Started out to adjust the valve clearances and now have a brand new rocker assembly!!
Ok as way of an explanation: one of the rockers was showing signs of wear after looking at the clearances I had at least 0.040" on most rockers, well a new rocker arm as it turns out will run $87.00 then as I was at the store my son in law AKA mechanic called and said hey you also need the shaft yours is pitted and badly worn. Ok are you lying down? The new shaft was $370.00 very nice guy at the store said hey you can get a whole new rocker assy for $650.00! OK so I start my little tiny brain working it out that eight rocker arms at $87 ea a shaft at $370 plus, springs, mounting blocks, screws nut etc, Holly molly this would be $2000.00 if I bought the parts!
How could I refuse any how I now have the new assy and it will be installed in the am.
The nice guy told me he only had three assemblies left and they are an obsolete item so phew glad I got in when I did.
W40 AKA Perkins 4-108
Ed
Unbelievable- Cat does the same thing to "encourage" customers to upgrade to a newer engine. After all- it's "good business". Once an engine is declared obsolete, the price for parts starts going up. Eventually the customer has a worn out engine that is cheaper to replace than rebuild. About all you can do is change the oil early and keep up the maintenance to milk all the hours you can out of it.
I worked for a company that manufactured service stock for Ford both passenger vehicles and agricultural. What that meant is we would build a run of replacement parts that Ford would box up and sell over the counter when someone needed a replacement part. That was only a small part of what we made however it was the most lucrative money maker we had.
It also cost us the most dollars per part to manufacture as often that particular machine, the fixturing, gaging and tooling only was used a few weeks a year and then went back into storage. This often meant physically moving the machine out of dead storage, hooking it all up, blowing the cobweds out of it and trying to remember how to make a good part.
The raw materials, casting & forgings, also were short run lots from suppliers that cost dearly because they had the same small order manufacturing situation.
We typically would tack on a 5x price adder for service parts on and above the normal build price. I always thought this was excessive until I discovered that the very same part would be marked up 5 to 10 times that amount when it got to the customer and the parent company only boxed the damn thing.
Just be thankfull that the parts are avaliable at all.
Dale
This year I restored a Volvo Penta 2002 in an old Catalina 30. A former partner filled it with water and ran till she blew. Its a late 1980's motor that is obsolete. Since I didn't want to pay $500 per piston, I sleeved the block like Volvo does in the continuous duty generators, and used stock pistons which I had. In hindsight that saved no money because I had to pay $100 for cam bushings and $300 to line bore the block. Sleeves and maching was another $600. A connecting rod was $400. The stock rings failed to gap out so add another $250. I'm into this motor for $2800. The now new owners of the Catalina ( the partnet lost her) will pay me $3k for this super cherry continuous-duty obsolete motor.
My 365 Ketch has a Westerbeke W-58. Early 90's motor I think. Its also obsolete. The fuel return rail was broken an leaking diesel. I needed to fix that before I can start the engine. Rhonda at Torresen called and said it would take wester 6 weeks to think about making a replacement. A nice way of saying that I should do something else. Its a total predatory situation on all marine parts as they wanted $6 for a copper crush washer. So I brazed some 1/4" brake line into the drilled out banjo and bought a crush washer kit from JC Whitney for $29. The 1/4" and 3/16" compression fittings can be gotten at Ace Hardware.
FYI same deal with the Sherwood pumps. $40 for a new bearing. I managed to get a replacement ball bearing for $6 from bearingdirect.com Its an oddball size 1/2" hole but 32mm x 10mm on the outside dimensions. P/N 6201-ZZ-1/2. New impeller , seal and cam all $110. So now my engine has got a spare R30G-1 Sherwood pump that I can rotate out every year.
Spares and hording spares is the mindset I think I'm getting into. Finding substitute new parts is nice too.
Pete Weisskopf
Pearson 365 Ketch hull #6
This world is beginning to separate quickly into 4 distinct groups of people.
1) The wealthy that pay and pay for everything whether they want to or not.
2) The less then wealthy that are willing to think, work and try, (the majority of the people on this web site).
3) The deadbeats that everybody pays for, expect everybody else to do just that, but it will never ever be enough.
4) The rest of the population that don't want to think, don't want to work very hard and don't try to do anything new. These are the people that brag that they don't know anything about (fill in the blank) they just have someone else do it for them. These are the people that are shortly going to starve to death.
It is the group that tries, works hard and thinks, that are and will be the happiest throughout life and appreciate what they have. These are the people that will have more than most no matter how much the government confiscates. It has always been said, the simplest things in life bring the most joy. So it is with a cleaver, well thought out repair. Good job Pete. We will survive...
Dale
IT lives, I guess the old adage alls well that ends well. So alls well and the W 40 AKA Perkins 4-108 aboard our beloved baby is well and breathing on all four.
Re-built injectors new rocker assy lots of re wiring and sound proofing (still short a few tiles short of completion, but that can wait until after the holidays) photos to follow and the Db readings once the entire sound proofing tile is installed.
Merry Christmas to all, if you do not celebrate Christmas merry whatever yours is! but please allow us that do have Christmas to have it in peace as we would wish for what ever your holiday is.
Ed
Last two posts: WELL SAID