Texaco Tanker North Dakota by Wen-Mac: RESTORED by the Texaco Tanker Man For Sale

Texaco Tanker North Dakota Toy Ship by Wen-Mac: RESTORED

Do you have a mint example of the Wen-Mac Texaco Tanker from 1961? With original box? Then WOW- but that gem should be on a shelf somewhere for safe-keeping, and shouldn\'t be played with.

But what if you do want to play? Or even convert a played-with example to R/C? Then consider one of my \"resto-mod\" examples, which look almost new!

What\'s in a Resto-Mod? It MAY include:

• Replacement masts (I manufacture these as near-exact duplicates of the original, and yes they are available separately, see Seller\'s Other Listings);
• Replacement stickers;
• Houses painted white (because the old ones turn an awful yellow color);
• Replacement prop;
• Prop shaft bushing (a poor thing with no good lubrication) replaced with a lube-free Delrin bushing, with new grease tube (the grease blocks water ingression);
• Replacement rudder with serviceable retaining collar. (The rudder must be removed to service the prop shaft. The original rudder is held in with a one-time-use push-on retainer, and there\'s heck to pay to get it off);
• Replacement rollers;
• Broken mounting pegs replaced or repaired with a miniature machine screw from under the deck;
• A good cleaning of all parts;
• Original motor, cleaned, lubed, and verified operational;
• Wiring repaired when necessary;
• Replacement On/Off switch;
• Repair of any stripped deck screw bosses;
• New deck screws for any missing ones;
• Original free-flooding ballast tank
• Masts are removed and bagged for shipping, just like the original! See included instructions for mast installation.

THIS TANKER:

It has some flaws but will still display nicely.

• It has the early dark red hull- my favorite!
• Issues with the Hull (see photos, I hide nothing): \"HI\" inscribed on starboard side; \"HELP\" inscribed on bottom; noticeable rash and some house paint splatter on rear quarter port side; hull top edge heat distortion near the \"HI\". The distortion is minor, easy to miss. Maybe it was a factory blem (demolded too quickly), or maybe the toy was parked next to a heater. I wouldn\'t recommend trying to fix it.
• Original rudder- rare!
• All masts, booms, cowl vents are my reproduction parts. These are available- see Seller\'s Other Listings
• New propeller, but shaft and motor are original. Also has my Delrin prop shaft bushing, a big improvement over the original.
• Motor and switch have been cleaned and tuned up, see them operating in the video.

• New bow and stern stickers, but an original sticker on the stack. I am including my repro stack sticker should you decide to change this out.
• Ballast tank lid has NOT been sealed. They all leak, but sealing is a messy job and I recommend it only if you plan to do some serious sailing, and especially if you add ballast.
• Battery contacts have been cleaned.
• All screws accounted for, and no stripped screw holes or broken pegs anywhere.
• Houses have been repainted- they were very yellow from UV exposure.
• The decks overall have a nice shine to them, but there is a slight blemish at two mast holes, where strong glue had been used to secure broken masts (apparently).
• Both rollers are original and in good condition.

CAUTION- MASTS

This is discussed in the included instructions, but who reads those?

>>> The original masts are press-fit into their holes. The interference is created by little ridges molded inside the holes. This tight fit is the main reason so many masts are broken, and it can lead to breakage of your new masts, which are packed loose, ready for you to install. <<<

For originality, I leave those press-fit features in place. If you want to try forcing the new masts into the holes, have at it. I do offer replacements! But I recommend drilling the holes out with a 1/8\" drill bit. This will remove a tiny bit of material and make mast installation much safer. You may even find that the masts are then too loose for your liking. In that case, a small drop of white glue (Elmer\'s) will secure the loose mast, yet allow for future removal (soak with water).

Are you interested in repairing your own Texaco Tanker? See \"Seller\'s Other Items\" for my complete line of replacement and upgrade parts!
Looking for history, tips and tricks about the Wen-Mac Texaco tanker? See the photos for info on a discussion group.
Note: NOT recommended for kids. Toys of this vintage are collectibles, and they are fragile. Older manufacturing methods may have produced toys that are unsuitable for children for various reasons.