3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

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whitecab3cx
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3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #1 by whitecab3cx » Mon May 07, 2018 4:31 am

Hi All!

In a moment of absolute madness I bought a JCB 3CX white cab for buttons (£2200!) with a rotten cab, no brakes, no real functional wiring, and plenty of rotten pipes :dizzy:

Despite all this I think there's a decent digger underneath just waiting to break through! I'll get some pics and maybe some video up later :D As a computer nerd I absolutely love how 'analogue' and brilliantly put together this machine is. It's so sturdy, common sense, and built to last. Amazing condition for something 37 years old.

I've sorted the brakes (faulty pipe on one side, master cylinder on the other) but the following questions remain:

1. The lever on the left (swing & dip) is very hit and miss in operation but the valve body checks out, it's actually movement in the levers that go down to the valve body that's the problem. Anyone ever refurbished one of these and how did you get on? Is it just the 'pins' held in with circlips that wear?

2. ...

Actually I've a load of questions but I'll start with that one :)


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #2 by agrimax » Mon May 07, 2018 11:18 am

https://parts.jcb.com/parts/index/part/ ... 2YWQxMyJ9/

Would think it's part number 5 that's the main culprit....Never had an issue with the levers on mine. Just the front and rear valve blocks are worn internally and won't hold the rams static for any length of time. It is 36 yrs old and I have it 23 of those yrs. Must have had a hard time before I got it!!!


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #3 by essexpete » Mon May 07, 2018 6:51 pm

The Hymacs of the 580D era have a similar coupling in the lever control and taking out the slop makes a huge difference.

I would run through all the oil levels and preferably change the engine and what you can of the torque con and shuttle.


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #4 by Jeremy Rowland » Mon May 07, 2018 9:26 pm

Hi Eamonn welcome to the site :wave: so you have yourself a project; good for you join the club let us know how you get on with it there are plenty of people on here who can offer good advice. :thumbup:

Jeremy


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #5 by whitecab3cx » Mon May 07, 2018 10:21 pm

agrimax wrote:https://parts.jcb.com/parts/index/part/specification-data/eyJzZXJpYWxfbm8iOiIiLCJzcGVjaWZpY2F0aW9uX2lkIjoiMDE0MDlhNmItYjlmNS00NDE3LTlmM2MtZGQ1ODM5Yjc2YzhmIiwicGFnZV9pZCI6ImNkMDJhMTg3LTMxNzgtNGYzMi1iN2I4LTkyMDRjMTM2NTM1ZSIsInBhZ2VfbmFtZSI6IkNPTlRST0xTIEVYQ0FWQVRPUiBTVEFOREFSRCIsIm1vZGVsX25hbWUiOiIzQ1gtMldEIiwic2VjdGlvbl9uYW1lIjoiRDAxIENPTlRST0xTLCBNQUNISU5FIiwic2VjdGlvbl9pZCI6IjA4MThlODE2LWM4OTktNGUyYy1iNThhLWZmZTQ4YzhiNzgwOCIsInRyZWVfbm9kZSI6ImEzMTJmMWFiLWNmMTctNGYyYy1hMWJjLTVmMmNlMWM2YWQxMyJ9/

Would think it's part number 5 that's the main culprit....Never had an issue with the levers on mine. Just the front and rear valve blocks are worn internally and won't hold the rams static for any length of time. It is 36 yrs old and I have it 23 of those yrs. Must have had a hard time before I got it!!!


You sir are what we call in these parts a working class legend. May your testicles forever be the size cantaloupes. I had no idea JCB actually put detailed parts diagrams for components that old online. Looks like that component is only €33 locally. That's interesting on your valve blocks, mine seem fine if encased in the traditional crud you find beneath the floors of a 3CX, I think the gaiters on both here are probably more critical than we give them true credit for. I found some universal gaiters on the 'net that may be useful for classic 3cx owners that I'll link to if I confirm they're the correct size. Were yours damaged or worn?


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #6 by whitecab3cx » Mon May 07, 2018 10:23 pm

essexpete wrote:The Hymacs of the 580D era have a similar coupling in the lever control and taking out the slop makes a huge difference.

I would run through all the oil levels and preferably change the engine and what you can of the torque con and shuttle.


Absolutely EP. Sound advice and well stated. I have a feeling the only thing wrong with the vagueness of the skew/dip (not sure of official term, the left one basically!) the worn component noted above thanks to agrimax. A full oil change is definitely on the horizon.


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #7 by whitecab3cx » Mon May 07, 2018 10:29 pm

Jeremy Rowland wrote:Hi Eamonn welcome to the site :wave: so you have yourself a project; good for you join the club let us know how you get on with it there are plenty of people on here who can offer good advice. :thumbup:

Jeremy


Absolutely Jeremy. I hope I can be someone to contribute rather than simply someone to just take away. The machine itself is actually a 'red white and yellow' early '81 so I believe one of the very earliest 3cx models if I'm correct? Strangely enough I'm based in Wexford which I believe locally manufactured the 3CX wiring loom just up the road from where I'm based? Open to correction here. May be just local folklore.

