C8 Fast Brothers Prairie Command restoration update...

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Rob

These are typical cab 11 rain trough....... remember the engine cover is flat and small.... any rain from the windshield area would be channelled underneath on each side of the engine cover than drain near the front piece..... should have a piece of rubber tubing I believe...... anything to keep the H2O from fouling the plugs, wires, dizzy, etc.....

If you need additional pictures or measurements mine is still apart and can help....

Boob

[David Dunlop]

Hello Mr. Fast.

Nice to see you have been keeping out of mischief with something useful like saving a C8!

Thought I'd add my Prairie Command Oldtimers 2 cents worth into your quest for wheels, tires and rims.

Back in the late 1970's there was a complete Ford F8, either Cab 11 or Cab 12 I cannot remember at this point, sitting in a small car wreak yard in Whitemouth MB. If you approached the town from the south, the yard was on your left (West) running parallel to the rail line and the truck was mid yard facing South. I passed on buying it at the time as I was into 4x4's then and at 6'3" could not sit behind the wheel of a Cab 11 or Cab 12 to save my soul!

Just to the North, or Northeast of the yard was a Machine Shop/ Service Centre( I think it faced the main road through town) and there was a family connection of some sort between the two operations. Anyway, the shop had quite a few CMP tires in stock at the time for the C/F 8 series of trucks. The directional/conventional pattern type. They were a match for what was on the truck in the yard and a couple of them had a wide type of paper tape wrapping on them with the usual C.O.D stickers glued to them. He said he had picked up a large lot from Crown Assets a number of years earlier and had sold most of the non-directional inventory rather quickly, but these had not been as popular.

Thought you'd want to know and best pass it on before I head off for another Oldtimer's Geezer Nap and forget.

Cheers,

David

[Rob Fast]

I raced over there on a beautiful prairie Sunday afternoon, and started chatting with the locals. I found the yard, the owner a Mr. Buss has passed away. The renter let me look around, it's all cleaned up about 5 years ago. Darn those 13 inch rims and adapters!!!

Here was a first for me, a couple of friends of mine put there STOL kite down on my driveway! Bad pics but the baloon tires on the airplane just might work for the C8??? Cheers Rob

[cletrac (RIP)]

Rob,
Kroy Tire in Winnipeg has 9.5 x 13 aircraft tires that will work. That's what I put on mine.

[Rob Fast]

I visited Kroy, I am going to opt for a better tire and pay the price. The rubber won't help if I can't find the rims and adapters. I will continue to look, any help would be appreciated. The truck is running, the 1955 Bel Air 235 runner installed is purring like a kitten, although we struggled with the water pump adapter relocation adapter plate install.

I am also a RCAF/RAF Battle of Britain collector and I just added a nice piece I have been after for a life time. See pic of a Sector Clock with a RAF Shawbury history in what I think is a nice unrestored condition. Cheers Rob

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by Rob Fast

......... the baloon tires on the airplane just might work for the C8???

Please use caution when thinking about airplane tires on vehicles.
I don't worry about airpalne tires for display or a short run in a field but unlike car/truck tires that are designed to survive sustained highway speeds, airplane tires are designed for a relatively slow taxi of less than 10 miles (even at a very large airport) followed by a takeoff run of less than 3.5 miles (world's longest runway is in China, 18045 feet long). In short, they are designed for a burst of relatively high speed and then a long cooloff before the next burst, rather than the sustained speed that vehicles see, and are likely to suffer heat related failures on the highway even if running well below their maximum speed rating.

[George McKenzie]

Hi Rob I have a 1943 RCAF Fordson tractor that hauld fuel to the lancasters .This is the only one that I have be able to locate so far . This has the hi gear in it and was driven by the Wrens .EM me at geomck@wispernet.ca and I will send you a picture of it .

[Rob Fast]

You know how full of optimisim we all are when we all drive for hours chasing leads. More often then not they turn out to be duds, but the lure of the find keeps us at it. Today"s trip turned out to be a good one. My brother Tony amd I found 1 more 13 inch rim for the C-8, which make a total of 3, still no adapters. Also found the remains of a HUP , no running chassis, but still lots of good parts to help out my HUW. A good day. Cheers Rob

Darn those wheel adapters!!!