Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Christie P35C

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Posted by James Kulaprathazhe (Member # 4782) on 06-16-2008, 09:02 PM:

Anybody had experiences or any one can analyze (pros & cons)of Christie P35C projector

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-16-2008, 09:38 PM:

I run 7 of these machines.

They get yearly service and new belts.

They run 12 hours a day.

They dont (usually) leak oil.

In the 3 years that they have been in my charge, they have not failed.

I like them because of the open threading path.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-16-2008, 10:11 PM:

Bruce... Do yours have the shutter gear box or the belt drive shutter?

Mark

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-16-2008, 11:38 PM:

I had to service a few of these a few years back at some dollar theater. I was used to the newer Christies that are typical so the first few minutes were spent scratching my head figuring things out. They are certainly not as open and easy to work on as the newer stuff, but you could still get stuff done. Still, for as old as they were they seemed in pretty good shape, considering. This same place tried to hire me on as general manager even though they only saw me two or three times for service work. I passed.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-17-2008, 05:09 PM:

Mark, we have shutter gear boxes.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-17-2008, 06:22 PM:

You may see a gearbox fail once in a while... but not much else. Very late P-35C's had belt drive shutters.

Mark

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 06-18-2008, 03:34 PM:

Watch out for that reversing gear (excuse me if I am thinking of the wrong model here, its been a while) I know someone who lost a fingertip in one of those!

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-18-2008, 04:03 PM:

Christie made a kit for a while that replaced the reversing gear with a couple more timming pulleys. I think this was the first use of the double sided belts.

Mark

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 06-18-2008, 05:24 PM:

Yeah, those reversing gears can nip ya if you're not careful. They're also the main source of noisiness if they're worn out or not properly adjusted. Keep in mind that Christie doesn't do repair/change any longer on the gear boxes (at least the last time I spoke with Jim Graten).

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-18-2008, 05:46 PM:

quote: Jeremy Weigel
Keep in mind that Christie doesn't do repair/change any longer on the gear boxes (at least the last time I spoke with Jim Graten).

You're right but brand new gear boxes are still available. I've never had one fail... but I kow folks that have had them fail. There are no gearbox machines still running around here. If you've ever taken a gearbox apart you'll be amazed at how tiny the gears are, the diameter of your small finger at best.

Mark

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 06-18-2008, 08:47 PM:

I haven't ordered one of the new gear boxes, but from what I gathered from my last conversation with Jim was that it had been redesigned with a msrp of $900+, so figured that would be about $600 from a dealer.

Instead, I found a local bearing shop that matched up the rotary shaft seals & bearings and rebuilt 5 (2 that were in machines and 3 that I inherited from Regal)of them. I used a synthetic gear oil to refill them. Rebuilding them was quite easy. The only thing is that some of the jack shafts have a groove worn into them from the outer support bearing. Anybody know if this something that can be fixed by a machine shop?

The only item that I haven't tried my hand at rebuilding are the Ultramiitents. From what gathered from the rebuild instructions on Lavezzi's website they can be quite a bear to do; not that I'm not up to the challenge. I do have a leaker that I also inherited from Regal.

Posted by Tristan Lane (Member # 1169) on 06-18-2008, 11:01 PM:

Call American Cinema Equipment, and ask Randy if he still has the parts to rebuild these. I've had him do a few for me a long time ago, but parts might be getting scarce.

Most P35C's perform like a typical P35GP if kept in good order (like any projector), but the gearless models made as of lately are some of the highest quality product that Christie has made. I've heard that the conversion is a little difficult to do in the field, but not impossible. IF you are going to tear down the projector that far, you might as well upgrade to round tooth belts and change the douser out for the new style.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-18-2008, 11:09 PM:

The belt conversion won't fit a P35C... only the GP model or a very late C model that has the belt drive shutter and has already been convered to the GP style belt path... according to Jim Dukes there are but a handful of these types around. If you do these conversions in the field be sure to have a small arbor press and a gear puller large enough to pull the sprocket shaft pulleys off... of course every service van has these tools. DO NOT LOOSE THE VERY THIN SPACER(S) BEHIND THE PULLEY!!!!! The sprocket pulleys are the only real stubborn ones because the set screws go right into the shaft and leave an indention the sometimes multiple spacers like to stick to the back of the pulley. If you loose these spacers the pulley WILL RUB on the bearing. Just clean up the indention on the shaft with a needle file and the new pulleys will slip right back on. I replace every bearing in the projector that doesn't already come with the new pulleys while I'm at it. The rebuilt/upgraded machines are just like new and run quieter than you can believe. Flutter is dramatically reduced and digital basement readers actually will work now.

BTW: I installed a very early prototype round tooth conversion kit up in Jackson, WY well over a year ago and it took just about an hour to do it. The pulleys and belts show no wear after this amount of time. If you go prepared with the right tools and bearings its really a breeze and the projector can get cleaned up in the process. The machine stays alot cleaner down the road as the belts exhibit almost no shedding.
Mark