of the eight metal "labels" that identify what the 4 switches control made up by a local trophy shop and should have them early next week. With those riveted in place we can then complete the wiring of the control panel. I've placed a new decal on the speedometer face and purchased a new cable which we'll install next week. (Will need to take the truck over to a speedometer shop to have the correct gear installed to calibrate the speedometer.)

I've purchased several voltage reducers (Runtz) for use on the 6 volt gauges that are in the speedometer grouping. We'll wire them up this coming week as well.

We finished the wiring for the brakes and the turnsignals and all worked just fine!

Measured the space for the battery box and drew up plans based on those I found on a search of the MLU Forums. Thanks to all who contributed to that thread!

That's all for now!

Regards,
Jim

[Alex van de Wetering]

Jim,

What can I say.....great work and a joy to follow your restoration. I hope this year will also enable me to start on my Chev C8.

Great work!

Alex

[T Creighton]

Congratulations Jim,
An inspiration for getting things done.
Here is an interesting site on the 6v/12v thing.
www.ford-trucks.com/article/idx/8/040/article/6_To_12_Volt_Conversion_Guide_.html

Regards, Terry

[Jim Price]

Alex,
Thanks for your kind words! The restoration has not been too difficult but has: 1. Took longer than I expected, 2. Cost far more than I had hoped, and 3. Has been worth all the aggravation - a really fun project! You'll have all the preceding to look forward to on your C8!

Best regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

Terry,
Thanks for the link. I read the material and found it to be right on the mark. I used as my guide a booklet by Randy Rundle titled "The Official 12-Volt Conversion Guide". It's available on eBay US for around $10 USD.

Best regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

With the military vehicle show coming up on January 24-25, we have been busy, busy busy! In the interim since my last post we've accomplished the following:

Followed up on the status of the tires I purchased in Australia. They're still in Oz........

Wired all the lights to the switches. All lit up when the proper switch was pulled!

Wired all the original gauges. Used Runtz voltage reducers for three but will need to have the 6 volt voltage guage converted to use with the 12-volt system we've installed. All work!

Although I have a replacement speedometer cable that will work with the original speedometer we'll need to take it to a specialty shop for installation of the correct gear and calibration. I did purchased a new face from Mac's and had it installed.

As an aside, we did not need to install a fuse panel as each switch (purchased from NAPA) has it's own fuse and the turn signal has an in-line one. (By the way, I'm stuck with the knobs that came with the switches. I haven't been able to find any original style that thread onto the switch shafts.)

Hooked up the choke. It seems that my flathead is a bit tempermental when it's the least bit cold!

Took the gas tank, plank and cover panel over to a friend's store and he steel banded all together. Put gas in the tank and it didn't leak!

Bob welded up copies of the outside rear view mirror bracket arm. I did get one with the truck but it was a bit trashed. Purchased a pair of rectangular mirrors from NAPA that will work well. They're approximately 5" by 7", larger than the originals which were approximately 3" by 5", but have a better field of view. Should make the truck safer to drive here in left-hand-drive country!

Bob also fabricated a battery box based on the plans of a MLU Forum thread covering same. Thanks to all who contributed to that thread!

Today we installed the bottom rear cab panel and the doors. That panel sure did go on faster than it came off!

All the new parts have been delivered to the painter and all, along with the windshield and roof/rear window group should be back this coming Tuesday.

Monday I'm taking the voltage gauge to have it converted to 12 volt and to pick up a control rod for the throttle.

It's really coming together!

Regards,
Jim

[NORTH-SHORE(CANADA)]

Hi
Do you have the dimension for the mirror bracket

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Jim Price

Followed up on the status of the tires I purchased in Australia. They're still in Oz........

It's a long way from Kansas, Toto! (Sorry, Arizona )

Originally Posted by Jim Price

Wired all the lights to the switches. All lit up when the proper switch was pulled!
(By the way, I'm stuck with the knobs that came with the switches. I haven't been able to find any original style that thread onto the switch shafts.)
Regards,
Jim

Dennis Carpenter makes repro's of the switch knobs, and they're also available through Mac's. You might have to mix and match to get enough of the knobs you need, and then do a bit of fiddling around to get them to fit your switches. Just drill them out and epoxy them onto your switch shafts.

