# 1542 conversion to a 1543 supersized project



## olympicorange

[/IMG.    hello to all. im also new to the forum...and still learning to navigate . so here's my first attempt at a new thread.  so my latest project is a 1542, guessing around a 1979. the dash plate was lost, due to a control panel installed for a rear aux. powerplant, for a tiller. so my intentions are to repower with a diesel , and an AT545, and enlarge the body.  I think most of us can agree that shoulder room is minimal at best, especially if youre slightly larger than a Formula 1 driver, like myself...lol.  theres a lot of great info on this forum, and a lot of great ideas, & knowledgeable guyz out there posting info.  so thank you for that. I hope I can contribute....  I hope this post.... thx to all....Bruce ….


----------



## PJL

Welcome aboard olympic.  I'm not a Tucker guy but the force is strong here with the orange mafia.


----------



## redsqwrl

pictures are a challenge.

I find if I save them to my computer first. ( somewhere easy to find)

then from the (go advanced) link 
manage attachments.
click choose then find your photo.

upload, the key here is to wait.......

after just a bit they usually align and you can have success.

I spent a few minutes turning my phone photos yesterday and crap to me if the codec did not stay, and well along comes a helpful member to turn them..

wheel bearings and photos are my handicap


----------



## olympicorange

good morning...pjl...thank you... it sure is..no lie there. but lots of support on all sno cats. great. I know everyone likes lots of pics, as I do myself, and I take a ton of them, step by step.  I just haven't grasped the technic of getting them to the post. if I was as much of an I T guy, as I am as a gearhead, i'd be on top of it.....any help from the group would be awesome... I ll keep trying... thx all....


----------



## olympicorange

hello redsqwrl...thank you ...I ll give that a whirl... much appreciated.   so what about the wheel brgs. is the not so much fun scenario....   the big thing people don't like about any kind of grease....much like nevr-seez…  its a pain to clean off your hands...lol... and latex gloves just slide all around .   I did all 20 of my idler wheels this winter...and I used my bench mounted packer...and some hand touch up packing … I used to do them all by hand ..but that many :is time consuming...to say the least.


----------



## olympicorange

thanks again...that worked much better....disregard the oops photos...


----------



## sno-drifter

Welcome to the insanity olympicorange. Hope you don't consider the last photo your "oops" one. Plenty of folks here do Yellow as well as Orange. They both do sno.


----------



## olympicorange

sno-drifter said:


> Welcome to the insanity olympicorange. Hope you don't consider the last photo your "oops" one. Plenty of folks here do Yellow as well as Orange. They both do sno.



hello snodrifter...thanks... great... that's good to know .. I have a lot of work pics with lots of yellow... that lookslike a nice d8g??  with a cable blade...  now that triggers the ol memories... pony motors, etc.  ha ha  .. thx again...   im good with the orange insanity ... its contagious...lol


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> [/IMG.    hello to all. im also new to the forum...and still learning to navigate . so here's my first attempt at a new thread.  so my latest project is a 1542, guessing around a 1979. the dash plate was lost, due to a control panel installed for a rear aux. powerplant, for a tiller. so my intentions are to repower with a diesel , and an AT545, and enlarge the body.  I think most of us can agree that shoulder room is minimal at best, especially if youre slightly larger than a Formula 1 driver, like myself...lol.  theres a lot of great info on this forum, and a lot of great ideas, & knowledgeable guyz out there posting info.  so thank you for that. I hope I can contribute....  I hope this post.... thx to all....Bruce ….



so...heres todays progress...


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> so...heres todays progress...


so... removed the steel mounts & plates for the powerplant for the tiller...  only to reveal cracks & broken welds...surprise ...surprise....


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> so... removed the steel mounts & plates for the powerplant for the tiller...  only to reveal cracks & broken welds...surprise ...surprise....



some more pics from ystrdy….


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> some more pics from ystrdy….



FOR ALL THE FOUR TRACK ENTHUSIASTS.....WOOOOOO


----------



## loggah

Bruce,Looks like your getting right at it !  Theres a bunch here that have yellow iron fever,  but orange in winter. Rust most of the time. Don


----------



## redsqwrl

I would love to see how the tiller was fit on there.   I have the desire to put a packer pan on mine. one of the strengths is the arcing turns but the packer would need to slung off the frame like yours must have been.

did it have hiems to center it up?


----------



## olympicorange

loggah said:


> Bruce,Looks like your getting right at it !  Theres a bunch here that have yellow iron fever,  but orange in winter. Rust most of the time. Don



HELLO ..don...  yes sir... im getting geared up for the next season... so guyz like you & me can have some elbow room..lol…. well you know I have yellow fever...that's how we make our living... im starting to get the hang of this webpage... ha ha … how about your projects....


----------



## olympicorange

redsqwrl said:


> I would love to see how the tiller was fit on there.   I have the desire to put a packer pan on mine. one of the strengths is the arcing turns but the packer would need to slung off the frame like yours must have been.
> 
> did it have hiems to center it up?



hey redsqrl...I have a copy of the original tucker schematic....I ll post it … the tiller & power plant were swapped over to another tucker …. so all that was left was the engine mounting platform ...and the tiller mount.  yes the top one is a HEIM joint.....


----------



## olympicorange

redsqwrl said:


> I would love to see how the tiller was fit on there.   I have the desire to put a packer pan on mine. one of the strengths is the arcing turns but the packer would need to slung off the frame like yours must have been.
> 
> did it have hiems to center it up?



hello...hey check this out... basic schematic...


----------



## sno-drifter

loggah said:


> Bruce,Looks like your getting right at it !  Theres a bunch here that have yellow iron fever,  but orange in winter. Rust most of the time. Don



You probably already know about the Caterpillar forum https://www.acmoc.org/
You can find some of us there. We have to be careful not to hijack the snowcat forum. You can get beat up bad here. LOL

FYI 19A


----------



## olympicorange

thanks ..sno drifter.... no didn't … I haven't got that far yet... I ve been pre-occupied with the sno cat threads... fine tuning the post...  I get into a tangient ..and I foget….''squirrel'' ….like DOUG... trivia question;  what movie...to all....  thanks for the info & etiquette reminder...


----------



## alryA

Gee, I knew of, but have never seen a tiller mounted on a Tucker.    Funny that as a hobby project,  I've been designing a 6ft wide tiller for use behind UTV or ATV's.  Thanks for posting this!  



Oh and we're still skiing here but its getting rather thin.





olympicorange said:


> hello...hey check this out... basic schematic...


----------



## PJL

sno-drifter said:


> You probably already know about the Caterpillar forum https://www.acmoc.org/
> You can find some of us there. We have to be careful not to hijack the snowcat forum. You can get beat up bad here. LOL
> 
> FYI 19A


 Caterpillars are 2 track cats.  And the King of Obsolete drives his in the snow.


----------



## olympicorange

more progress today...prepping for cab removal....


----------



## olympicorange

the project continues.... next ...removal of the floor pans....


----------



## Nikson

Hello and welcome! 

Seems like you got your hands full  

Whats the plan for the diesel power plant? Seems like you already have an AUTO tranny there as well.


----------



## olympicorange

Nikson said:


> Hello and welcome!
> 
> Seems like you got your hands full
> 
> Whats the plan for the diesel power plant? Seems like you already have an AUTO tranny there as well.



hello nikson..thank you...  yes , a custom project...more of a hobby...the first one I did was 25 yrs. ago... got some old pics somewhere.   ive got a 3.9L ...BTA..''B'' series cummins, and a few AT540'S & AT545'S...  theres quite a few out there with the ''sreamn memee's'' ….  353 series Detroit's...  but not my choice of engine .  they sound cool when idling , but..... THIS UNIT was a standard transmission originally.  came from a ski mtn. , and they did a conversion to a torqueflite ( not torqueload model ) 727 auto tranny.  alittle crude on the swap, but not as horrible as ive seen on other equipment. I missed out on a nice 1642 with an AT540 last summer.. that would've saved a ton of time...    I ll keep the pics coming...thx


----------



## JimVT

PJL said:


> Caterpillars are 2 track cats.  And the King of Obsolete drives his in the snow.



obsolete doesn't mean it isn't any good.


----------



## sno-drifter

olympicorange said:


> hello nikson..thank you...  yes , a custom project...more of a hobby...the first one I did was 25 yrs. ago... got some old pics somewhere.   ive got a 3.9L ...BTA..''B'' series cummins, and a few AT540'S & AT545'S...  theres quite a few out there with the ''sreamn memee's'' ….  353 series Detroit's...  but not my choice of engine .  they sound cool when idling , but..... THIS UNIT was a standard transmission originally.  came from a ski mtn. , and they did a conversion to a torqueflite ( not torqueload model ) 727 auto tranny.  alittle crude on the swap, but not as horrible as ive seen on other equipment. I missed out on a nice 1642 with an AT540 last summer.. that would've saved a ton of time...    I ll keep the pics coming...thx



I knew if I waited long enough, someone wood do a sensible engine swap. The 3.9 BT is what should be in these machines. High HP with their accompanying high RPM and low torque at low RPM is not what is desirable. Think fuel economy too.Good show olympicorange.


----------



## olympicorange

sno-drifter said:


> I knew if I waited long enough, someone wood do a sensible engine swap. The 3.9 BT is what should be in these machines. High HP with their accompanying high RPM and low torque at low RPM is not what is desirable. Think fuel economy too.Good show olympicorange.



 hei'llo s/d.... i'll take sensible... that;s cool...  I m not a cummins guy...  but I work on a ton of these things.  they are in everything...  or were...  evolution camouflages the first generation... but they adapt to most anything … parts are pretty readily avail... theyre accessible.... they love abuse...  they wind up like a clock...stock... and they sound like an old farm tractor....perfect...  size..weight...HP...  vs.  the 318....  lots of pros & cons...  I love pouring diesel...I hATE dumping gas.....  lol.....


----------



## olympicorange

today to some time to remove steps... misc...  start detaching the rear of cab.... its anybody's guess what kind of a car this floor shifter came out of …


----------



## Cidertom

amc pacer


----------



## olympicorange

so ,... one of the first operational issues I had inside the cab, was the steering wheel was too high, stuck in the 'ol gut. plus made it harder to get in & out , as it was.  so after taking some measurements, I decided to shorten the steering column & str. shaft. pretty simple procedure.  I cut out 6 inches from each component.  now this will differ from person to person.  but being 6'5'' and 4ft. long arms...lol.... this decision made life ...good. so here's a few pics of conversion...


