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MikesRJ

RJ-58 Restoration begins

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chamjack

That is a very nice job you are doing so far. Took me a bit to get the full scoop as I bounced around the links you posted. It made a good read and I liked the background that you provided. Judging by all of your posts, I would say you have all three of the attributes that you have listed in your signature line. Keep the progress pics coming :thumbs2:

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MikesRJ

And another dumb question......

I realized this morning, while looking at the newly painted front rims, that the parts manual ( RJ-58 Manual ) shows the front rims as being installed with valve stems in toward the center, with the longer hub side of the rim towards the outside. This does not seem correct to me. Can anyone verify the correct orientation? Thanks.

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mcwh1950

And another dumb question......

I realized this morning, while looking at the newly painted front rims, that the parts manual ( RJ-58 Manual ) shows the front rims as being installed with valve stem in toward the center, with the longer hub side of the rim towards the outside. This does not seem correct to me. Can anyone verify the correct orientation? Thanks.

at this link you will see the 1958 sale brochures for the rj-58 the third one down show the valve stem are on the inside

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=1011

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MikesRJ

You da man! Thank you. Valve stems in and long hub out, it is then. Thanks again.

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MikesRJ
That is a very nice job you are doing so far.

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MikesRJ

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MikesRJ

Guess what's coming next....

017.JPG

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MikesRJ

Got the lift cable painted today.

Also got the tranny completely disassembled, stripped and cleaned the case and side plates, and in primer. I used a hard primer (vs. my normal Sandable Primer) so that the case and covers are protected during assembly, and can easily be cleaned off after final assembly. After Assembly I will clean and degrease the transmission, shoot a light coat of sandable primer, prep, and shoot red. Comments welcome on this method. Is there a better way?

Note that the Left Cover and Case are primed with hard primer (shiny), while the Right Cover is primed with sandable primer.

l also forgot to put the Drive Gear in the picture :thumbs2:.

Exploded View of Transmission

033a.jpg

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MikesRJ

Mine's painted. I beleive it to be original. I know for sure the one on my '60 400 (Which my dad bought in '60) was painted when new.

Jim,

On your original, was the Wheel Horse lettering on the hood front painted as well, or is it just red?

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linen beige

Just red.

I'm curious about your front wheels. They look to have holes for mounting wheel weights, yet I can only see one hole in each rim face. None of the fronts on my RJ or two 400s have these holes. :thumbs2:

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VinsRJ

Just red.

I'm curious about your front wheels. They look to have holes for mounting wheel weights, yet I can only see one hole in each rim face. None of the fronts on my RJ or two 400s have these holes. :thumbs2:

Funny you noticed that. There was a RJ rim on evil-bay a couple weeks ago which had that single hole in it too. None of the three RJ's I have had, had holes in the front rims. :thumbs:

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MikesRJ

That's the way they come to me on this machine. I haven't a clue. I'm just an ADAWHO (pronounced A-DA-Who, "Another Dumb-A** Wheelhorse Owner")! Perhaps a previous owner drilled them out for something, or could have been a different Wheelhorse supplier who drilled them like that for balancing. Another possibility could be that a close fitting wheel weight placed on the end of the rather long axle shaft on the outside, would only need a single bolt to keep the wheel weight in place. Who knows, not me! Just ADAWho.....

Welding the holes closed now, with pretty paint like that on them, is NOT an option.

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whfan74

That is really looking nice. You do a great job! :thumbs2: That is one beautiful RJ!!!!!! :thumbs:

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MikesRJ

Thank you, we'll see how it looks when it's all reassembled. I'm having one hell of a time getting the hood "right". I may have to call in reinforcements for this part (i.e. a fender and body pro). After taking part in many automotive restorations, I've learned one thing if nothing else; "I know what I don't know!" Body work is not my forte'. A learn-able skill, Yes; but an art form in the hands of a master.

