Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale WITHOUT RESERVE and SOLD to the highest bidder January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
During the mid-1930s and following Hitler's rise to power in Germany, the British government began exploring Canada's potential as a manufacturing base for war-related goods. Given the British Army's dire need of transport of all kinds, both Ford of Canada and R.S. McLaughlin of General Motors of Canada Ltd. were invited by the Canadian Department of National Defense to produce a Canadian prototype of an "8 cwt" light infantry truck that would be compatible with British specifications and based on the pattern of the British 8 cwt truck.
As part of the range of "Canadian Military Pattern" or CMP vehicles, these trucks were designated as the Chevrolet C8 and Ford F8. Production began around May 1940 and ended near the close of 1941 with a total of 9,837 units built. Approximately 50 per cent were built by Chevrolet and Ford respectively. Although some Canadian 8 cwt trucks were shipped to the UK, the bulk of them went directly to North Africa for use by the British and other Commonwealth army units.
The Canadian-designed cabs, designated Type numbers 11 and 12, were the result of an awkward design specification mandated by the British War Office. These cabs can only be described as being like a large erector set, with hundreds of bolts fastening everything together. While Chevrolet's C8 bodies were made by W.D. Beath, a Toronto company, Ford of Canada made their own. Both Chevrolet's C8 and Ford's F8 utilized many standard civilian-vehicle parts, making it relatively easy to locate replacement parts.
This F-8 was purchased in Canada in 2008 and shipped to Arizona where a complete frame-up restoration was begun. The restoration was completed in 2009 and the truck has since been maintained in a garage. The truck had no engine when delivered. It was originally powered by a 1940 100 HP Canadian Ford engine. Because this specific engine was not available, a 1946 100 HP Mercury engine was substituted. As both engines were configured the same, no changes to the engine mounts were required. A fan shroud was installed to aid in cooling the engine. The electrical system was converted to 12 volts and an alternator installed in place of the original generator.
Because of the severely limited foot space in the driver's side, the original 4-speed manual transmission was removed and an automatic transmission was installed in its place. The original transmission is included in the sale. The new shifter was able to be located in the same place as the original. The clutch pedal was kept and has been pinned to the horizontal brake shaft so that both it and/or the brake pedal can be used for braking. The vehicle comes with side curtains made in the same fashion as the originals. Turn signals were added to make the truck "street-legal."
Being only a 4X2, and rather heavy, their off-road use was severely limited. Wide-section, balloon-type 9.00-13 tires were standard on the 8 cwt class to navigate the Middle Eastern sands. Today, it is a difficult task locating these tires; Trelleborg of Sweden, MRF of India, and Alliance Tires of Israel appear to be the only three sources.
Combining aspects of British design with North American manufacturing technology, the result was a unique vehicle that, despite its limitations, did the job required of it. By late 1941, transport needs were rationalized and the 8 cwt class was deemed obsolete and production ceased in favor of the 15 cwt class. By the end of the war, some 400,000 CMP vehicles had been produced in total by Canada for the Commonwealth armies. Today, it is very rare to find a surviving 8 cwt truck, let alone a restored example of these important Allied army transport vehicles. As stated earlier, one of the main reasons that so few have been restored is due to their unique tire size, 9.00-13. Tires for this vehicle were sourced from Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) of India, which the current owner purchased from a dealer in Australia. Very rare today, this Ford F-8 8 cwt military truck is an unusual and exciting classic vehicle that will make a unique statement on the road and at shows alike.