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> so ,... one of the first operational issues I had inside the cab, was the steering wheel was too high, stuck in the 'ol gut. plus made it harder to get in & out , as it was.  so after taking some measurements, I decided to shorten the steering column & str. shaft. pretty simple procedure.  I cut out 6 inches from each component.  now this will differ from person to person.  but being 6'5'' and 4ft. long arms...lol.... this decision made life ...good. so here's a few pics of conversion...


    steering column mod.   note; the orig. mounting clamp area ( unpainted) of where the column was attached before...


----------



## redsqwrl

Yours is one of the first tuckers I saw with the tracks spliced in the improved manner.... then noticed not all of them. 
did you do them or did they come to your staggered.

Love the column upgrade.


----------



## olympicorange

good eye r/s ….  wish I had a mug to send... if I did I would …. I was way off on the last contest...lol...  but all ive had to do so far on these tracks ...is that I replaced the outer belt on the L/F track...was dry rotted.  all the other track work was done by the previous owner . he updated it with a M/E.  …  I can see the theory there.   the other three tracks are traditional non-stagger. my con; is that it takes extra work to separate the track...more pieces.  no biggie in the shop, but a real drag on the trail.... frozen fingers... no pun intended. thx....


----------



## The Sweet Wbj1

olympicorange said:


> I get into a tangient ..and I foget….''squirrel'' ….like DOUG... trivia question;  what movie...



UP!


----------



## olympicorange

wbuffetjr1 said:


> UP!



LOL... congrats …


----------



## olympicorange

rear trunnion and pivot shaft......


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> rear trunnion and pivot shaft......



this winter's past p.m. , before the maiden test drive....


----------



## olympicorange

CAB removed....


----------



## olympicorange

Chrysler 318=2bbL.  ; detachment.  hyd. pump circuit and components....


----------



## olympicorange

engine removal...


----------



## olympicorange

took a break from the n.e. weather.... sunshine state....Leesburg bike rally...


----------



## olympicorange

back onto the project ….trans. removal.... of the 727....











this unit originally had a manual trans...converted over to an auto...  due to the lack of flywheel/bellhousing mounting ears/tabs...they fabricated a piece of square stock into a rear trans. mount.  as in a vehicular application. instead of the tranny being suspended off the rear of engine...due to lack of mounts. they also made a custom intermediate driveshaft to connect tranny to the transfer case.


----------



## olympicorange

so...with the 727 removed...next was to dig into the archives ….and pull out an AT545...   check the road map in the bottom of the trans. pan... and clean …


----------



## MNoutdoors RIP

Not sure if your 545 came from a diesel before, but if it came from a gas engine it requires a different governor. Easy to get at under side cover.


----------



## redsqwrl

Question one:
is the PTO live all the time, or live when in gear?

perhaps one of ea?

Question Two:

Is the governor the only difference?

shift modulator (drivers side) some are electric some are vacumn? I was told they are interchangable, just screw out the electric, screw in the vacumn, setting requires some jam nut adjusting.....

if the governor makes the shift points that most likely would be all that needs to be changed....


----------



## olympicorange

MNoutdoors said:


> Not sure if your 545 came from a diesel before, but if it came from a gas engine it requires a different governor. Easy to get at under side cover.



correct … I haven't run the tag number yet ...it was one of many pieces that came with the purchase of unit... it appears that it did have a p.t.o. mounted to it …. the pan & filter were clean , upon removal, but the mock test run will be the test.....


----------



## olympicorange

redsqwrl said:


> Question one:
> is the PTO live all the time, or live when in gear?
> 
> perhaps one of ea?
> 
> Question Two:
> 
> Is the governor the only difference?
> 
> shift modulator (drivers side) some are electric some are vacumn? I was told they are interchangable, just screw out the electric, screw in the vacumn, setting requires some jam nut adjusting.....
> 
> if the governor makes the shift points that most likely would be all that needs to be changed....




good questions.... q1 ;  this one appears to be live in gear....the pto gear free wheels in its current condition.  most allisons you have to apply a direction clutch, to stop the pto drive gear from spinning, in order to engage the pto driven gear, to prevent grinding when engaging.   q2;  this one is an older model, it has a manual kickdown cable (tv) , yes on the drivers side, and adjustable.    the only wiring on this unit is the neutral safety switch & b/u switch, also...  easy peezy.    im old school, like the old mechanical components... I try to stay away from all the electrical units, I do enough of that stuff during the work week...lol....thx


----------



## olympicorange

redsqwrl said:


> Question one:
> is the PTO live all the time, or live when in gear?
> 
> perhaps one of ea?
> 
> Question Two:
> 
> Is the governor the only difference?
> 
> shift modulator (drivers side) some are electric some are vacumn? I was told they are interchangable, just screw out the electric, screw in the vacumn, setting requires some jam nut adjusting.....
> 
> if the governor makes the shift points that most likely would be all that needs to be changed....




good questions.... q1 ;  this one appears to be live in gear....the pto gear free wheels in its current condition.  most allisons you have to apply a direction clutch, to stop the pto drive gear from spinning, in order to engage the pto driven gear, to prevent grinding when engaging.   q2;  this one is an older model, it has a manual kickdown cable (tv) , yes on the drivers side, and adjustable.    the only wiring on this unit is the neutral safety switch & b/u switch, also...  easy peezy.    im old school, like the old mechanical components... I try to stay away from all the electrical units, I do enough of that stuff during the work week...lol....thx


----------



## MNoutdoors RIP

redsqwrl said:


> Question one:
> is the PTO live all the time, or live when in gear?
> 
> perhaps one of ea?
> 
> Question Two:
> 
> Is the governor the only difference?
> 
> shift modulator (drivers side) some are electric some are vacumn? I was told they are interchangable, just screw out the electric, screw in the vacumn, setting requires some jam nut adjusting.....
> 
> if the governor makes the shift points that most likely would be all that needs to be changed....




The pto drive gear was a option on the Allison 540. Normally only used in neutral 
The pto either needs a clutch pack or if manual engagement the its best to shut the engine off and engage. Shimming is done by varying the gasket thickness 

The governor number IIRC is 461 for the Diesels and 460 for the gas they should be marked under 4 bolt plate on side real easy to change


----------



## olympicorange

hope this sheds alittle more lite on the components , arrangement, alignment, orientation , ...and a few part numbers... clear as mud as they say.   ok , so.... these p/n;s ...pertain to the Allison components... the flexplate is 3960058,... another p/n- off the actual flexplate is ...3918959.     and a couple of the cummins numbers are … the crankshaft pilot hub assy.  to the t/c button is ...5521188 .  last time I checked these were n/a.  the flywheel housing assy. has a cast # of ...29516467  ,  … REV A...  NOTE ; the ''black'' plug ..is for the engine rotating tool,... and the tin plate is for access to the flexplate hardware.  so the one I don't have recorded is the adapter ''ring'' .. which connects the t/c to the flexplate ...so if someone has that in their library ...plz chime in ..much appreciated.   just a friendly reminder... this pertains to the cummins 3.9L … and an Allison AT 545 , mating …


----------



## olympicorange

sorry about the ''horizontal'' imaging.   they are ''vertical'' in my folder...  haven't mastered that issue as of yet.....


----------



## redsqwrl

don't apologize for the pictures.  codecs are a mystery to me. I was told that smart phones (I phone and androids)  can't agree on the what coding to set as "up".  and the orientation of the picture is a function of how it is recorded.

So If you capture the image on a android based phone and manipulate it in a PC Up is coded (blah blah blah)
the Opportunity is this forum and its protocol doesn't know if it is getting a pc image android based, mac based ect... I try really hard to manipulate the images in a PC. and it continues to vary.

Is it true that cummins engines 4B and 6B ISB and QSB all share the same block bolt pattern.?


----------



## olympicorange

AHHHH... roger that.  yes, seems odd that some are posed correctly , and some hang a ''left'',... even though they are all upright on the pc folder.  gotta love TECH.    so as far as;  4B &  6B   ,..  THEY  have the same block configuration ; basically , same block design ; lacking 2 cyls.   as far as the ISB & QSB , im not 100% sure .  but I would say its a pretty good chance.  I doubt either would interchange with the old ''orig'' predecessor.  mfg. year determines range of interchange , between all models.


----------



## olympicorange

just a quick note;  qsb was designed engines for the agriculture /industrial application,...where as the ISB ...were designed for the highway applications...


----------



## redsqwrl

I have a qsb from a fed express truck that was T-Boned by a train. ( slow speed in a yard while it was parked for a delivery)

the Gear train for the accessories is on the rear of the engine and I find it quite desirable for the snow cat application i secured it for. the lift pump Power steering pump are tucked in nice and tight. the alternator is  inboard as well.
I was not going to run the allison 1000/1100 series transmission that is hanging off it. but now I am thinking to dig in a little to see if there is any merit to it.
it is surprisingly short and has a brake on it.


----------



## olympicorange

I have an update on parts... I confused two p/n's ...the first flexplate & the crankshaft hub/pilot adapter .   so ...the first flexplate p/n is still good , but no avail. currently. and the hub/pilot assy. is still avail.   I had reported in reverse . so that's good news today, talking to my cummins/Allison parts guy. the second flexplate p/n is still avail.  prices per each range between 300/400.  dollars.  pardon my ...C.R.S.  & sometimers….


----------



## olympicorange

redsqwrl said:


> I have a qsb from a fed express truck that was T-Boned by a train. ( slow speed in a yard while it was parked for a delivery)
> 
> the Gear train for the accessories is on the rear of the engine and I find it quite desirable for the snow cat application i secured it for. the lift pump Power steering pump are tucked in nice and tight. the alternator is  inboard as well.
> I was not going to run the allison 1000/1100 series transmission that is hanging off it. but now I am thinking to dig in a little to see if there is any merit to it.
> it is surprisingly short and has a brake on it.



ahhhh… nice pkg.   ive been tracking a few of those down myself.  I was trying for the older models, non isb , due to trying to keep away from the ecm 's & all the wiring , harnesses, etc.  the 1000 are tough .  the tag on yours says ''qsb''  …  not ''isb'' ….  vehicular application... but keeping the complete pkg. together will save a lot of re-engineering ….


----------



## olympicorange

so,... no pics today …  crushed it today with a JD 6310... so off for a new phone 2mrw.  but , work continued on the 3.9L BTA.  Cleaning , prepping bolt hole threads for the engine rotator.  mounted the engine adapter .  misc., etc...


----------



## olympicorange

mounting of the ''B''  series to the engine ''revolver/rotator''  ….  here's a good example of why it's a good idea to inspect an engine before putting into service ...especially if uncertain of it's prior history, hours, pm service, etc....a set of brg. inserts is much cheaper than a crankshaft/rods/block, etc...


----------



## PJL

Oooh!  Looks like run low on oil once or twice.


----------



## redsqwrl

rotary pump with a turbo.. was that out of a loader of some sort?


----------



## olympicorange

redsqwrl said:


> rotary pump with a turbo.. was that out of a loader of some sort?




yes, ..  ran low or dirty or over due services on oil.  the compressor housing is removed from the turbo.   was told it came out of a chipper.  have my fuel lab guy recalibrating pump....


----------



## redsqwrl

I was told the only differences between vehicular and utility is the governor curve.

 I know nothing other than I have put highway equipment power plants on loaders ( usually Volvo ) and I have put loader / industrial equipment on the road. one m37 one 48 power wagon. I can't notice anything fueling wise other than the last loader I did has a fairly long lag to boost. I am thinking you will be very happy with your recipe...


----------



## olympicorange

yes, ive found the same myself.   the exception is like some of the generator applications  , with fixed gov., using an aux. electric motor to control the load. no fuel anaroid, etc..things like that.  the good thing about the ''B'' series is that they are in a lot of applications, with multiple options of accessories, like the pump drive;   p./s , vacuum, hyd. pumps for industrial units, etc...  parts are fairly avail....


----------



## olympicorange

alittle prep work on t/c components... the adapter drive ring is ….3916222....   just a few pics to show the orientation to each other...


----------



## olympicorange

from the archives ….


----------



## olympicorange

brg. roll-in, inspect journals, mic, plasti-gage, rods & mains,(std.) torque, ck. free-roll, end play, etc...….


----------



## olympicorange

alittle fabrication today...


----------



## Cidertom

When you said a little fabrication, I thought you were describing how much it cost so far to the SO.


----------



## olympicorange

Cidertom said:


> When you said a little fabrication, I thought you were describing how much it cost so far to the SO.



            oh the fabrication for that hasn't begun yet.  just meant I used some materials , laying around the shop …..  to be continued.... taking guesses on apparatus....


----------



## olympicorange

……. Allison AT545 first mock up....


----------



## olympicorange

buttoning up the 3.9L... pre-lubed the cyls….  test the injs…. install fuel system... adjust valve lashes... install the covers... flywheel housing...crank adapter  (3906806)...flexplate….


----------



## olympicorange

…….  removal of the old ''manual''   transmission mounts on the frame.  due to the tight area of the ''intermediate'' driveshaft....  the pressed in studs on the transmission output drive flange are too long , to permit  easy/quick removal of shaft.  the input ''slip-yolk'' of the transfercase, only has a few inches of clearance , for this procedure...…  the mounting bolts for the p/b anchor plate will need to be replaced , with the ''thin'' headed type bolts... so will adapt over to bolts , instead of studs...


----------



## sno-drifter

olympicorange said:


> …….  removal of the old ''manual''   transmission mounts on the frame.  due to the tight area of the ''intermediate'' driveshaft....  the pressed in studs on the transmission output drive flange are too long , to permit  easy/quick removal of shaft.  the input ''slip-yolk'' of the transfercase, only has a few inches of clearance , for this procedure...…  the mounting bolts for the p/b anchor plate will need to be replaced , with the ''thin'' headed type bolts... so will adapt over to bolts , instead of studs...



I recently had to change the clutch and throw out bearing on a 318 in a 542CF. To disconnect the upper driveline, I drop both front and back drive lines, remove the transfer case mounting bolt except the lower back two and tilt the case back. Not so difficult. Maybe an option if your fix makes putting a wrench on both ends of the bolts a problem.


----------



## olympicorange

Good idea... I 'll fab it so I 'll only need one wrench.   Up on the mountain....we would pull the engine to do a clutch...and leave the tranny in place.... Thx ?


----------



## sno-drifter

Try that on a 542 CF. The engine has to come out through the passenger door if you are lucky.


----------



## MNoutdoors RIP

The fun one is a BV206, has automatic tranny,but the engine and tranny needs to go through the door. Done the engine through the door several times on the Bombardier Muskegs


----------



## olympicorange

sno-drifter said:


> Try that on a 542 CF. The engine has to come out through the passenger door if you are lucky.


               haven't had the chance to try that one ….  lol....


----------



## olympicorange

MNoutdoors said:


> The fun one is a BV206, has automatic tranny,but the engine and tranny needs to go through the door. Done the engine through the door several times on the Bombardier Muskegs



…………   can t say that I know of any of those in our area...the swedes built some crazy stuff... they were used all around the world....built by volvo ??


----------



## sno-drifter

olympicorange said:


> …………   can t say that I know of any of those in our area...the swedes built some crazy stuff... they were used all around the world....built by volvo ??



They must have got the idea from Tucker. Build the cab around the drive train.


----------



## Cidertom

I had a fire engine that was built that way. The body builder welded the subframe around the chassis members trapping the pump. We wound up cutting the back out of the cab to perform what should have been a simple 1 hour repair.


I learned a thing or two about contract specifications ... a a few new words.


----------



## olympicorange

……….  mocking up alignment of 4BT/AT545... a helpful trick ; to align t/c adapter ring mounting threads & flexplate holes for hardware, is to use a long stud , to line-up the first hole...


----------



## olympicorange

…….... tapped threads in output drive flange of AT545 … which secures the parking brake drum & intermediate driveshaft.  drilled & tapped a ''locator'' bolt for p.b. drum to flange.  reinstalled trans....removed 4BT from rotator stand.  went for a F/D's ride …. found a few drags... notice rear tires removed for the season...


----------



## olympicorange

only had 5 minutes this week...


----------



## MNoutdoors RIP

olympicorange said:


> only had 5 minutes this week...



What was the TIR? (total indicator runout) just curious


----------



## sno-drifter

Should be .002" or less


----------



## olympicorange

MNoutdoors said:


> What was the TIR? (total indicator runout) just curious



             ……...roger that …. was .001''   ..  as sno-drifter said... over .002'' then you'll have wear issues,...  trans. input seal weepage...etc...


----------



## olympicorange

…. waiting for intermediate shaft from machine shop...


----------



## olympicorange

…… squeezed in sixty minutes today..... first mock fit of 4BT...


----------



## olympicorange

…….   a beautiful day out on ''tucker lake''  ...lol..ystrdy…….


----------



## olympicorange

…...''  tucker lake ''''...………...


----------



## redsqwrl

all the winter fun with out the summer *lake side* taxes


----------



## olympicorange

……..…..  exactly....LOL....  water is slightly overrated...   tax wise....  powerball ??   so for now...it's ...asphalt , concrete , & hayfield's... that being said; off to Montreal for some Jazz..happy 4th y'all..


----------



## olympicorange

………  montreal… highly recommend a visit...


----------



## olympicorange

……...power steering pump....


----------



## olympicorange

………..  a beautiful 80 degree day....  wrong to think about ...tracks.....


----------



## olympicorange

…..assembly of the ''intermediate ''  shaft.....


----------



## olympicorange

……. axle housings … inspection & cleaning … a good way to see if moisture build-up is an issue with yours ….is to remove each axle shaft ...and shine a light down the spindle tube....to check for rust , etc. ….if so … removal of third member is best.  found a shop vac hose fits snugly into axle tube bore. a long scraper, compressed air , while vacuum is on...works pretty well.  don't forget the brakecleen to flush.....


----------



## olympicorange

……….....installation of the ''intermediate'' shaft assy.,.....


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

olympicorange said:


> ……...power steering pump....



OO, 

I'm sure I speak for many when I say how much I'm enjoying this thread, and the detail of you're workmanship. 

Leonardo da Vinci said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". Your power steering pump solution exemplifies that concept!!!


----------



## olympicorange

Blackfoot Tucker said:


> OO,
> 
> I'm sure I speak for many when I say how much I'm enjoying this thread, and the detail of you're workmanship.
> 
> Leonardo da Vinci said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". Your power steering pump solution exemplifies that concept!!!



….  BFT, 
     well THANK YOU SIR, … let me say that , getting a compliment from the ''UTAH MASTERS''  is much appreciated. !!!   im a firm believer in not '' re-engineering the wheel'' …. simple is always , or usually , we hope..to be the best solution, ...especially down the road, for service, repairs, etc...  keeping that in mind, is always a main priority.  because i'm usually the poor sap, that has to lay out in the conditions/situations, so on, to resolve the issue.  and again , .. thank you...


----------



## olympicorange

…….……   question of the day......will the intercooler fit …. ''drum roll''......


----------



## olympicorange

……  and the answer is.....'' it will , with a little modification,....


----------



## olympicorange

…..   so a few mock runs of removing & installing the ''intermediate shaft''  , clearances , alignment , jwa ,... securing hardware....  good to go....  also pressure tested the intercooler....removed the old hyd. system components. will use the reservoir, hmv , control valve/main relief assy.,  to retro-fit....


----------



## olympicorange

…..   starting measurements for the new mounts...


----------



## olympicorange

….played ''hookey'' on tues. with the boyz……   bailey's island ...Cooks seafood...excellent... highly recommend it ….


----------



## olympicorange

…..GLAD TO SEE THE FORUM IS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN....


----------



## The Sweet Wbj1

I am enjoying your build as well. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!


----------



## PJL

As long as we're off topic...


Took a Huey ride to the mountains then flew over Lake Washington and caught one of the hydroplane races.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.


----------



## olympicorange

…… trying to make a simple & efficient motor mount bracket....  ''TGS'' makes it look easy....


----------



## olympicorange

…...left motor mount.... fabrication...


----------



## olympicorange

…. engine mounts complete....onto the tranny mounts....


----------



## Nikson

I dread on the fact that I got to do all that as well... soon...  
Thanks for all the posts/descriptions/pictures, makes others work easier and much time saving on research!


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

OO,

The AT545s we've used have come from Chevrolet applications and the transmissions have come with mounts that work very well for a Tucker swap.

