C8 progress in Texas

[David DeWeese]

Thanks Phil and Alex!
That's what it must have been, an oil change decal. Am getting to the fun part where all the little details will be added to the truck soon...still have to make mirror arms, source mirrors and such.....which reminds me:

Does anyone have details on what the tail lights look like on the rear of a 1940 British-bodied truck? I know the hex-type lights probably aren't correct for this year, but can't find any clear photos of what should be on my C8.

Spent some time this weekend and made up a tail light from an old gauge that looks fairly close, working from the photos I have, but...

Thanks again, and sorry for all the questions!
David

[Ganmain Tony]

They all had very tiny clearance lights david.

Globe in a piece of steel pipe sort of thing...dont have a picture but someone will...

I dont have the original lights and never did.

I know we can be belligerent with these trucks and argue with the authorities that they never had 'em, however, in order to keep the peace with the cops and other clowns on the road (and for a bit of safety) I fitted mine with a modern lighting set up.

I did try to keep it retro... the rear lights on mine are what were fitted to all Fords (Civvy) of that era.

[Private_collector]

Originally Posted by David DeWeese

Spent some time this weekend and made up a tail light from an old gauge that looks fairly close, working from the photos I have, but...

David, you clever bugger!


I suspect your vehicle may have originally had a rubber bodied version of these metal lights. I thought I had a photo somewhere, but not found it yet. Don't know how well the rubber would have survived over the years. Sure you could fashion something very similar, but I agree with GT, if not hugely concerned about originality make the lights more visible. I'm gonna use the original (and pitifully small) style. In addition, I am stealing an idea from a fellow MLU chappy and thinking about adding a rotating warning light that can be removed once arrived at whatever event it's travelling to.

[David DeWeese]

GanmainTony: Those are some nice looking vintage tail lights! I looked at putting something like that on my truck, and still may.....I don't want something that looks new and "off the shelf" or can be identified as being U.S military.

Tony Baker: Wow, looks like you have struck gold with those lights and brackets still in their box! I read somewhere that these are reproduced for WLC motorcycles also, but have yet to find any for sale....

Here's what I was shooting for with the gauge light, but here is what the truck might have had originally....I think!

Thanks, David

[Keith Webb]

I have some NOS originals, will post a pic soon.

[Bob Carriere]

Could they be reproduced with a digital process on self adhesive label paper.....?

I checked the Mac catalogue and THAT particular decal is not availalbe from them..... there may be other sources??? They used to be some sellers of repro decals of all kinds on Ebay ...... but not recently

Bob C

[David DeWeese]

Thanks Keith and Bob.

Bob, I will keep an eye out for a decal that will look the part. I'm sure someone does or will reproduce one...

Made up a bracket and couple of fake tail lights for the time being until I source some originals. Hey, for less than a dollar's worth of PVC pipe fittings, a broken reflector and bulb sockets I already had, they don't look all that bad...from about ten feet away.

Once all the engine panels were installed, I began to noticed a fairly strong fuel smell from the engine compartment coming from the carburetor vent. I now had a concern about not being able to readily access my engine in case of a fire. I could just imagine years worth of work going up in flames while fumbling with the hood screws. Call me paranoid, but....

Mounted a fire extinguisher next to the right engine cover, then drilled and installed a copper pipe fitting into the engine compartment. If a problem occurs, I can reach over, pull a pin and...

Thanks, David

[Bob Carriere]

Hi David

Those little tail lights look the part even a few feet away.

Actually you truck should have the early black rubber tail lights and even possibly as white markers on your front fenders.

Rubber got scarce and they went to metal..... an quite an elaborate machining process for war time production.

The dilemma with original taillights is alwasy the same.... do you go with historically accurate tial lights and risk being rearended by some idiot or do you go with school bus red lights to insure being seen.

There are a variety of options ranging from using period 1940 GM truck taillights which are somewhat bigger and instal one on each side or install modern lights. One option is to have modern lights hooked up to the truck electrical system via a common trailer four prong plug.... which would allow using reasonable modern visible lights for the street adn be able to remove the modern stuff once at a car show or on a street parade.

I intend to fabricate a sheet metal device that will slip over my tailgate and can be unplugged and stored in a canvas bag in the cargo box. Said device will have to large circular LED red lights on a background of glossy black and angled yellow refelctive stripes....... and may consider having white lettering indicating..... right hand drive.... no signals.......in the centre section. Once on site or at a parade the whole thing can be removed and only the original rubber tail lights will remain.

I believe that Brian Ashbury might still have a few left of the original NOS rubber lights with pigtails ..... you would probably need 3 for the rear.