Just some detail on the machine and pictures to follow. The cab is completely rotten, doors non-existent, the cab glass is all smashed, there's no wiring to speak of, every pipe is likely rotten, the front steering pin bushes are completely AWOL, every pin is missing and replaced with a bolt, it whines a little too loud in reverse, but there's a suspicious lack of smoke on start up or once it's warm, there's plenty of hydraulic pressure, and I'm no stranger to set of spanners, a grinder, and tenacity ;)

...which is good because one of the 'feet' fell off today and the other one then blew a hose in protest :D


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #8 by essexpete » Mon May 07, 2018 11:45 pm

whitecab3cx wrote:
agrimax wrote:https://parts.jcb.com/parts/index/part/specification-data/eyJzZXJpYWxfbm8iOiIiLCJzcGVjaWZpY2F0aW9uX2lkIjoiMDE0MDlhNmItYjlmNS00NDE3LTlmM2MtZGQ1ODM5Yjc2YzhmIiwicGFnZV9pZCI6ImNkMDJhMTg3LTMxNzgtNGYzMi1iN2I4LTkyMDRjMTM2NTM1ZSIsInBhZ2VfbmFtZSI6IkNPTlRST0xTIEVYQ0FWQVRPUiBTVEFOREFSRCIsIm1vZGVsX25hbWUiOiIzQ1gtMldEIiwic2VjdGlvbl9uYW1lIjoiRDAxIENPTlRST0xTLCBNQUNISU5FIiwic2VjdGlvbl9pZCI6IjA4MThlODE2LWM4OTktNGUyYy1iNThhLWZmZTQ4YzhiNzgwOCIsInRyZWVfbm9kZSI6ImEzMTJmMWFiLWNmMTctNGYyYy1hMWJjLTVmMmNlMWM2YWQxMyJ9/

Would think it's part number 5 that's the main culprit....Never had an issue with the levers on mine. Just the front and rear valve blocks are worn internally and won't hold the rams static for any length of time. It is 36 yrs old and I have it 23 of those yrs. Must have had a hard time before I got it!!!


You sir are what we call in these parts a working class legend. May your testicles forever be the size cantaloupes. I had no idea JCB actually put detailed parts diagrams for components that old online. Looks like that component is only €33 locally. That's interesting on your valve blocks, mine seem fine if encased in the traditional crud you find beneath the floors of a 3CX, I think the gaiters on both here are probably more critical than we give them true credit for. I found some universal gaiters on the 'net that may be useful for classic 3cx owners that I'll link to if I confirm they're the correct size. Were yours damaged or worn?


What if Agrimax's real name is Rachel and a blond ex-model with a a passion for elderly plant?


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #9 by agrimax » Tue May 08, 2018 12:27 am

whitecab3cx wrote:
I had no idea JCB actually put detailed parts diagrams for components that old online. Looks like that component is only €33 locally. That's interesting on your valve blocks, mine seem fine if encased in the traditional crud you find beneath the floors of a 3CX, I think the gaiters on both here are probably more critical than we give them true credit for. I found some universal gaiters on the 'net that may be useful for classic 3cx owners that I'll link to if I confirm they're the correct size. Were yours damaged or worn?


The parts diagrams are a relatively new introduction. It did take a bit of time to get to the right machine diagrams!! For your future reference,if you haven't already discovered,go to JCB parts,click backhoe loader 3cx,4cx,then 3cx non servo and then the 8th line down for your machine.
The gaiters are present and correct on mine but am guessing the hyd filter maybe wasn't given too much attention and perhaps oil contamination has caused excess wear in the spools.
Presumably if yours is 1981,it'll have the BMC engine? Mine is 1982 and has the Perkins in it.

essexpete wrote:What if Agrimax's real name is Rachel and a blond ex-model with a a passion for elderly plant?

Ha ha Pete,definately not a Rachel,nor a blonde ex model but wouldn't mind meeting her.Even better if she was still at the modelling...............!


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Re: 3CX White Cab Restoration Madness & Questions

Post #10 by whitecab3cx » Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:46 am

Hi Chaps,

Just a brief update with pics to follow. I doubt anyone has tried to bring something as rough as this back to life. Basically everything about the machine is rotten.

- Cab floor has about five or six holes that need welding.
- Can itself is missing most glass and the bottom of the B pillars has rotted away completed inside.
- No rear window
- No doors
- None of the wiring bar the starter key works
- Front bucket is split and in bits
- Doesn't start properly
- Doesn't stop properly
- No brakes
- Doesn't have near the 'push' it should have
- Looks like the transmission to water cooler is disconnected-
- Engine smokes like a footballer in the seventies
- All the pins, seals, wear bearings etc in the steering, back actor are totally worn.
- Both pins in the 'feet' keep falling out and need to be replaced.

Despite all this I've managed the following:
- Put sixty hours (you read that right!) welding into the front bucket including a new wear lip underneath. Bolt on no longer available so I had to weld it on. The entire bucket was out of square having split a good 8 inches up one side (Irish JCB manual says when the wear blade falls off you just grind away on the bucket til that falls apart) so there was much swearing, jacking and ratchet straps to get it right. There was multiple cracks underneath the bucket itself that needed to be welded and two splits up the top. About 5kg of welding rods in the bucket at this stage! Yup, not exaggerating. I think repairing it was probably nonsense but I didn't realise how bad it was til I flipped it over.

- Got it starting and stopping right with a new battery and by removing the 'stop' pull and basically filling the entire thing with diesel as lubricant and working it til it's now working fine.

- Brakes turned out, one one side at least, to be just the line that goes from the master cylinder to the floor, so with that replaced I now have brakes on one side. I think the discs on the other are long dead and will need to be replaced.


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