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74 case 350 crawler loader resortation

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Im going to make this my dedicated restoration thread in hopes that it may help someone.

My machine started as a $1400 craigslist special. Upon the guy first starting the machine and pushing on the ground with the bucket to lift the machine; it promptly blew a hydraulic line; not exactly what you want to see on a first time purchase. Got her home and proceeded to dangerously unload it from the trailer. The reason I say dangerously is because when you press on the brake, the bands are not adjusted the same, it grabs the right track first and then the left... in short; I went down the ramps straight, then I turned 45º and fell off the trailer. Thankfully nothing was hurt.

This rebuild will consist of:

Complete In-frame rebuild (pistons, rings, liners, rod bearings, all upper and lower gaskets)
new injectors
injector pump re-seal (it sprays fuel from the throttle lever)
rebuild all 6 hydraulic cylinders
new radiator
new radiator hoses
new water pump
new transmission cooler (the old radiator was destroyed and they already ran remotes for a -8AN radiator)
new fan belt
new gauges
new hour meter
new injector pump kill switch (cable)
replace rear drive oil (GL-1)
LED lights all around
possibly a new alternator, we will see if it works after the rebuild
new hydraulic hoses everywhere
figure out why its still not going into 1st gear

After everything is buttoned up and the way I want, its getting a complete strip and re-paint with new decals.

I think ill also cut the remaining 3 teeth off the bucket and weld on a planing bar on the bucket since im going to use it for building a road and clearing brush (which I probably need teeth for)

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hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Ive never actually seen a line blow until then. I was covered in oil, however the original owner was shot in the face. Thankfully this stuff didnt burn my eyes a bit, I was surprised.
 

thepumpguysc

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
7,445
Location
Sunny South Carolina
Occupation
Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
WOW.. 1400.00 !! what a find.. and running.!!!
In case you missed the backhoe rebuild threads going on now.. Dale at Tractor Stuff seems to be the GO TO GUY for parts and REAL GOOD information..
Good luck w/ your rebuild and keep the pictures coming.. TPG
 

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Will do, thanks for the contact. Hopefully the service manual I bought will bail me out in time of need. But first hand experience is worth it's weight in gold.
 

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Parts have all rolled in, total cost so far is about $1000. not so bad IMO.

There is going to have to be some creativity involved fitting the aftermarket radiator and transmission cooler.

I sourced an old original 350 owners manual and hobbs hour meter to replace the busted one. I also bought a handfull of 48W LED's however once they arrived, I checked their actual power and its only 21.6W @ 100% efficient. Needless to say, I have opened a case against them.

Worst part about this is I have to work 7 days a week for the next few weeks... no time to tear it down.
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hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
figured since I was using new old stock gauges, might as well find a cool oil gauge to match.

Found this from some aircraft salvage site, still works!
oil gauge.jpg
 

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Finally got some room to breathe from work and decided to break into the loader.

I drove it up close to my container (shop) and started by chaining the loader up to the ROP.

After getting all the big stuff out of the way, I noticed there was a little bit of milkshake on the valves, AND the bolt behind the water pump was GONE, therefore someone has very likely rebuild this engine at one point. I got the exhaust manifold off without removing the injector lines by pulling the rear stud out and hinging it up and out. The only reason I did this was because I thought I heard a cylinder missing when it ran. Fired it up without the manifold and cylinder 1 was hissing and shooting raw fuel. I diagnosed a burnt valve... however with it being an N/A diesel, this was highly unlikely.

Turns out it was. Ordered a valve kit, hoping the seat isn't ruined. Has anyone ever seen this failure on an NA diesel?

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zbo2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
143
Location
southern new jersey
That looks like more of a chip out of the valve than a burnt valve. Should be a fun project. I'm doing the same thing to and IH 500E dozer. I have it all done but the undercarriage.
 

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
That looks like more of a chip out of the valve than a burnt valve. Should be a fun project. I'm doing the same thing to and IH 500E dozer. I have it all done but the undercarriage.

A buddy of mine (professional diesel tech) suggested maybe the valve guides were worn to death and snowballed into an unseated valve.

Good luck on your project! old iron is always fun to work on.

I ruined the coolant temp sensor, ordered some new gauges, should be a interesting week. Will post when everything arrives.
 

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Finally got a minute to do a little work on it. Pulled the skid plate (heavier than I thought) pulled the pan, un capped the rods and pushed everything out. Thankfully the crank is in MINT condition, the bearings were also in fair shape, very little play and no real damage to be seen. #1 had a cracked compression ring, but that was it. Gonna drop the head off at the machine shop tomorrow to have them replace the valve guides and lap the valves in.
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hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
Since I didn't get a chance to machine a liner puller today, I decided to tackle the lack of 1st gear. I had to wiggle under the loader frame on some plywood to get to the bottom bolts (4 total) then holding the right steer handle, blink twice, pray to allah while throwing snake oil over your right shoulder; the assembly came out. woo! Of course the shift fork was very SLIGHTLY rusted to the shaft which kept it bound. -_- whanged it with a hammer, cleaned the shaft up with a file and went to reassemble.
I learned something today.... there is a special place in hell for the person who designed this transmission.... I tried probably 20 different times and 20 different ways to stab the shifter assembly back into its hole... then I had to fight with the bolt behind the shifter housing since theres barely room for 1 finger. Thankfully its together and shifts into all its gears. In hindsight; if I had removed the 1" hydraulic line feeding the block, it might had been easier.

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hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
The working area for this wasn't the easiest. Better limber up if you have to take on this job. (pic of the transmission) 1st gear is on the left, 2nd and 3rd are on the right.
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Hobbytime

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
Messages
709
Location
usa
you need to gift yourself a pressure washer and clean that ol girl up before tearing it apart, makes it much easier and cleaner in the long run..looking good so far..
 

hvguy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
384
Location
Conroe TX
you need to gift yourself a pressure washer and clean that ol girl up before tearing it apart, makes it much easier and cleaner in the long run..looking good so far..

While I agree with you 110% I don't have water at my shop. However you better believe when I get this thing running, I'm talking it to the car wash with $50 in quarters. There's literally 3" of grease and dirt in the skid plate. However, all the metal has been protected from rust
 

Hobbytime

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
Messages
709
Location
usa
you can fill 55 gallon drums with water or a bigger tank and just use a small electric utility pump or even gravity feed it( if you lift the drums or tank above the pressure washer) into a pressure washer to use...I think the car wash might object to that..LOL....nothing like 3 inches of grease to stop rust...but you end up wearing much of it as you work under her...seeing whats going on is half the battle..all those clumps of dirt and grease hinder working and taking apart, the less that gets into the internals the better..1 piece of grit in the hydraulic system can be a real *&%#@%& ...
 
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