This 500 looks pretty rough but at least it's back up and running. The tank had several leaks and even an epoxy tank sealant couldn't fix the largest hole so I resorted to epoxy metal putty applied externally. The pot stand and all the upper parts were smothered with a thick paint which I largely burnt off. Unfortunately despite heating the paint two of the threads on the pot stand sheared when I tried to remove the small nuts. The screws holding the burner head and cast iron parts are so corroded I couldnt move them so they had to stay in place. The rod that screws into the NRV was missing, luckily I had a spare and a new generator in my Coleman's parts bin. When I removed the NRV I found it was in great shape and functioning well, just needing a new washer. Once the filler cap washer was replaced the job was done, well for now. I may spray the top with heat resistant paint to make it look more presentable, I certainly couldn't justify cerakote for this one. The previous owner had removed the original green paint which can still be seen through the holes in the collar. As you can see it's a Canadian dated 47/2.
Looks good,,, very nice I’ve a couple of those needing attention,,, hopefully you’ve inspired me to get busy.
I am unaware that there is a washer on the NRV (check valve?). I have several 500s from 1939 to 1973..no washer. Could it have been put there by a PO?
That's interesting, I assumed the check valve washer had perished as the replacement valves come with a washer. So I added one. Well with or without it seems to work fine with.
Yes an O ring. So do you think I should leave it on or remove it? Any idea why they started to use them?
It's cleaned up nicely dispite the issues. Congratulations I'll be interested in the answer about the washer. I'm putting a 500 (1954) back together at the moment and there is no washer. I thought I might have dropped it.
Here's the answer I received on the Coleman forum. Parts diagram does not call out the use of an o-ring for the check valve. These early stoves used a compression type or flared connection to seal negating the use of the o-ring. Newer stoves and lanterns do use the o-ring on some Coleman GPA's but not all applications. Consult the manual to determine what is used. You should remove the o-ring it probably got crushed and torn that can cause a leak in the pump chamber. European stoves are commonly Brass pressure stoves using Kerosene that use a flat lead washer for the check valve.
I hate to throw any cold water on this nice looking restoration, but are the leaks you patched cracks or corroded through? I'd be leery of pressurizing a patched tank full of white gas. Be careful! ....Arch
It's definitely corrosion Arch, I'm fairly confident that between the internal tank resin/ sealer and the external sealer it's good to go now. I'm leaving it under pressure for the next week to check for leaks.