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

[Big D]

Hi all,

Here is what I’ve been busy with over the last few days.

I fabricated a couple of pieces for the pushrods for the brake and clutch master cylinders, so I’ve now been able to mount the clutch and brake pedal assembly. The pushrod pieces aren’t my best work but they will do until if/when I source some new ones. I have some NOS return springs coming (thanks Philippe). I took some extra photos of the clutch and brake pedal assembly as I didn’t have a lot of photos of the layout. It is quite heavy and I had to use wooden blocks to hold this up while I bolted it in place. It is really a two man job to bolt it in but there isn’t room for two people in there!

The handbrake is now mounted. The mounting holes required 3/8” UNC bolts which had me fooled for a while. Most of the other stuff is UNF. The sector gear on the handbrake was pretty corroded and is not great but we’ll see how it goes.

I’ve fitted the steering box. I’ve used a grease and oil slurry in the steering box rather than just straight oil. The vehicle will be sitting around a lot and it might help prevent leaks. It has been sitting for a while now with no leaks so I have my fingers crossed.

I’ve done some touching up of the various mounting bolts in the front of the hull with the modeller’s paint but I still need to do a bit more.

I also starting routing the wiring for the instrument panel. I forgot to take the circuit diagram with me so I haven’t got this right yet and still have some work to do on it the next time I am in the workshop.

Next will be sorting out the hydraulic lines. I note in the parts manual that there are two different versions of the layout for the fuel primer pump. The version described as the ‘old primer installation’ has a fuel line from the fuel filter to the primer pump and a line from the primer pump to the fuel pump. The ‘new primer installation’ seems to have a third line for an engine setup with a vacuum pump. The old layout seems like the most straightforward way to set up the primer pump. Has anyone got any other thoughts?

I need to join a couple of pieces of brass braided conduit. What method do you guys use for that? I’ve heard of copper sheet being used to join pieces. What about the brass fittings on the end of these bits of conduit? Are these ‘sweated on’ to the braided conduit?

Does anyone recognise the single conduit with the fitting on the end of it in the photo? I’m told it is M8/M20 but just not sure what it is for.

I’m working on the markings etc to paint on the vehicle so am looking for some advice on that. I am talking to a couple of suppliers of paint stencil kits so I get the correct sized stars etc. I want the vehicle to have the markings of the US 86th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron Mechanised, 6th Armored Division. Can any of the experts on here advise the correct unit numbering? Presumably something like ‘6 Δ 86C’? What about Company/Troop numbering?

[Big D]

More photos.

[Big D]

Hi all,

I’ve been continuing with the wiring on the M8 over the last week or so. I first had to spend some time vacuuming out the channels in the hull where the wiring and hydraulic lines go. It’s amazing how much they fill up with the grit from the blasting.

The instrument panel wiring is in now and the instrument wiring is connected to the rear terminal box. I’ve also been putting together the front wiring assembly. I didn’t have all of the original conduit so I’ve had to make a few pieces up and thanks to Willy for his guidance on these. I think what I’ve come up with is pretty close to correct. I am still needing a couple of the conduit unions for the brake light switch which I will keep an eye out for. The conduit I have for the compass is pretty worn so I will make up another piece for this.

I still need to connect the wires to the correct terminals on the headlight switch. Can anyone confirm what the different abbreviations on the headlight switch shown on the photo stand for?

Is this correct?

SS = Service Stop lights?
S = Service Head and Tail?
BS = Black out stop lights?
HT =
TT =
BHT = Black out head and tail lights?
B =

What do the others stand for? Is 'B' for battery? The circuit diagrams in the manual give terminal numbers on the headlight switch, but not the corresponding abbreviation above. There should be 6 different connections to the headlight switch so I''m keen to get this right first time.

The 12 volt power supply line to both sponsons for the radios is installed now along with the wiring in the junction box on the engine cross member. Can anyone confirm the wiring conduits that come out of this junction block? I have cables for ‘Gas’, ‘Oil’, ‘Temp’, ‘Solenoid’ and overhead filter to the coil. Is that correct? I am actually missing one of the wee plates as per the photo if anyone has a spare.

I’ve found that the conduit for the siren has to be in a very tight curl to get it to fit, so I will need to experiment further with that.

I’ve talked to the engineering guys who are doing the spark erosion on the two screws holding the recoil system onto the mantlet. They think the screws are too big for that and are looking at other options. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Thanks to Seacon, I’ve finalised the Company and Troop markings so will get the stencils for those sorted out ASAP.

The hull is going to be moved in the workshop this week which will allow me better access to it and I hope to have the front axle and springs fitted in the next week or so.

[Big D]

More photos.

[Big D]

Hi all,

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been finishing a few jobs off and tidying up a few things up that I wasn’t happy with. I managed to get the M8 shifted around in the workshop. This gives me much more space around it to work on and will make life easier getting the axles in place.

The radios are in, pending me doing a test on the interphones to see if it all works. I’m charging up a battery now for the test. Fingers crossed it works. I’ve tidied up the instrument panel wiring and it is sitting in place, also pending testing. Hopefully all is connected correctly there as well!

I’ve started reassembling the front axle, starting with making up and fitting some new hydraulic lines. I had to fabricate the small mounts that hold the flexible brake lines where they connect to the fixed brake lines as I couldn’t find any of those. I have some nuts coming that secure the flexible lines to these small mounts.

The rubber boots on the axles were damned hard to get on. A real tight fit, but I got them on. I have the axle shafts in but I forgot to take the grease (!) to the workshop so I’ll do the axle shafts and joints tomorrow as well as fitting the sleeves and bushes that secure the steering knuckles to the axle.

One thing I have noticed that I don’t have is the nut which secures the Pitman arm lever to the steering box. This is a bit of an oddball size of 1 1/8”- 16 UNF and I don’t have one. Does anyone have one lying around in their box of bits and pieces?

I’ve just started on the hydraulic lines for the brake and clutch master cylinders. This is going to take some time with me not having any original lines to work off.

That's it for now...

[Big D]

More photos.

[Petr Brezina]

Outstanding job!