Anyone ever restore a 68 Carbine?

[eld_catharsis_1968]

My first marker ever was a Tippmann 68 Carbine, purchased at a yard sale around 18 years ago. If you read my story over on the veterans section you'll know I went through a rough patch in life and got rid of all of my gear, which included some other old clapped-out Tippmanns I'd gathered up (Pro-Lite, Pro Carbine, 68 Special)

Or at least I thought I had gotten rid of them all.

Today my brother brings up that my 68 Carbine is actually nestled away in a relative's home. I'm shocked and have no idea how or why it got there. I thought for certain it was one of the first ones to go. Then again, that time period is still a blur to me. He said he's going to retrieve it and keep it safe until I can get back to that part of the country and pick it up.

The thing is though, that marker SUCKED. Constant double-feeding, sputtering, chopping, the feed elbow wobbled and fell off because of how poorly it was designed, it leaked c02 like a stuck pig... it was ugly as sin too, the anodizing was all gouged up and whatnot. It was a disaster lol, practically trash. I upgraded to an A5 fairly soon after buying it. I had the interest but not the money or resources to fix it back then, but I still kept it as long as I could with the hopes of restoring it someday.

Has anyone else ever tried their hand at restoring one of these old Tippmanns? I imagine they're practically valueless even in good working order, but given the sentimental value I'd even consider prettying it up with an anodized color scheme if I can acquire the parts to get it up and running again. If I remember correctly it had a stainless Taso barrel on it. I also think it might be somewhat cathartic/symbolic for me to go about the process of restoring, if it's actually possible. What do you guys think?

ETA: Found this old 68 Carbine ad that I thought was pretty cool.

[OpusX]

Paging Myrkul to the thread please...

[DocsMachine]

Easily. They're dirt simple and parts are relatively common. (Save for the feed neck itself.)

The reason it double fed was probably a bad detent. Those can be found from a number of vendors. The leakage depends on if it's a first-gen Carbine or the CVX. Significantly different valves, and thus different routes for leaks. O-rings and other parts can be had easily too.

Personally, for the sentiment, I wouldn't bother having it anodized- save that for a... shall we say, more worthy marker. The rest is a relatively easy fix.

Doc.

[eld_catharsis_1968]

I am pretty sure it's a CVX model valve. I'm going to have my brother take some photos of the marker as-is and send them to me so yall can see what it looks like. Where you at in AK? I was stationed in Sitka for 4 years and probably moving back up (thinking SE or Kenai) after I finish my degree.

[DocsMachine]

I'm in Kenai.

Sitka isn't actually Alaska, it's just Occupied Canada.

Doc.

[eld_catharsis_1968]

And occupied mostly by PNWers in my experience, haha. I definitely liked the mainland better. I would not move back to Sitka, the only thing I really liked about it was the equally easy access to fishing and beach hunting. Too landlocked/expensive. Otherwise I much preferred the mainland when I visited. I think the only place I'd consider living long-term in SE is Juneau and even then it's because I have a potential employment connection there. Otherwise I'd like to get to the Kenai or Palmer/Wasilla area.

[Jonnydread]

I ran a 68 carbine in woodsball quite a bit a few years back. I actually thought they shot pretty good. I’m not a big Tippmann guy but I enjoyed using the carbine

[OpusX]

Personally, for the sentiment, I wouldn't bother having it anodized- save that for a... shall we say, more worthy marker.

I don't know, they look pretty sexy with a bit of color on them.

[Toestr]

How easy it is to restore will really depend on what condition the hard parts are in (ie anything other than orings and detents). If it's an earlier floating valve model the condition of the body, valve, hammer and sear will all be big factors. If it's a later CVX valve the body condition will matter a bit less and the valve will have readily available replacement parts.

I restored a pristine floating valve model last month (complete with oil retaining rings on the valve) and it was pretty easy given it's condition.

Sounds to me like you were rocking a beat ex rental. The double feeds would be an easy detent fix, and the recock could be as easy as a mainspring change (or maybe the hammer and sear were done for). I also found the plastic elbows hold much more securely to the body than the metal ones (they also scratch up the feed area much less).

