Thiokol Spryte Build Up In BC

Hello All,

Loaded up the Spryte (whats left of her) and began the process of organizing the parts and where i am going to begin.

This project is going to take some time, but i am excited to begin with a short list:

1: Organize shop around the cat-Open up the Diff/Hope for best/Drain/Inspect
2: Begin blasting and prepping Frame
3: Paint Wheels
4: Rubber Mounted on the wheels
5: Make some welds and adjustments.
6: Adjust Motor Mounts and Play with Linkage

(Need new boots, seals and hydraulics, cylinders/slaves etc.) So sourcing stuff

Looking for ideas on keeping it simple, will probably send the drive sprockets away for some new poly.

Couple early questions...
What thickness of skin should i use (Aluminum) for cab

what are some ideas for replacing slaves and those components...anyone have some suggestions?

I will make a move here pretty soon and show off the painted stuff and hopefully have a Rear Diff that is functioning. Will go from there.

Cheers!

A LOT is riding on what you find in that rear diff. If it's good.. You hit a home run with this deal.

Anxious to watch your project. Go slow. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

JP

This is what I found int he rear end last night...

I opened up the rear cover and found no fluid, and to my happiness I found a minor amount of rust on the main gears and sharp edges with no mushrooming, no signs of wear even!

The negatives are minor in what i imagined inside, so I am happy with the find. Nothing was seazed, and i sprayed out the inside heavy with WD and put a little bit of gear oil in there for now and buttoned it back up until tonight.

I could not get the unit out of gear for some reason. that box was full of oil still so i left it until i am ready to do more. Any tricks to shifting the gears by hand, and or if i need to pull the plate for inspection?

Other than that pulled my drive sprockets off, and wheels and having a few mounted this week so i can start carting the frame around on the ground and have mobility.

I will begin to clean the diff tonight....

Here is the rear diff opened up

i know the rust looks bad, but it was just surface and wiped right off.

While you have it down to this point you might want to install a 250-6 and a ford c-4 trans to your restoration. This is a big improvement to the old 170 and manual shifter set up. Do you have any of the shifter components for the old oc-4 rear end?

Well i have made a home for her. Yesterday I pulled apart the diff and cab, cleaned up the axles and went through the hubs. Mounted some rubber and unbolted the diff from the frame.

I have read and read about the OC 4. I have a shop manual as well for the spryte.

I cannot yet tell if this diff is good...or bad...

From what i can tell, things are good. But it needs work. I dont mind doing the work. I just need some hand holding.

At this point i am interested in doing the following. Please cut me off accordingly and offer any advise, just keep in mind, these are less accessible up here in BC, and the cost to ship for rebuild is way more here than it is in lower 48. We have good access to parts here, and shops for any machining.

I am thinking

I would like to take the diff apart.
Axles off. I would like to get at the gear box. I would like to clean everything.
I would like to Replace necessary bearings and seals. Just not sure where to start. And I would really appreciate any details on this, and possibly step by step. Diagrams, etc. Anything anyone can offer. I understand the weakness of the oc 4, and i understand there are alternatives and the advantages of the oc12 but at this point i would like to focus on this diff and making it functional.

So far the issues on inspection...Cannot change gears. I have peaked inside and see things moving...when trying to turn the drive, i get about 2/3 turns in both ways, then it gets tight, and stops. I will not force it. one drive axle hub spins slightlymore than the other, but this is a micro turn, so i dont expect much for rotation out of them when i cannot even get a full turn on the drive.

Anyway, suggestions?

Thank you!

Subscribed, will watch it closely to see what you do with this...

Seems like you have everything you need to get it going, major parts of it anyway.

Contact Pat with Improvement, in Idaho ( I believe he is here on the forum as well).

He is the best guy to get parts from and any advise on this...

My knowledge is limited on simply painting exterior/seal replacement/fluid change...

Good Luck

I think we need more information about what the differential is doing. When you turn the transmission input shaft are the drive axles turning?

When i turn the transmission input shaft, the drive axles do turn.
The Transmission is "stuck" in gear, and i am going to make an attempt this evening to remove the upper gear shift linkage, and free up the shifter, and see if i can wiggle it out of gear. Then I am going to work on removing the side access plate to the transmission portion, and inspect, but it is still attached until....? I pull the shifter out?

I would like to pull the minimum amount apart to inspect,clean and paint.

With the drop down axles, which is the best-easiest or proper way to separate the main diff from the axle housings....or drop boxes....? I simply want to seperate for ease of painting, moving around and inspection. if i remove the bolts... can i simply pull the drop boxes away from the main diff box?

Thanks

Couple things...

