Restoring An Old Engine Crane | Reviving History

I found this old Harvey Frost engine crane to help me move the Ranalah frames around the workshop. But it's in need of some restoration work
This will be the start of the restoration, as with most of my old tools in the workshop I will leave its rusty patina and just get it working.. Maybe I should have sent it in to the repair shop!
Thanks for watching! If you're enjoying my journey, please subscribe for free! You'll receive notifications when I upload a new video - every Sunday at 5pm (GMT)!
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LINKS:
www.dominicchinea.com
Dom's Instagram: / dominicchinea
Ranalah Ltd's Instagram: / ranalahltd​​
Edited by Dan Cross: / djcross87

[@ianlainchbury]

I bet I wasn't the only one shouting..."No working underneath!" Lol. Great video again Dom. 👏

[@peterstokes8631]

My reaction as well

[@gavmungus824]

Yep. I'm like "wait, you're trying to free up the boom that's hanging over your head with nothing to stop it coming down like a cast-iron guillotine! Please stop!" 🤣

[@steveNCB7754]

Let’s gloss over how the Ranalah ended up on its back (when the whole point of this crane referb, was so you could do that)! As for those rear castors, I think you’re wasting your time there from what you showed. The rollers in that flat bearing race seized ages ago and then the castor revolved without their assistance, grinding flats on one side. Just buy a new pair. 👍

[@andymccabe6712]

Always nice to read a really positive and encouraging comment on KZbin. So often, people are negative, critical, smug, self satisfied and generally know all - aren't they..........Steve!

[@steveNCB7754]

@@andymccabe6712 Dom encourages comments, I commented. Always nice to see there's someone eager to be affronted on someone else's behalf, isn't it ... Andy?

[@gerrard4215]

Play nice children!

[@peterhofmann8292]

Dom another great video, thanks👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@31144]

Binns and Berry Lathes are the Rolls Royces of lathes, built in Halifax, they just have the edge on Dean,Smith and Grace, great vid Dom, love the full compliment needle roller bearings in wheels 👍

[@sonofedmund5004]

I did something similar to putting that crane on it's back on my own, ended up with a double hernia - be careful. Also standing under that arm, sometimes things will un-sieze suddenly with dire consequences!

[@markfarnworth4211]

Thanks Dominic. Watching passion and enthusiasm like this is brilliant.

[@Rich-on6fe]

It's good to see the faith you have in your trolley jack. That's bold.

[@DominicChineas]

Not really, it’s a new 2 ton snap on Jack, also with an axle stand holding it if you look closely!

[@paulwilkinson683]

Thanks

[@colmornane5684]

Hi Dom, while you have the crane apart, take the components out to a sandblaster and have them sandblasted and undercoated, then on their return you can paint them in whatever colour you desire. Although that process is not expensive, it will cosmetically make a huge difference to the overall project turning it from a rusty looking engine crane into a talking point in your workshop, With your signwritting skills you could on the jib arm sign write your company's logo there. Another great video Dom, look forward to the next installment. Regards a fan from Aus.

[@ChazzC]

For the non-critical parts, I'd prefer wire brushing to remove the crusty bits and then applying a "rust reformer" that will turn the rust black and protect the steel. Then a light coat or 2 of black enamel, all of which will cover & protect but leave the scars of age visible.

[@colmornane5684]

Hi Charlie, On items which are exposed, I like your method, but on the close confines of Dom's engine crane the sand blasting will get into all those hard to reach areas where the hydraulic pump sits. the sandblasting process also provides a much better surface for the undercoat to adhere to, providing a uniform look to the machine. This process rarely removes the scars of age from previous use unless they are surface blemishes. Thanks for commenting. A Fan from Aus.

[@SkylarkCamperAdventures]

For the wheel bearing just go to your local bearing supplier and ask them for an alternative.

[@markthompson9914]

Great too see another bit of what other people would call junk is saved by and for the enjoyment of people who think old junk should be saved, cheers Dom 👍✌️🇬🇧

[@johng7rwf419]

Thanks for making Sundays great. To use a term of precision; Spot Bollok On

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you John!

[@williamlindsay987]

Dom, you are, without a doubt, a resurrection genius. With the ability to see and bring back to life amazing and unique pieces of machine history. Your dedicationand

[@grandaded]

Reassuring to know that even for Dom; things don't go perfectly every time! Looking forward to next Sunday.

[@DominicChineas]

Definitely not! Thanks for watching

[@StevesConsul]

Good old British engineering loved that large castle nut on the caster and the fact that they used roller bearings instead of ball bearings, I guess they take more load. Its going to look good when its all painted and being used in your workshop. Thanks for sharing.

