Most of the problems I have had in the begining were with the brakes.
Not because they were worn out but because they sat for so long. I did
notice that the rear brake axle flanges on the white 1980 C-car could
be removed with the center nut in order to remove the wheel cylinders.
However on the green C-car,it looks as if the diff cover would have to
be removed to pull the axles all the way out, to get to the cylinders.
Front cylinders on a C-car can be used on the rear. The only
difference is that the rear wheel cylinder axle hole is smaller to
hold a felt packing to keep the bearing somewhat protected. When I
ordered wheel cylinders (called spiders) from "Parts for Carts" they
only had front ones for @ $120.00 each. The other problem I had was
with the brake drums. The bottom most part of the drum sweep area
had rust which caused a pulsating feeling in the brakes. The machine
shops that I took them to said that they couldn't resurface them
because they were stamped, not cast, and were to thin to resurface.
What I ended up doing is jacking up one rear wheel, removing that tire
and drum and reinstalling the drum in reverse. Then I would set
(block) the "go" peddle in forward/low to let the drum spin so I
could clean up the drum with sand paper and steelwool. This is not a
safe way to do this but it made unusable drums usable. Rust is like
cancer and once it starts to grow it will never stay away. Frequent
use of the car and brakes will help but I am looking for new drums.
I have rebuilt two of the three bulk chargers I have and the
circuit board parts are available through "Radio Shack" in store and
on line. The two large diodes and the isolated large SCR I found
online from a small electronics store in Pennsylvania. One circuit
board has a small light bulb and the other two don't. I don't know
which is the "improved" verson. I also don't know what the 5K pot
does. Is it for charge current/voltage or is it for end charge
voltage/current adjustment? I have replaced all the under seat 12
volt wiring along with the accesary charger and battery. I used and
old Sears fully automatic 2/10 amp charger and found a good source
for used 75 amp sealed standby batterys at $10.00 each. These used
batterys work great as they last much longer per charge than the bulk
pack. I also installed 4 automotive 30 amp relays with sockets,
available at the shack, to reduce the arcing on the throttle box
micro switches. They haven't failed yet.
I have to end this one now to close the store and count the pennys.
Jack at the Shack
