Dillon 550B to 550C upgrade?

[Oklahoma Jim]

Is it worth the trouble to upgrade my old 550B to the newer 550C frame, etc?  I can't really tell much difference other than the grease zerks on the pivot pins.

[Wobbly]

I've owned 550A, B & C models and the grease fittings are the only difference as far as I can tell.

You'll get a lot more "bang for your buck" with some minor disassembly, and drilling some new 5/64" grease holes (which match the existing holes) in some new places. Except for the improved operation, these changes are invisible. Will only take about 20 min.

• Add 2 holes in the bottom yoke. Undo the set screw from the bottom of the ram, and slide the pin out. Carefully mark and center punch the part because the drill bit wants to wander in these locations.


• Add 1 hole half-way down, front center of the ram. Before any drilling starts, pull the ram out though the top while you have that pin removed. (On a 650, this hole is better placed on the RH side.)



Then buy a "needle nozzle" grease gun* (as commonly used on chain saws) and start pumping in generic chassis lube. (HINT: The blue and teal colored greases make less of a mess than the red or black greases.

* Amazon grease gun link   


Hope this helps.

[Wobbly]

I should add this...
• The key to the whole disassembly is removing the pin that passes through the bottom yoke and the bottom of the main shaft (the "ram"). That is controlled by a single set screw in the bottom of the ram. Remove that screw and the pin pushes out with the tip of your little finger.



Reassembly requires some blue LocTite, such as #242 or 243 applied to the set screw. Torque on the set screw is zero; run it in until it "bottoms out" in the groove in the pin and then stop. You'll get smoother operation because the low screw torque allows the pin to wobble and seek its own "center". The pin's groove holds it in place, not the torque.

• You'll immediately notice smoother operation, mainly because with the grease coming out from around the ram, no smut can enter that joint. So that every time you lube, you're really cleaning by pushing out the dirt and crud.

• The needle nozzle grease gun also works on Zerk fittings, so for anyone with a later model 550 all these instructions still work.

Hope this helps.

[Oklahoma Jim]

Thanks Wobbly.  That was my impression about the "C" conversion.  I take my "B" apart once in a while and clean/lube it.  The grease holes are a good suggestion and I'll do it next time I do a maintenance.

[Wobbly]

Add the 3 holes and that will be the last "maintenance" disassembly you'll ever need. Thereafter, it will simply be injecting 3-5cc of grease every month or two.

 

[Oklahoma Jim]

Sounds like a plan!  Thanks for the pics.