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

[Big D]

Hi all,

Attached are a few more photos of some work done in the last couple of days, as well as some parts I need to blast and paint. I’m at the point where in between other jobs I need to get some of these parts painted in their final colour so that they can be bolted in once the hull is back from blasting and painting.

I don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere else on these forums but I’m after confirmation of the paint colour on the various hull parts and internals on the M8. I have accumulated many photographs of restored M8s and have noted quite a few differences in paint colour on various items between different M8’s. As an example, I have an uncut 37mm gun mount which I was told came out of an unrestored M8. However, it appears to have original white paint on it and I haven’t seen any others with a white gun mount.

This is the list I’ve come up with so far and the colours and variations I’ve noted. You’ll see that I have seen both olive drab and white colouring on some parts:

• hull inner walls - white
• hull floor - olive drab
• turret inner walls - olive drab
• turret seats - olive drab?/white?
• turret seat frame - olive drab?/white?
• turret hold down roller covers- white
• traverse gear - white
• 37mm gun - olive drab
• 37mm gun mount - olive drab?/white?
• 37mm gun parts - olive drab
• 37mm ready racks - olive drab
• 37mm spare parts box - white
• .30 cal spare parts box - white
• oddments container - white
• binocular container - white
• grenade boxes - white
• flare box - white
• turret support rollers - white
• ring gear - olive drab?/white?
• water can - olive drab
• fire extinguisher bracket - olive drab?/white?
• Driver and co-driver seats - olive drab?/white?
• water can bracket - olive drab?/white?
• hydrovac - white


Does anyone have any comment either way on what I’ve recorded so far? I’d like to get the paint colour right first time.

Thanks.