Morris C8

[Jonathan Moore]

I am just in the process of getting my next project ready to go in the workshop, so I thought that I would share some pictures before it is stripped down. I have had it for a couple of years but needed to get the HUP finished first and now seems about the right time to get the project started. Its a 1944 but with a steel rear body. At some time the rear body has been chopped and someone has repaired it and added a new floor. The engine is seized solid but its still a wonderful old vehicle and compared to the HUP, very complete.


Jon

[svdwal]

Hi Jonathan,

Lovely vehicle, and a pleasure to own and drive.
Good to see that it is fairly complete as parts are scarce.

I own a pre production C8 from 1943 which is restored 2 years back.
There are some addresses out and about that can supply some parts, if you are looking for something maybe i can help you.

Good luck in restoring it, it'll be worth it.

Rgds.

Sjoerd

[Jonathan Moore]

Last weekend my son and I made a start stripping it down. I was really pleased to find the body work in such good shape and the panels that need replacing, look simple to reproduce.

Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

I decided to open up the engine On Sunday afternoon but could I get the head off, no way. I tried all the tried and tested methods but the bugger wouldn't come off, so today I have fabricated an extreme head removal tool. I keep feeding the bolt holes with WD40 and it's going somewhere but so far I have only achieved about a 2mm gap so some progress but very slowly.

The other picture is of our latest immigrant family, nice to have them but they poo everywhere.

Jon

[svdwal]

That's a lovely truck, it seems that more and more pop up over the last months.

Good luck in restoring.

Rgds.

Sjoerd

[andrew honychurch]

I recognise that! Well done , I am so pleased you are making headway with the restoration . I will follow this thread with great interest.

[Jonathan Moore]

The old girls been sitting there patiently awaiting some attention since i last posted. The engine is now in peices and i know whats got to be done there, everything. The cylinder head took 2 weeks to remove and eventually gave up and come off without damage, by using a sissor lift type thing and the vehicles weight. I have had the top off of the gearbox and freed up the reverse gear that was stuck and now it all works as it should do. I have now turned my attention to the drivers, passengers compartment, I forgot to take pictures of the driver side before I started but as you can see from the passengers side it needs a lot of work. There are a lot of panels that are in really good condition and only need preparing before spraying, other however, are knackered. Its my intention, to leave as much of the original metal as is sensible and to patch rather than make every new panel but some panels will have to be renewed. I have also made a start getting the brake components, the rear wheel cylinders were easy to get hold of but the fronts are causing some frustration. The rubber brake pipes are on order, the next part to find is a new master cylinder.



Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

The partially repaired drivers side.


Jon

[pauldavies]

Jonathon I have a Morris C8 and have the body of the Brake Master Cylinder, it's in good nick and requires the usual sleeve etc plus I have the filler plug welcome to it for the cost of the postage to the UK as I am in Australia. Good luck with the resto everything looks good.
Regards
Paul

[Jonathan Moore]

Hello Paul,

Thanks for the offer but I have already got the existing original cylinder which would of course need sleeving but I have issues with sleeved cylinders and would rather have a new item that is of the same configuration, even if it looks slightly different.

Rust, rust and more rust but I have eventually completed both side sections of the drivers / front compartment.

[Jonathan Moore]

Evening All,


I have had quite a busy week really. All the cab panels have been repaired and reassembled to ensure that everything fits together, before they are disassembled for prepping and painting. I took delivery of five 900x16 tyres, inner tubes and flaps. The rear wheel cylinders turned up from the states, the flexy brake hoses were delivered all the way from Argentina, I found some tread edge from R H Brindle and a new master cylinder was delivered, again from the states.





Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

more pictures.

[Jonathan Moore]

Two more pictures

[Jonathan Moore]

Another couple of panels completed and now on to the rad cover.

jon

[Jonathan Moore]

One repaired rad cover panel, not the easiest of jobs but interesting all the same.

Jon

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Jonathan

Like your approach of repairing original parts, when possible, keeping as much of the original metal as possible. Sometimes more difficult than making a new part, but in my humble view, more rewarding.

Keep up the good work, enjoy watching your progess.

