Doug is the master when it comes to fixing pilots and installing kadees. In terms of diesel engines, I have done mostly F and E units and Geeps. I have only fixed pilots on 2 modern diesels, a Lionel ES44AC and most recently this SD70ACE. No one job has ever been the same, that is for sure. Doug takes it to a level beyond that which I do. I remove the shell and unplug the couplers. Remove the trucks and cut off the tabs with the electro coupler mounting bracket. Make sure you tape off or cover the kingpin for the drive mechanism to keep metal fragment out of it. I bolt the kadee draft gear box to the pilot, using a shim that I make out of styrene to ensure proper coupler height. Then I bolt that assembly to the chassis. It sounds so easy but it is a time consuming job. Make sure you have fresh drill bits and good tap. I do not make shims to lower the pilot closer to the rails, but I do buy them from Mario if he has them available. I have not used styrene to close up the gap around the draft gear box yet either. I also don't fabricate handrails that go down to the bottom step. Maybe someday I will take my conversions to the next level, but for now this is good for me. Here is my latest conversion a made KCS de Mexico engine...
Attachments
Images (4)
