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

[Big D]

Hi all,

I was asked about progress on the M8 so this is just a quick update.

For the last week or so I’ve been working my way through a pile of parts that I have had arrive from Europe for the project, cleaning them up and priming etc. I have the fuel line covers, rear engine mounts, fan shrouds and tunnels, some piping for the engine bay, oil breather, gaskets, clutch disc, protectoscopes and boxes, gearstick housing, shock absorbers, etc.

I got the front floor piece I was waiting on. While it is heavily corroded in some places, the diff bulge and stampings and steering box hole are all in one piece. I figure we can cut out these good pieces and weld them into a new piece of folded sheet metal. There should be enough left of the rear piece of the floor I previously removed to shape the rear of this front floor piece. I could have got away with the front armoured floor but it had to be repaired in places and a new diff bulge fabricated anyway, so this will give it more of an original look.

I received two gearshift housings, levers and pins etc and noted some differences. One of the pins is a nice fabrication and just needs the two holes drilled for the couplings. I see there is a difference in the angles of the gearsticks though. At first I thought the one in red primer was a fabrication, but there are some numbers stamped on the small plate at the bottom, so I’m presuming it is an original piece. The other gear stick with the gear knob on it is an original piece – it has its number stamped into the metalwork.

As you can see, there is a substantial difference in the angle of the gearsticks. I’ve tried both in place in the housings and the one that isn’t primed (the original?) is angled very sharply to the rear when the gearstick is to the rear in second or fourth gear.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?