Need A Little More Space

As I've struggled to restore the OC-3, I've been a mechanic that has had to split time between two work areas. I had a nice heated garage with all of my tools and a nice new air compressor. However, the bulk of the OC-3 has remained in the cozy confines of the backyard shed.

When I have brought parts out of the shed and into the garage there have been two barriers. I can't make a ton of noise in the attached garage (especially during nap time) and I really need to clear the mess by the end of day because the cars need to come inside at night.

Well, I've decided to solve that problem. I bought this really nice 24 x 26 Morton shed. It is heated, insulated, has water, and a floor drain. The catch is my wife wanted the matching house that goes with it. . .This tractor restoration hobby is getting expensive!

Outsourcing Some Work

A few other things have been in the works this summer regarding the restoration of the OC-3. I found a place south of town that is willing to clean, test, and repaint the old radiator. For the most part it is in pretty good shape. I'm excited to see what it looks like when its done.

I've also found a guy that is supposed to be a crackerjack generator, alternator, starter repair guy. I stripped it completely down to the metal before dropping it off. The inside parts were "crispy" and when I opened the inspection cover, black & burnt flakes fell out. . .Good luck repair guy.

New Air Compressor!

We have a new addition to the garage. I got a spanking new Porter Cable 60gal / 7 hp / 135 psi / 12.1 cfm @ 40psi / 9.7 cfm @ 90psi - air compressor!

The new air compressor will be a welcome addition to the OC-3 Restoration project. It was very apparent that the little craftsman compressor wasn't up for the job of needle scaling and sandblasting an entire OC-3.

I have a bit of work to do before I can put the new Porter Cable to work. I need to bolt it to the floor, route a 240V - 20 amp circuit out to the garage, wire it up, install a shut-off valve, and snap on a regulator/filter/oilier.

After the prep work, I should have ample pressure, ample CFM, and plenty of capacity. And, it will all be happening in the relative quiet that comes from an oil lubricated, twin cylinder. In stark contrast to the earth shaking racket of the oil-free craftsman.

Oh, and in an attempt to generate more blog readership. . .another picture of the Porter Cable with cute kids welcoming it to the garage.

Spring has Sprung: Back at It

We finally got a nice spring day and I found some time to go out to the shed. I installed a regulator on the spare air tank and did some needle scaling on the frame. This was the first time I've really used the spare air tank. It does add some extra capacity but my little air compressor is still working way too hard to keep up with the volume going out. I got about 1.5 hours of needle scaling in on the frame. While waiting for the air compressor to catch up I would go over the scaled areas with 80 grit flapper paper on a grinder loaned out from my dad. It works fairly well and brings the metal to a nice shine.

April Fools!

The post on April 1st was directed toward my wife. However, I apparently "fooled" a few other people as well. I am not the proud new owner of two more OC-3's. . .but I'm working on it!

Rest assured if you see a posting in the future about an acquisition. It will be the real thing.

Got the Call!

I got the call this morning. I'm the proud new owner of two more OC-3's!

I'm real excited about the potential of these two machines and can't believe I got two OC-3's for the price of my first one. . .Now I just got to get them hauled out of the North Woods. I will be anxiously waiting for spring to work its magic, melting the snow and drying things up enough to the point where we can pull them out without getting stuck.

Scouting Trip

I went on a little Sunday afternoon Scouting Trip to look at two OC-3's. You know what they say, "There's always room in the shed for one (or two) more OC-3's."

I had a brief eletronic conversation with a guy on the ytmag.com forum in November. His uncle died and he was trying to deal with his estate. He wanted to know what OC-3's were worth. He had two machines. I of course told him they range from scrap metal to $4000 depending on condition. I asked the location of the machines. They happen to be in Northern Wisconsin. I said if one was a parts candidate to let me know.

Three months went by and out of no where he emailed me some pictures and a more detailed description of the machines. So, took a drive north to check them out.

The green one is a 1952 OC-3 (42 inch width & 8 inch wide track pads). It has a Ware HGH loader with a 41" wide bucket. It also has a pto with belt pulley. It was described as the better of the two machines. Apparently both machines were running about two years ago before "uncle Tom" got sick. The green OC-3 had "transmission problems" around this time and it was removed and taken to the shop. The parts were "lost" during this long period of time so it was missing a "transmission". I discovered the missing transmission is really a missing clutch unit, bellhousing and gas tank. The tin work is a mess but the undercarriage looks fairly good.