I love the idea of the built-in fire extinguisher but the real solution is where are these strong fuel fumes coming from......?? could they be blowing in from underneath now that you have the engine cover in place.....?? does it smell more when driving or when stopped....? have you tried stuffing rags in all the many lever opening to see if the smell is reduced...... rags are only for testing purposes.... or use wet rags..... if the fumes do come form the carb what carb are you using...? W -1...? can the carb, whatever model you have, be vented with a small tube to the outside of the engine cowl..?

Is your extinguisher C0 2 or powder....? powder would have to be aimed carefully at the base of the flame otherwise you might as well fart in that hole. C0 2 would probably need to be larger to be effective. We have firefighters amongst our group they should be able to offer some advice.

I share you concern with torching all that hard work in a few seconds. That is why I removed my fully rebuilt Rochester B carburator when I discovered that in a steep hill the top vented Rochester actually flows raw gas all over the manifold....... currently with no cab or engine cover it quickly evaporated but lead me to change to a Carter YF which runs tremendous and does not leak.

I will no doubt store two fire ext. one on each side of the external tool box so they can be reached from either side..... cheap insurance.

Cheers.

Bob C

[David DeWeese]

Hi Bob, and thanks for the information!

The fake tail lights will come off later when I find some suitable replacements. I'm rushing to get the truck ready for a military show in March here in Texas, and it will be the first time out for the truck. Still have a lot to do, but the list is getting shorter every day....

The fire extinguisher is the powder type..probably won't put out a serious engine fire, but it makes me feel better that it is there.
The fuel smell is coming from the vent on the Rochester carburetor that came with the engine. You said your's leaked fuel on the exhaust manifold on your truck....mine is very close to doing that also. I have adjusted the float twice as the engine acted like it was flooding on an incline, and also the main bowl gasket gets wet..and that gives me some real concern.

I have some Carter YF carbs here, so will rebuild one and take your good advise to swap carburetors...

Many thanks for your great help.
David

Edit: Found out that the fuel tank selector switch on the floor was leaking also...

[David DeWeese]

Hi,

Been adding on some of the final touches to the truck lately. The round mirrors aren't correct, but easily change at a later date if I find the right ones..The rat flag was a Christmas present from a family member, and will stay on because I like it...

Can't believe that I am finally to the point where painting bolt heads is the main task on the list!

Thought it was more than appropriate to place a reminder on the truck to remember the man who preserved it for many years until his death, and for his family that allowed me to have it . That's Carl's brother Mike next to it in the photo.

I also wanted to GRATEFULLY thank each of the members of the MLU forum who gave me the valuable information and encouragement to see this project through to the end!

THANKS AGAIN and BEST REGARDS!
David

[aj.lec]

Love your work
Looks good . You have done a good job
Got 2 here to work on if you got bored

[Private_collector]

David, that vehicle is a credit to you

It's a beautiful piece of history, restored with obvious passion & care.

Your memorial plaque to Carl is a great touch.

What you gonna restore now?

[Alex van de Wetering]

Awesome work David! Thanks for posting all your experiences during the project.....it will certainly help me and other with our projects.

Alex

[rob love]

Here are some shots of the correct lights. The shot on the 8cwt is a bit too dark, and note that they have the blackout shields in them.

[David DeWeese]

Thanks!

Andrew: I would love an extended vacation and would work for my keep. Is your wife a good cook?

Tony: Don't know if Carl was a purist, but hope he would have appreciated the effort it took to get his truck back on the road again..

As for the next project, I have a 1934 1.5 ton Dodge that has been waiting patiently for it's turn...

Alex: Hope you get some good information out of the last few years of me posting. Spent many hours researching some things, but on others I just pulled them out of my a#@$.

Rob: Thanks for the photos of the tail lights. Know the ones I made weren't correct for the truck, but will hunt around and find some after the show later this month.

Thanks again!
David

[aj.lec]

Originally Posted by David DeWeese

Thanks!

Andrew: I would love an extended vacation and would work for my keep. Is your wife a good cook?

Thanks again!
David

Hello David
Any time
Wife isn't too bad a cook as long as you dont want anything too fancy

[David DeWeese]

Hi,

Been taking the C8 around to some of the local Texas MV events this spring.

Have received a very positive response about the truck. Most folks here have never seen, or even heard of, a WW2 Canadian Military Pattern truck....now they have.

Going to hit a lot more of the local vintage car shows and try to educate some of them with my limited knowlege on the subject! ....might even win a shiney plastic trophy or two in the process.

