Author Topic: JCB 803 Saga  (Read 100463 times)

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #125 on: August 03, 2015, 06:02:48 AM »
So having done a trial fit holding it in with magnets, I went at it with the mig aiming for full penetration without melting the lot. In fact it was slightly too shallow, but perfectly adequate as there is no strain on this bit other than holding the window trim.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #126 on: August 03, 2015, 06:05:35 AM »
A little bit of fettling with a coarse sanding disk on the angle grinder, a dust off with zinc rich primers and altogether I'm quite pleased with it. Not exactly car bodywork standard, but hey - it's a digger  :ddb:

Just waiting for a tin of the right grey paint to arrive and the job'll be finished.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline John Rudd

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2525
  • Country: gb
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #127 on: August 03, 2015, 07:49:00 AM »
Nice job..... :clap:

Are you going to re-upholster the seat? :dremel:
Could do with a new cover.... :coffee:
eccentric millionaire financed by 'er indoors
Location:  Backworth Newcastle

Skype: chippiejnr

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #128 on: August 03, 2015, 07:59:42 AM »
Nice job..... :clap:

Are you going to re-upholster the seat? :dremel:
Could do with a new cover.... :coffee:

Thanks John.

Funny that you should mention the seat - I've been keeping my eye open on ebay for a suitable replacement, none have turned up, and I was idly day dreaming just now of trying a bit of d-i-y upholstery if I could find suitable material.

Yet to find how it comes off, but I'm sure that it must somehow :scratch:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline John Rudd

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2525
  • Country: gb
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #129 on: August 03, 2015, 08:03:10 AM »


Funny that you should mention the seat -
Yet to find how it comes off, but I'm sure that it must somehow :scratch:

Hammer/Angle grinder/Gas axe come to mind.......... :lol:

For material,how about your local friendly upholsterer ? Got one nearby? Local market stalls?
« Last Edit: August 03, 2015, 11:26:47 AM by John Rudd »
eccentric millionaire financed by 'er indoors
Location:  Backworth Newcastle

Skype: chippiejnr

Offline appletree

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 202
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #130 on: August 03, 2015, 08:45:45 AM »
I’m far better at welding when the work is horizontal, especially with stick, all the old sayings fit at times, did the pigeon get away, weld inclusion in the slag etc, actually i’m not too bad.
I have a 160 amp inverter stick welder, so hand and light weight and easy to use, perhaps not quite as forgiving as the big oil cooled ones we had at work, but they were 3 phase probably 500amp or more .

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #131 on: August 03, 2015, 10:47:12 AM »
I used my big 3 phase Butters AMT3205 Mig with 1 mm wire and pure argon. Why? as it's the easiest of my machines to wheel outside. Why pure argon? As years ago I bought a cylinder to bubble argon through molten aluminium to remove the dissolved hydrogen, and it now get shared by my Tig and this mig welder.

It's a fearsome beast quite capable of punching holes in 8 mm plate if you turn it up full whack  :lol: However it can also be turned down and tamed  :ddb:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline wgw

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 49
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #132 on: August 03, 2015, 11:23:46 AM »
Mr. Mawson- seat cover- fertilizer bag. Mine has air-con as well. As well as no windows.

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #133 on: August 03, 2015, 11:35:35 AM »
 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #134 on: August 04, 2015, 10:47:55 AM »
Well today I was determined to get the seat out to examine it and see what refurbishment possibilities there were.

The upper seat frame is on a slider that wouldn't slide, (I later discovered that the handle that releases it was missing) Held down by four 8 mm cap screws - the heads are in the channel, the bolt pokes upwards through the seat frame with nuts above. The front pair were easy - nice and accessible - the the rear pair obviously had been put in with the slider backwards, and it wouldn't slide  :bang: Nuts were loose enough to turn but of course the cap screw turned as well with no way of holding it.

No room for an angle grinder. After much head scratching, I reckoned the only way was to use a nut splitter and fracture the nuts in-situ. I had to thin down my smallest splitter for it to fit against the frame, and then with quite a bit of acrobatics the nuts were vanquished and the seat was OUT  :ddb:
« Last Edit: August 04, 2015, 11:22:37 AM by awemawson »
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #135 on: August 04, 2015, 10:54:34 AM »
This revealed two VERY USEFUL bits of information.

Firstly - the missing lever was a fairly simple bent bit of 10 mm heavy wall tube that spring locates onto four odd shaped pegs (It's similar to but slightly narrower than the yellow one for the lower slider in the picture) I reckoned I could make one of those  :ddb:

Secondly - there was a label on the previously invisible side of the seat frame revealing the it is a KAB T1 seat  - KAB seats are still around so I put some feelers out
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #136 on: August 04, 2015, 10:58:27 AM »
Looking at what materials I had to hand I found some 9.5 mm heavy walled steel tube - close enough I reckoned - so I rolled out the oxy-acetylene cylinders, drew some chalk lines on the welding bench and bent up an operating lever.

It got zinc primer and satin black paint as the JCB Yellow pot was sealed and it wasn't worth mucking up the spray gun (it doesn't brush very well)
« Last Edit: August 05, 2015, 02:24:14 AM by awemawson »
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #137 on: August 04, 2015, 11:03:59 AM »
So now that the seat slides back and forth, getting it in and out is a (relative) doddle.