This is the engine and transmission that went into Thundercat, but the transmission mounts were the same on the transmission installed in Snowzilla. There are two large bolts (5/8-11, IIRC) on each side and there are also two holes for bolts that go through the mounts and secure the transmission to the adapter housing.



We cut off the stock Tucker mounts that were welded to the frame and repositioned them accordingly for reuse with the AT545. I recall we had to weld a spacer plate on the Tucker frame, and then welded the mounts to the plate, but that adds extra strength...a good thing. The hole in the Tucker mounts lines up perfectly with the threaded hole on the cast transmission mounts.

 I don't want to dissuade you from your own design, merely offering an idea for your consideration.

I LOVE this thread!!!


----------



## olympicorange

Blackfoot Tucker said:


> OO,
> 
> The AT545s we've used have come from Chevrolet applications and the transmissions have come with mounts that work very well for a Tucker swap.
> 
> This is the engine and transmission that went into Thundercat, but the transmission mounts were the same on the transmission installed in Snowzilla. There are two large bolts (5/8-11, IIRC) on each side and there are also two holes for bolts that go through the mounts and secure the transmission to the adapter housing.
> 
> View attachment 116982
> 
> We cut off the stock Tucker mounts that were welded to the frame and repositioned them accordingly for reuse with the AT545. I recall we had to weld a spacer plate on the Tucker frame, and then welded the mounts to the plate, but that adds extra strength...a good thing. The hole in the Tucker mounts lines up perfectly with the threaded hole on the cast transmission mounts.
> 
> I don't want to dissuade you from your own design, merely offering an idea for your consideration.
> 
> I LOVE this thread!!!



BFT.....  that's awesome …  I hadn't seen that type of mount...  and the added bolts to bellhousing ….I was wondering about that.   yes I saw that you reused the orig. frame mounts ...and I was going to follow suite as well.  good info on spacer block ...ive been reinforcing the attachment points ...with the same idea in mind also...extra support.   that's a monster engine...  how much does the 8.1 weigh....   right back at you !!!!!   thx again for info...  I ll be looking for those mounts...


----------



## olympicorange

Blackfoot Tucker said:


> OO,
> 
> The AT545s we've used have come from Chevrolet applications and the transmissions have come with mounts that work very well for a Tucker swap.
> 
> This is the engine and transmission that went into Thundercat, but the transmission mounts were the same on the transmission installed in Snowzilla. There are two large bolts (5/8-11, IIRC) on each side and there are also two holes for bolts that go through the mounts and secure the transmission to the adapter housing.
> 
> View attachment 116982
> 
> We cut off the stock Tucker mounts that were welded to the frame and repositioned them accordingly for reuse with the AT545. I recall we had to weld a spacer plate on the Tucker frame, and then welded the mounts to the plate, but that adds extra strength...a good thing. The hole in the Tucker mounts lines up perfectly with the threaded hole on the cast transmission mounts.
> 
> I don't want to dissuade you from your own design, merely offering an idea for your consideration.
> 
> I LOVE this thread!!!



……   thx again for the kind words and info...great.   so...upon further research...a couple of part number updates/supercedes….  ive learned that these mounts were discontinued in 2008.   they were used around 1998, .. give or take a few years either way...for production.  listed in the model applications of the ; 6500 , 7500, school buses, etc.....    so if anyone has a truck salvage yard in your area , and you have a few free minutes to inquire about these...  I wouild greatly appreciate the assistance.   p/n's - 15685035 right...15685036 left...


----------



## olympicorange

….  haven't had much time to work on project...gotta win the lotto... and give up work…  lol....  relocated the rad. brackets tonite…..


----------



## DAVENET

Fan??  CAC??


----------



## olympicorange

DAVENET said:


> Fan??  CAC??



…….  going with electric fan & shroud assy.,...  not sure what cac ??  is …


----------



## DAVENET

Charge Air Cooler / Intercooler


----------



## olympicorange

DAVENET said:


> Charge Air Cooler / Intercooler



  ………  so the B series ...3.9 ….    uses an engine coolant intercooler...,mounted on top of cyl. head ...in place of the intake plate .


----------



## olympicorange

………...   went for alittle ride to today ..to the PEAK....  stopped in to see what our pals had new & exciting on the lot … theyre busy...and a new model...


----------



## olympicorange

........  took a few hrs. off last nite to watch the racing at the local track... and the previous owner of the tucker project...  great fun Dave …


----------



## olympicorange

………...   happy labor day to all... got a little side tracked this afternoon, … helping my painter buddy billy … ( whom painted the old Littleton off-road riders tucker, in a previous post, with mr. loggah ) . on a project that he needs to finish...before we can start on my ol tucker....


----------



## olympicorange

,...….…..  oh...  these two 1971 's are for sale …  399 skidoo ….   292 arctic cat....  if anyone wants to add to their collection…  thx ...


----------



## Track Addict

Must be doing the drive cogs while it’s apart?  I found cutting the rivers  down through the worn nylon sprocket with a cutoff wheel on angle grinder then gingerly working the side plates of works best. Stainless nylons and bolts for the install.


----------



## olympicorange

………..   finally arrived …. GM brackets...thx BFT...  these are the bomb... let the welding begin.... decided to go with the same mounts as the engine....same...same....  simple...simple.....


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

olympicorange said:


> ………..   finally arrived …. GM brackets...thx BFT...  these are the bomb... let the welding begin.... decided to go with the same mounts as the engine....same...same....  simple...simple.....



I'm glad that idea is working for you, and you were able to get the castings without too much trouble! 

We just used some sections of rubber belting, roughly 3/8" thick, between the GM castings and the Tucker frame mounts. We cut the frame mounts down so they could be welded to the inside (rather than the top) of the Tucker frame. This mounting location allowed for excellent alignment off the transmission output and transfer case input. But, as you know, your situation my be different as the engine placement may dictate something else entirely. 

(Really enjoying this thread!!!)


----------



## olympicorange

…….…   yes,  the shape of mounting brackets adds a lot of support.  it took some serious ''leg-work'' ,  web surfing, emails, text, phone calls, etc... to locate a set.   all the way from Stockton.   the right side mount almost sets perfect to the frame.  the left side will require alittle more Fab. work, due to the fact that the Allison doesn't align to the ''B'' perfectly straight /inline.  it is slightly ''cantered'' offset in the bolt pattern.  fairly common with a lot of diesel's .  it was less of a drastic offset ..''CCW''...as opposed to the ''CW'' offset.   so that will be the next task at hand....  thx again BFT....


----------



## olympicorange

………..   wife's BDAY,  off to her old stomping grounds ...Alway's entertaining...  nothing like the ''Big Apple''.....  ( so progress ''on hold'')...


----------



## olympicorange

…….   progress on tranny mounts ...fabrication....


----------



## olympicorange

……..…    and the tranny ''jig'' comes off....


----------



## Northcoast

Well done!


----------



## olympicorange

…….   put the rubber to it...…


----------



## PJL

Looks like it's ready to fire off.


----------



## olympicorange

PJL said:


> Looks like it's ready to fire off.[/QUOTE
> 
> …..   pretty close … yes... fluids, belt, batteries, exhaust, alittle wiring, … time to make some noise...  and smoke....


----------



## olympicorange

……....  score....went ''pickn'' at one of my favorite supply yards...


----------



## olympicorange

……..….   a better look at the ''spoils'' from the treasure hunt...


----------



## olympicorange

,.....   hey all,  ..  been crazy busy this last month,... been out searching and gathering....  will disclose more in future post....   mt. Katadin…. one of many stops....


----------



## olympicorange

… a few more connections,...  electric fan,....


----------



## olympicorange

…………   primed & cranked...  oil pressure 60 psi...  fuel inlet supply pressure 30 psi...  water temp 190 ' ,...  13.0v …..


----------



## olympicorange

..……….    so, … as everyone knows...the best layed plans can need a tweak , or side step,...  due to things ; such as …  timeframes, changes in priorities, design improvements , etc....  or better yet ;....  a paying project.  so I am going to reschedule the body mods , to next year ,...  and reinstall the cab,..  to take on a ''re=power /trans.'' project.  to a very special unit …  which mr. Loggah has posted previously ….


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

I understand the change in plans/priorities, but I've really enjoyed this thread.

 I'm sure I speak for many when I say I hope you start another thread about the new project. (That should keep your fans satiated until you can resume this one....)


----------



## olympicorange

…… hello BFT,  thanks !!   … again, …  I really appreciate the support , right back 2U,..  I know you juggle also,... so i'm not going to ''stop'' ,.. I like to say ...''side step...       ''re=prioritize'' ,...  I 'll suffer one more winter,  in the little cab,  so as not to rush the body ''enlargement''.....  all good...


----------



## olympicorange

……… ooops ,.. yes … new thread is,..... ''Nellie Bell''....  hope y'all enjoy,...thx for following,....


----------



## olympicorange

....  And again... Kool aide color...


----------



## sno-drifter

On the four cyl Cummins install, have you considered moving the radiator forward to the end of the frame inorder to use a mechanical fan? In the past I have not had sufficient air flow with electric fans to cool. Perhaps today's units do the job.


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

sno-drifter said:


> On the four cyl Cummins install, have you considered moving the radiator forward to the end of the frame inorder to use a mechanical fan? In the past I have not had sufficient air flow with electric fans to cool. Perhaps today's units do the job.



We had cooling issues with Thundercat that were very frustrating (and costly) to solve. Griffin Thermal Products recommended one of their "universal combos" (radiator, shroud and two electric fans) for our application, and claimed it would cool "up to 550 HP". Except it didn't. We tried everything they suggested; and nothing worked. Taking no responsibility for their recommended product (that quite simply failed to do the exact job for which it was recommended), I was done with Griffin.  

I turned to Ron Davis Racing in Phoenix, and they were helpful. The technical representative said mechanical fans move more air. Period. But, we simply didn't have the necessary real estate for a mechanical fan. The next option suggested was using a hydraulically powered fan, which are used on several vehicles. That became the second option if the larger Ron Davis radiator with bigger fans didn't do the job. Fortunately though, the new Ron Davis radiator and fans worked.  We also had the ECM re-programmed to change the fan on and off temperatures. The first fan turns on at 184º and off at 176º. The second fan comes on at 204º and off at 196º. This combination seems to work well. (I'll also say the quality of the tig welding on the Ron Davis radiator is incredible. I literally dream about having skill like that....)


