A 743 in pieces Pt. 2

[Tazza]

I have finally taken the time to take some snaps of my progress, sorry for the quality, these were done on my camera phone.....
Here is where i am currently at:

And from the back:

I still need to replace the aux. hydraulic detent balls, i took them out yesterday and i will get some tomorrow and try to get them installed, we will see how many i manage to loose on the process.
As you can see, the tilt ram and bobtach aren't on yet, the bobtach needs the part where the ram attaches to be removed and a new one welding in. Hopefully i will get this done during the week and if all goes well, the bobtach will be ready to paint next week.
Over all, i am happy how it has all turned out, there are a few scratches here and there but hey, its a bobcat its bound to get scratched. I have tightened the pedals and there is little to no play in them any more, they are also greased now so they should last alot longer. Its amazing just how smooth it drives and the control of the arms without the back lash in the controls.

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Looking good Tazz Your giving me some incentive to go hang some top coat over the primer on my 853. Got all my parts last week, just have to get back to it now. And it would help if the temp would come above 50. Was hoping to spray the acrylic enamel from Bobcat outside, save the mess. Got a new muffler, waterpump, thermostat, drivebelts, spool seals, seat bar and foot pedal bushing and pin work. New tailgate bumpers, top and rear window weatherstripping, (have to cut glass yet). New bobtach pins, bushings, and bosses. New engine, hyd and chaincase oil, all filters. Sandblasted and primed, topcoat and decals to go yet. I also have some hoe brackets for a 763, I need to narrow up to fit. Pretty much just paint and reassemble the cab, bobtach and tires to the machine. Let me know how the detent thing goes, need to brave it on my 553. Regards Ken

 

[Tazza]

Looking good Tazz Your giving me some incentive to go hang some top coat over the primer on my 853. Got all my parts last week, just have to get back to it now. And it would help if the temp would come above 50. Was hoping to spray the acrylic enamel from Bobcat outside, save the mess. Got a new muffler, waterpump, thermostat, drivebelts, spool seals, seat bar and foot pedal bushing and pin work. New tailgate bumpers, top and rear window weatherstripping, (have to cut glass yet). New bobtach pins, bushings, and bosses. New engine, hyd and chaincase oil, all filters. Sandblasted and primed, topcoat and decals to go yet. I also have some hoe brackets for a 763, I need to narrow up to fit. Pretty much just paint and reassemble the cab, bobtach and tires to the machine. Let me know how the detent thing goes, need to brave it on my 553. Regards Ken

Nice, i hope you have pics of it all for us
I hope to get a chance to try and do the detent tomorrow afternoon, There is a bit of wear in the housing that the balls run in but i think rotating the housing 90 degrees will do the trick so the new balls won't run in the worn section. I felt guilty getting the detent balls from bobcat yesterday, the cost of them didn't even cover the cost of the paperwork! it cost me all of $2 for 4.....
If your using acrilic paint, you don't want the temp too high, i have found with spraying any enamel that is quick dry, all the over spray makes like a bumpy fishish that is dull, some people call it "egg shells". You really want a nice smooth coat as its MUCH easier to clean rather than trying to get the dirt out of the pores that the dried over spray makes, you can generally get it smooth by giving it a polish, but just how far do you want to go..... I hope that made some sense. I had the same problem when i used 2 pack on mine, when i did the lift arms it was getting late and the temperature was dropping (about 15-20 degrees C) so the paint dried slower and left a beautifull finish so smooth (don't mind the runs it also left). Unlike the chassis that was painted when it was 30+ degrees C, the paint dried quickly and gave a rough finish in some places that holds all the dirt and grime.
I hope yours takes less time than mine has taken...

 

[Mr Jimi]

Nice, i hope you have pics of it all for us
I hope to get a chance to try and do the detent tomorrow afternoon, There is a bit of wear in the housing that the balls run in but i think rotating the housing 90 degrees will do the trick so the new balls won't run in the worn section. I felt guilty getting the detent balls from bobcat yesterday, the cost of them didn't even cover the cost of the paperwork! it cost me all of $2 for 4.....
If your using acrilic paint, you don't want the temp too high, i have found with spraying any enamel that is quick dry, all the over spray makes like a bumpy fishish that is dull, some people call it "egg shells". You really want a nice smooth coat as its MUCH easier to clean rather than trying to get the dirt out of the pores that the dried over spray makes, you can generally get it smooth by giving it a polish, but just how far do you want to go..... I hope that made some sense. I had the same problem when i used 2 pack on mine, when i did the lift arms it was getting late and the temperature was dropping (about 15-20 degrees C) so the paint dried slower and left a beautifull finish so smooth (don't mind the runs it also left). Unlike the chassis that was painted when it was 30+ degrees C, the paint dried quickly and gave a rough finish in some places that holds all the dirt and grime.
I hope yours takes less time than mine has taken...

