Advice on PE-95G Restoration

[jnealsc]

I have a nice 300 hour original 1944 PE-95G that runs but I want to do a "frame up" restoration to go in the Ben Hur trailer. It runs but have to tweek and play with it if it's been a while. I'll post some pics but best thing is it's completeness (only battery and fuel tank swapped). It has the original spare parts boxes full of parts for both engine and generator. Has spare plugs, radiator hose, brushes, crank, etc.



















Questions are:

How difficult to do restoration? Read that they are easy to damage?

Any advice on disassembly?

Has anyone duplicated the Spare Parts decal on fuel tanks?

Hints on how far to take generator down?

Would really like to see some pictures of any restored ones out there!!!

Feel free to email if too difficult to post here.

Thanks in advance and I hope to hear from some of you!

[rgus]

You found a beautiful , pristine unit. I remember seeing those pictures when you got it
I resotored a 1943 PE-95G to mount back in my 1944 Checker K-52 trailer. I removed everything that could be removed other than the engine block and generator. I cleaned it all up and painted the engine block and generator. I will clean up the skid and paint it when I am ready to set it in the trailer. It did have some wiring modififations that I had to sort out and make the correct connections o get iit to work as it was origionally intended.
Here is how it looked waiting for some TLC


Picture of the top of the engine;

Here is reinstalling and so touch up painting

A dusty control panel;

I had some more pictures of the finished product but I cant find them at the moment.

[rgus]

Upon reflection I would not mess with a unit that is running right. The wiring in the head of the generator is heavy and in some cases the insulation is very easy to damage or loose. I did change the brushes with some NOS ones and repack the end shaft bearing, that is all I did to it. I did not remove the instrument panel or it's housing because again I didn't want to take a chance of damaging the wiring. I did only what I needed to do to get everything back to it's origional condition. Yours is so nice and origional I thing If it were mine, would clean it up , repaint the oil filter and breather, replace the sparkplug wiring and maybe rebuild the carb. You probobly have the nicest origional unit there is and it would be a shame to change it any more that you needed to.
Your Call.

[jnealsc]

Rgus,

I was hoping you would respond. You and I seem to have more interest than others in these units. Really appreciate your pictures and would like to see the finished product and details around the engine and panel. I am leaning towards doing as you suggested and leaving the block and generator intact since the wiring is really pretty good shape especially in the control panel.

How does yours generate and are you using to run as a house backup? Does the governor regulate as designed? Do you have it back in the K-52 and what does the box and cable arrangement look like? Any other restored or K-52 mounted units out there?

Regards

[rgus]

I have a 1952 PE-95K that runs my house. The post war ones are bigger 12.5K vs 10K It has about 600 hours and runs like a clock. Drinks gas like a Hemi. It sets in the back of my garage. Right now it is surrounded by WC-63 parts.

Here is the instrument panel

The covers on my G model are not ready. They are too thin to sandblast without warping so they are going to a place that either can dip them or burn them. Whatever way they decide. I will send you pictures of the final restoration.