I will post pics of this project as I progress. I needed something to keep me busy. I found something!
The before pics.
Cab off
I have spent a lot of time cleaning. The well under the seat was packed with mud, fluid and trash! I separated the top part of the cab from the lower section. All the controls have been disassembled and new bushings, rod ends and fittings will be installed after sand blasting this weekend! I am painting this unit military tan with a high end enamel used by Lockheed Martin's space program (Long story on how I got it )
Great platform to start with. (Simple, rugged and dependable) Funny how those three go hand in hand. Best engine ever put in a skiddy, imho. Known to go 10k+ hours before rebuilding. Made by a major company for many years, parts should be no problem. Looking forward to watching your progress !
I guess it stands to reason that u wouldn't have started this project w/o sufficient info before hand.. BUT just in case.. e-backhoeparts dot com is where a lot of guys go for info & parts.. Dale Weiss is a walking engine manual, when it comes to just about anything Case. Good luck w/ your project..
< waiting on Tracings "Dale the cat."
Thanks for the info! I have been studying the Service manual and parts and have done well so. Most items I have needed have been located so far. I wish there was a salvage yard here in Denver but no luck that I have found. Off to the bead blaster this morning for the hand controls and linkage assembly for the controls.
I have spent a lot of time cleaning this 1845C up. A lot of pressure washing and degreasing. I started the sanding and prepping after deciding not to sandblast the frame. It was less of a mess to sand.
I disassembled the hand controls and prepped the ROPS frame. The cab was removed last week and is being sand blasted. The frame is in good shape but it needs a refresh. Lots of work but I get bored! It helps when your best buddy owns a body shop. Nobody is around on the weekends and evenings!
I know you said you were going to be using this machine at a high altitude but do you really need paint spec'd for a Mars Rover? Forget, is this the Case that had the problem with the park brake lock pins or was that some other guy? To be honest,I did not really like the 1845C when we got the new one at the quarry back in March of 1989, I felt the steering was not as smooth as the older 1845 skid's I was familiar with at the time. That said when I retired in April of 2015 that was one of the few machines I would have liked to have taken home as a retirement gift. No luck! Boss said they still needed it! Two things I want to see from this project. First a glamour shot once it is all back together nice clean and shinny. Second a shot of it hard at work up in the mountains.
Great work so far. I bet it will look awesome when you are done. I've always thought the one great addition to an 1845c would be a full set of real gauges. Since you're going to all this work, why not fab up a panel and wire in some gauges to monitor the engine and hydraulics better. There was a thread a while ago from a guy who did something similar. Found it: HeavyEquipmentForums
If your engine cover is as sloppy as most, now would be a good time to weld in another support, before you paint it ...re-do the door hinge right, like Case should have. Seems like they all sort of hang off at a cockeyed angle. Here's another tip: you could remove a bunch of normally plated parts (like the lines, fittings, bolts, etc) that might be rusty or gray and old-looking, and send them to a cad plater. Probably get everything chemically stripped and re-plated like new for $150. Not sure if you want to go that route. I put a pile of Corvette parts and bolts together once. One pile to be yellow cad plated, the other silver cad plated. They did them all and it was like $50 for each pile. Came back looking like new! Nice work BTW. (click below for pics) Sorry I couldn't get them to show
The paint or epoxy was purchased for a capsule but the specs were later changed and two gallons of extremely expensive product was left. We have had to send it out to be tinted by the manufacturer which takes a few weeks. My 1845C has all the parking brake parts so I am lucky. The previous owner unhooked all of it though. It am going to get it working again! I will definitely post some after pics!
I have had the flu so my progress has slowed but I was able to locate an enclosed cab setup for my skidsteer! Super excited about that because it gets cold at 10,400 feet! I also spent some time disassembling the hand controls for media blasting which I will do tomorrow.
Take lots of pictures as you take things apart. Taking it apart is always easier than putting it all back together.
Wow, that thing looked pretty clean on the inside in your "before" pics -- definitely cleaner than mine. Hardly any rust in yours. Looks like it was stored indoors for most of its life.
My best friend owns a body shop too and I restored my 751F like u are. I started sanding but eventually blasted it all. I have 110 hours in mine w repairs and paint but was worth it. I used PPG epoxy primer over PPG fleet 2 part for finish. Like a brand new machine the decals are icing on the cake. Good luck w it I feel your pain and pleasure. Looks great so far
My brother's untimely death and estate settlement has slowed my progress but I do progress. 7 plus hours of media blasting on the ROPS and base along with the linkage to the hand controls is done and painted. I removed the lift arm and will soon media blast it. Having the right equipment helps! The fork lift is a huge benefit!