----------



## sno-drifter

Blackfoot Tucker said:


> We had cooling issues with Thundercat that were very frustrating (and costly) to solve. Griffin Thermal Products recommended one of their "universal combos" (radiator, shroud and two electric fans) for our application, and claimed it would cool "up to 550 HP". Except it didn't. We tried everything they suggested; and nothing worked. Taking no responsibility for their recommended product (that quite simply failed to do the exact job for which it was recommended), I was done with Griffin.
> 
> I turned to Ron Davis Racing in Phoenix, and they were helpful. The technical representative said mechanical fans move more air. Period. But, we simply didn't have the necessary real estate for a mechanical fan. The next option suggested was using a hydraulically powered fan, which are used on several vehicles. That became the second option if the larger Ron Davis radiator with bigger fans didn't do the job. Fortunately though, the new Ron Davis radiator and fans worked.  We also had the ECM re-programmed to change the fan on and off temperatures. The first fan turns on at 184º and off at 176º. The second fan comes on at 204º and off at 196º. This combination seems to work well. (I'll also say the quality of the tig welding on the Ron Davis radiator is incredible. I literally dream about having skill like that....)



I also have considered using a hydraulic driven fan. It makes more sense than an electric fan with enough HP to move that much air. You already have the hyd. pump which is more efficient than beefing up an alternator to supply the electric fan.  I like the "progressive linkage" of your fan set up, reminds me of the dual AFB's on my 409.

Good news that you found the Davis option, it is well needed. Thanks for sharing what works and what doesn't.


----------



## olympicorange

sno-drifter said:


> On the four cyl Cummins install, have you considered moving the radiator forward to the end of the frame inorder to use a mechanical fan? In the past I have not had sufficient air flow with electric fans to cool. Perhaps today's units do the job.



....   S/D,  well to be honest, I have not... This particular radiator is snuggly all the way forward in the frame, the angle of the front of the engine is closer at the bottom, than the top, the dia. Of the fan, misc., etc.   .... So with the fan/shroud assy. Mounted in the front..of rad.,...I was trying to kill a few birds at once.  My theory there being...with my location of usage here... Low altitude...no deep snow...packed/groomed trails, etc.  Wouldn't be working it as hard , as to the opposite . more idle time. Diesels run cooler on a rule, as opposed to a gas engine.  So I was anticipating a winter front may be needed, after testing .  same scenario with the trans. Cooler. Great question S/D.  Thx for info BFT.  I've got to get in gear to get to the test modes.


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

Sno-Drifter and Olympic Orange, thanks for the kind words.


Sno-Drifter, A dual-quad setup on a 409 sounds nostalgic... and fun. I'm guessing when you installed that, fuel economy wasn't a consideration. I think today that would get you a wanted poster at a Prius and Tesla convention (if there were such a thing).


----------



## sno-drifter

Wrong BFT, I had a great increase in fuel economy. However, the transplant was to the '61 GMC carryall which came with the 305 V-6 boat anchor which on a good day would get six MPG. It was fun to drive back in '63, not to many stock models were quick then.

O O You should be fine in the conditions you defined. I am thinking of the balls to the walls pulling up a mountain or towing a groomer.


----------



## olympicorange

.....  They always said a 4BBL would get better fuel economy... As opposed to a two BBL ...  Due to the size of the primary jets. As long as you don't open up the secondaries.  But what fun is that...lol.   Yes, if I was to work it hard, instead of being an Uber....I would expect it to Heat.  If the usage demands ever change, so will the needs. ... Thx guyz....


----------



## olympicorange

..... Hmmmm.....interesting idea on the hyd. Driven fan option.  Didn't we have a quick comment or two, on keeping weight down on a tucker....lol.   Take into consideration the components involved to support the operation of such.... Hyd. Motor, hoses, calving(depending on make& model), fittings, oil volume in the hoses, etc.  ...what did I forget. Oh, maybe another inline filter...what about the need for a hyd. Cooler for the addition of fan circuit...larger hyd. Tank, .. Misc.  Also adds more things to leak down the road...  Man am I a buzzkill... I work with them on a lot of different applications...they sure do move a volume of air....oh the pros& cons....


----------



## olympicorange

.....  " valving"""....D amn auto correct...


----------



## redsqwrl

I have a 3.0L mercedes going into a 1450 super imp. I have a dilemma with the fan that stalled my interest in a speedy build. the mercedes used a off center to the right fan on a idler. I refuse to use electric fans anymore. ( many reasons all discussed previously)  I was put onto the hydraulic fans from Jeep grand cherokees. I toured the local pick and pull to see what the system entails.

I think you might be amazed at the simplicity of the tinker toyish design on the system. You most likely have the bread truck aux drive steering/brake pump laying about..... if not they can be had cheap.
your angle radiator to motor will not be an issue as the fan is radiator mounted. I am sure it could push as opposed to pulling air.

just thinking out loud


----------



## Cidertom

Thinking we need a 'fans' thread.  But, since I'm here, my 2 cents on the airflow issues.  I've seen several units both fixed and mobile that had great big radiators, fan(s) and still had trouble. They also had little in the way of outflow room.  



The area for air to flow out of should be *larger* than the intake area to limit back pressure.  Big, high pressure intake fans _may_ make up for some of the restriction.  Add in the hoses, generators, pumps and other stuff the restriction is increased by eddies and turbulence.  I've seen more than one cat with belly pans that close off a lot of the exit, and/ or redirect the hot air to below the radiator which then gets sucked into the cooling airflow. 



 I liken it to the folks that put 4/0 (+) battery cables and 10 ga (-) cables and still wonder why they can't get it to spin well.  The Louisville Ford Fire engines I used to have suffered from this.  Going down the road, the air pressure from movement and the fan did ok, But when pumping hard they would overheat unless the hood was popped.  They had very little room between the engine and the frame for air to get by.  



Short version: Air flow is a system, and for a system to work well, _every_ part in the system needs to be evaluated to see if it is doing the job, or not.


----------



## Blackfoot Tucker

sno-drifter said:


> Wrong BFT, I had a great increase in fuel economy. However, the transplant was to the '61 GMC carryall which came with the 305 V-6 boat anchor which on a good day would get six MPG. It was fun to drive back in '63, not to many stock models were quick then.
> 
> O O You should be fine in the conditions you defined. I am thinking of the balls to the walls pulling up a mountain or towing a groomer.



I've always considered dual quads to be very high performance. Your must have been set up and tuned very well (why am I not surprised).

One of my very best friends has a 1968 Shelby GT-500. He installed a Ford 427 side-oiler engine and chose the dual quad intake and carburetor combination Ford offered on the 1966 427 powered Fairlane. I remember the Shelby having a Voracious (capital V) appetite for fuel, and high octane fuel at that! But the car is hugely fun, monsterly powerful and a real head-turner.

I'll bet you surprised a bunch of folks with the Carryall (and had fun doing it)!


----------



## sno-drifter

And the Carryall had the V-6 logos on the hood. Was fun to drive. The cam kinda gave it away. The next engine was the LS6. Got hard to find fuel for the 11:1 compression. Then we started with yellow oil burners.


----------



## olympicorange

…….    so,   back to ''side-stepping'',..  after 'ol ''nellie'' time,... yank the 3.9L , to finish up the mounts fab... and install the tranny torque convertor , flexplate , adapters, etc...  I like to work the bugs out of the engine, before moving onto the tranny, etc.... with fluids, shifting , driveshafts, linkages,leaks,  misc., etc...  can be a lot going on, especially when you're working on units that you've never seen operate before, etc.... and it's a piece of cake with no cab or sheetmetal also,...


----------



## mlang2005

Love the work so far,  however I second the recommendation for a mechanical drive fan solution before going much further finalizing the mounts. 
  There is a reason your diesel pickup sounds like a jet engine when the fan kicks in, all the more important with the auto trans adding heat.  
Maybe the jwac will help cool the engine. Haha.


----------



## olympicorange

……..  thanks for the input, i'm still on the fence with the fan options,..  but time will tell....   as far as my tranny cooler, mine doesn't run thru the radiator, external from rad.... depending on the temp. gauge for trans,.  may add another fan for it.....  I know what jwa stands for,...what's your ''c'' stand for...  but no,... would be the answer,....ha ha ….


----------



## mlang2005

Jwac is the acronym caterpillar uses for that type of after cooler


----------



## olympicorange

……….   also very popular in  the air force,.... lol


----------



## olympicorange

…..…….   welding and grinding continues,...


----------



## olympicorange

……..   snuck in a few mins,...  more fab.,...


----------



## olympicorange

………  pulled trans,...  to finish frame  cleanup, mounts, weld misc.,  ….  alittle paint,... mock up time again,...


----------



## olympicorange

…..   alittle more prep work,... s&p,......


----------



## olympicorange

……….    finished the S&S ,...  rustoleum is a colorful aide,...


----------



## olympicorange

……..…   alittle more rustoleum….


----------



## DAVENET

Are you working by candle light out there??


----------



## olympicorange

……...  it sure feels like it some days, dark wood interior ,...  threw 5 gals. on the walls , on the back corners.... to see if any improvement....   waiting for dried result.....


----------



## olympicorange

……...  raise them as high as possible, stand clear, pull the pin, let gravity do it's thing , … walla…..wedged tight ,...…  perfect....


----------



## olympicorange

…….   a few shades brighter,....


----------



## olympicorange

….   getting brighter by the coat...


----------



## olympicorange

……  connected t/c -flexplate bolts, upgraded blk. htr.,   relocated trans. filter, modulator,..  intermediate shaft,..  started tranny cooler  location / fab. mount ….  rad., and hoses,... secured mounts …. misc.,..


----------



## olympicorange

……  alittle fabrication the other day;  lower rad. hose support, trans. cooler mounting brackets, cooler lines, misc.... forgot to take pics,...


----------



## olympicorange

…………..  ''  MERRY XMAS TO ALL'' ,...………..


----------



## olympicorange

………..   Santa nailed it ,... thx ''M'',....  speaking of key chains,....


----------



## olympicorange

…………  for those whom like timers, ….


----------



## olympicorange

…..  poured in the ''red'' Kool-Aid ,... to test the new 1000W engine heater …  15 mins. later the upper end was ready,... granted the ambient was 29 ,... but much quicker than the old one,...