The yellow one is a 1955 OC-3 (42 inch width & 10 inch wide track pads). According to the serial number it was originally a 68 inch wide machine and it was converted to 42 inches somewhere along the way. It has a 77 inch dozer blade that appears to be homemade. It also has a rather odd contraption on the back that I have come to learn is a cable jammer. It was used for skidding logs. The yellow OC-3 has a pto as well. The pto operates the winch on the cable jammer. The sprockets look good. The grousers (the paddles that stick up on the track pad for traction) have been rebuilt via weld. This machine was described as seeing a lot more use and in worse shape. Apparently it had a habit of throwing its tracks. I think I know why. It appears one of the track frames is bent - but I can't be sure because it is sitting in 18" of snow. Lastly, the tin work on this machine is a disaster as well.

If you could combine the two units, you might end up with a functioning crawler. It was a nice day for a drive and it is always fun to look at "The Finest in Farm Machinery". I'll send the guy an email telling him they are less than desireable machines. However, for the right price, I'd find a way to drag them home! We'll see what happens. . .

Another Ebay Parts Purchase

Not much new has happened on the OC-3. Since my last post it has continued to be a tough winter. Cold and snow has really put a damper on my motivation.

However, I did start a search for what I originally called in my May 27, 2007 post (http://oc-3restoration.blogspot.com/2007/05/left-sprocket-surprise.html) "some sort of tapered compression retainer" - which is actually a pretty good description. In the OC-3 parts manual they are actually called "Part Nbr. 115 975 Collet - for rear wheel stud".

The collets were the items that caused me so much grief when I was trying to remove the left-side drive sprocket. The right side didn't have them and therefore the sprocket came off easy on that side. That's a problem - the sprocket shouldn't come off easy. The collets serve a purpose.

So, in January I began the search for 10 collets (at that time I didn't even know their name). After some thinking, I concluded the best place to visit was my local Fastenal store. The guy behind the counter looked at the part with a blank stare. He asked what it came off of and I told him. He looked at again, and suggested I contact the original manufacturer. Gee thanks - I'll give the empty slab that used be the Oliver plant in Charles City, IA a call. "Fastenal: the premiere fastener distributor in North America."

As I considered my next move, a listing appeared on Ebay for 10 "Cone Bushings" from an OC-3. This Ebay seller was the same one that sold me the oil filter base. I watched the Ebay auction and became the successful bidder. I ended up paying just over $2 per collet with shipping and handling. I'm guessing $2 per collet is cheaper than a month or two of searching for a modern day vendor.

So, I made a little bit of progress, but each step is needed to realize the full restoration of the OC-3.

As for my motivation - two things have helped in that area.

First, We've had a couple of days above freezing which leads me to believe spring will indeed arrive in the next month or two. The second piece of motivation were some pictures posted on http://www.cletrac.org/ by Steve from Washington. Steve posted some pictures detailing the progress of his OC-46 restoration. The OC-4 (OC-46 is the track loader version) is the younger and slightly bigger brother to the OC-3.

Anyway, Steve's pictures show what perseverance and attention to detail can produce.

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=15042131&uid=533924&members=1

Nice job Steve and thanks for the inspiration.

Mid-Winter Mulling

Nothing new has happened on the OC-3 since November and that is unfortunate. Winter came on hard and fast with lots of snow and rather chilly temperatures. Add the holiday season to that and there just hasn't been time to work on the parts and pieces.

In December, I was able to make a part purchase on Ebay. I picked up an oil filter base assembly for $20. Back in April I discovered the original filter base was missing the feeder tube that sticks up into the filter. I had planned on drilling out the remains of the old tube and braising in a new tube of some sort. However, the Ebay part sure seemed a lot easier and more functional.

I've also been thinking long and hard about the step-down transmission. If you remember my May 22, 2007 post, I talked about using the Model A Ford 3-speed as a step-down transmission (http://oc-3restoration.blogspot.com/2007/05/detour-before-going-to-garage.html).

I continue to read posts by OC-3 owners (http://www.cletrac.org/) that absolutely rave about the improvement obtained when a Model A transmission is installed. The Model A gives you 9 forward speeds instead of 3 and brings the 1st gear speed down from 2.02 to 0.64 mph. This allows you to really push dirt and it saves a lot of wear and tear on the clutch, engine, transmission, final drive gears, etc. As I think about all of the abuse my old OC-3 has taken over the years I begin to think the step-down transmission should have been installed years ago.

So, with all of that being said I have concluded this restoration will include a Model A step-down transmission. If the crawler is stripped down to the frame now is the time to make the upgrade.