Larpy; Do I see a weld bead across your lift arm? If so, you might want to "fish plate" that repair to prevent it from breaking again. Butt welding a crack in a high stress application is not the best repair. Keep up the good work. Your restoration is looking great. SimS
The prior owner went crazy welding every seam, joint or plate on the lift arm and crappy welds at that. I am going to grind two particular areas to clean it up but most importantly figure out if there is an issue or not. The welds are horrible!
I'm having a hard time figuring out how one could damage that boom in that area! Last I knew the 1989 1845C at the quarry was still going strong and despite the best efforts of the apes, I mean operators! they never broke a boom like that. I agree with SimS, you need to do a good repair on that boom. If you are not a welder it would be a excellent idea to have a professional look at the job. At least it's nice and clean and off the machine so that should make them happy.
I don't think it is damaged. It looks like somebody was practicing on welding and used every seam as a project!
Maybe there is someone here who can advise on anything that you should do to fix this "fix"! I personally would be concerned about the welding causing "stress risers". I sure hope who ever did it got a big "Dope Slap"
I mentor a young man that is fatherless and try and teach him various skills. Today it was media blasting! We had fun....as mess but fun. There is something exciting about clean, raw steel! The only part left to media blast is the main body which will actually be the easiest. That will be done by weeks end and the paint both this weekend of all goes well! Re-Assembly will be fun since everything is clean
The young man looks pretty proud! Good on you Larpy
Lots of work done today! Having the right tools sure makes things easier.
Looking great. Can't wait to see it done. Just one question - if I drop mine off, will you do it next?
I am in the paint booth!
Almost there!
Looks great. Something I may do at some point in the future. Here's a tip if you're interested that'll take a restoration to the next level. I've done a number of classic cars and this will take your restoration to the next level. Maybe you're already going to do this: Look around in your area for a plating company. I would think there's one in Denver which serves manufacturers. What I've done is stop in personally and talk to the owner. Ask them if they could do a couple 'runs' for you. What I did was on my last classic car, was put all the silver cad plated parts in a box (things like hood hinges, latches, striker bolts, all inner window regulator parts, bolts, etc), and the Yellow zinc cad items in another box (things like alternator pulley, gold-cad plated bolts, engine parts, engine steel vacuum lines, etc). Everything was paint-free and degreased. They did a 'run' of each. What you want to do is find a place that'll first chemical dip (strip) the parts, then plate them. What I received back were perfectly plated parts which looked like expensive brand NEW with all the original tooling marks. And it was like $40 per box. I also paid another $40 for a 'clear' on them, which makes it last longer. You could theoretically re-plate all the hydraulic lines and all original pins, parts and bolts. It's WAY better than painting them with silver paint like some guys do ....and better than buying hardware store bolts (which look like "cheapo hardware store bolts"!). Another tip I learned from another plating company I'll share: To make it easy for the plating company to inexpensively do small parts, what you can do is get some copper wire and wind the wire through and around all the nuts, parts and pieces you want plated into a 3' long string. It kind of looks like entrails with the parts on a long wire with a hook on the end. But in effect all they need to do is pull the string of wire (with parts attached) out of the box and hang it onto their plating hook, along with the rest of your parts ...first to strip, then to replate. That takes them 30 seconds of work. It's not worth it for the plating company to handle all the small parts unless they put them in a basket (but then you're paying for a more expensive 'run' too. String them up so they WON'T fall off. The cost to buy all those small parts 'replated' new for a classic car restoration, if they're even available, could be immense. But in one shipment you could get back all the parts like brand new. As an example, with the other parts on my wire string, I had all my scuzzy Wittco radiator hose clamps replated, (haven't been avail for years) stripped and replated, and they looked brand new. What you want to avoid is any shop which 'blasts' parts prior to plating (that ruins them). Blasted parts dont plate well and look like crap. If you go to a shop and they won't chemically strip the parts, then try another shop. Also all parts should be de-greased and free of paint before taking in. Don't take in any greasy parts b/c they'll reject them. One of the reason places don't like doing parts for people off the street is they can't trust them to bring in 'clean' parts to plate. Painted parts won't plate. Greasy parts will shorten the life of their chemicals. But parts with rubber (like hold-down brackets) are ok b/c the metal will plate but the rubber won't. Just thought I'd throw that out.
Great idea!
I got a lot done this weekend! The lower controls are reassembled with new bushings, machine washers, etc. I also finished media blasting the rest of the body. Paint booth later this week.