As mentioned, i am looking to gain access to the gear box via the side panel.
see picture arrows...do i need to remove the gear shifter, or is there a trick to releasing the gear box access panel? It just floats around and remains attached even after bolt removal. "Reveal the secrets" !

And of course I am still stuck in gear as mentioned, so far i have removed axles, and dust boots, and gear shit linkage, and now ready to gain access to gear box.

Lastly, a couple more questions...in the other image i made a couple notes to
the brake drum, is there any reason to be concerned if they have a little play in them? In other words is there a bearing issue there?

Thanks,

Andy

Alpine

You need a BATH full of petroleum to put inside the gear box for a week.
After that if gear box does not work, you need extra time.
If you are busy and you dont have time to spend, there are some other products in the market, only for the rust.

Regards Nikos

Progress Report on OC4

1: Both Axles have been removed with Drop Boxes from Diff, and with some love they are spinning and seem to be just fine. I have them soaking now and am feel that they should be good to go.
2: Slaves...Removed the cylinders from the top of Diff, and am working on them. Cleaning them up and giving a bath.
3: Removed Planetary from the Diff Box...I happy happy to report all Gears and Planets' functioning, the seals were in excellent condition, unfortunately the bearings were a little rusty but spinning. I am giving that submersed bath for a little while while i prep for paint. But all is well and this diff is functioning!
4: Removed Shifter from gear box. Peaked around inside through holes, cannot get it out of gear...filled with Diesel Letting it soak. Mostly the gears look good inside, although obviously there is some rust and it seems to be locked up, for shifting it out of third. I cannot get that damned access cover off, but hoping a soak will allow this to happen.

The drive line through to diff was turning well both directions with zero friction after i had worked it for a bit before i stripped it down, and now i am preparing for paint and putting it back together. I really need to seal this thing up properly when i am ready. I found a gasket template on here for the gear box, does anyone know of one for the Diff plate?

which is uglier in the pics attached? The Orange Kitty or the Orange Kitty Bearing Rust??? (Thats our new one eyed kitty)

Testing out the new Orange, before cleaning up the old frame and prepping for a full coat...what do you think? Orange is good?

Safety Orange Enamel

The plan, is to Paint the Frame, Put the Diff Back together, Painted, and Wheels this orange, and then Move on with a nice clean frame up in Orange.

Opened up the Gear Box, after some soaking.

Found the culprit, rather the damage from someone trying to jam it or force gears at some point.

Anyway, as in the image there is a problem, and I have it the problem being welded and fixed.

too bad, as everything else seems to be pretty good. Going to work on the one sticky axle tonight, and begin the cleaning process for painting.

a rock crusher straight cut gear box looks to be some wear in the shift forks too,or is that an illusion from the photo

Ahh, im not totally sure, to be honest im flying a bit blind, I have cleaned it up some since the photo, and things "look" good to me, but im going with pictures of others and not much to go on ....to compare. I like the look of the gears etc, so far, the pics a re a tad rough, but you know, still some rust etc. Those forks seem, so be ok?

New Orange...coming back together

Alpine, since this is starting from the ground up and all the basics are there when you're done it could be a really nice cat. Therefore, please give thought to using an automotive grade paint. Rustoleum has it's place but it will lose it's shine quickly. A single stage urethane from online supply like Global is pretty inexpensive and is a world apart from crappy rattle can. Thiokol sprayed the steel skeleton with undercoating for corrosion protection. Good place to use rattle can undercoat before paint. Same thing with self etching primer for your aluminum parts. The Rustoleum product seems to work well. As for your shifting forks I had an OC-3 that would slide out of gear sometimes and the forks were worn like that. I built it up with weld and ground smooth the problem went away.

Hi, thanks for the input and advise. I am going to go with that advise. I tested out a can of the rustoleum, and will continue with commercial grade for frame and such. I also have spoken with welder and am having some filler added to forks, and then will shave back down to perfection....keeping you posted.

!!

I forget what it is called NAPA has a commercial paint I used last summer on our 966 it has held up well and didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I believe the name is MCC at napa.

I found it when someone else on here mentioned it.

JP

It's pcc professional commercial coatings

I have a body suggestion. the lost in space snowcat was a Thiokol spryte.

Axles,

found some carnage in the axles...

All bearing issues, seals etc...

According to the manual, here are some cross reference bearing numbers

FIGURE 9-2
80= Outboard Bearing #mrg5210kg
78= inboard Seal #19450 c/r
6= Bearing Inboard #skf63082rs
14= Ball Bearing #fbc 6306pp
21= Ball Bearing (have not removed yet...anyone want to spot me this number?)
64= Ball Bearing #6207ks FAG


Going Order these up and put it all back together again cozy....
Suggestions, etc....

Repaired Shift Fork Cover

Cast Iron Weld

Works!