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Old 17-03-20, 09:43
Big D Big D is offline
Darryl
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
Posts: 653
Default M8 restoration

This week has been another busy one with getting the hull and engine ready for the installation, and then setting everything up once inside.

After another successful test run, I stripped everything off the engine that could potentially get in the way or get damaged while it was being fitted. I also gave the engine bay a freshen up with some new paint. There were lots of marks and scuffs from the many times I’ve got in and out of the thing!

Ed gave me a hand again. We used a strop on the front part of the engine and a strop and chain block on the gearbox end. One of the guys from Action Engineering next door came in with the Hiab truck and we were set to go. I’d have to say the installation of the engine and gearbox assembly was straightforward. The hiab crane made it easy and gave us the height and manoeverability we needed. I was guiding the motor in from the rear of the hull so I didn’t get a picture from the side but you do need quite a pitch on the assembly to get the gearbox under the cross member in the hull. Then it was just a matter of lowering the front of the engine and raising the gearbox end. A short time later I had the engine mounting pins in and the large bolts through the bellhousing mounts into the engine mounts on the cross member in the hull.

While the engine and gearbox assembly was straightforward, the radiator installation was a pain in the butt. The radiator was one of the few things I did not test fit. I didn’t see the point as there were only the two mounts and its positioning would be determined a little by the fan positioning once the engine was in, right?

You might recall that I have reproduction engine mounts, back plate that sits under the engine mounts, and radiator shrouds. The order in which to fit the radiator is to put the fan shrouds over the pulleys, fit the fans, then lower the radiator and fit the shrouds to the radiator. Easy eh? It wasn’t so straightforward for me. The first problem we struck was with the reproduction back plate that sits under the steel engine mounts and over the pintle hook. The cavity in the plate for the pintle hook was too long (toward the front of the vehicle) and extended under the radiator by about 1/2". The result was that the radiator would not come low enough and kept sitting on this raised piece at the back of the plate. I was was left with little option but to get the grinder and cut off disc out and cut a small section of this raised piece out. This allowed the radiator to come down low enough so that it was starting to line up with the fans.

The second problem was in aligning the radiator and shrouds with the fans. I had already had to slot some of the mounting holes on the reproduction shrouds so that the holes lined up with the captive nuts on the radiator, and I don’t think these shrouds were a great reproduction either. The radiator still seemed too low in relation to the motor though and I found I had to use three of the small rubber packers (instead of the one specified in the manual) under each radiator mount to get it to the height required to line up with the fans, once the shrouds were fitted.

I started to suspect the rear engine mounts then. Thanks to Stewart, he confirmed the height of the engine mount at 3 3/8" at the engine end and 1 5/16" at the other end. I measured mine and they measure 3 9/16" at the engine end and 1 5/16" at the other end. So, the engine mounts are holding the front of the engine 3/16” too high. That would account for one of the extra spacers but that would still leave the radiator too high. As it is, the radiator is only sitting about 3 mm above the engine mounts so there is not a lot of room and I'm not sure I would want to go too much lower for the preservation of the radiator.

Were there differences in the radiators and potentially the radiator mounts in the hull? Where the radiator sits now (with three spacers) it looks about right for height but as I say, the mounts in the hull appear too low.

I fitted the plates under the fuel filter. They are not easy to access and fit. Interestingly, the one at the front that sits under the gas tank, will only go in if you remove the gearbox filler plug. Otherwise, this obstructs the fitment of the plate.

I received the new brush springs for the starter motor. These were shown as being replacements for the original brush springs which are part number AL- MZ19. I don’t think they are correct as the end of the spring does not fit centrally on the brush. However, I have ‘adpated’ them to fit and I’m hoping they will do the job.

That’s it for this week….
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Cheers,

Darryl Lennane

1943 Willys MB
1941 Willys MBT Trailer
1941 Australian LP2A Machine Gun Carrier
1943 White M3A1AOP Scout Car
1944 Ford M8 Armoured Car
1945 Ford M20 Armoured Car
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