[eld_catharsis_1968]

I actually do think this was someone's personal marker, or at least it was right before I picked it up. If it was a rental before that it would explain why it was so well-loved by the time I ended up with it. It was set up to run the tank vertical, a stainless Taso barrel and had an aftermarket aluminum "v" style sight on it that wrapped around the body and used two small Allen screws to hold it on. One of the Allen screws must have stripped at some point and the PO tried to rip it off anyway, scratching the entire length of the body.

I am pretty sure it has the CVX valve.

I didn't realize they made a plastic feed elbow. I'd much rather have one of those if I can manage to find one.

[Meleager7]

I found a 68-Carbine on here over year ago, and built it up as close I could get to how my original gun i had in years 2000-2001

it's got the tippmann vert kit , lapco pro-lite double trigger, taso rva, PTP intruder ex chamber, dye stickies and a dye 14" barrel , and a sconi asa

I need one final part to call this build completed, which would be a Lapco 68-carbine stainless cocking knob !

[eld_catharsis_1968]

You did a really nice job! It looks really sharp. Mark this as the first time I've ever seen a carbine rocking a double trigger.

[Trbo323]

You don't have to commit to a hardcore resto-mod in order to get it running

Throw some cleaning solution, rings and a detent at it and I think you'll be surprised.

Hard decisions are all after that point

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[eld_catharsis_1968]

that's what I'm thinking. I'm definitely going to see if I can get it working mechanically first before prettying it up. What will surprise me is if it still has that stainless Taso barrel on it.

[Myrkul]

I really enjoy my carbines, both 68 & the Pro (the pro is better because of the feedneck situation) They both seem to shoot MUCH better then any of the later Tippmanns I've tried, at least the ones with the CVX valve do, I haven't come across any with the old style valve yet. I typically just clean them really well, fresh seals, fresh detent, polish the hammer lightly, either add or home brew an RVA, drill out the power tube, & notch the bolt. The real key to getting the velocity up on HPA is to drill out that brass fitting that retains the valve, it acts as a restrictor and can cause low velocity problems when not using Co2. Be careful not to over do it, since the top still needs to seal against the bottom of the valve. If its the Pro-Carbine I'll hog out the inside of the shroud to fit an A-5 freak back, makes for a nice sleeper. The other barrel that these things just seem to absolutely love are CP 0.685 barrels. Not sure exactly why, but they shoot noticeably better with those then anything else I've tried. I'm currently in the process of cleaning one up for my brother, so just let me know if you need pictures of any of the modified parts or want an in-depth how to tutorial, or if you need some of those annoying M1x4.5 70A seals. I also have a small pile of spare parts I don't need if something on yours is buggered.

They anno crazy well, and if you only anno the body it's not expensive either since it's just one big part. Here is one I restored a few years ago.

[Myrkul]

I kind of can't help myself when it comes to Carbines.

[eld_catharsis_1968]

This looks amazing and is exactly what I had envisioned! Thanks for the inspiration as well as the generous offer of assistance, I will likely be taking you up on that. I think I'd prob send mine off to Caustic Customs or Ano-Tech and do just the body, or maybe try to find a decent barrel to have matched. Where'd you send yours?

[Myrkul]

Thanks man! More the happy to help, just let me know what you need!

I sent mine to outlaw.

[Axel]

A 68-Carbine is one of, if not the very first, guns I ever restored to working condition. It won't need more than a thorough cleaning and (maybe) a few seals replaced.

[eld_catharsis_1968]

Wow thank yall for all the feedback! I had no idea there was so much carbine love out there. I might have my brother ship the marker out to me so I can get it apart and start figuring out what it's going to need sooner than later. Thank you all for the offers to help and suggestions, it means a lot!

I've always been super interested in anodizing. Caustic Customs and Ano-Tech are two I know of, you guys know of any others?