Part numbers for the following pics are 01A-11661, 01A-9270AS, and 11A 9270.

[Tony Smith]

The Throttle and Choke knobs in 01A-9279AS are correct for the 11, 12 and 13 cab Ford CMP. Just think, I bought a set just for the T&C and threw the rest away!

[Jim Price]

Eric,
Attached is my best quick effort in a drawing of the measurements of the mirror bracket. A bit amateurish but hope it gives you the information you seek.

The mounting plate (2 3/4" by 1 1/2") is 1/4" plate. The bottom hole in it is 1/2" on center from the bottom with the second hole 1 1/4" on center from the bottom hole.

The knuckle was the original piece that was used to attach the mirror to the bracket; we welded a 1/8" thick tab to the outside edge of the rod 1/4" from the end and drilled the appropriate size hole for the morrors we purchased from NAPA. The mirror shown is the backside of the original.

By the way the original rod was 5/8" in diameter starting at the mounting plate and tapering to 1/2" at the end; we used a 1/2", non-tapering rod.

Regards,
Jim

[NORTH-SHORE(CANADA)]

Hi
Thanks that is perfect

[Jim Price]

Tony,
I'd previously checked out the knobs in both Mac's and Carpenter's catalog and ruled them out as they appear to have the "hook" shaft that locks into the switch box cast into them. I tried to remove this shaft from the originals and were unable to do so. If this shaft can be easily removed from the reproduction ones I'll buy them. At $8 USD each I didn't want to purchase four of them and find that they couldn't be used.

As for the throttle and choke knobs, the originals are in fairly good condition and I'm using them as they are (with a bit of cleaning!).

Thanks for your suggestion!

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Price]

It was an 11th hour effort to get the truck ready for the military vehicle show this past weekend but we made it!

Here's what we got accomplished in the interim:

Installed the newly painted battery box.

Installed the windshield.

Hooked up the throttle.

Installed the voltage gauge. Was successful in getting it tweaked to work in a 12 volt system!

Installed the outside rear view mirrors.

Installed the windshield wipers. (Although I'd carefully cleaned both the passenger side one won't complete its cycle. Will have to take it apart again! )

Picked up the vehicle markings from a local sign maker. I decided on using that for the The Queen's Own rifles, 60th Rifle Co. They were part of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division during WWII>

Picked up the newly painted roof and rear window section and bolted it on. Was't ready for pickup until Friday morning and we had planned on leaving for the military vehicle show at 2 PM. Made it! However, the trailer had develpoed a flat tire overnight and we had to fix it before we left!

Got numerous compliments from all at the show. Mine was the only Canadian vehicle there. Was worth all the effort we put in to get it ready!

Am taking some time off from the truck. I've been neglecting some other projects and need to address them. However, I will be putting together the plans for the tool box group as well as the spare tire brackets and hope to have them installed by the early part of March. Will keep you all posted. (By the way, the container with my tires is on the dock in Sydney! ) Sooo, any further updates will come at a slower pace!

Regards,
Jim

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Jim.
You deserve a hell of a compliament on your ability and your truck...
What a beaut,...
Great job..

[Chuck Anderson]

What a beautiful rig. Way to go Jim!

[aj.lec]

Congratulations to you and your team
You have done an excellent job

[Mike Kelly]

And, doing it in your part of the world where the F8 would be a "exotic" rarity, makes the finished job even more commendable .
Mike

[Jim Price]

Thanks Alex, Chuck, Andrew and Mike for your kind words! It's been fun restoring the truck and without encouragement such as yours and others along the way, it would have been really tough!

Thanks much!
Jim

[Alex van de Wetering]

Wow Jim! Excellent work and good to see you guys were done in time for the show!

I read that your are bringing tyres from Australia? NOS Olympics? or did you manage to convince Olympic to start up production of the 9.00x13 again?

great work,
Alex

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Jim;

I’m curious, what is the significance of the Ontario Provincial Flag affixed to the bumper - is it because the home of the Queen’s Own Rifles is located in Ontario?

Cheers

[Jim Price]

Mark,
Actually it was because the Ford F8 was manufactured in Ontario. I also have the Canadian flag which was the official flag for Canada from 1922 through 1957 which I will use when displaying the truck in the future. The Ontario plate will not be used then.

Regards,
Jim