GTEK rescue & super mech conversion

[lhamilton1807]

Got this beat GTEK in the mail. Paint was crusted in every crevice, and parts of the engine were missing or broken, and the barrel was fused together.

But the price was nice and I wanted a full-time mech anyway. The ano (Stretch Fire - limited run) in this was loads of fun. Too bad the previous owner mauled the barrel front trying to get them to separate.

[lhamilton1807]

Separating the barrel halves
This was a fun puzzle. I tried:

1. a heat gun
2. the freezer
3. two strap wrenches
4. penetrating oil

but couldn’t get the barrel pieces to separate. I finally broke down and built the tooling to get this done. Used an old 2x4, a 7/8” spade bit & drill, a circular saw, an old bike tube, and C-clamps to build grippy non-marring barrel separators. The narrow parts of the barrel halves were 13/16” or so wide, so I chose to drill 7/8” holes to give the bike tube some room. Worked pretty well! Slow pressure didn’t do it, so I tried a quick twist and the threads screeched, allowing me to untwist them.

Someone just didn’t think cleaning his gear was worthwhile… the marks in the pictures indicate that when the barrel stuck together they tried wrenches to separate the halves. The paint in the barrel dried out & acted like loctite.

[lhamilton1807]

Cleaning & testing
What. A. Mess. There was paint and mud in the inside of the electronics button. The detents had sat in paint long enough they turned to black goo as I removed them. I was surprised the board, eyes, and solenoid all worked. Thankfully the reg was easy to disassemble and didn’t require a wrench - a few new seals and a reg seat and it was ready to go.

Slapped the core (and OOPS) from my other GTEK in to do testing (red OOPS was drying from a deep clean still) and aired it up. No leaks! Shot great, and it looks good with the black mech frame I had.

[lhamilton1807]

Shopping for parts & upgrades
Needed a few pieces

• spool assembly (how did they snap it in half!?!?)
• spool spring
• spool spring guide
• plunger

For extra sexiness:

• the very last red “weathered” bone gtr from Liquid Paintball
• Deadlywind hAir 45 v2
• a green & earth aluminum feed neck for my HDE Earth GTEK. The black aluminum feed neck I have (not pictured) will go on the red/black mech.

To sell:

• Electro grip frame
• board (no oled)
• Functional wiring harness (with the exception of the solenoid & pilot valve. I’ll keep those for spares)

[PBGunny]

Some people are just not compatible with nice things.
Congrats on the rescue.

[DieManInTheRough]

This is the saddest state i've ever seen a PE marker, especially one with custom anno. *Headshake* Great job with the resto, hope it gets out there to shwack some more.

[lhamilton1807]

Painting faces with this is definitely the goal. I love the e-frame - it’s comfy and easy to walk. But the mech frame is tons of fun. The new valve and trigger shoe should make it an absolute beast.

[iamthelazerviking]

Seems like previous owner didn't know about reverse threaded barrel and ruined it

[lhamilton1807]

Yes, the marks on the barrel indicate they tried to get it separated with some hard surface or wrench. It was just paint inside the barrel threads, just like everywhere else. All they had to do was take care of their stuff and it would have saved the ano. It could have been that they just tightened the pieces together, but I think the dried paint also served as loctite.

The threads and barrel bore are fine so it’ll still function. I’ll be on the lookout for a new tip - would be cool to have this looking nice again.

[Grendel]

It amazes my how poorly some players treat equipment. I am anything but anal about my markers, they are tools and get used and abused at times but I try to use them for what they are meant for and at least wipe them down and swab out the barrels and put them in neoprene sleeves at the end of the day. I pity anyone who becomes attached to someone who cares for their equipment this poorly.

[lhamilton1807]

I feel the same. Even my loaner blowbacks are cleaned after every game I host, and that means a few hours of cleaning. The smiles are worth it.

On the other hand, I get deep satisfaction from resurrecting dead markers. This one will be a keeper. It’ll see the field.

[The Hobbit]

I have absolutely fallen in love with my OG Gmek, I was fortunate enough to buy one that already had the hair45v2 included, so I have only read of the disappointment with stock.
I’ll be curious to see your thoughts on the trigger shoe, it may need to be added to mine.

I haven’t put paint through it with the eframe but the little bit of dry firing felt phenomenal.

I will say I am jealous of your anno, mine is one of the PE woods camo, it ain’t bad but kinda dull. I did get a great price on it with both frames though.

[lhamilton1807]

My electro HDE earth gtek is very easy to walk. I love S triggers and after taking out the spring it’s a breeze to feather out ropes.

The stretch fire ano is gorgeous. I’m really bummed the barrel was abused - it’ll probably take me years to get a matching barrel tip.

[lhamilton1807]

Resurrection


They’ve arrived! Time to get this put together and tuned.

• New green/brown feed neck will go on my HDE Earth Gtek
• black aluminum feed neck will move from the Earth Gtek to the gmek
• composite feedneck will be for spares or another future build
• Bits for getting the Gamma Core running and making the trigger pull light and fast

The Bolt has some wear, likely from cycling with a broken spool. It feels smooth enough - I’ll give it a try. Did a complete seal rebuild of the entire gamma core just because I don’t trust what the previous owner may have done to the innards.


And it’s ripping! The DW valve makes such a difference in both the pull distance and weight. Wow, this thing is just so much faster!
I’ll have to wait on the Bone GTR install - the adapter for the GMEK trigger plate is coming separately. Updates to follow.

[The Hobbit]

What feednecks are compatible with the gmek?

[lhamilton1807]

Anything for Ego 7 or later. I believe it’s the standard feed neck that fits anything modern from PE.

[The Hobbit]

Good to know, thanks for the info.

[lhamilton1807]

The DW valve is very walkable with the Bone GTR trigger shoe. It’s so much lighter than the stock valve.

The wear in the bolt hasn’t been an issue. The worn spots are smooth so I don’t anticipate any problems as long as I keep the bolt engine clean.

Unfortunately the hair valve started leaking and wouldn’t cycle the bolt so I have the stock valve in again. I would not suggest the GTR trigger shoe unless you get the DW valve - it’s only eye candy right now since the force required to pull activate the pin is too high to just tap out a high rof.

I’ve contacted DW for support. Still a fun shooter.

[The Hobbit]

Sucks to hear about the valve issues.

[PBGunny]

Two years ago, I picked up a Flecktarn Gtek along with a black mech frame as a loaner/ beater marker for myself.
I spent most of the summer working on it switching it back and forth, installing a OLED board and adding the soft bolt and putting a Hair trigger in the mech.
It shot really well both ways, but I made the mistake of letting a friend of a teammate borrow it for a big game in the fall.
Cash came out and away it went.
I ended up getting a HK 170R and I have been playing quite a bit with it.
Last fall, another friend brought along his step-son to a game, his first one.
The kid has been having problems in school paying attention, finishing his homework and being disrespectful.
Well, he played and we worked with him all day and he ended up getting a trophy at the end of the day for finishing a "Young Guns" mission.
Things have changed since then, he is getting better grades and he is behaving much better.
I can't let that go by without a reward...
His favorite color is blue.

[lhamilton1807]

Looks great! Thanks for investing in this young man. I have seen these converted with the Gmek frames as well just in case he wants one down the road.

[The Hobbit]

That’s cool and a great way to show effort and a positive attitude is valuable.