[@stephenlines9431]

Hi Dom, love the way you just keep plugging on whatever happens. Have had to do a fair bit of that myself - it's how you grow. You WILL get there!

[@terrytopliss9506]

Laying the crane on its back was common sense Dom. Keep at it mate it will all come good.👍👍

[@danielvanhoof4399]

Thanks!

[@brucemcclary3260]

Great project love this stuff bummed this episode is over

[@Simon_Rafferty]

Great video - very encouraging to see a Land Rover in the background. That speaks volumes about you!

[@Bigtbuilder]

Totally loving the resto of the wheeler. I was trained on the exact tool in the 1970’s as an apprentice at Vauxhall Motors Ltd. I ended up as a “body in white” engineer in AJ Block experimental making panels for the die presses. Get yourself some Aero Kroil penetrating oil you won’t regret it.PS get yourself a decent socket set and a nut gun. Lol

[@skooterfd]

Dom, Dom, Dom... I would have thought that after the spider invasion you'd have learned to clean (power wash) things off before dragging things into your shop!

[@Emjaybe15]

Just watching you working on that crane brought back memories of me in the motor trade 40 yrs ago doing same sort of thing restoring my 1937 Wolseley 15/60. All those lovely rusted bolts and pivots all solid and the eureka moments when they free off. Happy days. :)

[@alangreene927]

That Crain/ engine hoist is awesome. Need to bring the old stuff back to life. They don't make them like they use to. Alan from the states.

[@DominicChineas]

I’m trying my best! I’m almost there

[@neilscully6597]

I am certain I have a photograph or have seen one of that sort of crane being used to change the engine in a Spitfire during the war. The trouble is knowing where to start to look in fourth plus years of archive! Harvey Frost certainly supplied the military and I am sure there were still some like yours about in the early Eighties.

[@DominicChineas]

That would be so cool if you had a picture!! Amazing

[@nickprosser83]

Dom, Dip the bearings in a 1 to 9 mix of mollasses and water. leave for a week or so and hey presto, rust removed

[@bobt3374]

Excellent to watch Dom good luck with your plans & see you when your ready. Take care.

[@jonno7910]

Thank you Dom for another brilliant VLOG 👍

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you!

[@liambrady9852]

I was looking forward to seeing it getting fully restored. Ah well, good to see old items getting brought back to life. I have an old Guyson shot blast cabinet in my shed waiting to be put back to working order

[@willgrime]

Dom, some sort of penetrating oil would help a lot, in both releasing roll-pins, axles, nuts and the like in the first place and then allowing them to be wound off/knocked out/unscrewed without damage to the component or its housing. I’ve used lots of different sorts, but a nice, cheap, and very effective version is a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone. Apply it the day before: works wonders! Also a light brushing of old engine oil now and again will keep old machinery stored outdoors from deteriorating too fast…. And like all the others, I’d just dismantle, blast and repaint the crane while you’re at it. Cheers, Will

[@timaustin577]

Dom, you are, a resurrection genius. With the ability to bring back to life amazing and unique pieces of machine history. :-) Artist 100 percent

[@everestyeti]

Glad it's not just me, running out of stuff I need halfway through a job. I love the fact your using something to lift something that is probably as old as the item your lifting. And how many of us had done something where we thought, nope that's not going to work, too late! 🤣😂🤣

[@deanmarskell1518]

Great video Dom will be amazing to see the engine crane back together and working again soon and being used around your workshop ♥️👍👍👍👍

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you!

[@royworks28]

I love that thing,you are so lucky to have it. It’s so satisfying getting those parts freed up. Thanks for the video

[@richardhathaway2901]

Dom! There's never going to be a better opportunity to paint the crane! Get your self a wire brush and some Hammerite. You know it makes sense.

[@DominicChineas]

Never!! Haha

[@richardtaylor7199]

Great vid that Dom, cant wait to read the "I am a Retired Engineer and H&SE jobsworths" comments. Keep it up mate. Oxy will cost you a few pennies these days.

[@andymccabe6712]

Completely brilliant comment, dude - I'm totally with you ..... !!!!

[@clintonoconnor9224]

I like your oxy/act cart

[@three-phase562]

You get such cool projects to work on, if I lived close enough, I would be happily be down for the weekend to help out. The crane has certainly done some time lounging around, will be great to see it back to a working condition.

[@mitchrankin3825]

Dom, another fantastic video as usual. Can’t wait for the next one. If you need some extra heavy duty lockable castors, I have some I could send to you foc if it helps your project at all. They have been lying around in my garage for long enough! All the best!

