...by no other than Ernest Rowe.
For the Impact owners/do it yourself’rs, this tool right here-
the C1 removal tool. For those not in the know, the C1 is a call out part number on the FX impact parts diagram pages. The part is identified in the C section, which encompasses the entire front block, and its piece 1, hence the trade name of the C1. What is this C1, you ask? It’s at the end of the valve rod, up front. Some folks call it the hammer stop, as when the hammer hits it, it moves forward, opening up the air passage of the valve at the rear of the gun and up thru the transfer port the air fires thru and into the rear of the projectile. Cool stuff.
This is the C1. It resides inside of the front valve adjustment knob, above your carbon fiber bottle. The knob must first be removed, then a spring slid out, then the black fitting threaded onto the block must be removed using an 11mm open end wrench.
In order to access removal of the hammer, hammer spring, hammer weight, the C1 needs to be removed. The past method of using vice grips on the valve rod and another set of grips on the C1 has and still works. But what do you get when using grips? (Hey, let’s ask BUCKNMOOSE!!) yes, gnarly marks on the rod along with the C1, unless you protect it with a padding of some sort, like I have here shown while I pre heat the C1 at the rod connection to melt and loosen up the factory locktite-
I want you to imagine the conventional method with the two vice grips, while heating the C1. I’ve done it that way in the past, and it’s as if I needed another set of hands as the weight of the vice grip on the C1 could easily bend the 3mm valve rod if you’re not careful. Plus, depending on what padding you’re using to protect the C1 from getting gnarly from the grips, you could start a melt job or a fire(a piece of old leather works best).
In the torch pic above, I was actually styling while doing the torch work as the vice grip on the rod itself rested right on the Donny saber tactical ARCA rail, so no weight on the rod.
So I heat up the C1 for a good 20 seconds and on goes the Ernest Rowe tool-
The socket grub screw that comes with the tool threads onto the ER tool, and locks onto the C1. Since the tool by design acts as a wing nut, you simply unthread the C1 till it’s off, then clean off the threads on the rod with a good alcohol or degreaser and wire brush the old locktite off.
installation of the C1 is reverse of the removal, while still using the tool to assist, and not that second set of vice grips. Don’t forget to add blue locktite or Vibratite to the threads of the rod prior to reinstalling the C1.
I have to say, I’ve had this tool since January, but just now got to use it on two impacts I was working on this weekend. What a cinch this part of the job turned out to be. No gnarly vice grip marks, no worry of bending the valve rod, and no fires started, lol!
if you enjoy tools, the right tools to do the job the best possible way, then this I highly recommend you have in your pcp impact maintenance box.
Great job, Ernest!
For the Impact owners/do it yourself’rs, this tool right here-
the C1 removal tool. For those not in the know, the C1 is a call out part number on the FX impact parts diagram pages. The part is identified in the C section, which encompasses the entire front block, and its piece 1, hence the trade name of the C1. What is this C1, you ask? It’s at the end of the valve rod, up front. Some folks call it the hammer stop, as when the hammer hits it, it moves forward, opening up the air passage of the valve at the rear of the gun and up thru the transfer port the air fires thru and into the rear of the projectile. Cool stuff.
This is the C1. It resides inside of the front valve adjustment knob, above your carbon fiber bottle. The knob must first be removed, then a spring slid out, then the black fitting threaded onto the block must be removed using an 11mm open end wrench.
In order to access removal of the hammer, hammer spring, hammer weight, the C1 needs to be removed. The past method of using vice grips on the valve rod and another set of grips on the C1 has and still works. But what do you get when using grips? (Hey, let’s ask BUCKNMOOSE!!) yes, gnarly marks on the rod along with the C1, unless you protect it with a padding of some sort, like I have here shown while I pre heat the C1 at the rod connection to melt and loosen up the factory locktite-
I want you to imagine the conventional method with the two vice grips, while heating the C1. I’ve done it that way in the past, and it’s as if I needed another set of hands as the weight of the vice grip on the C1 could easily bend the 3mm valve rod if you’re not careful. Plus, depending on what padding you’re using to protect the C1 from getting gnarly from the grips, you could start a melt job or a fire(a piece of old leather works best).
In the torch pic above, I was actually styling while doing the torch work as the vice grip on the rod itself rested right on the Donny saber tactical ARCA rail, so no weight on the rod.
So I heat up the C1 for a good 20 seconds and on goes the Ernest Rowe tool-
The socket grub screw that comes with the tool threads onto the ER tool, and locks onto the C1. Since the tool by design acts as a wing nut, you simply unthread the C1 till it’s off, then clean off the threads on the rod with a good alcohol or degreaser and wire brush the old locktite off.
installation of the C1 is reverse of the removal, while still using the tool to assist, and not that second set of vice grips. Don’t forget to add blue locktite or Vibratite to the threads of the rod prior to reinstalling the C1.
I have to say, I’ve had this tool since January, but just now got to use it on two impacts I was working on this weekend. What a cinch this part of the job turned out to be. No gnarly vice grip marks, no worry of bending the valve rod, and no fires started, lol!
if you enjoy tools, the right tools to do the job the best possible way, then this I highly recommend you have in your pcp impact maintenance box.
Great job, Ernest!
