How To: C15a Wire-3 restoration

[Jordan Baker]

Haha David, I just told her that and she started to sing We”ll meet again..don’t know when...don’t know how....”. Yes I’m a lucky guy. She’s a keeper.

Anyway back to the truck. It was another productive day. The doors were finished for the two smaller forward bins. Hinges and the lock tabs were welded on.

[Jordan Baker]

I also started in on making the second POL container. The shop did a great job of bending up all the 1/8” plate for me. I basically just dressed the very sharp sheared edges and welded it up to match where the original welds were found. One interesting point was when I used a block of wood to clamp one of angles in place. All went well and the angle was welded in place. It was then that I realized there was no way to get the block out. After a few minutes of head scratching I remembered my chisel. It was all split up in no time.

[Jordan Baker]

Picked up more steel today and was able to get a few more bits closer to being finished.

[Jordan Baker]

Today was spent working on the antenna mounts for the roof. So far one is pretty much done except for some minor welding. I stopped as I ran out of gas for the welder. The plates were copied from an original British FFW plate I had picked up years ago. The ends were pressed braked to get the radius bends to fit over the roof structure.

To make these bends in the 1/8” plate I had to make up a small press brake jig to use in the shop press. I’m quite impressed with what it can bend.

[Jordan Baker]

Lastly the UPS truck showed up today with my order of LED 6v bulbs. Wow they are bright and they fit in the side marker lights very well. I also got ones to fit the original headlamp reflectors. I know for future to not look directly at the reflector as these are quite bright at 900 lumens.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Jordan

Would you give us more info on the lights, I've wanted to up grade the lights on my trucks for safety reasons for years. The normal information voltage, model numbers, source etc. Do the seem to run hotter or cooler than the original bulbs.

Years ago found some halogen headlamps replaced which were brighter but had a nasty habit of either burning out with a few hours, or being Ok and lasting, the vendor was good and replaced ones that burned out quickly. Though he did ask that I confirm the voltage and asked if I had generator or alternator.

Cheers Phil

[Jordan Baker]

I literally just got them yesterday afternoon. So I have no information on how they work out long term. It took a lot of internet research to learn about bulb base sizes and such cross referencing to the Mazda numbers.


Phil, any chance on some pictures of where the fuel line was run in your C8a from the fuel filter to the fuel pump