Stand by for photos! I'm going to have my brother send some pics when he digs my marker out and brings it to his place. If this sub-forum is an appropriate spot to occasionally post updates about the restoration process, that is what I intend to do. Hopefully if it works out yall will enjoy following along.

[Chappy]

Re: the airline reducer/valve fitting airflow:
all three of these were factory. The one on the right has a small bore middle is medium and the left is the widest. Any wider than that and you are too big for the oring seal. Have a look at your reducer, if it’s like the right side you can benefit from opening it up.

[eld_catharsis_1968]

It's been a decade since I looked at it last but I'm pretty sure it's restricted like the one on the right, maybe the middle. Is this an easy part to source, or do people modify the fitting themselves? I think given the option I'd try to get a new one rather than mess with the structural integrity of a high-pressure fitting... unless that's something that's been done before with no ill results.

Thanks so much for the help! My brother has agreed to ship the marker to me when he picks it up around Thanksgiving. I'm really excited to begin work on it and I'll keep y'all updated along the way.

ETA: Went back and read Myrkuls post and he said he drills them so I think I'll be good to go there. I'll definitely need to replace that seal, I remember it being pretty chewed up. I think that the flexible hose might have exacerbated that. Do people ever hardline these or do you think that would add to the restriction? I could see a hardline bent the right way looking really nice on a carbine. Definitely another thing I like about the pro-lites, that airline trigger guard is pretty genius.

[Chappy]

If you’re talking about the oring between the fitting and the valve, plan to replace that any time you take that fitting out.
I use stainless steel braided on almost everything . But the vert adapter came with a hardline so it is definitely doable. Not Necessary though. You could use macro as well, I stay away from it though

[Chappy]

Also I’d recommend replacing the orings first and seeing how it goes. Most of my procarbs shot 280 on hpa with decent sized paint. See what it does stock before you go making any changes. Carbines are like AKs they run great because the tolerances aren’t important. As soon as you start tuning that become less and less true.

[Trbo323]

I think I found an original rear sight in a parts bin yesterday

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[eld_catharsis_1968]

Happy Thanksgiving yall! My brother sent me this photo of my 68 Carbine. Talk about a blast from the past, I got this marker around 18 years ago, I was 14. He's dropping it in the mail to me shortly. I'll definitely be wanting to pick up a horizontal foregrip since that's an appealing part of the carbine look for me, as well as a barrel that'll accept the foregrip since mine are apparently long gone. Any recommendations? I'd love a simple, Phantom-style ported 11-in barrel and will probably have it anodized to match whatever I do with the body.

I'm going to do all new matching hardware and screws as well, will probably just go to the hardware store and get all new stainless. Not sure what I want to do with the vert foregrip. I think I might hard-line the vertical adapter and stick an expansion chamber on it, and hardline that too. Or I might just get rid of it completely. Will definitely be picking up a new hose, I don't trust the one that's on it now and don't remember putting that one on there. Pretty sure it had a SS braided line on it when I had it.

After all of that, I'm going to need to decide what parts I want anodized and what color scheme I want to do. If I do an expansion chamber or regulator, I'll prob have it anno'd to match. I'm definitely going to do muted/camo type colors, just need to decide which ones and what pattern.

Thank you guys for being along for the project and all the great advice so far! I'm super excited to get started and truth be told, I won't be sparing much expense on getting this thing up and running and looking great. After I anno it, I might even see if I can get the "Tippmann 68-Carbine" re-engraved on the side. It might all sound kind of silly, but this is primarily going to be a therapeutic process for me more than anything else.

[Myrkul]

0.685 CP one piece barrels fit snug under the stock carbine foregrip/shroud. They also shoot absolute darts and are cheap.

[eld_catharsis_1968]

Thanks for the recommendation Myrkul! Any particular model? Looks like CP has made a few different styles of one-piece bbls over the years. Would love this marker to end up being a tack-driver!

[Myrkul]

Just the basic 12" With a 0.685 bore, I believe they call it the "Classic" On their website. Should only be like $30. It's what I run on mine anyway and it works awesome.