[@tony.b4368]

Another great vid, and when it goes wrong for you, it makes us novices go easier on ourselves!….know what you mean about the place where you found it…I have literally just got back home a Morris 8 series e that’s been left in a tumbled down garage since the sixties!!!….the gentleman’s grade was littered with various vehicles gone to seed and reclaimed by nature….so sad….keep up the great work…love the honesty in the vids.

[@likeakite]

oh tell me about it Dom....I have to make a tool to make a jig to support a part that makes....etc. that's the story of my projects too !

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Dom, Good to hear some off camera jiggery pokery went on... I was slightly concerned that as the parts became free the boom would drop and land on your head - lol... an enjoyable video, thank you. Take care. Paul,,

[@torrerobb2238]

Hi Dom, surely now you have stripped all those parts out you could media blast and paint the frame without too much difficulty. Maybe a good idea to get some old tyres to act as a cushion in case of any mishaps when you finally use the crane to move the Ranalah frames.. Robb Torremolinos Spain

[@DominicChineas]

I like the rusty patina look!

[@leslieaustin151]

@@DominicChineas nah, it looks knackered, Dom. Give it a lick of paint mate! You could always ‘age’ it if you must.. “clean” means you can see problems coming, before they land on you. Agree with the above comment about a new set of rear castors, those ones are finished, inside and out. Nice episode, but gas always runs out at the wrong time. You need a spare bottle or two! Les

[@bar1066]

Let's put it to the vote, Dom. It's not like you have got lots of projects on the go.😁 you can paint it the same colour as your lathes or develop your factory colour like the blue on one of your Ranelagh.

[@williamlindsay987]

Sorry! Your dedication and the gift of sharing your talents, gladdens many a heart and makes the world a much richer place.😎😎. Keep up the GREAT work you are doing and please BE SAFE. A Friend ans subscriber in Utah, U.S.A.

[@marcmurrell8827]

Love the dodgy dropping the crane on it's back explanation,keep up the excellent work Dom

[@ejharrop1416]

Another brilliant episode in the journey that is the workshop. Thank you and please try to work as safe as you reasonably can. I did hold my breath for a few moments, lol. Cheers mate.

[@simongoulding1521]

Really enjoying your content every week Happy to give a little help, in repairing the Ranala and the Craine is great! Thanks

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks Simon! Glad you enjoy it

[@beautifulsmall]

The oxy did the trick.The Ranala is so close to finished its definetly time to start a new project. They take time to ramp up . first stage pulling apart is slow, repair can be fast depending how fussy you are, nice work on the wheels. I would have kano kroiled for weeks with gentle hammering. laying down a normally vertical machine. picked up a few big pillar drills, . love to watch. thats a serious crane.. the bridgeport saddle can support x Kg.

[@moonstarer55]

No gas…..hells bells Dom. These things are sent to try. You did a lot of work on the associated parts of the crane in dismantling - so that’s something. Looking forward to the next great video.

[@digitaIgorilla]

Jay: "Welcome to The Repair Shop" Visitor: "Thanks, Hi I'm Dom and I have this huge engine jack for you." Jay: "Wait just there, you need to talk with Dom, he's... Oh." Visitor: 😶 Hi Jay.

[@DominicChineas]

Haha!

[@robertmcfarland557]

OM MY God There was a BBC show called That's life That I watched when I was stationed at with the Brits in Germany . One of the running jokes was 'I have No Gas" Where viewers ,would tell the stories of how the Gas company would threaten the person ,that if they did not pay their gas bill they would shut them off . They did not have gas service !! So the show would send a person out to watch the gas company come out , only to see "you have NO GAS" . I laughed so hard when you said you were out of gas. Thank you. Keep it up !

[@lynnedwards7462]

Ah! The days of the That's Life Jobsworths...

[@paulmuff9883]

Great project, could do with something like that myself when lifting chucks and huge faceplate onto my Colchester Triumph lathe 👍👍

[@allanrichards3752]

If you can get those rollers out of the plate in that caster and the slots are reasonably ok or repairable then you could replace them with some silver steel rollers. At least you can use the original casters then. I trust you are going to give the crane a good coat of paint and clean up and paint the front wheels. It will be a great crane when restored, and a great find.

[@davidpoulter3955]

Thanks for the videos. Love your enthusiasm

[@martinhorner642]

What an awesome old machine. Love this channel.

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks so much

[@135tp]

really cool engine crane, never seen one like that! maybe that could be the next old design you bring back!

