Going For It. . .

I was sitting on my little shop stool one night peering into the empty transmission/differential case when it occurred to me. . .I don't think I want to tear this thing apart again. Yet, I do want to see the OC-3 restored to a respectable level. So, this is my one shot to tear the old girl down all the way and do it right.

With that mental conclusion made I have been stripping the OC-3 down a bit more. I have been tearing it down with mechanical restoration in mind and now I've been turning a wrench with cosmetic restoration in mind. How can I get this part cleaned and ready for paint? That is the question in mind these days.

This weekend I disconnected and pulled the gas tank. The tank is sizable - 13 gallons. Of course I wasn't able to disconnect the gas line and drain the tank without getting a little bit of a gas bath.

I also pulled what was left of the grill and side tin. This area was butchered by previous owners as they made room for the front mounted hydraulic pump. I might look around for another grill. But as one person posted on http://www.cletrac.org/ "yeah, you and 1000 other guys are looking for that same grill."

I did find out recently that there are alternative parts sources available. It seems that Cletrac (the company that Oliver merged with in 1945) built a wheel tractor that was basically the HG or OC-3 crawler on wheels.

The tractor is called The General http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/tphotos/a34367.jpg and it has the same transmission, an earlier version of the Hercules engine (lots of matching engine parts - like the much needed air cleaner), and the same gas tank, hood, and grill. And to add to the parts possibilities, Cletrac sold the General tractor design to Avery in 1945. The BF Avery Model A is another parts source http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/tphotos/a104086.jpg. The Avery Model A was also sold as the Wards Twin Row http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/tphotos/a17143.jpg. So, when looking for parts I have a few more avenues to seek for results.

After pulling the grill I drained the radiator (and engine block) of its coolant. I then removed the radiator. The radiator seems to be in good/working condition. I'll probably take it in to a local radiator shop to have it flushed, pressure tested, cleaned up, and painted.

I also removed the generator. I knew a long time ago that the generator was not functioning. However, when I opened an inspection cover a bunch of burnt and crispy flakes fell out of the generator. The generator is certainly on its way to a local generator/alternator shop for overhaul.

One last picture of the drive shaft/clutch area. It is now visible because I removed the battery pan. The next item on the list is to remove the remaining dozer blade structure and all attached hydraulic systems (hoses, valve, reservoir tank). After that I go after the clutch.