Used Cobra Class 18 (out of timing). Should I buy?

[Colinml]

Hi.  I've found a Cobra Class 18 for sale by owner at what I think is a very attractive price.  In the ad, the seller says it's pretty new (pictures look pretty new), but that the "timing went out after using it for a couple projects" and he "hasn't been able to get it back in."   I wrote to him and he explained that he had tried to reset it, but couldn't, so he got an estimate to have someone else do it (which was $400), so that's why the price is so low.  Also says he doesn't use it anymore.

I have set the timing on a few home sewing machines (old Singers, a 15-91, a couple featherweights, and a 66), but have not worked on (or even used) a triple feed machine.  I briefly looked at the manual on line, and it looks like it's more complicated because you have to consider more than just the needle in relation to the hook, but I think I could figure it out if I bought the machine and got it set up in my own space and could go slowly and maybe ask questions here if I ran into trouble.  My question, though, is whether there could be something unfixable wrong and the symptom is bad timing.

If it's just a matter of trying harder...trial and error to get the timing back in, I think this could be a very good buy, but if there could be something broken I could be buying someone else's expensive problem.  Thoughts?

Thanks!

-Colin

[DieselTech]

I would contact leather machine co. & see if they could walk you thru retiming it. I watched a few videos of the class 4 timing & on that machine there is 3 seperate adjustments to set timing. 

[Colinml]

Thanks, DieselTech.  I wrote to them.  I think I could figure out adjusting the timing, once I'm back in my shop, but it's the unknown that worries me.  I don't know anything about these machines, so I wouldn't know if something else could be wrong/broken and it just looks like all it needs is adjusting.

[Colinml]

Just following up to say I wrote to Leather Machine Co., and David wrote back responding to my questions and even offered to help me with the timing over the phone if I got it.  I was impressed that he was offering his time/expertise on a machine I had not even purchased from them.  That was enough to convince me to go ahead, and now I have a new to me Cobra Class 18.  It took me about an hour to figure out that the previous owner had the hook timing correct, but he had the clearance wrong.  The rotating hook assembly was pushed tight against the hook shaft bushing, so the little tab on the rotating hook positioner was not engaging the detent in the rotating hook assembly (so it was spinning freely, and also, the needle would collide with the assembly).  Very easy mistake to make, and the only reason I knew to look is that I happened to have worked before on a vintage Singer machine that used the same system.  We managed to lose the bobbin case in moving, so I can't test the other aspects of timing, but I am confident that this was the only issue, and I'll just be doing a bit more adjustment when my new bobbin case arrives.