[@paulp96275]

Nice project Harvey Frost was the crane to have in the day, LandRovers with there cranes on saved the nation as did the big wreckers , There cranes where always over engineered but you where always safe with there stuff I’ve got one sitting in my yard which was apparently used to change aircraft wheels with a sand box for counter weight I had a feeling the neighbours had given you a hand to lay the Ranalah because you couldn’t eat that amount of weetabix 😂 Great vid Dom well done stay safe 👍👨🏻‍🏭

[@kevinsimpson7114]

Great content as usual. Looking forward to the next instalment. Thank you for the video Dom.👍🏻👌🏻

[@davidallinson2501]

How about an impact socket set to get your nuts and bolts undone and done up again?? Love seeing old stuff brought back to a useful life. Good on you..

[@ChazzC]

You're braver than I, Dom, for taking these projects on. However, to quote Nevil Shute, ‘Maybe we’re too apt to scrap things in the States.’ One thing, I would have used an extreme pressure grease rather than lithium general purpose: the EP grease will hold up to the line contact better without breaking down and also regular lithium grease can become hard with time. Cheers, Charlie.

[@kuakkacam]

Do you own anything else other than adjustable wrenches? That's a sick old crane. It'll be rad when it done. That's the biggest engine crane ice ever seen.

[@DominicChineas]

Saves on buying spanners haha

[@brianreardon159]

Dom turns crane into giant catapult. Perfect 😃

[@rogerdavis5914]

Thanks for another great video Dom will seem like an eternity now until next week 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@martincross1412]

Dom,swarfega Duck oil would help you loosen the seized bolts ect.used it for years in the motor trade. Used a L .R series 2a with HF hand operated cable lift for recovery jobs,talk about hard work. Great vid,see you next Sunday.

[@promiscuous5761]

Thank you.

[@peterstokes8631]

Keep up the good work

[@DominicChineas]

I will do, thanks to your contribution! thanks

[@Mercmad]

I have an old advert here from a copy of the "engineering" weekly dated 1940. It's for Stauffer engine hoists. It says"so simple a girl can use it"... looks like your crane.

[@Georgeolddrones]

Thanks Dom excellent video 😂👍

[@busterboy7505]

Nice one Dom, maybe a few days before you stated working on the hoist, I would have been a good idea to put some penetrating oil on all the moving parts, that may of helped you out, can’t wait for the next one Dom,👍👍.

[@DominicChineas]

Everything is seriously rusted, I’m Not sure it would have made much difference!

[@busterboy7505]

@@DominicChineas thanks for your reply 👍.

[@robertclarkson5101]

Great effort be and watch ability 👍🏼

[@yellowbird8690]

Wasn't the point of fixing this crane, so that you could tip the Ranalah on its back? Suddenly, as if by magic, the Ranalah is on its back and no explanation.

[@DominicChineas]

Ah! Next door had there forklift out at the last minute so I grabbed the opportunity! I will discuss in the next video, sorry!

[@steveNCB7754]

My thoughts exactly!

[@realnutteruk1]

Watch Cutting Edge Engineering Australia to see some really big lathes in use.... as well as other various engineering... and lots of welding...

[@andrewmawson6897]

Not to plan is to plan to fail ! Check you have what you need before you start. Anyway you should be sorting out that nice little Epco engine hoist with the bent leg - super cranes - I have the slightly bigger model.

[@michaelmiller641]

Fascinating as usual, Dom!

[@bobingram6912]

I feel a Risk Assessment coming on😃😀🤣

[@DominicChineas]

Haha!

[@thegentlemanmaker]

😬 all done safely Dom. I wish you’d ask for help sometimes. It’s a fantastic thing to restore, we can’t wait for oxygen to arrive!

[@richardwhatton1249]

Great progress Dom, it’s looking great. Kind regards, Richard.

[@johnhicks913]

Great content- I,m sure it will worth all you effort. Onwards & upwards

[@garywright246]

I don't know about you but i don't function with out a coffee so have a couple on me ,keep up the good work ,Hopefully catch up with you in Bicester next time your there stay safe.

[@roydavies260]

Great video, I fear for your back. Take care, best wishes

[@WingingItBoatingonaBudget]

Love this sort of stuff, getting old, rusty non functioning items working again. Looking forward to seeing the next part where it gets completed.... No chance you fancy a full on resto of it, like the jack from The Repair Shop...? Now that would look spectacular!

[@DominicChineas]

Nah, I like it all rusty! It’s going to get used a lot so I’d only scratch it anyway!

[@WingingItBoatingonaBudget]

@@DominicChineas funnily enough I like the rusty look too... it would just be a amazing job to do a full on resto on it. Oh wait you have the small matter of a car that needs a full on restoration to crack on with though! Can't wait to see progress on that aswell...

