Engine Stands are a Good Thing

My co-worker George is a very skilled and experienced mechanic on many different levels. It took me awhile to realize, "Hey, I bet George has an engine stand." He sure did and he was kind enough to loan it out to me. It is a slick set-up. It will make it much easier to work on the engine with the ability to rotate it 360 degrees. It also makes it much easier to move it out of the way. . .I just wheel it around. Thanks again George.

A Two-Car Garage?!?

Yep, that is a picture of two cars in the garage. Something that hasn't been seen since last April. The garage is close to original condition. The work bench still needs some organizing, the shelves need to be tidied up, and there is an oil stain on the floor that will probably never go away.

However, the main goal has been met. We stayed one step ahead of Jack Frost. No one had to scrape car windows before work.

Packing the Shed for Winter

Just as you can fit a fully assembled OC-3 into a 12x16 yard shed. . .you can fit a fully disassembled OC-3 into a 12 x 16 yard shed. It just takes a little cleaning and organizing.

The cleaning and organizing actually took the better part of two afternoons last weekend. It had been quite some time since the shed had a good going through. I did have help, my 5 year old daughter was my "helper". She kept track of her breaks in the shade. I lost track after she announced, "I'm going to take break number 8 now."

When we were all done I was able to pack away the OC-3 without using much more floor space than what was occupied by the formerly cluttered version of the shed. In fact, I was able to tell my wife that we had room to park one more OC-3 in the shed if we happened to come upon one. She was not amused.

ANY PICTURE THROUGHOUT THE BLOG CAN VIEWED UP CLOSE BY SIMPLY CLICKING ON THE PICTURE. . .

3,860 Pounds Later. . .

Based on the "operating weight" listed in the manual, I have removed about 3,860 pounds of parts. All that remains is about 100+ pounds of bare frame. If you look back to my first post in April, the OC-3 came into the garage for a change of fluids and some basic maintenance.

Well, six months later we are down to the frame. It wasn't the original plan, but in it will save me years of constant fixing and in the end I think I'll be happy with the final product. The garage will be cleaned up and readied for winter. I'll also be able work on one manageable piece of the crawler at a time in the heated comfort of my garage over the winter. Spring time should be a time of reassembly and painting.

Back to the 50's Night

In 1955, Bill Haley and the Comets were a radio hit with "Rock Around The Clock". Eisenhower was President. The Brooklyn (Not Los Angeles) Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series. James Dean was killed in his Porsche Spyder and McDonald's opened its 9th restaurant. A little bit of time has passed between 1955 and today.

It is probably safe to say that the old Hercules Engine has not been out of the OC-3 frame since it was it was first installed in 1955. I say that because it did not want to leave. It was literally rusted into the frame. All engine mounts were loose but it would not come out. The engine hoist was picking up the engine and frame all at one time.

I couldn't believe it so I crawled all over the frame and engine looking for a bolt that I missed. No bolt was missed. The rear portion of the engine that houses the clutch has two 3"x3" pads of metal that meet up flush with the frame. These tight and flush mounting pads were causing all of the problems - fused by oxidation to the frame. I finally had to bring in my floor jack. I wheeled it under the clutch housing and chained the frame to the floor jack frame - thus creating a modified press. It worked, I was able to press the engine loose.

I re-hooked the engine hoist and I still had problems. The frame still wanted to come with the engine, so I chained the frame down to the engine hoist frame. Out she came, one 1955 Hercules IXB - 4 cylinder engine (about 300 pounds of iron).

Transmission / Differential Housing Out

The next step in the tear-down was to remove the transmission/differential housing. It will be much easier to clean and prep the frame with the housing removed. It will also make it much easier to clean the scum and sludge that still remains inside of the trans/diff housing.

Dozer Frame Off (thank you engine hoist fairy)

Well, my wishes were answered by the Engine Hoist Fairy (my dad). It proved to be the right tool for the job. The dozer mounting structure came off quick and easy. The pictures below are before and after shots (left=before & right=after). I'm sure the engine hoist will be great asset in the future. Thanks again, engine hoist fairy.