Cheers Phil

[Jonathan Moore]

Phil I am glad that you agree with my approach, I always think that it is important to preserve and repair where possible but as you say, it usually means a lot more work.

As usual tide and time wait for no man. All the tin work, from the bumper back to the bulkhead behind the drivers seat, has been repaired or remade and test assembled. Tomorrow I am going to repair the frame for the canvas tilt over the front cab, although looking at the state of it, remanufacture would be more appropriate. If there is anyone reading this who has a C8 with the observation ring above the passengers seat, could you please measure it for me. I need the inside diameter, outside diameter and the height of the inner vertical, in fact any dimensions that you could give me would be appreciated.



Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

More rust more repairs.

[Jonathan Moore]

It was only when I was repairing the passengers side mudguard, that I realised that the mudguards are in fact different and I assume, either from different models of the Morris or one of them is from a different vehicle, although I have no idea what vehicle that would be.

Jon

[Mike K]

I admire your tenacity and perserverance ! You have done more Morris restoring in 3 weeks than I have done in 20 years ... not kidding. Are you welding the thin body panels/patches with a MIG ?

The chap in Argentina is certainly a clever bloke, he supplies much of the odd ball brake spares that would otherwise be unobtainable.

[Jonathan Moore]

Hello Mike,

At the moment, I am a man on a mission. I am trying to make some space in the workshop but I know if I move the old girl out as she was, it would be some time before I got round to doing anything to her. This way, I can move her out once she is painted and reassemble her at my leisure over the winter months.

Yes it's all mig welded, sometimes its like welding net curtain but time and patience. When I started the HUP I had never mig welded and everything was done with an ARC but 0.8 is a bit thin for an ARC so I had to invest.

I will have to have a closer look at what the Argentinians actually got for sale, I honestly thought that I would be waiting weeks for delivery but it was here in about 6 days so highly recommended and thanks to whoever first mentioned him.

Jon

[Shaun Mastin]

Hey mate , good work so far , are you sure the right fender isn’t Inst just buckled or twisted ?

[Jonathan Moore]

Hello Shaun,

Its hard to see from the pictures but it is a totally different profile, it's ok though and I don't suppose anyone else would notice. The outer edge has been altered at some time to incorporate the outer curve and the rear has more of a flair to it.

Jon

[Shaun Mastin]

Fair enough , maybe to fit bigger tyres ?

[Jonathan Moore]

No I don't think so as there is less room between the top of the tyre and the passengers side mudguard than the correct one on the drivers side.

I decided that I would repair the tilt sticks before disassembling it all and am I ever glad that I did. To do it, I had to take the windscreen apart and found that it had been welded shut and is in pretty poor shape. The tilt frame locations, either side of the windscreen frame, had been repaired but at different levels which put the frame on askew. The observation hatch was a bit of a problem as I didn't have any dimensions.

[Jonathan Moore]

But as usual, I got there on my own, in the end.

[Jonathan Moore]

One interesting discovery, to me anyway, is that the anti vibration pads for the radiator and the rear of the driver / passenger compartment are made of a fibrous material which appears to be felt, I had assumed that it would have been rubber.

The first batch of components sprayed and drying in the afternoon heat.

Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

Evening All,

Things are proceeding spiffingly well, the chassis is stripped, pressure washed and ready for paint prepping. While I was stripping the components off of the chassis, I found several areas where the original paint had been left untouched and from what I can see it appears a lot more olive green than the bs381 298 that I have been supplied.

There are a couple of areas that needed to be repaired but all in all it is in very good condition.

Jon

[Jonathan Moore]

One more picture.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Moore

Evening All,

Things are proceeding spiffingly well, the chassis is stripped, pressure washed and ready for paint prepping. While I was stripping the components off of the chassis, I found several areas where the original paint had been left untouched and from what I can see it appears a lot more olive green than the bs381 298 that I have been supplied.

There are a couple of areas that needed to be repaired but all in all it is in very good condition.

Jon

Tell me about the double frame rails at the back. Is that to 'spring' the cargo body? Does it pivot at the front and rest on what looks like half round springs at the back?