UK, RJ 58 Restoration

[C-121uk 183]

The other day I was very fortunate to purchase a very rare to UK RJ58, I am currently at university but I am planning to do a full overhaul and restoration during the summer. She needs a hell of a lot of work but I can't wait to start.

Since y'all like photos, here are some from when I bought her.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's one on arrival, only way to move the pallet was with a digger .

 

 

[Achto 27,913]

The motorcycle clutch pack and chain drive is a unique feature. It looks like you have a good basic starting point though.  I will be looking forward to seeing the resto.

[C-121uk 183]

2 minutes ago, achto said:

The motorcycle clutch pack and chain drive is a unique feature. It looks like you have a good basic starting point though.  I will be looking forward to seeing the resto.

 

Thanks, I sure do but first that clutch will have to go 

[stevasaurus 22,910]

Looks like fun.    Take a look at your B1260 thread.  We have a few Clinton manuals in the Manuals section (engines/0ther). 

[C-121uk 183]

47 minutes ago, stevasaurus said:

Looks like fun.    Take a look at your B1260 thread.  We have a few Clinton manuals in the Manuals section (engines/0ther). 

 

Thanks Steve

[953 nut 56,165]

       Looks like you have a great project there.     Keep us posted as you go.    

[C-121uk 183]

Heres a little update with some more photos!  Lots more work than I thought, but I love a good challenge 

 

 

Nice solid seat is a good part 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by C-121uk

[neil 2,410]

Wow ,there is some serious modifications  by previous owner , I'm sure that you have it looking like an original in no time Ewan, good luck with it

[C-121uk 183]

1 hour ago, neil said:

Wow ,there is some serious modifications  by previous owner , I'm sure that you have it looking like an original in no time Ewan, good luck with it

 

Yup, lots of work. Thanks! 

[C-121uk 183]

After a few months away from the project i've started to strip it down to see what i've got to deal with.

 

First of all was to remove the hubs which someone had badly tried to fit.

 

 

 

 

 

Someone had drilled many holes in the axles and the keyways were worn.

 

Next I removed the interesting clutch setup that someone had added.

 

 

Then I cut off the front axle that someone had added.

 

 

 

 

 

The next job was to weld on the hood stand that someone had cut off.

 

 

 

As you can see it was very twisted so a bit of ingenuity was needed. The front blade of a digger was used to clamp the frame and then a large bar was used. It worked very well! 

 

 

 

And with a new column everything lined up well. 

The old steering column was bent and someone had done this to the end.

 

 

Next on the list was to fill the numerous extra holes in the frame and replace bits that had been cut out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thats all for now, i'll start another thread for the transmission overhaul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by C-121uk

[Achto 27,913]

Great work so far! This project looks to be quite an under taking.

[C-121uk 183]

19 hours ago, Achto said:

Great work so far! This project looks to be quite an under taking.

 

Thanks, yes its not in the best condition, the transmission is the worst so far but I like a challenge. 

[953 nut 56,165]

13 hours ago, C-121uk said:

I like a challenge

     You are definitely up to the challenge!  Great work.      

[Wheel Horse Bird 5]

My son and I are restoring an rj 58 as well we picked it up at a junk yard last fall and have started disassembly.  This is what we are starting with. It will be great to watch your posts. 

[C-121uk 183]

On 19/04/2017 at 5:11 PM, Wheel Horse Bird said:

My son and I are restoring an rj 58 as well we picked it up at a junk yard last fall and have started disassembly.  This is what we are starting with. It will be great to watch your posts. 

 

 

Yours looks to be in great shape, and fairly complete compared to mine! Good find

[C-121uk 183]

Its been a long time since i posted any updates on the restoration and lots had happened since the last!

 

 

The rust from the chassis has been completely removed 

 

 

 

Next i filled as many pits as I could, its not perfect but its better.

 

 

 

 

Next to look at was the wheels, I knew they weren't in a great shape but they were worse than I expected. 

 

 

They were full of holes, replacing them isn't really an option as the narrow rims are rare in the UK, we opted to weld the holes and then I used lots of filler. They are a lot better than they were. 

 

 

 

 

The steering wheel was missing so I found one for a cub cadet on the auction site in the US, got it shipped here and now i've repaired it and modified it to fit. 

 

 

 

 

Another thing that was missing from the RJ was the brake band, We had a cast pulley lying around that was a near exact match to the original casting. It had the same bore and keyway as the original and so I turned it down to the correct dimensions. 

 

 

 

 

Before and after

 

[Stormin 9,981]

Coming along well, Ewan. Look forward to seeing it at Newby next year. 

[TonyToro 1,084]

This model is my next purchase. I really like the look of them. You certainly have a full restoration project. It's progressing very nicely. Time and patients ....well some cash too helps..lol

I can't wait to see more progress. Nice work!!

[C-121uk 183]

Since the chassis and gearbox are now operational i thought i would take a look at the bonnet which was in a very bodged state, fibreglass had been used to reinforce the metal and i thought it must've been in a bad condition underneath all the filler, I managed to file the filler off which revealed just what a state the bonnet was in and then the fibreglass which was on the underside just peeled off as it was stuck to paint and rust.

 

Before photos

 

 

 

After some filing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only way to fix it was to cut the whole section out and weld in fresh metal, it took some bending to make a piece that would fit but its worked well and its now very strong.

 

 

 

 

 

•  

[Skipper 1,789]

That is quite a job you have gotten yourself into there. Looks like it's going the right way. Can't wait to see the end result

 

Nice work!

[ACman 7,624]

... can’t believe I missed this thread . Great job  !

[Achto 27,913]

Very nice work!! 

[C-121uk 183]

18 hours ago, Skipper said:

That is quite a job you have gotten yourself into there. Looks like it's going the right way. Can't wait to see the end result

 

Nice work!

 

18 hours ago, ACman said:

... can’t believe I missed this thread . Great job  !

 

14 hours ago, Achto said:

Very nice work!! 

 

Thank you! 

[C-121uk 183]

Next on the list was to try and get the tractor back on four wheels, the transmission had been fixed so next i needed to make a front axle as it was all missing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the bits for the steering were remade to original specifications thanks to measurements from Ian (stigian) taken from Neils RJ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wheels on and everything worked perfect 

[ACman 7,624]

Very nice work as usual...  thanks for sharing.