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Post by SeaRat on Feb 29, 2016 17:57:46 GMT -8
Okay, I need some help. I just located two Mk VII regulators, one with a Pilot second stage, on Craig's List for a very reasonable price. But I have never bought off Craig's List before. I have made contact with this guy named James, and he gave his last name on his phone answering machine. I talked to him, and he only lives about 8 miles away. What my question is for you is whether transactions on Craig's List are normally face-to-face, and how these transactions are normally paid. Any help would be appreciated, but quickly.
John
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Post by diverdon on Feb 29, 2016 18:13:46 GMT -8
Hey John, around here we'll do face to face transactions and I've used cash and check. Never had a problem. YMMV
Good luck and I can't wait to hear/see what you get.
DD
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Post by SeaRat on Feb 29, 2016 18:37:23 GMT -8
Here's what he's selling: He wants $90 for both regs. He's not a diver, and apparently got them off E-Bay in a paint ball transaction for several tanks from a dive shop going out of business. John
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Post by diverdon on Feb 29, 2016 18:47:07 GMT -8
Well if you don't want them, I do. Thats a great deal! I'd buy them both, figure out which one I want to keep and sell the other on fleebay. You'd make most of your money back I suspect. I too have two but one is going on the chopping block soon. They both came similar to the setup in the bottom of your picture with that monster size console. Identical! Which surprises me because that honking depth gauge just doesn't seem right. Like someone swapped out the one that was suppose to be there with a bigger one. I'd say, depending on condition, that the pilot and first stage alone are worth most of what he's asking. Nice find John!
DD
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Post by SeaRat on Feb 29, 2016 18:57:07 GMT -8
Don,
Thanks much! I'm calling him after supper tonight, and proposing a meeting tomorrow after his work. It will be in a public place. Then, I'll share with you the outcome tomorrow.
John
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Post by herman on Mar 1, 2016 3:28:17 GMT -8
99% of Craigslist transactions are fine, I have purchased several things that way. That said, you do have to be careful. Meeting in a public place is a good idea, some of the police stations around here have started CL meetup times and places....you meet at a published place and time and they have a cop stationed there. I will admit, my transactions have not been in public places but at their home....kind of hard to bring 1000lb pieces of machinery to a Walmart parking lot.
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 1, 2016 18:35:18 GMT -8
Okay, these two regulators are now in my possession. I took out my twin 45s, and put each regulator on the tanks to see wheTher they would hold pressure. Each one leaked. The one Mk VII/109 had a high pressure O-ring leak on the gauge port. The other, with the pilot, leaked at the pilot second stage, and the dive/pre-dive button was really stiff. So both need work.
One first stage states, "Oregon Diving School #10," and has a PADI EIP date of JuLy 79. The rubber on the second stage diaphragm cover is deteriorated.
The other reg, with both the Pilot and 109 second stages has the name, "Russ Smith," and his ODL number on it. I may be able to find out more about him and the history of this regulator. It also has a PADI EIP date of October '78. It also has a "Certified Inhalation Protection to make SCUBA Diving Safer" sticker on the LP hose.
I talked to the guy, James, who was a younger fellow who came in a pickup with another guy, and offered $70 for the two regs. He replied, " That seems fair," and I got the money from my wife, whom I told him was the money person.
Herman, do I need any special tools to get inside the Pilot?
