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Hi folks,
I've never removed a cooling unit before, but I've seem plenty of folks on here saying how simple (most) they are to remove.   I decided to tackle my VMC-44 today and took a lot of pics along the way.  Since I do a lot of documentation for work, I thought I would knock together a quick newbie guide to removing a cooling deck.  It really is quite easy and took me less than an hour - that is with taking pics and being very careful.

Anyway - if anyone is interested in a copy of the doc I created, it is available here in PDF format:

http://littlebluespitfire.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=9919&g2_GALLERYSID=851af751aba7a98f5ed994caa8cb1363 (http://littlebluespitfire.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=9919&g2_GALLERYSID=851af751aba7a98f5ed994caa8cb1363)

Questions, comments or corrections are always welcome!

Jim

       That was a wonderful thing to do for those just comming into this hobby! Thanks Jim.........  :happydrinkers:

Wow Jim you don't mess around! nice guide thanks for putting it together

Hah... yeah Lonny, I started cleaning it up this morning and when I got to the bottom I was poking around in the crevices of the cooling system with my shop vac and I started thinking... "this is probably the smallest cooling unit ever... it can't be THAT hard to take out so I can really clean it up".
My goodness is that satisfying to do - now I can clean and paint the cooling unit AND really get into the bottom of the cabinet for a good cleaning.  Since I'll probably be working from home tomorrow with the snow coming, I may even have some time to work on it some more.

I am REALLY digging this 44.  It is so compact and easy to work on ... it may just become my favorite machine before I'm done.

Jim

Great guide, thank you for posting it.
I'm a big fan of PB blaster, seems to give me better results than WD40.

PB Blaster and I got well acquainted when I was doing the nastier bits of restoration on my Spitfire.  :Oo:

It definitely works better than WD40, but most folks have a can of WD in the garage already, even if they aren't shade-tree mechanics.  I think I should have mentioned the "tighten it to loosen it" trick as well.  Between that and the old smoke wrench (propane/map gas torch) not too many bolts have eluded me.

Nice work Jim, easy to take these things out, not easy to stop and take the time to photograph each step.  I always look for guides like this when I'm taking on a project I haven't done before, thanks for taking the time to put it together.

Thanks jim great post

Thanks! I can use all the help I can get.

Great Guide. Thanks for posting it.

Thank you. Nice job.

Great documentation ! ! !
Thanks for sharing!

For some reason I'm not having any luck viewing it.   Maybe it's my work computer, will need to try it at home.

I'm pretty sure it is working OK,  I just tried from my work PC.  That link should open a PDF file directly.  You may have some security that blocks the opening of PDFs at work.   If you still can't get it from home - PM me and I'll email you a copy.

Jim

Another reason I love this site!

Homerun Jim!

That's a nice piece of work.  Read the whole thing and I don't even have a 44 -- yet.  May even be worth making it a sticky post.

Great work Jim!  :happydrinkers:  Now I need the manual that tells me the steps to get you to come over and do the work for me!  :laugh: 8) :biggrin:

With my son finishing college in May, I will find myself with a machine and restoration budget again so this will be incredibly helpful for me when I get to my 44!

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

Tim - the instructions for getting me to show up and do that work for you are pretty simple:
1) Email Jim with potential date(s) and times
2) Buy beer
 :drinking:

Was thinking today I wanted to get my cooling unit out sometime soon and clean/paint/polish. This is GOLD! Thank you!!