3C MkIII Powertrain - info wanted

[steve ball]

Here's a few photos of my 3CIII that I've been working on for the last couple of years. Restoration has been fitted in around trying to do a multitude of odd jobs.

The registration is GUT 24V, machine number 136194/5. The V5 shows there being 4 former keepers and I would be interested if anyone might be able to provide any information on previous owners.

Work undertaken to date includes;
New seals to master cylinders
Fabricated new grille to replace original which was totally mangled
New water pump and hoses
New rocker cover gasket
Various hydraulic hoses
Repaint body and cab
Sort out electrics - most lights now fully functioning although indicators still are proving troublesome.
Fitted replacement front working lights
Reconditioned dipper ram and new spring steel bushes throughout backhoe
New rod for rear jack leg ram (after spending ages trying to remove the lower pin which had siezed solid!)
New slew ram seals

The cab is starting to show signs of the usual rust problems but all the glass is there (albeit most panes are cracked). Perhaps the winter project will be to try and repair the cab. I've had the other common problem of muck in the fuel tank causing the engine to cut out when the fuel level is below 1/4 full.

Any info would be gratefully received!

[Martyn Henley]

Hi Steve ... looks like you have a fine example of a powertrain 3Cmk3 ....
couple of observations ... looks like the cab has been remade at some stage, and the dipper at the end where it meets the dipper seems to have been buckled at some stage ... does it dig in a straight line ?


Martyn

[steve ball]

Martyn

You're not the first to mention the cab, the profile does look slightly different to others I have seen. One explanation that someone offered before was that it is a safety cab (ROPS I assume?) and there's a plate in the cab which states this. Was this an option on some models possibly?

As to how the crease in the boom occured, I haven't a clue but it does seem to dig straight enough. As is the case for most old machines, you tend to get used to the play and compensate for it. I'd be lost if I was offered the chance to operate a new machine with crisp and precise controls!

When I bought it, I found in the cab an old Record of Thorough Examination Certificate dating back from the mid 1990's. The user at that time was a company from the Warwickshire area.

[Martyn Henley]

Indeed Steve there was 4 cabs made for the mk3 ... the one you have is the full ROP's cab with all 4 corners squared off rather than the normal cab that has rounded corners, they did a ROP cab for the north American market, but that was just the 4 corners and a canopy on top ... the other cab was for the Scandinavian market, but that had rounded corners with the rear window opening outwards rather than lifted and put to one side of the cab ....

And i know what you mean about compensating ... and you do get used to it


Martyn

[essexpete]

You have a fighting chance if that is a ROPS cab they must have been better built than the standard fare.
Once you have the jacks sorted you could do with a shut tab at the bottom of the leg housing to stop the foot hanging at an angle.
What are the brakes like?

[steve ball]

The worst areas are the thin(ish) gauge pressed steel that's behind the door gutter and the section which is above the rear window below the number plate. There's also a couple of small areas below the side windows which are just at the point where the pressed steel sheet meets the lower box section which forms the base of the cab. I'm hoping that these can be plated and made good.

Good point re: tab on the end of the leg housing.

The brakes are a lot better since I changed the seals in the master cylinders and bled the lines through. Perhaps a new set of plates will make a further improvement.