----------



## olympicorange

…….  so alittle more fab. & attaching,...  routed the trans. cooler lines, mounting brackets , hardware, to cooler....  going with a ''free-air'' type , to see how that works ( came off a 350 hp cummins/roadranger;  trying to use up spare parts from the ''archives''.  only will do this on my ''uber'' , never for a customer. I hate to throw away good spare parts ( thx gramps)…).  …. had to shorten the turbo header pipe by 7/8'' , cut & reweld,.... to align exhaust. looks like a height issue with the cab floorpans & cooler lines, possibly. will know as soon as cab is back on....coming soon.....


----------



## olympicorange

………..   so , ready for some dexron….   I have dropped both driveshafts , so I can run the tranny control shaft/arm/ valve body ...thru it's range of motion.  don't wanna run a track over my foot or so...  brings back an old story about a manure spreader back on the farm, it wasn't easy stalling out the 'ol tractor.  but that's for another time .  also added in a fitting for the tranny ''mechanical' temp. gauge , on the return line , from the cooler . I also agree that is the more critical location.  but why not put one in the line from tranny to cooler also,  love gauges .  gonna run this thing out of the shop just the way it is ….''hang on granny''....  Jethro.....


----------



## TalleyHo

olympicorange said:


> …..  poured in the ''red'' Kool-Aid ,... to test the new 1000W engine heater …  15 mins. later the upper end was ready,... granted the ambient was 29 ,... but much quicker than the old one,...



Been watching your build.  Really nice!  

What fan did you choose?  I was trying to find an electric for the same 4 core radiator and was unable to come across one that would push (or pull for that matter) through the 4 cores.


----------



## olympicorange

ktalley said:


> Been watching your build.  Really nice!
> 
> What fan did you choose?  I was trying to find an electric for the same 4 core radiator and was unable to come across one that would push (or pull for that matter) through the 4 cores.






    ……..  thx K/T ,... much appreciated.  well to tell the truth , I just looked for one that would fill up the front of the rad.  and the height/profile , so as to be able to close the hood , without grill mods.   totally unethical. but I haven't started on the shroud(s)…  I have a real H.D. unit somewhere , but it's in such a safe place,...well I can't find it...yet.  so , do you have an issue with the fins on your core tubes?? bent, plugged, etc..  because that's critical...no fan will work under those conditions.  they make a tool to straighten fins, etc... all I can say is...''shrouds, shrouds, and more shrouds'' … air flow is key … I think we have discussed this before...lol..  your best friend is ( and time consuming) research, specs.,  …  etc.  a lot of guyz like the hyd. fan upgrade... will that work for you..space, room, hyd. load, etc...  post some pics of your engine compartment...thx....


----------



## olympicorange

…..  so,  good progress today;   …  ATF, some wiring, reconnected the fuel lines, primed, battery, misc., etc... fired up.  checked operation of trans.,... fwd./rev./speeds, etc.  topped off.  connected driveshafts. ''buckboard'' time... drove out of shop... backed up... fwd... well you get the idea.  no steering ;  next is to install ; hyd. pump, cab, hyd. tank(s) , plumbing.... thx again brother Greg, for the assistance....


----------



## PJL

That must have been pretty awesome seeing it move under it's own power.  Did you shoot a video?


----------



## olympicorange

PJL said:


> That must have been pretty awesome seeing it move under it's own power.  Did you shoot a video?



   ………  always makes me smile ,....   video did not cross my mind, try to remember next test....


----------



## olympicorange

…….   cab time,.....  took longer to ''de-clutter'' it , than to set into position,…. made a nice ''flat spot'' ,....


----------



## DAVENET

Getting brighter in there every time we see it! Hit it again next summer w/ the airless sprayer, add a few of those new fangled LED overheads, an overhead propane shop heater and heck, you'll be able to find that HD fan/shroud combo!! 

Seriously, looking good!


----------



## olympicorange

DAVENET said:


> Getting brighter in there every time we see it! Hit it again next summer w/ the airless sprayer, add a few of those new fangled LED overheads, an overhead propane shop heater and heck, you'll be able to find that HD fan/shroud combo!!
> 
> Seriously, looking good!



   ……..  roger that Dave,...  the gameplan was to sprayfoam everything this summer ( well not the snocats or tools,lol), peel up the asphalt , pour concrete....   I have an L/P  unit that hangs from the ceiling ,  extra lights , etc.... well , you know how plans go....  i'm still optimistic for this summer... thx for the input …..


----------



## olympicorange

…….  forgot to mention , …… from yesterday.....  got to the shop , so before plugging in block heater ….  '' said to oneself''  …  let's see what happens first ( in an attempt  to start engine cold),..... cranked over three times and fired up,...   granted it wasn't outdoors and covered with snow,....but it was 24 degrees .   i'd say a positive note for a Cummins ….  now my J D  , sitting next to it, and a lot newer,  won't even ''pop'' below 40 degrees....


----------



## olympicorange

……….    started the ''glueing''  process...……..


----------



## DAVENET

Did you end up with any conflicts with the floor & the hoses / exhaust?


----------



## olympicorange

DAVENET said:


> Did you end up with any conflicts with the floor & the hoses / exhaust?



  …..   no floors in yet... exhaust is well below floorpans.   looks like the fittings for cooler lines are the highest , but handily they are directly below the cab heater box ,... so a ''hump up'' mod looks like it may not be that big of a deal...  too cold today to mess with it...


----------



## DAVENET

True. Just wait until tomorrow to do it when it's 80 out.   Winter was looking good last month with that early 24" (in the south).  Just 2-3" of ice crust now.


----------



## olympicorange

……   a few degrees better today,.... yes, 2mrw is supposed to be 50 and raining all day.   looks like we'll loose our ''base'' ,  too bad.... we've got a nice  heavy 8'' 's now.  if I get up early , I may get enough hooked up to test the hyds.,  cab is almost done.   hook up temp. gauges, o/p,  volt, etc.   a couple of fittings, a hose or two....


----------



## DAVENET

Wow.  64 degrees on January 11th.   58 for a LOW tonight then back to 62 tomorrow. If ice had gotten time to set up, it would be exciting for riding the dirt bike since it would be a surface reset.  But ice is too sketchy to risk it.


----------



## olympicorange

…….   yes, crazy weather , 60 on Sat.,  lost all the white stuff.   so progress didn't get to the running stage,  ….  cut out the last of cab ''cancer'', replaced, & welded.  fab'd the exhaust hangers; drilled , welded in place, etc.  replaced seals  in hyd. pump ( just to ensure that no ATF leaks into engine/oil pan, mounted hyd. tank, pump, misc., to take measurements for hyd. hoses, fittings, etc.  off to the parts/box stores.   started orientation of hoses.  painted misc. items, repaired/fab'd areas, etc....


----------



## olympicorange

and a few more that didn't load....it ''ain't'' got a hemi,...  but one of these....


----------



## olympicorange

…….  thinned out the 318 electrical components ; wiring , gauges, etc....  did some ''rerouting '' of hyd. lines, fittings, misc.,... etc...  started off as a warm day,  then the ''Arctic'' blast rolled -in....brrrr….


----------



## olympicorange

……….   finished securing the hyd./pwr. steering lines, governor control cable assy., fab'd mounting brackets for cable,....and


----------



## olympicorange

…..  started on the trans. controller routing, attachments, …  next is the dash housing,….


----------



## olympicorange

….. ..  trans. control dash mount.....


----------



## olympicorange

……   finished trans. control brackets, added brace, fuel tank & mount ,....


----------



## Track Addict

Looks like it will be done just in time for the first snowfall this year!  Where's winter?


----------



## olympicorange

….  hello brian,  yeah ...no kidding ,... totally different winter from last year,...this time last year I was burning up the gas in the 'ol 318,... definitely no rush this year.  I think ive worked every day with the shop door open,...crazy.   global warming??  a few more things, and the next test drive soon....


----------



## Nikson

so a curiosity has been killing me about the box behind the passenger door on the side of the cab, whats that about?! cab ventilation?


----------



## olympicorange

Nikson said:


> so a curiosity has been killing me about the box behind the passenger door on the side of the cab, whats that about?! cab ventilation?




     ………   hey ''N'' ,.....   so,  yes ….  a cab ''vent'' fan assy.    haven't really paid much attention to it,.. it wasn't working ,.. so not sure if it ''draws in '' or ''out'' ….  it may work, wasn't hooked up.  if I run out of projects,....lol … ive only seen a few with it ,...   anyone know more...…   thx ...


----------



## olympicorange

………….  finished the ''temp.'' fuel tank perch,.. lines, fittings, etc.,... had a fuel housing weep ,...   installed & connected misc.,  sending units.   drained coolant ; to plumb up the cab , shut-offs , sending units, ….  started routing wires/harness,.. …   ever had a ''pipe wrench'' fitting , in a tight spot, … one trick you can do is to weld a nut , centerline, to use a socket.  nothing wrong with saving your knuckles, time, patience....  especially when you're mocking up components,....


----------



## olympicorange

Nikson said:


> so a curiosity has been killing me about the box behind the passenger door on the side of the cab, whats that about?! cab ventilation?




     ………   hey ''N'' ,.....   so,  yes ….  a cab ''vent'' fan assy.    haven't really paid much attention to it,.. it wasn't working ,.. so not sure if it ''draws in '' or ''out'' ….  it may work, wasn't hooked up.  if I run out of projects,....lol … ive only seen a few with it ,...   anyone know more...…   thx ...


----------



## olympicorange

…….  hmmmm, …  duplicated ,.... that's a new one ,......


----------



## olympicorange

…. from the other day,... stretching the tracks...


----------



## olympicorange

….  and ….,  well I had a video ,..  but not sure how to upload it ,.. I don't you-tube, etc….


----------



## DAVENET

Looks like someone pulled the plug on your lake!  Very much like here- bare.


----------



## olympicorange

DAVENET said:


> Looks like someone pulled the plug on your lake!  Very much like here- bare.





  ……..        yes, …  just when we get a base,.. it rains.  got a storm coming this weekend...  fingers crossed.  we're 8 inches below the norm this winter … not good for the water table,...


----------



## loggah

Bruce, you going to find a seat low enough so you fit in the cab??


----------



## olympicorange

loggah said:


> Bruce, you going to find a seat low enough so you fit in the cab??



