salvaged a Clark forklift...

[tc429]

had mentioned this thing in someone elses forklift thread, figured might as well put it on its own...very few threads on lift trucks out there...hey, theyre kinda a tractor our other tractors are a 68 cub cadet 7hp, and a 1998 ford/newholland 1630 4wd diesel...needed a lift truck like a hole in the head, but couldnt stand to see it scrapped over leaks...

Anyways, background- they were scrapping equipment at work, I ventured out to see what was there...i'm a glutton for trying to save old stuff most folks would trash...anyways, this 1994 clark gpx30e was put out to pasture about 2 years ago, rear main seals, smoking/running poor... wasnt worth the quote our towmotor guy gave them to rebuild motor, so they put it out to pasture- just parked out in the scrap machinery courtyard, pulled the tank/battery and walked away, bought another used truck to replace it...forklifts are pretty cheap these days, a decent running one like the clark could be found for 2-3k...might not be pretty for that kind of money, but lift trucks are usually not the prettiest machines in the shop anyways...

I saw it, looked it over real quick, seemed all there, hadnt weathered too severely, so asked the boss about it...he knows how I am about old junk, made me a deal I couldnt refuse... figure I could pull/rebuild engine(ebay kits only like 400 bucks), give it a once over and have a handy tool for out in the garage...figured hydraulics would likely need lot of seals from weathering, not a big deal... it looked to be all there, just rusty, even had decent tires...

Got it home, lots of really stupid issues were found- wrong air filter, ALL vacuum lines missing except pcv, coolant expansion tank line from radiator was going to top of expansion tank instead of bottom, so it always overflowed, never sucked back in, pouring oil all over the place(never really looked, after being told main seal was why they trashed it), missing tilt cyl bushing, mast saddle clamp literally falling off one side, found spring in pcv valve was flipped 90 degrees sideways inside valve(pcv wasnt sucking anything, breather was smoking a little)... got all the little stuff worked out so no surprises beyond a engine repair before committing to that job, pulled the tin off and pressure washed as I went... anyway noticed oil leak seemed more than one place...while floor was out, popped inspection cover to see how mucky the bolts would be in there- bone dry? couldnt be a main seal... cleaned up some more crud(inch thick- this poor thing musta never ever been pressure washed) and started looking for other leaks,brushed against the oil filter- the darn thing spun... un freaking real, whoever changed oil last didnt even snug it, was spewing, running along bottom of block, dripping at front of pan, and lower bellhousing always had drips on it... new filter, the major leak stopped, but bellhousing drips overnight... found valvecover leaking (mits 4g64 with the half moon insert for cam installation was leaking slow/steady, running down bellhousing- they assumed it was rear main without ever looking...replaced valvecover gasket, she aint leaked a drop.
replaced tilt cyl spherical bearing, readjusted the lengths so it wasnt torquing the mast at fully back, after retightening mast pivot caps...parking brake was seized up, pulled the wheels off (my God, they gotta weigh 250~300 pounds each), brake inspection covers, could see park brake cables looked fine- just stuck in the sheaths... penetrating oil, patience, got cables lubed, park brake works fine too.
ordered decal set, and paint, gotta hammer out some dented steel, already sledgehammered the bent wheel lips round tonight, was a workout, think theyre 5/16 or 3/8 thick steel... no leaks, everything works- last mechanical things to do, steering link bushings are super loose as are lift/tilt handles- gonna ream handle pivots to 5/8, make new drillrod pivot pin, mill the worn slots out and add a bushing on the spool pins to tighten the controls up, will pop the steering links, see if theyre bushings or needle bearings... with a coat of paint, I really think this things gonna be looking/running great... sad it almost wen to the shredder over simply horrible maintenance/ bad 'mechanics'... I dont claim to be a mechanic, but this thing was really trashed- enough so gotta wonder if sabotaged to try and get a 6k engine rebuild job?
a few pics... sitting where it had been parked a couple years ago, inside the valvecover(SUPER clean!), my goofy homemade dogleg ratchet (made for ford 4.6 top starter bolts- also worked for these mast pivot bolts to get around hydraulic lines- this thing has got me out of a few tight spots), son #3 helping torque the wheels back on as my shoulder has been screwed up all summer... will add some more pics once repainted

 

[4570Man]

Isn’t it pretty nice when someone else’s poor problem investigating lands you a deal? I got my Grasshopper mower for $500 because the previous owner thought a drive motor was out. Really the shaft that pulls the drive valve lost a set screw. Since it was a government funded operation I don’t feel bad. I really didn’t know the existent of the damage when I bought it either but a running Kubota diesel was worth an easy $500 so I bought it.