After getting the transmission apart and cleaned I found two bad (seized) and three somewhat "crunchy feeling" R12 bearings, which means I do not trust any of the bearings. Not to mention I do not want to re-open this transmission any time soon, once I have painted it. The bronze bearings are all bad (too much slop for my taste) and obviously all of the seals are going to be replaced anyway. Therefore I am replacing ALL bearings (both Bronze and Ball) and Seals. Basically a complete overhaul of the transmission.

I have a local (to me) supplier (but who are an international business and ship globally) and a list of ALL bearings and seal parts to order for a COMPLETE REBUILD 5003 Uni-Drive Transmission. I will be posting the contact information and part number cross-reference as soon as I have the cross reference numbers list written up.

I have two questions for the RJ 5003 Uni-Drive Gurus;

1. This Question pertains to the needle bearings on the end of the brake shaft. While cleaning, the needles fell out (yes, I'm sure I have them all). Are these needles supposed to be captive, or are they similar to a U-joint by design, where you just re-grease and re-stack them in? I suppose the real question is, should I replace the roller bearing along with everything else? There is no play when the adjacent shaft is installed, and I am hard-pressed for a part number or size because I've yet to remove the race. Assistance with this question would be a big help as well.

2. General Transmission Question: I heard tell that the transmission number plates on top of the transmission (if one is there) indicates the transmissions date of manufacture. I was told that the last digit on the plate indicates the year. So if you have D17-8 on the plate you have a 1958, and conversely if it reads D17-9 it's a 1959. Can anyone confirm this as truth, or is it a good guess at best?

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MikesRJ

Mine's painted. I beleive it to be original. I know for sure the one on my '60 400 (Which my dad bought in '60) was painted when new.

Jim (or anyone else who can help),

I have another "unmolested-RJ" question for you. Is your kill switch and placard intact? If so, could you PM me and possibly take a picture of the ON-OFF placard. I've found an original switch but cannot identify what the ON-OFF placard may have looked like. Thanks in advance.

Mike

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bitten

Looking real good, cant wait to see it finished

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linen beige

I have another "unmolested-RJ" question for you. Is your kill switch and placard intact? If so, could you PM me and possibly take a picture of the ON-OFF placard. I've found an original switch but cannot identify what the ON-OFF placard may have looked like. Thanks in advance.

Mike

The shut off switch and the exhaust heat shield are missing from mine (mollested by father time and his cousin rusty). But we're not out of luck completely! The on/off switch on my 704 is the same part # and that one is intact. I'll try to get you some good pics in the next day or two.

Btw, It's very refreshing to me to see someone taking the time to do a highly accurate restoration, and I find your work impressive.

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MikesRJ

Btw, It's very refreshing to me to see someone taking the time to do a highly accurate restoration, and I find your work impressive.

An engineer at heart, what can I say. It's a metal exorcise if nothing else, but I do get bragging rights when I'm done. That's why we do this anyway, isn't it? I'm just trying to put the lady back to the way she wants to be, how she looked 50 years ago in her youth. Wouldn't we all........

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HorseFixer

Nice Lookin job Mike :thumbs2:

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MikesRJ
Nice Lookin job Mike

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Duff

An engineer at heart, what can I say. It's a metal exorcise if nothing else........

Either an interesting choice of words or a humorous Freudian slip..... :thumbs:

I consider working on my own tractors a form of exorcism to get the demons of the everyday world out. Keeps my sanity (what little I have left!), and peace on the home front! :thumbs2:

That's a great project you've got going, and a valuable resource the way you're sharing the documentation! :ROTF:

Duff :ychain:

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MikesRJ

Either an interesting choice of words or a humorous Freudian slip..... :thumbs:

Let's try that again. :thumbs2: I'm an engineer at heart, and need to keep my mind busy or go stir crazy.

That took me a bit to figure out. Read right over it several times. Ah, I see it now. Exorcise vs. Exercise.... I get fat fingers now and again, and can't spell sometimes either. Can I blame that on automatic spell-check?

You're right, that is a funny Freudian slip...good catch. :ychain: as well for the kind words.

