Alex's Clark restoration 2016

[welbike]

So in June 2018 I had a look at the side panels, and decided they were too far gone and cut some new ones, the r/h side has a bulge for the governor, so that needed done too, don't copy the sizes from the picture, as they are not good;



I got the right sizes from Christopher in the US (contact me if you need them);





Then I made a simple pressing tool from wood, as I was only making one.







This went reasonably well, and all was blasted/primered/painted again.





Also in the meantime (for clarity not everything is chronological) I added the wiring, for the moment a self made harness, when I have some more money to spare I might order one from VWM. Note fuze holder, as per original.







Still on the "to do" list, check if it charges, might have some wires switched on the ammeter, but the battery lasts months before a recharge is needed, so maybe it does charge.

More next.

[welbike]

Well, then we get sort of into July 2018, and at the end of the month the plan was to take the Clark to the big War & Peace show in the UK, there was some little room left on a friends truck, in front of his Studebaker Weasel.

This left an overal respray, with everything now together, and do the markings and seat canvas, and adding the fantastic dataplates, made by Robert from https://dataplates4u.com/ he still hasn't sent me the bill, but more are on order, he also recreated the font for the USA number, I was very picky with that! I also took it to a little local tractor show, and it performed flawlessly there, but still no hydraulics! Let the pictures speak for themselves;









And at the W&P show in the UK, on the day we left, it got soaking wet!;









OK, more next time!!

[welbike]

Then we've arrived in August, and got a big box in from Christopher, with a lot of missing parts! all (but the rear ones) metal hydraulic lines, a bit bent and battered, but very usable, also the towing hitch, did not have a good one, and this one's perfect. al was worked on and blasted and painted. seat was also restored, only a new round bar installed, as the other one was too bent to straighten out.











And the seat canvas was duly finished after a lot of pestering, and then I was not entirely satisfied with the cushion, so modified that again! (too thick and not rounded off, and modern staples on the bottom)









Pffft, more tomorrow I guess! Alex

[Bill_Wolf]

Very well done!

[welbike]

Thanks Bill! thought I could not leave it hanging up like that!

So now it's 2019, and I still haven't finished the Dozer! Had to wait for the proper rubber hose for the hydraulics, and that came in recently, together with the cold weather, so it will take some time, before I fit anything, did get the scraper plate wear pieces painted and trial fitted, just need some bolts shortening, and a weld ground down, then I can fit them properly, but all holes line up nicely.



Then the hose stuff, I did not want to go with the modern hoses, I had over the years collected everything to make the original stuff work, exept one set of compression couplings, and I did buy a whole wreck for that!!



It does have nice tracks though, so I will keep those!

Here some more stuff how the couplings work.









The make of the couplings is Eastwood but have not been able to find any parts on the loose anywhere, was difficult to get the brass compression "tubes" off the old hoses, but did manage. So this is all ready to assemble now, but have to figure out the lenght of the hoses used.

More later, lex

[welbike]

Another problem I ran into is that after the valve block was fitted to the oil tank, this metal line doesn't fit!! as all these parts come from different machines it's maybe understandable, but still very strange, and don't know what to do with it, exept make a longer tube.





Have an idea, that more to the front the line was shortened, as the weld looks different where it meets the crosspipe. so I may have to alter that!

Maybe someone can measure theirs??

Cheers,

Lex

[spec4don]

Thanks for all the posts it will be a big help.
Don G.

[welbike]

Ok, so where was I ?? the too short hydraulic line, in the end I found out, was OK, I just had fitted it wrong, the brackets had been extended upwards, so I cut them down, and used the original lower holes, now everything fitted OK!





Also fitted original choke cable outer wire, inner is a replica. Original knob had broken off years ago.



And the right size stencil had arrived, 1 3/4" high, as per originals, not 2" as I had therm made before, this I still have to change, waiting for warmer wheather!



Lex

[welbike]

Also restored a WW2 toolbox, and cut some stencils for it, to put in the ballast box, it just fits!







Also bought a lot of old tools, with big sizes.

Lex