68 special valve body with no recess for spacer collar

[Drcemento]

Jury is out on the usefulness of spacer but for running it on liquid some say its a good thing. Mine doesnt have the normal recess for some reason.
Anyone know the story? Is this a stock valve?

[infamoussmiley]

It is either a later or earlier model??? Not certain on these. Our fleet of them is all over the place.

Best,

Smiley

[MrBarraclough]

Mine is the same way. Runs just fine on a non-siphon tank.

[Drcemento]

i got it all up and running, but one of the big draws that made me wan to buy it was that I wanted to run it on liquid!

[Axel]

It's a normal stock variation. Mine is the same. Just speculating, but since it eliminates a part and some machine time on the valve my guess is it was a little cost savings project for Tippmann


Enjoy making clouds ☁️☁️☁️

[StrayBlackCat]

That is the first generation of the 68 Special. There is a rolled pin under it that is tapped in to limit valve movement on firing. The later models deleted the rolled pin and had the C retainer, a groove on the valve and notched frame for the C retainer for easier maintenance as the valve must be kept free floating. Early 68s sent to factory for service had the modification done automatically so C retainers may also be found on some early markers. Note that Tippmann just referred to the retainer as a spacer on the parts list.

[MrBarraclough]

Come to think of it, yes, there is a rolled pin I have to tap out to remove the valve on mine.

Also, isn't the lack of a perpendicular safety/locking cut at the rearward end of the cocking arm slot another sign of an early production 68 Special?

[StrayBlackCat]

Yes, that is correct. But if Tippmann serviced the marker later, they completed all upgrades. Same goes for the SMG60s and SMG68s that were converted to 68-Specials for a $100 fee. The lack of the safety notch could also indicate that the tube was from a SMG. The picture should cover all renditions, but actual timelines are elusive.

[StrayBlackCat]

Just restored the withdrawn pages on my 68-Special blog marking them with pending update in red. That includes the initial parts list that identifies o-ring hardness and some hardware resources helpful in repairs. Prices and availability have not been updated. I will only pull them again after the update is published. I need to find my detail files on the improved picture as well as siphon tank part details that I had tracked down.