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

[Big D]

Hi all,

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been finishing a few jobs off and tidying up a few things up that I wasn’t happy with. I managed to get the M8 shifted around in the workshop. This gives me much more space around it to work on and will make life easier getting the axles in place.

The radios are in, pending me doing a test on the interphones to see if it all works. I’m charging up a battery now for the test. Fingers crossed it works. I’ve tidied up the instrument panel wiring and it is sitting in place, also pending testing. Hopefully all is connected correctly there as well!

I’ve started reassembling the front axle, starting with making up and fitting some new hydraulic lines. I had to fabricate the small mounts that hold the flexible brake lines where they connect to the fixed brake lines as I couldn’t find any of those. I have some nuts coming that secure the flexible lines to these small mounts.

The rubber boots on the axles were damned hard to get on. A real tight fit, but I got them on. I have the axle shafts in but I forgot to take the grease (!) to the workshop so I’ll do the axle shafts and joints tomorrow as well as fitting the sleeves and bushes that secure the steering knuckles to the axle.

One thing I have noticed that I don’t have is the nut which secures the Pitman arm lever to the steering box. This is a bit of an oddball size of 1 1/8”- 16 UNF and I don’t have one. Does anyone have one lying around in their box of bits and pieces?

I’ve just started on the hydraulic lines for the brake and clutch master cylinders. This is going to take some time with me not having any original lines to work off.

That's it for now...