Cat 951-C in my sights

[workshoprat92]

Man that was awsome thinking on the screws and washers. Thats was an excellent way to do it.

 

[Nitelite]

Man that was awsome thinking on the screws and washers. Thats was an excellent way to do it.

Thanks Workshop, the awesome thing about using the #10 bolts is that both rims run true without a lot of adjusting and fiddling. Those things are heavy and it was a one man job to lift them into place with the aid of a come along and get a couple of bolts in there to hold things. I first tried wooden wedges driven in the crack between the sprocket center and the new rim. The wedges would not hold the rim tight enough that the sprocket could be spun to check for proper alignment. Sometimes the simplest things can solve some of the biggest problems, just a simple solution that can be used by many who might face the same operation on other machines.

 

[kb9tci]

Nitelite, I finally got a chance to catch up on your thread! That is very impressive progress!!! I've just sourced a new-to-me block for my kitty, so I hope to be following in your footsteps of the engine work soon!

I called Off Road today and heard the sad news that Jeff is not working sales anymore. That's a bummer... :thumbdown:thumbdown

 

[Nitelite]

Nitelite, I finally got a chance to catch up on your thread! That is very impressive progress!!! I've just sourced a new-to-me block for my kitty, so I hope to be following in your footsteps of the engine work soon!

I called Off Road today and heard the sad news that Jeff is not working sales anymore. That's a bummer... :thumbdown:thumbdown

Jeff is a buyer for Offroad now. Ask for Jeff Robinson and if you can get through to him he will still fill your order.

 

[Nitelite]

Making more progress

Welding just about complete! Welding 100% inside and out took about eight hours. Tomorrow it will get some hard facing on the bottom of the bucket.

 

[Shimmy1]

What rods did you use for the weld? My half-@ssed welder eye is not telling me anything.

 

[kb9tci]

Jeff is a buyer for Offroad now. Ask for Jeff Robinson and if you can get through to him he will still fill your order.

I ended up emailing him from his address off an old order and he is helping me out. Someone else tried quoting me what I need though Offroad and I had Jeff re-do it. What was quoted to me at $913.60, Jeff re-quoted with some different parts groups for $651.75. It sure helps to find the right people!!!!

Glad to see those sprockets welded up!

 

[Nitelite]

It seems as though

I ended up emailing him from his address off an old order and he is helping me out. Someone else tried quoting me what I need though Offroad and I had Jeff re-do it. What was quoted to me at $913.60, Jeff re-quoted with some different parts groups for $651.75. It sure helps to find the right people!!!!

Glad to see those sprockets welded up!

It seems like the telephone people at Offroad are trying to screen and restrict Jeff's calls from customers. I am not confident dealing with any of the other parts reps. Good Idea, when you get a chance pm me his Email addy.

 

[Nitelite]

What rods did you use for the weld? My half-@ssed welder eye is not telling me anything.

Ten lbs of 7018 rods to do the job.

 

[Nige]

Are you planning on grinding everything smooth before painting..? It would make your replacement sprocket rims look like OEM.

 

[Nitelite]

I am going to paint the entire machine. I will paint the track frame group before it is re installed. I will also paint the lower section of the machine. When the track frames are installed and the painting done the welded rims are barely visible. I will finish the painting when the assembly is complete. Once I begin to clean out the lake it will look like a mud ball anyway, so I doubt that I will be doing any grinding.

 

[workshoprat92]

Tomorrow it will get some hard facing on the bottom of the bucket.



those words just make my skin crawl LOL. I think I even threw up in my mouth a little. If I had a dollar for every warped fd up bucket I have seen from hard surfacing I could probably retire. Wear plates is a far better way to go.

 

[Nitelite]

Tomorrow it will get some hard facing on the bottom of the bucket.



those words just make my skin crawl LOL. I think I even threw up in my mouth a little. If I had a dollar for every warped fd up bucket I have seen from hard surfacing I could probably retire. Wear plates is a far better way to go.

From judging the quality of work that I have posted in this thread do you really think that I would screw up my bucket? Think again, if you almost got sick it was probably caused by something that you ate!

 

[workshoprat92]

Sorry man no offense intended. I just have never been or ever will be a big fan of hard surfacing a bucket. We all have our opinions and in my honest opinion your far better off making wear plates out of ar400 plate steel. I have even seen old worn out track pads welded to bucket bottoms for wear plates. Not real cosmetically appealing though. I think my favorite is square plates with a hole in the center so it can be roset welded on. Sure helps from warping the snot out of things. Once its warped you fight like hell to get it un warped if at all. I have seen cutting edges warped so badly the center would be 3 inches higher than the outside edges.

 

[fixou812]

For some of the folks that may not know. ...it's best to weld in a couple few temporary
vertical braces about an inch or so inside the bucket to prevent warping.

 

[Nitelite]

Workshop, I am not really a metal worker, so I would not be equipped to fabricate wear plates and couldn't weld them on if I had them. The hard surfacing on the bucket was on the existing wear plates to extend their service life. The welder was standing there equipped to do the job, so why not. You expressed your opinion and I consider all opinions but no offence was taken at all.

Four hours cleaning, wire brushing and painting today produced good results. Hopefully I'll get started on putting the track frames back on tomorrow. As far as the painting goes, I lack the hood, instrument panel and the ROPS. There will be some touch up work like wrench marks and bolt heads. I look to be riding in the chariot seat before too long. I just might have to contact Jeff at Offroad and treat the old gal to some new decals.

The Cat brand paint really works well. I am cutting it about 5%-7% with acetone and spraying with 25 lbs air pressure at the gun. I am using a Devilbiss
conventional gun. I painted the engine compartment before the freshly overhauled painted engine was installed. I have used 1 3/4 gallon of paint so far. I bought two gallons and expect to need one more to finish up, using a total of three gallons.

 

[tctractors]

Nitelite, those grill plates look a bit of a knacker job as things are not correct with them, the grill is in 2 sections with the top plate being the same as the lower plate, on the early grills they have holes from top to bottom, on the later grills (CAT 951C) the holes are not punched from top to bottom but leave a band about 3" wide without any holes at 1 end that is placed at the top with 1 grill and at the bottom with the other, both grill half's are identical, your shovel should have grill sections fully covered with holes again the top section and lower section are identical, I have a local Fab Shop cut plates for me on their plasma table for around £60 a section for material and cutting, this makes the front look mint.
tctractors

 

[nicky 68a]

Perhaps Jeff's gaffers don't think he's earning enough money for them and that's why they're screening calls??

 

[nicky 68a]

Don't start counting holes in grills Nitelite,they will send you asleep.When TC returned a d8 for me,I discovered that he may of stolen 2 holes from my grill to stuff into his little Drott grill...??

 

[old-iron-habit]

When you get ready for decals check out the store on the ACMOC site. They make full factory match decal sets for all these older machines along with factory correct direction on where they should be applied to be correct. Very reasonably priced.