  …….   hello Don, … LOL,....  well, the one that was in it ,... definitely going to rework the seat mounts …. was thinking about raising the roof,...seen a few with the lifted roof.   wasn't planning on putting this cab back on,.. just didn't have enough time to re-cab.  this summers project.   hey?? … is this like ..'' the kettle & pot ''thing....HA HA …  (i'm the little guy, don't forget)…..


----------



## Track Addict

Sno is on the way for you for some testing finally!

That 2 by seat isn't all that bad.  Ran the 442 for a bit like that just don't fall out.


----------



## olympicorange

Track Addict said:


> Sno is on the way for you for some testing finally!
> 
> That 2 by seat isn't all that bad.  Ran the 442 for a bit like that just don't fall out.



          ………….  tucker lake ''rose up'' about 3-4 inches ystrdy….  not quite enough to get the jetski out.    but enough for tracks...   well, for most people , the ''2 by seat'' is sufficient,...  but Don & I will never fit in the same cab...lol.  hence why it'll get an enlarged ''sedan/bus'' body this summer.  as for falling out...'' like a wheeler'' don't let your feet ''dangle''  , those tracks snag me , sitting still, just walking by...  wooooo


----------



## olympicorange

….  tucker Lake ….


----------



## olympicorange

loggah said:


> Bruce, you going to find a seat low enough so you fit in the cab??



 …….  ended up with 2'' of headroom....  may have to push the firewall out for legroom also,....lol


----------



## loggah

These tuckers just ain't made for adults !!!!: My 422 is a little tight.


----------



## Snowy Rivers

Yes

The sharp edges are great for snagging pants.

Get out the grinder with a soft pad and spend an afternoon rounding over the sharpies.

I still bear the scars on a leg from hopping out of the groomer years ago and not only ripping my pant leg, but taking off hide too.


----------



## olympicorange

……  great pic DON,....


----------



## olympicorange

olympicorange said:


> ….  tucker Lake ….



           ……………  Gained 5 inches to the level of the Lake,...  low side of the prediction ,... started with rain, and changed over,..


----------



## DAVENET

Sleet & freezing rain down here.  Locked you hard enough Saturday that my kid went on skating on the turf football field!  And after an inch last night back to straight rain this morning.  Sucky winter.


----------



## olympicorange

Track Addict said:


> Sno is on the way for you for some testing finally!
> 
> That 2 by seat isn't all that bad.  Ran the 442 for a bit like that just don't fall out.



 …………  made the maiden voyage to the end of ''Tucker Lake ''   ,... got a good foot down there ,... of a mixed base.   3-6'' possible for 2mrw.    so anyone need a place to test their cat,  or bring the kids, snowmobiles, sleds, tubing ,  got 50 acres to test on …..  T/A,  D/N,  etc. ,.....   maybe a new venue,....


----------



## olympicorange

…..  so , before the ''maiden'' test....   installed the old floorboards ( in an attempt to keep as much snow as possible  from coming up thru the cab),... had to ''modify'' to fit the new adaptions in cab floor areas.   considering the last conversion job ( manual to 727 swap @ ski mountain)….  I couldn't hurt them any worse.   and , also due that the cab will be coming off again ( soon, considering the time of year & the way our winter is going so far ...uggh)...


----------



## loggah

Bruce, It seem old Tuckers are like old harleys, everyone has to modify them to their tastes!!! The only thing is there aren't many aftermarket parts for Tuckers !!!!


----------



## olympicorange

Don, yes seems to be the way with a good percentage.  and appears that it's catching on to the two track enthusiasts as well     lol, yeah only the inexpensive /smaller items are avail. thru parts stores , or recycle yards, etc.. …   the critical drivetrain items are ''tightly'' controlled by ''T'' corp.  thus making old/nos/used tucker parts scarce & more pricey by the day...….


----------



## olympicorange

…..  sunny day makes for snapshots....


----------



## 1boringguy

OO,

Hard to tell exactly from the pics, but did you use a muffler of some sort or just straight pipe out the back? How's it sound?


----------



## olympicorange

….   yes,  the turbo is the muffler,..  3'' drag pipes from the header elbow , thru the flexpipe ,... 10 ft. stick to the tail ,....  sounds like a ''hummin' Cummins ''  up front ,... and a cross of a Model A & a Shovelhead ,....  out the shotgun,…


----------



## olympicorange

…….  just alittle ''dry''  N.E.   humor …..


----------



## olympicorange

……. got alittle time in before the big race ,...  mounted /routed the p/b lever assy. & cable,... welded up the cracks on the rear main frame,.. mocking up some temporary mounts for the toolbox & rear seats,...then it all comes out again,..


----------



## 1boringguy

olympicorange said:


> ….   yes,  the turbo is the muffler,..  3'' drag pipes from the header elbow , thru the flexpipe ,... 10 ft. stick to the tail ,....  sounds like a ''hummin' Cummins ''  up front ,... and a cross of a Model A & a Shovelhead ,....  out the shotgun,…



Somewhere between, 'load pipes save lives', and 'if it's to loud, you're to old'? 

Sometimes with the right size and amount of pipe the resonance turns out pretty sweet.


----------



## olympicorange

………...   yes,  sounds like a cross between an AG tractor, and a skidder,.....


----------



## Snowy Rivers

Nice pix,,

Reading the part about welding up the cracked rear frame.

It's sad that builders do not bolt more stuff together.....bolted parts allow a bit of flex and give to the frame assemblies and overall LESS cracking.

An old phrase from my racing days..."IF IT AIN'T MOVING...SOMETHINGS BREAKING"

Most all truck frames, trailer frames etc are either bolted, riveted and some are now using huckbolts.

I went through a nightmare of cracks on a 1995 Sturdyweld Transfer dump trailer.

That sucker was a never ending crack issue.

Finally we cut the cross members loose that were always cracked and added flanges and bolted them back in.  Never had another issue.

I was looking at the frame on the Packmaster and was very surprised not to find cracks.....


Many times adding materials to fix an area that keeps cracking results in the stress vectoring elsewhere and breaking.....


Ages ago ships were always hot riveted together, and then during WWII the liberty ships were being welded....they had a lot of cracking and failure issues...

Welded frames are an easy fast solution to construction....but many times, depending on the engineering they will crack.....simply because they can't move a bit.

Another trick to stopping cracking is to stress relieve the assembly.....but in the case of a snowcat frame, it would be very hard and expensive to get the frame into an oven and heat it up to relief temperatures.

Fun stuff chasing cracks..


Your cat is looking nice..


----------



## olympicorange

……  thanks S/R,.. much appreciated.   all good points to ponder.  as you know, when you weld cracks, add pieces, etc.   the metal around the welds become more brittle,... so like you said, you keep chasing them.   drilling a hole at the end of a crack , before rewelding sometimes help.  these tucker frames , 2''X2'' square tubing, is thin walled .  so sometimes drilling holes, leads to a cracking.  it's a catch 22 scenario.  damned if you , damned if you don't.  like your trailer, trial & error.  unfortunately in error is more common,....  thx for the input,....


----------



## olympicorange

….   adding some temporary bus seats ( seat belt style) , grab handles, guardrails, steps ,etc. for a couple upcoming events.  then will be removed to continue the project,....


----------



## loggah

Bruce, You going to be burning the midnight oil to have it ready for sat!!! I spent 1/2 day yesterday to get the lombard running,queen bee,batterys ,battery charger, of coarse i hadn't started it in a year.The bus seats will be a hit !! Don


----------



## DAVENET

Heck, a piece of plywood on the deck & he's ready to go! And plenty of boot room as well!


----------



## loggah

Well he might also need a hood or doors ! Unless he wants the "COOLEST" tucker on the lot !!!


----------



## olympicorange

…..  HA HA,..    you guyz nailed it....  I'm burning the candle on both ends, just to show up with something, that resembles, ….well, something.  it's ugly,.. and along way from the finished product,... maybe one more year.   but just want to participate.  going to be close,...''crunch time'' is on for sure.  and the weather is going south for the next two days... yes , doors, hood, wiring/lights, ..  etc., etc...  it's those little finishing ...''operational'' touches,... nose to the grind stone...  made the best out of the floorboards...''talk about ugly'',....  lol....


----------



## olympicorange

loggah said:


> Bruce, You going to be burning the midnight oil to have it ready for sat!!! I spent 1/2 day yesterday to get the lombard running,queen bee,batterys ,battery charger, of coarse i hadn't started it in a year.The bus seats will be a hit !! Don




  … it's amazing how the day flies by , when you're just expecting a 30 minute or so project,..lol .   cleaning battery cables , just to crank it over ,.. and it's two hrs.. later.  yup, been there.  the Lombard  is the show King, definitely have to get that out every year to make laps,.. it's too ''Kool'' not to show it ,...  yeah , I had a few kicking around, had to put something on the back,.... and the forecast , I hope, sounds super warm.  so why not give more people a ride .  that tiny one ,man cab doesn't cut it ,..  my 14 doesn't fit in the cab very well either,.. I guess we're cursed in that way Don,..


----------



## PJL

Snowy R, that was a great explanation about welded VS bolted and riveted frames.  It explains a lot.


----------



## DAVENET

olympicorange said:


> … it's amazing how the day flies by , when you're just expecting a 30 minute or so project,..lol . cleaning battery cables , just to crank it over ,.. and it's two hrs.. later. yup, been there. the Lombard is the show King, definitely have to get that out every year to make laps,.. it's too ''Kool'' not to show it ,... yeah , I had a few kicking around, had to put something on the back,.... and the forecast , I hope, sounds super warm. so why not give more people a ride . that tiny one ,man cab doesn't cut it ,.. my 14 doesn't fit in the cab very well either,.. I guess we're cursed in that way Don,..



Should I pack the tree stand harness so I don't get sucked thru the floor?


----------



## olympicorange

……….  LOL ,   that's a good one D/N ,...  floor is all in and allset.  had a buddy show up today , and offered to lend a hand ,  Big Sam .  he probably saved the project from making it at all .  he did some welding , helped with the doors, hood , ...5 hrs. later.  so there seems to be a light at the end of a very long tunnel... ...…    he's going to bring some old skidoo's down to show …  belonged to his dad brand new …. he might sell one , you never know.  but many thanks to him....  will you be bringing yours ….