 

[GLyford]

I sincerely hope whoever there mechanic was two years ago no longer works there...

 

[tc429]

I sincerely hope whoever there mechanic was two years ago no longer works there...

long gone thankfully, about a year now...sadly a few years too late, they were spending a fortune and our trucks were always in need of something...the past year weve been a lot happier with the trucks we use, and theyre saving money too, by hiring a reputable company to take care of the trucks. I know theres been others scrapped out years prior, gotta wonder how bad they actually were too we all but begged to quit using that guy like 7 yrs ago, but he was BSing someone...

 

[tc429]

Isn’t it pretty nice when someone else’s poor problem investigating lands you a deal? I got my Grasshopper mower for $500 because the previous owner thought a drive motor was out. Really the shaft that pulls the drive valve lost a set screw. Since it was a government funded operation I don’t feel bad. I really didn’t know the existent of the damage when I bought it either but a running Kubota diesel was worth an easy $500 so I bought it.

I felt bad when I found out it was not a bad motor, just a lot of neglect and a little weathering...told the boss about it, if he wanted it back i had relatively nothing in it a few hours, couple hundred bucks, hes like,' nope, i wrote it off two years ago and dont look back' just picked up the paint today, about 350 for paint materials is the biggest expense so far, doubt I'll have 30 hours in it even machining parts and whatnot...thought it would just be a handy 'beater' to have around, but after digging into it, nah, it deserves a refresh, too nice a machine to look so darn pathetic...ought to look pretty decent when done, and ought to outlast me

 

[4570Man]

A forklift is nice to have around. And it’s got the bigger tires on it which is a big plus unless it’s on concrete 100 percent of the time.

 

[gimmodog]

good to see ya saved it

that looks like a '65 or '66 Galaxie behind your son. I have a '67 Galaxie convertible that my father had since the mid 80's. still original and looks great. I got it after he passed in '05

 

[cmore]

Congratulations on your good luck!

 

[tc429]

good to see ya saved it

that looks like a '65 or '66 Galaxie behind your son. I have a '67 Galaxie convertible that my father had since the mid 80's. still original and looks great. I got it after he passed in '05 View attachment 570346

that galaxie about wore me out... spent near a year working on it...my old friend neighbor gave it to me, we redid it and tried to give it back, but he wouldnt take it...he did get to drive it one more time before he quit driving, he passed in 2004.

the 67 is a pretty car, my first car was a 69 2 door 429, still got the engine... I was never in to 4 doors in the least, nor 65s...but that goofy car of ours built a couple friendships worth more than any car

 

[strantor]

Sweet deal. I'll be having a forklift-related thread or two in the coming months. I picked up a Kalmar C50 forklift two months ago for $500. I haven't touched it yet, too busy. It was flooded in Harvey and the transmission is full of water. It has a similar engine to yours. It's a Mitsubishi 4g54. Turns out this is actually a car engine they (Kalmar, Clark, et. al.) Adapted for forklift use, running propane with an impco regulator/mixer/whatchamacallit.

I bought it just for the mast. I was planning on scrapping the rest. I want to make a forklift attachment for my tractor's 3-pt . But it looks like the engine might not have been ruined. Only place I have confirmed water intrusion is the transmission. If that's the case then I'm pulling that engine and going to use it as a generator power source. I've been looking for a great deal on a whole-home generator since Harvey, and specifically one that runs on propane. So far no luck. But I can get a 24kw generator head off eBay for $1000 and couple that to it. I think I want to use tractor PTO components to couple the motor. That way if the generator craps out when needed the most (as always seems to be the case) I can power the house with the tractor.

Back to your forklift, I'm jealous. That type of indoor/outdoor forklift is very handy. Lifting heavy things is the only reason I bought a tractor. Having a forklift like that would have been nice. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it! How many lbs is it rated to lift?

Great haul!