Thanks, David

[Bob Carriere]

It does stand rather proud...... unique in it's color and its design.....

Only the better read individual with a leaning towards WW II would recognize it ealry appearance in the conflict.

You have every right to be proud of the work you have done on that vehicle.

Now go find some weird and unusual Italian high wheel arty tractor.

Bob C.

[Lang]

David,

You should contact Mike O'Sullivan. He is just down the road at Cisco (halfway between you and Abilene). He has a yellow C15A which he drives everywhere. He took it from Istanbul to Normandy a couple of years ago.

Worth a visit to look at his vehicles but also his workshop at the airfield where he builds 90% scale Spitfires. Give him a call at Supermarine Aircraft

Lang

[David DeWeese]

Thanks Bob and Lang!

Bob, thank you for the kind reply. It's been kind of anticlimactic after finishing the C8, as I get a lot of positive responses on the truck, but it is out of their normal interest range....the sky is blue, the grass is green and army trucks are olive drab around here.

Lang, thank you very much for the heads-up on Mike O'Sullivan. I found his website today and will certainly contact him. I did meet a man at Brent Mullins Open House that had a C15A, but I'm not certain it was him. Met Duncan Rolls, an Australian who reproduces the Bantam Jeeps and MLU's David Gordon at the same event, all fine gentlemen.

Thanks, David

edit: Lang: Yes, Mike was who I met. Had a nice conversation with him today...

http://www.supermarineaircraft.com/

[Ganmain Tony]

Well done mate - full marks from me as well....

Myself, Id be loving the fact that everyone else's is Olive Drab and your's is in Desert colours.

Youre now the ambassador it seems for educating everyone down your way about Blitz's/CMP's amd their role in the biggest conflict of all time.

A very worthwhile responsibility if I may say so...

Looks like you've already got one trophy... and a well deserved one too.

Keep the updates coming - Are you enjoying driving it???

[David DeWeese]

Thanks Tony!
My mother has a cousin who regularly gloats about his son being a lawyer and a politician want-to-be. Now she can say HER son is an ambassador... representing what group really doesn't matter.

Have only put 4.9 miles on the odometer at this point. It's hauled in on a trailer, pulled off, set in position, then put back on the trailer. With no title, registration or insurance on the truck yet, I'm OK with that for right now.

Thanks, David

[Chuck Anderson]

Beautiful! Great work David!

[David DeWeese]

Thanks Chuck for your help!

Without your extra wheels my truck would be sitting in a corner...

Who bought your C8? Haven't seen it around lately.

Thanks, David

[Chuck Anderson]

Hi David,

I sold it to a friend and he ended up selling it to someone from Missouri (I believe). He didn't remember the name.

Its funny because out of all the various vehicles I've had over the years (that's not bragging...in fact just the opposite because I have to sell one thing to afford getting something else), I've regretted selling that C8 the most. They are very cool rigs and useful at our North Africa reenactments. We're easing into "rolling events", where we live out of convoys for the weekend and dismount to mix it up with the Jerrys.

I'm honestly considering selling the dingo to go back to a 8cwt or 15cwt. The dingo is a great tactical rig, but the ability to haul people & gear is much more useful to where we're at. I've never been a truck guy, but those really appeal to me!

[rwhovey]

Hello David,
Your project has inspired me to start my HUP this winter. What a wreath of info.
Randy H

[David DeWeese]

Hello Randy,

I'm glad that you found some inspiration in my postings on the C8 restoration, and hope it gets you going on your HUP restoration...the very best of luck to you.

Keep in mind I cut a lot of corners here and there, but to this day I haven't had a soul come up to me and say "hey, that bracket, or....isn't correct". It is such an odd thing to see a CMP restored in the U.S. that the little things seem to go unnoticed, so do whatever you have to to get it running and out there to be seen by the public. You will have time to fill in the blanks later...

Thanks, David

[gordon]

What are you working on now then - do tell ...

[David DeWeese]

Well, hello Gordon!

Hope things are going very well for you and your projects. How's that Iron Fireman coming along?

There is a M38 Jeep here that is 90% restored that must be completed before anything new is started....most of the winter on it probably.

Had a very sad thing happen recently in that a dear friend of mine, Mike Tong, died. He was the brother of Carl, the previous owner of my C8,(see post #460). I am now in possession of Mike's 1966 Ford Fairlane GT. It's a factory equipped, matching numbers 390ci 4-speed car, and it may well be my next project...

Regards, David

[rob love]

I had met Mike when I was dealing with Carl in his final days. We had conversed by email a few times in the year that followed. Sorry to hear of his passing.