John
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Post by nikeajax on Mar 1, 2016 20:45:43 GMT -8
John, I got these on CL a while back... and I know DD gets some super cool finds too! JB
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 1, 2016 22:47:18 GMT -8
I have been reading more about the Pilot regulator, and basically I need to replace the O-rings, but I will need to order them from a commercial source, and ScubaBoard has a thread about that. I just placed the Pilot again under pressure, and this time it sealed up. The Pre-dive/Dive button seems to work better too, as I suspect that this is the first time in many, many years this regulator has been pressurized. I will post some photos soon. www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/scubapro-pilot.441224/Here are the O-rings needed, in Scubapro part numbers. I am using this to consolidate the information, and on the ScubaBoard thread there is a sheet that translates these numbers into standard O-ring numbers. Vintage Scubapro Pilot 128 2nd Stage Regulator Complete O-ring Replacement Kit This kit contains all of the o-rings used in a Pilot 128 Regulator Kit includes: 1 x 01-050-286 / 1 x 01-050-211 / 1 x 01-050-138 / 1 x 01-050-132 / 1 x 01-050-147 / 1 x 01-050-155 / 1 x 01-050-104 / 1 x 01-050-181 / 1 x 01-050-163 / 1 x 01-050-139 / 1 x 01-050-134 By the way, Don, you are responsible for this. Without your post about what you bought on Craig's List, I would not have even looked. John
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Post by diverdon on Mar 2, 2016 2:37:48 GMT -8
I do go to CL from time to time but I have yet to find a nice Voit double hose on there. My best find would have to be the Airflo and the Stars and stripes st72 so I would have to say your first find rivals all of mine to date with two MK VIIs and a Pilot! Let us know if you find any other goodies! We should almost start a CL thread? These are all very cool finds and the prices paid were far less than one could expect to find on Ebay.
DD
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Post by herman on Mar 2, 2016 3:20:02 GMT -8
I have no clue on the Pilot John, I have a couple of them but never got around to doing anything with them. They were gotten with some other stuff. Your best bet for info on those are AWAP (Gary) and Couv (Robert) either on VDH or SB, they are the masters of SP regs. I do know you need a pin spanner to remove the piston and alarm covers in the MK-7s, same one that fits the MK-5 and 10. I really need to design a HP oring tool for them.
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 2, 2016 14:10:23 GMT -8
I sprayed silcone into the mouthpiece, and behind the "Dive/Pre-dive" button, and they are working much more freely. I figured that the silicone could soak into the current O-rings, and I could see how it does. With the "Dive/Pre-dive" switch working well now, I have cycled it several times, and note that in the "Dive" position there is a very strong Venturi which allows free-flow to commence with just a little push on the purge button.
The Mark 7 first stage is functioning well, and I hear the reserve at low pressures. I will probably disassemble the Mark 7, lub it, and re-assemble it. I will also get rebuild kits for the Mark 7 first stages, as the other has a major problem with a leak.
The 109 second stages both need to have the neoprene cover replaced, and probably the neoprene exhaust tee too. Other than that, they are holding pressure well, although I have yet to try breathing off any of the second stages. I want to clean/disinfect them first.
John
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Post by herman on Mar 2, 2016 14:23:09 GMT -8
Bryan at VDH had them reproduced a while back, not sure if he still has any. He has the 109 kits as well.
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 2, 2016 15:27:26 GMT -8
Herman,
I looked them up, and Bryan has O-ring kits for the Mark 7, as well as the neoprene covers and exhaust tees for the 109. That's where I will be getting them.
Thanks,
John
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 2, 2016 17:38:41 GMT -8
I've been working on the one Mark VII/109, and taken it apart. The Mark VII had two of what looked like thin nylon washers on the HP spring; one was warped and was not doing anything. I used three stainless steel washers on my Mark V/A.I.R. I regulator. I don't think that thin nylon washers are supposed to be there.
Does anyone know of, or have you seen, a left-handed 109 second stage from Scubapro? I have one, on the Mark VII/Pilot regulator. I don't think I've ever seen one of these before.
I put a new mouthpiece on my Pilot, and did some test breathing on it. It breaths very nicely, both on the Pre-dive and Dive options on the front switch. It does not perform as well as my A.I.R. I, at this point, but is smooth without any "stutter." I also noted that the aspirator port was at about a 30 degree angle off being straight into the mouth (to the left as I was looking at the regulator). It has no leaks, and as of now I do not plan on disassembling it before taking it into the pool, perhaps this Sunday. Here's what Scubapro states about the aspirator port for the Pilot second stage:
John
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