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

[Big D]

Hi James,

Yes, I did ask around a few M8 folks who'd 'been there, done that' and the idea of getting a stainless steel tank made up to go in the enclosure was a common theme.

I have a similar restoration thread to this one going on g503 and a guy posted there about using modifying the existing enclosure to become the actual fuel tank.

All good food for thought!

[Big D]

Hi all,

Here is another update.

I finally got the fuel cell out of its enclosure. The screws and nuts holding the panels at each end of the shroud are a bugger to get out. I had to use vice grips on the head of each screw as a screwdriver was just not going to do it. The cardboard inside was for the most part still in one piece but there was lots of loose rust inside. The sheet metal on my enclosure was obviously not as good as I thought and I think the paint was the only thing holding some of it together. There was also some fibreglass repairs, presumably done by the Italians?

The cell itself had obviously hardened over time as it was an absolute pig to get out of the enclosure. As you can see by the photos, I had to resort to creative ways to get it out of the shroud and all up I must have spent 4 hours mucking around with different methods to try to drag it out. In the end, I finally got it out of the enclosure far enough where I could remove the filler cap and then I put the crane hook on the cell itself which really got it moving.

The cell itself still looks in reasonable condition but I won’t be using it. The idea of taking that out again if there is a problem makes me cringe! I will opt for a stainless steel tank option I think.

The courier dropped off a nice package the other day. Lots of electrical conduit including the elusive junction box that sits on the engine cross member. I had not seen another one of these around so many thanks to Reg for these.

I have a number of engine blocks to drop off to the reconditioners to see what they can do with them. All need lots of work but I’m sure they can make one good engine out of this lot. I have new pistons and sleeves and now need to order the right bearings etc. It looks like one of the blocks had some service with the Greeks.

[Big D]

More photos.

[Big D]

Hi all,

Here is another update on the M8.

The sandblaster is a bit snowed under with work, and things haven’t progressed yet on the blasting and painting, so while I’ve been waiting I’ve been working on a few other things.

I’ve been doing the final repairs on all the sheet metal. In keeping with this M8’s very ‘used’ look, I have not repaired every bit of damage on the exterior sheet metal. I still want it to show signs of field use. I’ve straightened the large rear guards and cut out the corroded bits of metal and spliced in new sections. There are a few bullet holes in the guards and there are some signs of field repairs such as welded splits in the steel, which I have just tidied up a bit rather than removing the old repair.

I have cut out and patched most of the corrosion holes in the fuel cell enclosure. There was a lot more corrosion in there than I thought and I’ll probably see a bit more coming through once the enclosure has been blasted. I probably should have got it blasted first, but...... The enclosure is just there to hold the new stainless steel tank I will build anyway, so I am focussed mainly on having it structurally sound while looking original and being relatively tidy.

The panels on the transfer case protective shield are now straight and ready for painting. I’ve also tidied up the front inner and outer guards and replaced any obvious rotten material in them. They are pretty tidy, albeit fairly well-used.

I’ve also been doing some work in tidying up the rear junction box and conduit. These are starting to look a little better now. I am still after one of the male threaded sections that fit to the junction box to complete mine, if anyone has any spares.

I’ve got the generator apart now and it looks reasonably good inside. I broke the pulley wheel in the process which brassed me off, but I took some consolation in the fact that it had already been repaired in one place and it had damage in another place, which was where it broke. I will find a specialist welder and see if it can be repaired.

Now that I have the generator apart, the field coils and armature look to be in good shape. I have stripped it all out now and have already cleaned up the case and internal pieces. I will tidy up what I can and go as far as I can go with my limited expertise, before bundling everything together and taking it and the voltage regulator to the auto electrician to see if it is going to work.

[Big D]

More photos.

[James P]

Hey Big D, looking forward (as I am sure you are) at pics of the body back from the sandblasters sporting a nice fresh coat of primer/paint and looking 300% better. Good lord man you have plowed a huge amount of time, effort and change into that vehicle, and it looks great. I applaud your work (and posts) and think this is one of a few really great threads on doing things right.

[Big D]

Hi James P,

Yes, literally chomping at the bit! Thanks for the kind words. I hope to have some photos uploaded in the next few days.