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linen beige

It's a metal exorcise

:thumbs:

Oh! meNtal exErcise! I get it now. :ychain:

But I still think you're doing a great job of exorcising the rust demons out of that 50 year old metal. :thumbs2:

P.S. I haven't forgotten the pics of that switch. It's been raining here all day and my 704 is out in it.

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MikesRJ

I must be tired today, that's two mistakes in the same sentence, and it all had to be pointed out and explained to me. And I wrote the damn thing....... sheesh! Demons be gone! And your little rust spots too. Come to think of it, I like it better written the way I did the first time. Wish I'd thought of it myself ....hehehehe :thumbs2:

Take your time Jim, don't want to let her get wet. I'm not even close to that stage yet.

On a different note; I still haven't received the damned bearings or seals yet, so the tranny sits, but the "Black Tire Paint" from M. E. Miller Tire, Co. arrived today. I'd used "Tire Black" from Dupont many moons ago and hadn't heard of, or tried, this product before. I got wind of this product from a neighbor who saw it used while getting his tractor trailer tires re-treaded. I thought I'd give it a go on this project.

If I hadn't seen it myself, I would have had a hard time believing this stuff is as good as it is. Those 50 y/o tires really do look new after a single coat. The product is kind similar in consistency to the kindergarten water based paint mural paint in the large jars (the kind us old guys would remember), and you mix it 50/50 with water. I used a foam applicator and went to town. All four tires took about 3 oz. of product (3 oz. product + 3 oz. water) to cover all sides of the four.

I'll post "after" pictures tomorrow, but here's a few "before" shots of the original tires. The pictures below are an hour after a power washing. They are still a little moist, giving them more of a "black" appearance than the dried-out gray color I started with today. I should have gotten before pictures today but didn't think about it until after I was done.

005.JPG

006.JPG

007.JPG

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MikesRJ

Pictures of "Black Tire Paint" applied to some 50 y/o rubber. I'd say the results are quite impressive.

036a.jpg

036b.jpg

To start this process I prepared the tires by putting a little brake fluid on the paint splatters that were on the tires so I could remove as much of the white paint as I could. Some of it remained after this cleaning, but for the most part was white haze and a few small spots which would not come off, even after scraping or wire brushing the surface. I then used a scrub brush and dawn dish detergent to remove any oil and clean any rust residue and embedded dirt from the tires surface.

1. The concentrated material was mixed 50/50 with warm water per the package directions (RTFI). When mixed as directed it has the consistency and thickness of whole milk.

2. I setup a pair of saw horses with 1x3's nailed to the tops as outriggers off the ends of the horses.

3. Set the tires on the outrigger so that they were supported by the two inner beads, and accessible on all sides.

4. Using a standard 1-1/2" horsehair paint brush, I painted the tread area first (all the way around) and "feathered" the paint slightly over the edge of the sidewall.

5. Painted the first side of the tire, cleaning up the feathered area as I went around the tire.

6. Turned the tire around on the outrigger, and painted the other side in the same manner.

Total time to paint all four tires, about an hour. I used about 3 oz. of product to paint all four (3 oz. material + 3 oz. warm water = 6 oz. of "paint"). Half an hour later, they were dry to the touch. The paint seems to absorb into the tire quite well, leaves a glossy matte finish like a new tire, and does not appear to need a second coat. I plan to do a second coat anyway, but will be done after tires have been re-mounted on the rims.

I expect the rims will get scratched a bit during the re-mounting process, so I plan to have them mounted without having the tubes installed. This way I can wrap the tires in newspaper, touch-up or completely repaint the rims as necessary, install the tubes, inflate the wheels, then give the tires a second very thin coat of paint. I expect they will look picture perfect when done. I also put a test patch of Black Tire Paint on our van so I can see how the stuff wears in the "real world". I'll report mack on that later.

Nothing else has been done to the tires! This is some pretty cool stuff ( :thumbs2: IMHO), and the tires now look like they are brand new. The product even covered the white paint smudges and splatter that I couldn't get to come off from the PO's wheel painting. A little "Armor-All" or "Wet Shine" and they'll be show-ready.

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