[@z82co52]

Cheers Dom, looking good 👌🏻

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you, and thank you for the contribution!

[@Spinningininfinity]

Could be worse, you could be an astronaut. 😁

[@johnleith3161]

Another great video Dom, but gas never runs out on a Monday morning when there's plenty of time to go and get some more.

[@DominicChineas]

Honestly! its always the way! Thank you so much for the contribution, it really means a lot, thanks!

[@stan525]

Im sure you can pour your babbit in position (no need to tip) look into foundry sand box set up should flow nicely. ask you foundry man he should be able to explain the process

[@stephensimpson5283]

I wondering, with the front rollers you temporarily fixed. Could you stick the pins in the lathe, run then down a bit and get larger rollers bearings? Nice and smooth and new? Would be a great use of the new lathe. That's if you can get larger roller bearings? Love you channel mate.

[@DominicChineas]

They are surprisingly smooth now! The workshop floor is flat enough I think it will roll around ok

[@richardm.gramling1772]

YES ! ! More light is ALWAYS better. Get some more gas. Produce more videos. 356?

[@jobkneppers]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Man! You look sensational! Thank you for sharing all of your sincere content with us. (if I'm searching for nice chick's this is not the channel I'm using by the way..) All the best, Job

[@mathewdunstan4142]

In the early 1980’s I worked in Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Airport they had a purpose built machine shop with all the best equipment that money could buy. One of the items was a huge lathe that as 10 feet between centres. There was however a major problem with the infrastructure of the machine shop, when they built it someone forgot about installing electricity so all of the machines were in effect useless! The fire department had a major problem as some of the equipment was American and some was British, both utilised the same size phosphor bronze hose coupling however one used a rounded thread and the other a V type thread. The head of the fire department decided that he wanted an adapter coupling turned up, to get round it they fitted a flywheel to one end of the lathe equipped with a handle, they then persuaded a number of Filipino workers to queue up by the handle and to spin the lathe by hand, as each one began to tire the next worker would take over. It apparently took quite a long time to achieve and resulted in a lot of knackered Filipino workers, but they did it. I think that this encouraged them to eventually bite the bullet and dig up the floor so they could install the electricity! The funny thing is in the room next door was a several megawatt generator that was meant to kick-in and maintain the power to the airport in the event that the National grid failed.

[@bsimpson6204]

Unbelivable!! haha

[@gordyl9247]

"crane part" =Jib I think 🤔 😃

[@theimpatientbrewer]

Maybe get an induction heater for doing the nuts. It would be cheaper than using gas and you won't run out of electricity.

[@brendawilliams700]

Now that’s the sort of comment I understand ‘the uppy downy tippy thing’. 😂 talking of unfinished projects, what’s happening with the Defender? Imagine how much room there will be in the workshop if that goes 😜. Good luck

[@keithsquawk]

Project - fix crane, new project - take it apart and move it, new project - rebuild crane wheels ;-)

[@nealposton4825]

Great Video Invest in an Impact Driver to undo all those rusty nuts and bolts,also save you a lot gas! Cheers

[@davidgill2592]

The castors look like standard off-the-shelf items by manufacturers "Revvo" or "Hughes" for example.

[@threeriversforge1997]

Great video, as always. I can completely relate to needing to do one thing before you can do another. I'm glad you saved that magnificent shop crane. See it is a reminder to all of us that we need to keep a roof over our collection. I cannot count how many wonderful old things I've found rotting in a field, and the owners won't protect them or sell them. Such a loss to us all, really. For me, I limit everything to only what I can work on right in the moment or in the next little while. If I can't say for sure I'll get it in the shop and finished within a year, I can't add it to the collection. I've missed out on a lot of stuff, I'm sure, but I'm thoroughly addicted to old stuff and have to be very careful about feeding that addiction!

[@johnsholian4318]

Time to find an old forklift to restore so that you can safely lift and lower the old crane so that you can restore it.

[@andymccabe6712]

.....and possibly a BIGGER forklift to help restore the forklift......!?

[@graemehansell7642]

Hi Dom. Is there a safety catch for the arm when raised so that, should the hydraulics let go, the arm can;'t come crashing down on you?

[@DominicChineas]

No!

[@SkylarkCamperAdventures]

@@DominicChineas next project then!

[@cyrildhy8993]

Where's the oil blow lamp you restored?. That's what they would have used in the past to heat up nuts.

[@DominicChineas]

It’s at the repair shop!

[@MikeSmith-sg9pt]

Another great video!

[@DominicChineas]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the contribution!

[@MikeSmith-sg9pt]

@@DominicChineas I'm glad to be able to support you and the channel, albeit in a small way 👍🏻