----------



## olympicorange

……… omitted also ;   Sam built the rear deck,..  great job,...


----------



## olympicorange

……….   And    ''... here's the rest of the story'' ,...……  so Sat. a.m.. (5am) … (-12 below) , trying to put the finishing touches ,... or safety factors, trip worthy , etc....     replaced r/f sprockets, ''fabed '' up hand throttle cable assy.,   adjusted doors ( not sure how they shrunk , from cab removal/install) ,   and a ton of other things I can't remember,...  finally got loaded at noon,.... attempted to leave ''Tucker Lake '' ,...  buried the truck/trailer a 100 ft. from main rd.   ugghh.   walked back to shed for the JD6310,  which won't start below 40 degrees.  finally starts, hooked on, ( wifey at the helm of the 'ol Burb) , …. and we drag the train to the asphalt.  back to shed to park & close up again.  and , ….. off to the show in Thorton .   gave rides & interviews non-stop for hrs.... well worth the ''killing myself to make the show'' ,.... bday dinner with the gang,...  short nite's sleep ,  and off again.   can't wait till next year....LOL.  hopefully be more prepared.   wait,... I started in April,...…


----------



## Snowy Rivers

Sounds like y'all had a great time...all considered.


----------



## olympicorange

……..  So ,  all that being said,.....  and all the weekends activities,... ( the best weekend of the year, in these parts, to be a snocat owner/enthusiast) ……..   operated Sat. ,   and Sunday's 12 mile parade,.. back at Tucker Lake for another hour to let the gang drive around & play ( sunday afternoon),.... and today for another hour of testing , …….  and up to the height of the land , ( for the first time this winter) ,... man, we need more snow ,... before the early spring...….  checked the fuel tank ,and...………..  only used a few inches.  the marker stick ( was just below my thumb) ….  pretty happy with the 'ol '' hummins cummins''...…….


----------



## alryA

I'd guess you folks know what the "mora vasaloppet" is?


----------



## olympicorange

………  I've talked with the people at the ski mountain,... it's adapted from a place in Europe ,..  france??   my crs is kicking in.  but , fill me in on what I missed.   so the history of this machine ;   Dave's dad bought this machine from the resort,...…..  had it shipped to maine.  he groomed his apple farm for  X-country trails ,...    and then he bought a M.E.  tucker,... and dave  & his family  sold it to me,....   been a great project .


----------



## alryA

The mora vasaloppet is a ski race in Mora MN.  It's part of the vasaloppet series.  That's all I know about it. 


https://vasaloppet.us/


----------



## olympicorange

……..   cool.   they had mounted a ''tiller'' power pack assy. onto the rear of this tucker.  ford power plant , hyd. system , tiller, etc.  ( I posted a diagram earlier in post) , extra controls in cab , etc.   beat the hell out of the rear half of the Cat.   rear fifth wheel had been replaced, beefy rear leafs, cracks everywhere in the chassis ,reinforced rods welded onto rear diff. axle housing,  trunnions pounded to death, etc...……..  been chasing my tail in the rear section.   thx. for link...…...


----------



## DAVENET

olympicorange;20717254 Dave's dad bought this machine from the resort said:
			
		

> Well hell, that threw a toggle switch in the memory core.  I never made the connection between the first page of this thread and the Five Fields machine.  Tried to back track the old pictures of this machine all intact, but they must have died with my old flip phone.  I wonder how many of those tiller setups were sold?  That was the only one I have ever seen (not even any in photos).  Did you get the tiller/track setter as well or were they building a new framework for the ME?
> 
> I rode up & over the mountain into Bridgton last summer and saw the ME in the shed & wondered where the 1542 went


----------



## alryA

Seems the tucker did not sell many of those tiller equipped machines.   When I test operated a Tucker X years ago, it was used on a ski hill and no tillers to be seen.   It came from Power Horn for those familiar with that area back aorund 2000.   For XC which I'm much more familiar with, I've never seen a Tucker with a tiller either.  In fact very few truckers can be found in the XC world.


----------



## olympicorange

…………    ...…….,.....''ding, ding, ding,'...……..''winner winner , chickn dinner''  …..  nice job Dave .   that is correct .   dave is going to mount the tiller onto the M.E.


----------



## olympicorange

……….  well, it's official  , almost 50 here today..... Tucker Lake has open water ,....  maybe that damn groundhog knows something ,.... or not …..


----------



## olympicorange

………..   just breaking engine in alittle more , let it run in the spring weather,  without the fan  running ,  stayed at stat temp,...  190* ,...   love that sound,...………….


----------



## olympicorange

………….  ,  back onto the list of things I ran out of time to do before the Big show,,...  starting with a better mounting system for the elec. fan,... and also for the future shroud to mount to,...…


----------



## olympicorange

……  what a change in the Lake conditions;   from ystrdy….to ….today.  from open water , to 8'' of the heavy wet stuff....


----------



## olympicorange

,...…. so , the mission today was ;  ''crush as many snowflakes with Grousers, as possible'',.... well 4hrs.  later ….  the snowflakes were still well Ample,.... but I burned another gallon of ''oil'',....


----------



## olympicorange

oops,....   pics, oh yeah.  made it up, the fire road to the height of the land once again,...


----------



## olympicorange

…   well,  I think I did as much as possible,... 45 degrees,..  and low tide down to 4 inches.   sorry to say I think the Lake is drying up....Dratt………..


----------



## olympicorange

………..   well,   five weeks have flown by ,  even being cooped up for the most part.   definitely was a ''short'' snow accumulation total and length  this past season,...  always next year , as they say.   SO,....    I've gone and thrown another ''monkey'' wrench into the works, yet again....  or ….a ''side step''  once again,....     as Don said, ''you're '' gonna have to start a new blog,...thanks again Brian,.....


----------



## olympicorange

……..  ..    walking by the 1542 ,...  a quick glance under unit,... noticed no new blood spots on the floor,  just the old ones from the past,....


----------



## olympicorange

……….. well, as they say...''just wait 5 mins,....or so...'' ,..... went from ''Blanching''  fiddleheads last nite,....  to 8'' of the ''poor man's fertilizer'' ,....  got to do a few things on the ''wifey'' list (M/D'S) ,...  then I think a roadcall to Tucker Lake is in order , to check the lake level,...


----------



## olympicorange

……  water level at Tucker Lake was up , but shrinking,...  wifey's   M/D  ride , burnt up some more oil , toured around for an hour,... beautiful May day.   still on the same tank of fuel, probably going to have to drain it out , dump it in the tractor , just to burn it this year,...  have a great day all,...…….


----------



## PJL

80 degrees here today.  Thanks for the pics.


----------



## DAVENET

Well, your pictures above answer a lot. I was thinking my hydraulic plumbing and clutch reservoir were 'mountain installs' just to get it back on the slopes. It appears that was the way they came out the door. Seriously, pinching off the second line instead of just using a proper plug?? Also thought my hydraulic tank was a scrap yard install, but apparently not.  (although your 1.5" lower hose is plugged off??)


----------



## olympicorange

……….   hey dave,  … how's your project going .   ok,... so … yes a factory plug would be more professional & nicer looking for sure.  and it was done at the mountain in Minn.    they had removed the 4spd,.. to replace with the ''torque-load''  727 auto.   to plug the clutch master ,  and removed the clutch pedal.   I will address that , it wasn't as high on the list , as other things to get to the show this year.   so yours has been converted to an auto .        so, on the hyd. tank suction line;  there's two ports for the o.e.m.  style factory hyd. pump.   I just plugged off the front port, and used the rear one .  I could direct it  to the left side easier, and keep it away from the heat of the exhaust components.    the TRW  pump only uses one inlet supply .    nice observations my man,....


----------



## DAVENET

I see now. Yours has a tee fitting to run front or rear (with one side plugged). Mine is an elbow w/ only one option. No Auto in mine. Factory four speed (modified to a three speed by Pat's Peak ) The one existing 'brake' line is feeding the hydraulic slave (which I imagine yours used to do as well). The other? No idea. How is the green goblin set up?


----------



## Track Addict

Clutch one side and hydraulic foot brake for models that had both.  Back up hand brake on mine as well.

My 442 had the master on the frame rail below oil tank hooked to clutch pedal  and a slave on the clutch side.


----------



## Track Addict

The pump should have two return lines.  One from the pump and one from the steering and other hydraulics system.

Some cats had no return loop direct from pump. Understand is this bypass/return from pump to tank is preferred.


----------



## DAVENET

Track Addict said:


> Clutch one side and hydraulic foot brake for models that had both. Back up hand brake on mine as well.


 
That's mine as well.  No foot brake, just hand lever. Just surprised there was a line installed at all instead of plugging it off.


----------



## olympicorange

DAVENET said:


> I see now. Yours has a tee fitting to run front or rear (with one side plugged). Mine is an elbow w/ only one option. No Auto in mine. Factory four speed (modified to a three speed by Pat's Peak ) The one existing 'brake' line is feeding the hydraulic slave (which I imagine yours used to do as well). The other? No idea. How is the green goblin set up?




... .roger that, most of those factory /o.e.m pumps had dual supply ports from the hyd. tank, to the double stack hyd. pump. and , also dual return lines back to the return port / ''T'' on the top of the hyd. tank. about as simple as it needs to be..... the ''Digger'' had the same configuration as yours. the conversion removed the hand brake , and converted the m/c to operate the service brake , instead of the clutch. converted manual to auto. so a park pawl comes into play....


----------



## DAVENET

I was mistaken on the elbow. While degreasing I got up under the tank & it has a small line coming off of the back side of the 1.5" cast elbow. (similar to below, but can't even find an image). Never seen one like it, but I've probably not been where it's used a lot.


----------



## olympicorange

....... woke up to a white wonderland. rained hard for a day before. wet heavy snow. so broken trees everywhere. loss of power. cooked bkfst . on the woodstove. power came back on... well , so what do you do next.... go for a ride...


----------



## Snowy Rivers

Gone Catin....


----------



## olympicorange

Sweet!!!....  Thanks Dave...you the man..


----------



## olympicorange




----------



## olympicorange

finally got a day off to check things over and take a few laps around Lake Tucker.  we haven't got much in the last month or so,...


----------



## olympicorange

we ve got a foot of base snow,....   started the compression process,....killing snowflakes......


----------



## olympicorange

a few laps around tucker lake ystrdy,....


----------

