Well, I finally got around to flopping the lever over on my RC II .... I have always had the lever on my Jr. press flopped over, and always wanted to do it to the RC II, but it looked to be a little more difficult than I usually had time to do, so I'm just now getting around to trying it, as I really got tired of the lever sticking up in the way all the time ..... It was easier than I thot, you just flop the bottom link, so that the lever hangs down when at rest....there is a small amount of grinding that needs to be done so the swinging "Links" will clear the channel, (they hit, or "Bottom out" before it will cycle thru fully without the grinding) ....because when flopped over, they will swing BACK now, instead of forward..... other than that, it was very straight forward, and I'm happiern a clam before it was dug up....:)

If anybody elses interested I can take some pix and post em' up ...

I'm having trouble seeing the advantage, but if you found it to be so then others will, too. So please post the pictures and in particular show the grinding locations.

I wonder if your conversion can be converted "back to original"? I read in another thread that you prefered to operate this way. What do you see as an advantage?

Cheezywan

Well Cheezy, I like to sit next to the press, and having the lever up is kinda in my way, so I figured out how to flop it over.... and youbetcha you can return it to stock, just flop it back...here's how :

The Idea is to wind up with the lever hanging DOWN when the ram is down, and pull it up to size or seat a bullet...to do this you need to "Flop Over" the toggle link that holds the lever, so that the swinging links swing BACK ....this positions the lever and swinging links out of the way.

On the RC II :

first, remove the lever itself, then remove one of the clips on the pin thru the bottom link, that pins to the swinging links... there are "Spring Washers" between the swinging links and the toggle link...don't lose them...you'll have to squeeze the links together a bit to release the pressure of the links and gently tap out the pin...

next, remove that long rod thru the link .... and remove the ram - just slide it out the bottom of the press body and set it aside

then take a punch and punch the link pin out of the top of the swinging links on the opposite side pin that has a hole in it, (thats what the hole is for, to stick a punch thru....a long drill bit will work)

then stick the punch in the hole from the opposite side and pop that pin out...(the swinging links have a bigger hole in the bottom, so they only go one way)

now, the place that need some material removed is the "Edge" of the slot that the swinging links travel in....

mount the press body in a vise (with padding) and take a file or a hand grinder, (I used a 4inch angle grinder turned on edge with a hard stone), and grind away some of the edge of the slot

If you assemble the links back into the body, in the position it came originally, you will see that they only swing a little ways to the back, but swing a lot farther forward...

remove enough material so's they can swing BACK farther...start with a little bit, and reassemble to check, when you think you've got it, then do the other link's slot the same, you can assemble the swinging links to the press body to check they are the same when swung back...

when you get them both swinging back enough, then assemble the toggle link and lever (without the spring washers), to check that it will, in fact, swing far enough back to toggle all the way thru...

if not disassemble and grind a tad more....

If your loading bench is more than about an 1 1/2 thick, you will need to mount the press out a bit, so the swinging links can swing back far enough to go thru the cycle....or notch the bench edge a bit

In the first picture below, if you look closely, (clik the picture) you will see where I removed the material... it's just to the left of the swinging link hinge pin ....it allows the link to go Back farther.....I actually did a pretty sloppy job, but it works like a champ.

reading my previous post over, it looks like this is a very complicated affair ... it's not, it's easier that it sounds...if some of you need more pix, or help, lemme know....

Clear enough for me to understand. Sure looks odd though. I don't think I would like reaching down that far for the handle. I mostly stand at the press.

Cheezywan

well, Cheezy, it kinda grows on ya..... and when your sitting, your hand-arm just falls right on it... and the lever and the links are down and back outta the way when walking by, or sliding back and forth working around the press when your NOT using it too, so it just seems to work out better for me..... soon's I get some more time to play, I'm gonna see if I can flop over my Supreme, I think it'll work out about the same.....