There are a couple of ways of making this happen. 1) Find a "factory" Trasco transmission conversion from the 1950's. This is not likely going to happen. Original Trasco conversions are gold in the OC-3 community (see picture to the left). 2) I have had some conversations with some Stout engineering students that have foundry classes. If I could borrow the Trasco bellhousing owned by Mike, the Woodbury parts source (see June 5, 2007 post), the students could make a mold of it and thus be able to pour a new bellhousing. They would get a great class project and I would get a new Trasco bellhousing. 3) Make my own bellhousing conversion. At one time I thought this would be a long shot but some very talented folks on http://www.cletrac.org/ have posted some instructions on how they were able to make the conversion happen. It wouldn't be an easy job but it isn't an impossible task either.

The picture to the right is a factory bellhousing that has be cut down 3 inches and then a plate was welded to it that mates with the Model A transmission. John de Marrais and Dick Wolcott have posted some great information and instructions about the conversion at: http://www.cletrac.org/pages/auxtrans.html

Dick Wolcott used de Marrais' information and instructions and took it to the next level. He recently posted 22 pages of instructions and illustrations at: http://cletrac.org/media/aux_trans/HG_Aux_trans.PDF

So, that is all for now. . .As winter drags on I hope I'm able to report on some progress from my heated garage.

Goin' to the Carwash. . .

Not much has been happening with the OC-3 since it was stacked in the shed for winter. I've been struggling to get the appropriate regulator installed on the spare air tank. The first regulator I bought was defective right out of the box. I never opened the box on the second regulator. Upon getting it home I noticed it didn't meet the max PSI for my compressor. I'll get it right eventually.

In mid-October, on a relatively warm and sunny day I loaded the crawler frame into the back of the mini-van (I really need to get a hitch on that thing) and took it to the car wash. I invested in the "unlimited wash" option. I rinsed, washed, foamed, degreased, rinsed, foamed, degreased, rinsed, washed, and rinsed. The frame cleaned up rather well. It should make the paint stripping process a little cleaner and a little easier.

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.

She was a working girl. . .

As I spend more time with the OC-3 she reluctantly reveals more of her sorted past to me. My OC-3 was "a working girl", asked to do things that she didn't want to do by bad men who didn't care about her welfare. As I chip through the layers of abuse and neglect I find more evidence that this old OC-3 has lived a hard life.

Sunday was again a very rainy day. I decide to go to the garage to scrape and wash some parts that have not had their turn. With a masterful pitching performance by Johan Santana in the background I took a puddy knife to the final drive housings. After giving the left housing a bath in the parts washer I found a small but significant crack in the housing along one of the bolt holes (the first set of pictures below).

The right housing had an interesting surprise as well. Hidden by massive amounts of dirt and grease, I found a huge braising job from what only could have been a hellacious crack. The braising bead is about 3/4 inch wide by 4.5 inches long. It is found on the outside and inside of the housing (last set of pictures below).

I believe the small crack on the left housing can fixed in a similar way as the right housing. Neither crack should cause any problems with the functionality of the crawler. However, they will be scars that will be with her forever.

More Needle Scaler Work

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and that made it perfect for some more needle scaler work in the back shed (can't needle scale in the garage during the boy's nap time).

I tackled two of the biggest parts from the crawler - the track frames. They are about 5 feet long and weigh about 250lbs. a piece. They are made of heavy steel and are perfect candidates for the needle scaler. My compressor is still waiting for its parts so the process wasn't exactly fast. I would scale an 8"x8" section at a time and then the compressor would need to catch up. During this time I took my drill with a wire brush attached and went over the section I just scaled. It was a fairly efficient and effective process.

A New (old) Bull Gear!

I paid a visit to a fellow OC-3 owner in Burnsville, MN last night. His name is Les and he is a real nice guy that owns three OC-3's. Les was referred to me by Mike *see my "Parts Progress" post on 6/5/07.

Anyway, Les happened to have an extra final drive bull gear that he was willing to sell. The price wasn't bad and the bull gear, although a little worn and rusty, at least has all 72 of its teeth. *See my 5/31/07 post called "Oh Tooth Fairy!"


So, Les and I got talk crawlers for awhile. He shared some stories, tips, and advice.


After my visit, I got to have a great dinner in the big city with my wife. We then stopped by the Mall of America and I stopped by Al's Farm Toys. This was the first time I've been to Al's. It was okay. A small selection of Oliver toys. Way too much John Deere stuff. Overall it was a good night.