My first 2R car

Yes the mounting holes on the car are the same as for Kadees.    The weaver box was designed with the same mounting hole spacing.    all Weaver cars are that way.

Have you looked it over yet?    Some of the War Emergency Gons came with Kadees instead of Weaver couplers.    I had at least one.   

Be careful with screwing the couplers to the car, it is easy to strip out the plastic threads on the under body.    I recommend NOT using any kind of power tool.   Just use your fingers turning a small screw driver and feel for the threads.    When mounting, I usually turn the screw in the reverse direction gently until I feel a "click" and can usually hear it, then the screw is lined up with the threads in the underbody at the start,    then tighten it in gently.

Kadee now has "Under-shank" and "Over-shank" coupler options that have the heads mounted up or down off-center on the shank to compensate for some coupler height adjustment.

And I've just completed "3RSing" my first two Weaver cars bought in recent times.  Back in the 90's, my experience with Weaver was far less than satisfactory.  I now find out that my dissatisfaction regarding quality was the result of not purchasing their "Ultra" line of products.  The two TOFC cars are great and the trucks are terrific - and not plastic.

You may have to do a little shimming with some of Mario's famous 3D shims but otherwise 2-56 screws, carefully trimmed so as to not exceed the depth of the Kadee + shim + mounting pad hole, will make a perfect fit.

PRR Jim makes a very good point, the plastic is relatively soft and the pad holes are not threaded.  Therefore, use extra care so as to not over tighten screws.  However, should you err, a little drop of CA or epoxy in damaged pad and replacement of the screw will solve the problem.  The glue will set and create "threads" yet will yield to pressure, should you need to remove the screw at a later date.

Being a confirmed "Mario Fan", let me take this opportunity to request more Kadee coupler mounting blocks, particularly some for MTH locomotives (especially the SD9).  Thanks for all you do!

Thanks for the information!

Unfortunately, the car didn’t come with couplers or boxes, and measured car sits 1.1mm tall in the saddle and there’s a 1mm ring in the bolster I can machine down.  I can take down the coupler mounts but that means that the screws will probably protrude into the well. So, I ordered 12” weathered wood siding from Monster to replace the floor. 

What about replacing the cast in grab irons? Any ideas?

thanks,

Mario

I thought the grabs were pretty good.     I think the stirrups are a little funky and would consider replacing them.    

That spacer on the 2 rail cars I have was a removable piece.     I think I took mine out and lowered teh cars but that left little room for the coupler mounts which I trimmed down. 

I have used the Weaver engineered plastic (Delrin is one brand) trucks on a lot of my weaver cars and I like them just fine, not as well as Athearn Delrin trucks but a good second choice.    The engineering plastic seems to take finer detail than diecast but the big nice thing is that the journals are "slippery"    Metal axles in the delrin journals spin really nicely and teh cars roll really well.

Intermountain makes Metal wheelsets that are a drop in fit for both Weaver and Athearn trucks.    You can put them in by spreading the truck ends with your fingers.

Another good thing about the Weaver delrin trucks is that they were USA made.    The diecast ones come from China.    Not a big deal  but another contributing factor, when Weaver was still in business.

CentralFan1976 posted:

I just purchased my first 2R car, a Weaver war emergency composite gondola. 

I have an easy question...

Will Kadee boxes mate right with the existing mounting points?

thanks,

Mario

Yes, Kadees boxes will fit, but they will result in a car sitting six inches too high due to a concession to the three-rail fat flange clearance issue. A great article on correcting this flaw, written by Ron Gribler, appeared in O Scale Trains, July/Aug 2004, Issue #15.

Bill Chaplik

Mario you seem like the kind of guy that would be happiest with something like Protocraft couplers.  

Rule292 posted:

Mario you seem like the kind of guy that would be happiest with something like Protocraft couplers.  

Love them!

(Hand bent 3-piece cut levers too!)

thanks!!!

Happy Fathers Day!

-Mario

Bill Chaplik posted:

CentralFan1976 posted:

I just purchased my first 2R car, a Weaver war emergency composite gondola. 

I have an easy question...

Will Kadee boxes mate right with the existing mounting points?

thanks,

Mario

Yes, Kadees boxes will fit, but they will result in a car sitting six inches too high due to a concession to the three-rail fat flange clearance issue. A great article on correcting this flaw, written by Ron Gribler, appeared in O Scale Trains, July/Aug 2004, Issue #15.

Bill Chaplik

Thanks for the info, I’ll  jump on it!

thanks!

-Mario