If you keep going this way you won't want to take that machine outside on a rainy day for fear of getting it dirty! And heaven forbid if you have to take it off the pavement and get the tires muddy, you are going to Armor All them right? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Armor-Al...MIhunQgYjS4QIV2I2zCh0GFQkkEAQYASABEgJH1vD_BwE
Very nice work. I'm waiting for the bucket restoration. Cad or Chrome plating?? SimS
Funny you would mention the bucket. I am actually not touching the bucket. It is dented, dirty, and warped ....I like it like that lol. My buddies were laughing that I am a leaving it "original". Hey, it is just a skidsteer
Use care b/f putting A/A or other so called 'protectants' on your tires. Guys on the classic car forums pretty much uniformly agree the silicates dry up and crack tires. I use WD 40 instead. Doesn't last as long, or shine as bright, but doesn't screw up rubber either.
Work looks great! You're making me want to re-do mine!! What color is your bucket now? One option might be to spray the top/sides yellow, but leave the rest a light cream (primer) color, or perhaps gray or black. Virnig attachments are a gray color and look pretty good with a skid steer.
Looks great! Wish I had another steer or a gantry crane to disassemble my 1845c and give her a make-over like this.
This is really a excellent thread-most people like to re-furbish autos/trucks/bikes--construction equip.?? This has to be a first!
Thanks! The rig is in the paint booth tomorrow at 4pm! I will post a link to a shutter fly account so others can see the hundreds of photos I have taken. The photos really help when someone I am not sure where a part goes or how a line etc is routed.
A lot of work today but it is in the booth! Even got my daughters to help out after school.
Larpy, This is great! If I can be of any help let me know. Wengers Skid Loader Parts - Case 1845C Keep posting pics. We like seeing your progress
Getting late but still painting!
A teaser for you all! I have been doing a ton of work on the project! This is my before pic. The after pic soon! I fixed the parking brakes and cleaned all the bushings on the hydraulic pistons. It is coming together really nicely.
It is getting there!
Today I got the hydraulics put together. Hopefully fire this thing up soon!
Today the project got new shoes! I need to paint the rims black this week!
Almost done!
Big thumbs up! It's looking awesome. Love the red accents too.
Sharp!
After a dabockl with the local Case dealer I finally finished the project..... well sorry of lol. A few more touches but pretty much done.
Waiting to hear how it runs at 10,000 feet. Love the attention to details. Has to be the best looking 1845C ever!
Looks sharp! That color is really growing on me.
Very well done, do yourself a favor and never try to figure out what you have invested in time and materials. Enjoy your "NEW" unit.
What was the thought-process of going with that color? Just liked the color or did you see it on another loader? It's interesting, b/c most guys 'restore' a skid paint them stock again. I probably would have as well. It never really crossed my mind to go a wildly different color like that. That's what ya call creative thinking. Not that I mind it, it's refreshing ...and a unique even 'modernizing' the look of a classic skid loader. Fantastic job BTW!
Did you replace any pins/bushings ...or reem-out any plates to tighten it up? Sorry to hear about your brothers death BTW. My condolances.
Wondering if you had any control valves or pumps rebuilt? If so, di you do it yourself or drop it off to the dealer/shop while you were sprucing up the paint?
You need to go back to page 1 and post #4 to see the paint info, or read this outtake: I am painting this unit military tan with a high end enamel used by Lockheed Martin's space program And more details in post #14 The paint or epoxy was purchased for a capsule but the specs were later changed and two gallons of extremely expensive product was left. So we taxpayers probably got stuck with the bill, but at least this was a good cause!
I did a lot of pins, bushings in both the hydraulics and hand controls. It is so nice! The pumps were good but 60% of the hoses were replaced. I did rebuild the o-rings etc on the servos. Thanks for the thoughts on my brother. I miss him!
Well my project made it to its new home at 10,000 feet and is running great. Radiator started leaking badly so I ordered a new one and put it in. All is good. Had an outdoor storage cover made which arrived yesterday. At $450 it was pricey but worth keeping the investment covered especially with the chain cases cover issues. My favorite attachment is ther grapple bucket. It is simply AWESOME for trees! I have put about 25 hours on it so fast and all is good!
Looks right at home playing in the dirt! Notice any loss of power at that altitude? What are the circles for, foundation for silos or such? Like hammock for "break time!"
There is a loss of power but not bad. The circles are patios being poured Friday morning. 16' each with a fire pit in the center of one and a gazebo going on the other. The hammock is behind then lol!
Is this for a private house up in the mountains? Guessing from the 10,000 feet altitude there are some nice views!
It is private. My get away from the city! Elk, deer, moose, mountain lions and mountain goats are my friends there. This get away is why I rebuilt the 1845C. I am building my sanctuary in the woods. So beautiful up there!
That is a fantastic job of getting ready for the concrete pour!
Thanks! They turned out great and I needed the skidsteer to haul the concrete to the fire pit patio so it worked out well. The machine is running like a champ! Bought an outdoor concert for it which is nice.
That machine is an absolute thing of beauty. I bought an older 1845c last year and it could really stand similar treatment. The paint you used looks amazing, fantastic job. THAT is how it is done.