Caterpillar d8k

Cat D8K

[img]http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6919/d8k2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/6456/d8k3.jpg[/img]

This one will by sandblast and painted in Cat colours, and you can see in Gilberts eye's hi like to keep this in his collection.

[img]http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8799/d8k4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/6392/d8k5.jpg[/img]

Nice detail !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[img]http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9853/d8k6.jpg[/img]

Looks like some very good buying low hour ex military units there Ad, perfect candidates for a nice coat of yellow and factory original decal set, probably refurbishment a little around the operators compartment as open ROPS could have seen the weather get to all the knobs etc. and they will look nearly as good as your friends 245.

There were about 10 military D8k's auctioned in California the other day...ranged in price from 39-$59,000. All looked like good machines.

Hi, Quad.
Nice catches there, M8. Thanks for sharing.

My understanding is that the horizontal mufflers were more firmly mounted and did not give as much trouble with breaking the bottoms out of them or breaking turbo-charger outlet pipes as the relatively unsupported vertical mufflers.

Hope this helps.

QuAD,
The vertical muffler 8s are early models below serial #5000.
later 8s with flat mufflers have the spacer plate 342 engines.I think this change was in 1976.The vertical mufflers are better supported but neither will break the turbos.Your blades are called semi-u blades.
Have you checked the hour meters?
Bob

Back in the D8K days the blades available were the 8S, 8U & 8A and todays SU blade as we know it was an S or "straight" blade back then so QuAD is 100% correct in his description.

Firsty nice team of bangers there QuAD,they would be highly prised in the U.K. anyhow back to the Exhaust question, the early vertical mufflers had a large and very close to the valve cover/heater plug rail pipe located under the hood that was also a big cost to replace, this also kept a good bit of heat hanging around under the hood getting sucked into the radiator that has enough trouble keeping things cool, so to help things out the exhaust was poked out of the hood area as sharp as possible to stop the burning effect on the valve covers and heater rail, it is a simple mod to change things to the later and much better horizontal muffler set-up.
The hoist ram cylinder pipe work is as left the factory, there is a very neat mod fitted by CAT under a product liability sceam (I think) to re-work the cylinder oil lines (hoses) to a greatly improved position, so take all the serial no's to your local CAT service to have the mod installed (f.o.c.).

Happy new year to all tctractors