Question Help identify Scubapro First stage (lazy thread #million)

[Mobulai]

Hi, I snagged this off of local classifieds dirt cheap, I was looking for a donor/practice/shelf piece mk5 and there weren’t enough pics of it.

Just arrived today and I am not so sure anymore what model is it, here’s part of my confusion:
- lower parts below the turret feel like mk5
- it has only 2 ports on that turret
- I never had a INT reg in my life (probably even used one; but this shouldn’t matter)
-one of the turret ports looks oddly similar to a HP port I’m a dumdum, it was just the port plug on the other side, again never seem a 2 port turret

I wanna assume it’s an mk3 but honestly I have a single mk5 that I also never used (currently a shelf piece); pretty clueless about anything before mk10 basically

Any SP whispers out there that can hlep me out identify it?

Thanks

 

[Whitrzac]

early mk5

 

[Mobulai]

early mk5

Awesome news and thanks for the lightning reply!
Theoretically, is conversion to later mk5 possible then? (Given I find the parts, it’s not scarred on the inside…)

 

[lexvil]

Awesome news and thanks for the lightning reply!
Theoretically, is conversion to later mk5 possible then? (Given I find the parts, it’s not scarred on the inside…)

The only way to update it is replacing the swivel with the later 4 or 5 hole’s and a stainless retainer bolt.

 

[Mobulai]

Sounds like till I find enough donors, I got myself a (rather beautiful) doorstop

 

[lexvil]

I’m not big on nostalgia, this was the hot ticket when I started diving 53 years ago and the MK 5 is an excellent first stage there are a lot of newer first stages floating around. I would put this away and spend more time looking for something like a mk25 in good shape, save the MK 5 project for the future when you may stumble across a great deal on another for parts.

This can serve you well but isn’t worth dumping a lot of $ into.

 

[Mobulai]

spend more time looking for something like a mk25

I’m more or less doing that actually, but this one (mk5) was really at door stopper price so I couldn’t say no (around a single tank nitrox fill)

I do appreciate how it looks, I might gut it out for fun/curiosity; but yeah I’ll focus more on converting the mk20s to 25s

 

[Mobulai]

Actually come to think of it, I got that inspiration from a thread of yours if my memory isn’t playing tricks on me — wasn’t it you who did that MK20 UL with a SPEC right @lexvil ?

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Mobulai

Old MK5, like the one I bought in 1972. Two LP ports on the turret and one HP (same size as LP) on the upper. An old, lower pressure yoke. Sometime in the late 1990s, I upgraded mine with a new yoke, 4 LP turret, and and HP splitter to the newer HP size. I don't dive it much any more but it works perfectly.

 

[lexvil]

Actually come to think of it, I got that inspiration from a thread of yours if my memory isn’t playing tricks on me — wasn’t it you who did that MK20 UL with a SPEC right @lexvil ?

I did a MK 20 UL, updated to MK 25 for the adjustable IP and a new 25 piston, with MK 5, 10, 15 that end up in my hands I usually save the port plugs, Din connectors and give the body away to someone like you who wants to learn about regulators but I haven’t come across any in a while because they usually come attached to a second stage I was looking for various reasons.