Project Clark forklift

[tc429]

A place that I worked back in the 90's had an old Clark Lift that we were not allowed to use because it smoked and leaked.
I needed to use it often so when the owner wasn't looking I checked it out.
Turned out the crankcase breather was stopped up completely forcing oil out the crank seal and rings.
It stopped leaking and smoking went way down!
A couple months later the owner sold it.

hmm, i'll be sure to check everything out before pulling the engine, but shes definitely puking engine oil and ATF, seems the seals are most likely the reason...worked on it some more today, new coil with correct terminals, cleaned up some wiring, removed about 100 wire ties that were haphazard holding everything in a jumbled mess, adjusted the mixer a little, it runs like a top! put a couple tons on it, went up/down ramp to check slippage/brakes, one bake locks easier than the other, but heck, it runs/works fine...weathering a couple years didnt seem to harm it, other than ignition crap from getting rained/snowed on...think only got 200 in parts in it, and confident its driveable enough to get on a trailer and off at home...just calling to find someone to haul a 9900 pound chunk, or someone with a heavy equipment trailer to haul it home. found engine overhaul kits are pretty cheap(mits 4g63 2.4l near as i can tell), but it runs good enough, might just do seals only(will def check out breatheres and such like you mentioned- might get lucky!) figure maybe 500 for paint/seat/decals,couple hundred for a few loose steering parts, seals, should be able to have it looking like new again for not much cost, but a little elbow grease...love saving stuff from scrapyard demise...dont always make sense, but its a hobby, and hopefully my kids great grandkids might still be able to use some of this crap 50 yrs after i'm gone- some of this stuff can last forever with just minor upkeep/service...might be 'old' by todays standards, but not necessarily a bad thing...other save is a little scissor lift thing, should be handy for putting up garage ceiling- its been outside like 5 years, is gonna need fully rewired, one cyl wasnt retracted will need rod/seals from rust, rest looks like will just need tore apart, polished up and new seals... I got a pair of little scissor tables like 20 yrs ago, salvaged them, put 120v drill motors to change from 3 phase pumps, made a nice setup for pulling the body off a old ford... heres some before/after pics of past 'scrap' that was brought back from the brink...that Galaxie was a bear...

 

[Stimw]

Here is a pic of my current forklift, I paid $800. for it not running.
I needed to move it 50 miles to my new place 2 years ago.
I found a local guy with a Rollback that moved it for $150.
It weighs 8800 lbs.
This one has a Continental engine, even NAPA sells parts for it.

 

[tc429]

Here is a pic of my current forklift, I paid $800. for it not running.
I needed to move it 50 miles to my new place 2 years ago.
I found a local guy with a Rollback that moved it for $150.
It weighs 8800 lbs.
This one has a Continental engine, even NAPA sells parts for it.

boss had one of the guys deliver mine last week...lots of tinkering with adjusting tilt cyls(one needs a mount bushing) adjusting chains, steam cleaning on a tarp (white concrete drive), slowly cleaning off crud to find bolts to pull panels off... tonight with floor out, popped bellhousing top inspection cover off- and it was dry inside??? started looking for other things that might leak, moving hoses around, brushed against oil filter and it spum...i mean it wasnt like it was not tight, no, it was freaking loose! gasket was barely touching base, musta been running under the crud to the bottom of bellhousing. put a filter on it, drove it around a half hour, parked it, 3 drops on the floor a half hour later- think that might be residual or a leak at valvecover or head...PCV valve spring was 90 degrees sideways(?) in the vacuum fitting, took a pick and flipped it back, PCV is fine. no smoking, running great, little(maybe no) leaks. radiator overflow bottle hoses were reversed, radiator venting in top, bottom fill port was up/out as overflow, so every time it warmed up tank spilled, whoever had been working on this thing had downright sabotaged it, nobody could been that bad of a hack, such a shame, this was a nice truck. glad it didnt go in the hopper...ive seen three other pushed into rolloffs over the years, wonder if they were as good as this one too
paint/decals coming, steering link bushing sleeves need made/replaced, one tilt cyl bushing is literally missing the ball(?), one lift chain was misadjusted by a full inch... was a mess, the lift/tilt levers need reamed/new pin/bushed as they have literally 2" of slop- but everything works. will hopefully get sanded/painted/few dents hammered out this weekend, the bushing stuff I should be able to get whittled up too, the one tilt cyl though may be a bugger- mount pin frozen bad...looks like salt from winter boots got to the pin right under the 'floor' getting that pin out may be a ordeal...air hammer and a torch likely, but then will need seals... we'll see

update- valvecover gasket leaking, bottomend is fine...lucked out