Then the phone rang . . . YES seat squab and back covers, complete with foam inserts and fixing clips should be delivered later this week, and cost less than half what I'd been quoted for re-upholstering them  : :clap:

Only bit I need to sort out now is the raising and lowering mechanism. It's currently stuck solid, but when I dismantle the seat to fit the new upholstery and thus have a bare frame, I'm sure that can be sorted out.


(google is suggesting that this seat was fitted as the drivers seat in some FX4 London Taxi's)
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #138 on: August 06, 2015, 08:42:51 AM »
I spent today wrestling with the new upholstery covers for the seat. (They arrived yesterday but we had house guests so had to wait)

So I pulled the seat out (easy now  :clap:) and started removing the raising and lowering mechanism. Although not visibly rusty it was stuck absolutely solid. It has a pair of pantograph arms that allow either the back, front, or both to rise up if you take your weight off the seat. They can then be locked in your chosen position.

(I've taken lots of pictures to help me get it back together !)
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #139 on: August 06, 2015, 08:55:23 AM »
The pivots are all riveted joints, so not practical to dismantle. I must have spent a good hour thumping it, heating it, spraying it with Plus Gas. Eventually I got it to move but very stiffly. It's not a major issue as I didn't use it previously, but it would be nice to get it working properly.

Then to stripping off the old upholstery. The back and squab had ties running through slots in the foam to stop them 'bagging out'. The back is basically a cloth tube with a pair of steel rods in the hems that pull tightly around the foam and are secured with 'hog rings' The sqab it pulled around the foam then clipped to the frame.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #140 on: August 06, 2015, 09:00:02 AM »
Now to start rebuilding it  :bugeye:

The new kit seemed to be correct, and the 'hog rings' are actually identical to the ones I've used for fencing, so my Hog Ring Pliers actually fitted  :thumbup:

I started with the squab - if I were doing it again I'd start with the back, as the squab foam make fitting those hog rings rather difficult.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #141 on: August 06, 2015, 09:02:09 AM »
Well it looks dramatically better than it did  :clap:

That raising / tilting mechanism it too stiff to use but it matters not a lot
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

lordedmond

  • Guest
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #142 on: August 06, 2015, 09:49:12 AM »
So Andrew

Are you going to mill out a RR badge for it now sure looks comfy well done you are a inspiration to us all start a job and finish it


Stuart

Offline DMIOM

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 676
  • Country: gb
  • Isle of Man
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #143 on: August 06, 2015, 09:54:14 AM »
similar thoughts to Stuart - except my question was whether the next item would be a walnut veneer dash?

Dave

Offline John Rudd

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2525
  • Country: gb
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #144 on: August 06, 2015, 10:05:18 AM »
It needs some bling :lol:


I feel a new thread coming on.......'Pimp my JCB 803'

Could be made into a tv series you know..... :coffee:

Nice jcb job on the seat Andrew..... :thumbup:
eccentric millionaire financed by 'er indoors
Location:  Backworth Newcastle

Skype: chippiejnr

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #145 on: August 06, 2015, 10:35:55 AM »
Thanks chaps for the comments.

...bling ... Now I did consider cutting out a stencil on the laser cutter to paint stencil the JCB logo back on to the seat, as this one doesn't have it  :ddb:


Mind you, paint and me don't seem to get on too well recently. I got some grey to touch in that bit of the window frame I welded up. It was far too dark. Never mind I thought - it's Xylene thinned, and I have some white paint that thins with xylene, I'll put a few drop of that in and we'll be good to go. Sadly not, mixed apparently ok in a jam jar. When I did a test spray I couldn't get the spray settings right, it was going in fits and starts. Turns out that the two paints are reacting with each other and making flocculations that were blocking the nozzle. :bang:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline DMIOM

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 676
  • Country: gb
  • Isle of Man
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #146 on: August 06, 2015, 11:00:06 AM »
.... Now I did consider cutting out a stencil on the laser cutter to paint stencil the JCB logo back on to the seat, as this one doesn't have it .....

Obviously paint is the wrong thing for the seat - if your machine collection doesn't yet have one, you clearly need one of those CNC embroidering sewing machines, so you can embroider the logo !   

Dave

Offline trapper

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 52
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #147 on: August 06, 2015, 11:25:45 AM »
Almost all tracked vehicles use the same method of track tensioning. The idler sprocket slides in a track way, and is forced outwards by a grease filled cylinder the other end of which rests against a massive spring seated firmly against the chassis. The tension is applied by pumping grease into the cylinder.

So to remove the track you undo the grease fitting and let the piston in the cylinder move back releasing tension (and masses of grease!) With the tension released I had a devil of a job getting the first track off, levering, prying, cussing a bit. Eventually I decided to remove the bolts from the drive sprocket as I was changing it anyway, thus allowing the track to slide sideways. Eventually it came off  :bang:

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #148 on: August 07, 2015, 10:29:19 PM »
Nice job on that seat, Andrew!  :bow: :bow: :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline awemawson

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8966
  • Country: gb
  • East Sussex, UK
Re: JCB 803 Saga
« Reply #149 on: August 26, 2015, 06:36:13 AM »
Thanks Steve, more down to the materials than my skills I fear.

One of the minor irritations with this machine which is now becoming more major, is the non working fuel gauge. When I got it, I knew it wasn't working as there was no needle on the gauge  :scratch:

I had rather hoped that it was 'just missing' and at some time I could get around to making one. Well as is life, there proved to be a little more to it than that  :bang: I made a tiny little needle, got it fixed, but still no joy - no movement, zilch.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex