1935 Lionel 265E HELP!

You have several options for wiring. You can buy new wired e unit fingers. These have modern, vinyl covered wiring, and if that bothers you, you can buy the fingers without wires. Or, if your e unit fingers are good, you can just rewire them. For my 2 cents, I'd say replace the fingers and the drum and be done once and for all for several years.

This does require spreading the e unit apart to replace the drum and contacts, and you have to be aware of the part orientation, especially how the e unit pawl will grab onto the drum.

Greenberg's postwar repair manual shows diagrams of motors with e units, as does the prewar repair guide. you may also be able to find it on Olsen's Library for any O gauge prewar engine having an e unit. It's all the same.

The eccentric on the side of the loco may be held on one of two ways. Some 265E's have kind of a keyed post riveted to the body. All you have to do is rotate the eccentric until it comes off. Others have the eccentric held on with a large headed rivet that has a shank. That, you'll have to remove the rivet, and replace it. Olsen sells the eccentric and the rivets for the sides of the body.

As for paint, I have used Rustoleum American Accents Canyon Black. Once dried, I rub the whole part down with talcum powder and then rinse. The talc trick softens the look and gives it a more natural patina than the Woods restoration paints.

Hi Mike.  If you want to, you can send the motor & eunit to me & I'll rebuid the E-unit & re-wire the motor. Just pay for shipping both ways. Let me know & have a happy new year.

Thanks to both of you. I didn't realize that it would be the same as postwar motors, but now that you mention it, it would be. I also see how the the rod connects to the body, also a dumb moment, since it just rotates off.

Thanks for the offer Keith, but I can do this, and right now I have the down time to do it (waiting on my credentials to apply for teaching jobs).