Installing Micro-Trains Couplers on Older Rolling Stock

[NScaler]

I have some older Arnold, Roco, and Con-Cor stuff. I am converting them to Micro-Trains couplers but some of these are not simple swaps. Like this Con-Cor Rock Island box car:

The holes are too large for the pin to press into. The pins that were originally holding the Rapido equipped trucks on are way too small for the Micro-Trains trucks. The chassis is metal. Outside of filling this hole and re-drilling, what are my other options?

I also have this older Con-Con caboose that has the coupler mounted in a metal housing on the chassis:

How do you tackle this mod?

And lastly, the toughest one of all I think is a Roco crane MOW car with a 6-wheel truck and the coupler mounted to the truck:

How would you install a MT coupler on this guy?

I also have an Arnold Tank car that doesn't have a boss on the underside to raise the body off of the truck to clear the coupler housing. If I add this boss the body will sit too high off the truck. So I need a body mount coupler I think. But it would have to be a really short one to clear the truck. Either that or I need a truck mounted coupler that had the top of the truck even with the top of the coupler box.

These are all cars I picked up cheap. So I could just get rid of them and buy better stuff. But I plan to use these items when I start weathering my first pieces of rolling stock as soon as I get a new air brush compressor. And I was just curious how you guys would tackle these conversions. And I actually like these cars so I would like to be able to make them all work in my collection.

Thanks

 

[Cjcrescent]

http://www.micro-trains.com/ConversionsN.php

I would think that since several of the notations said to refer to the instructions for mounting, this would be in the information with the coupler. Plus if this is anything like the HO chart, there are more than one coupler/truck to fit.

Most older N-scale couplers, at least those like on my wife's trains, are held in place by pieces that fit down over another part, and when these are pulled the coupler falls out.

Wish I could help more, Kevin. Didn't know if you were aware of the chart.

 

[MikeOwnby]

1128 couplers will go into the six-axle. Other than just being finicky to get in there, it's an easy conversion. There are two small tabs bent over on the other side of that coupler pocket (part of that metal that's holding it in). Just straighten those, then the metal retainer will slide straight up out of there. You obviously can't keep doing that too many times or it just breaks off, so make sure you test-fit the coupler and make sure it's the right height etc. before you bend them back down after installing.

You may be stuck on the Con-Cor caboose unless the coupler pocket is exposed when you lift off the body. If so, something along the lines of an 1128 will probably work, but it may be a variation of the 1128 that will actually fit in there.

On that top one, pre-assembled trucks come with inserts that can be used. You might have to actually drill the hole out just a little larger, but then you can fit that knurled insert into the car's frame and then push the mounting pin into that.

As Carey noted, MTL does have that chart, but not everything is on there, and sometimes they tell you that you need a special coupler when you don't. I put plain old 1129's into those C-Liners I just rebuilt even though they said it required something else. Since I had the 1129's on hand and the actual COUPLER was the same as the oddball number (with no difference in specs that I could find), figured I'd give it a try. And voila! Works. Of course, that's a lot easier when you have as many couplers hanging on the back of your door as your LHS has in stock

PS - If you're not understanding what I mean about the knurled insert, I'll shoot you a picture tomorrow. Heading to bed right now.

 

[NScaler]

I saw that insert and I figured that is what that was, but wasn't sure. I will do that then. I didn't know that MT had that conversion chart. Good to know. That should solve all my problems.

Thanks for the help guys.