Tazza is very right on temperatures with paints. I have one simple rule, if its comfortable in a T-Shirt like around 70F to 85F Its good to paint, I like to paint in the morning around 10 AM, the winds are calm and temp is nice and all goes well. Most paints will have reducers/thinners that are made for certain temps. I prefer the slower drying paints, they will flow better and will give you a nice gloss and catch more dust and bugs. Not all of us has a 80K spray booth, I don't have one.
Take your time, blow it off real good and keep other peoples hands off it and you will have nice results
Jim

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Tazza is very right on temperatures with paints. I have one simple rule, if its comfortable in a T-Shirt like around 70F to 85F Its good to paint, I like to paint in the morning around 10 AM, the winds are calm and temp is nice and all goes well. Most paints will have reducers/thinners that are made for certain temps. I prefer the slower drying paints, they will flow better and will give you a nice gloss and catch more dust and bugs. Not all of us has a 80K spray booth, I don't have one.
Take your time, blow it off real good and keep other peoples hands off it and you will have nice results
Jim

Our highs for the day have been 50. Lows mid 30 to 40. This weather sucks even for us. And two plus weeks of rain (and snow). I've had fires (heat)in the shop in the last two weeks. Would like to catch a 70 degree day when I can crack a door on each end to let the air move through. My version of a spray booth. 30C is a hot day in summer for us. I'll have to take a lesson on posting pics, (and making paragraphs) I skimmed that post one night but it never sank in. Ken

 

[Tazza]

Our highs for the day have been 50. Lows mid 30 to 40. This weather sucks even for us. And two plus weeks of rain (and snow). I've had fires (heat)in the shop in the last two weeks. Would like to catch a 70 degree day when I can crack a door on each end to let the air move through. My version of a spray booth. 30C is a hot day in summer for us. I'll have to take a lesson on posting pics, (and making paragraphs) I skimmed that post one night but it never sank in. Ken

The bobtach is on! and the eye on the tilt cylinder has been welded on. Its all working really well.
My next fun job is the electrics........ The temperature and fuel gauge are both dead, i'm going to try and get some after market ones to replace them with. Other than that, all i need is to put the back door on, fit the seat bar and throw a bucket on and i'm all set to tear up some dirt!
Piccies will follow when i get a chance.

 

[skidsteer.ca]

The bobtach is on! and the eye on the tilt cylinder has been welded on. Its all working really well.
My next fun job is the electrics........ The temperature and fuel gauge are both dead, i'm going to try and get some after market ones to replace them with. Other than that, all i need is to put the back door on, fit the seat bar and throw a bucket on and i'm all set to tear up some dirt!
Piccies will follow when i get a chance.

Tazza
Do yor guages move at all when you turn on the key?
If they do you may just be in need of sending units, grounding or wire repairs. Although you're probably aware of how to test the guage by grounding the sending unit wire.
Glad to here your (almost) ready to roar!
Ken

 

[Tazza]

Tazza
Do yor guages move at all when you turn on the key?
If they do you may just be in need of sending units, grounding or wire repairs. Although you're probably aware of how to test the guage by grounding the sending unit wire.
Glad to here your (almost) ready to roar!
Ken

The gauges don't move at all, they are sitting on my bench in the shed
There was an engine bay fire in this machine which proceeded to eat the wiring harness up. The connector under the seat was in a bad way (the fire didn't get this far), some were broken off and some were hard wired in. I just yanked the whole lot out and removed all the gauges and switches and i will start from scratch.
I went to clean the gauges by removing the covers and get the dust out of them, the volt meter does work but the other 2 have open curcuit coils, you can see corrosion on the windings too.
I got prices on the gauges from Bobcat, they were pretty good actually. I'm going to go for an aftermarket gauge as the temperature gauge shows the temperature in degrees which is what i'd rather. The gague and sender unit is the same as just the gauge from Bobcat.
The fuel gauge and sender unit is the same as just the gauge from Bobcat too, i don't know what the sender is like so i'm going to replace this too then i know its all working correctly. If i knew the sender was ok without any dead spots in the coil, i'd just get the gauge from Bobcat.
I just need to wait for my gauges and i can start wiring it up. I really want my temperature gauge on before i give it a good run, i don't want to crack the head from over heating it. I'm itching to throw a bucket on and take it for a drive and do some digging.