This is as far as I got in August 2003. Other projects, tearing down a 37A parts tractor, and work got in the way of progress. Many of you know this story. I have pictures of that process as well but the that was before the digital camera purchase. Someday I may access a scanner and post them someday.





Despite all the rust, I have been pretty lucky getting everything loose. As many of you pros have have suggested, a good torch and heat go a long way in keeping ones sanity.


Nasty pitting rust. May need an artist to restore the lettering on the back axel housing


Split Rims. Not certain if these are very common. These were pretty easy to get apart, given tne new rubber was put on in the last 10 years. All I had to do was deflate the tire and pop off the bands. Could be fun to refinish and and re-install without scratching the heck out of them.



Again the major rust pitting. As you may have noticed in the previous pics, this is prevelant over much of the tractor except in areas covered in old grease and oil. This one of the reasons I purchased a parts tractor at a reasonable price a couple years ago. I plan to swap out parts like this brake drum and several other pieces which should save alot of time filling and sanding.


Draining the the old gear oil. I swear this stuff comes straight from the Labreah (sp.?) tar pits.



Regards,

Papas38

Engine block out and ready to go the maching shop.

The primary drive splines are still in great shape.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f124/Papas38/12.jpg

This part of the disassembly took a better part of the weekend in mid January. Further progress has been made since then and I will post additional pictures and commentary when time permits.

split rims = scary.

It's true. It has been known that incorrect assembly involves a tire exploding and rolling the tractor sometimes. (the force of the bead flying off the rim is wonderfully potent)

Some progress has been made since the last post. Trying to post pictures without high speed internet access is quite a challenge .





Block is in good shape, but the diagnosis is to bore 0.045 over along with new pistons and rings





Somebody has been in here before . Note the punch marks in addition to factory numbers on the rods.



Typical 1/2 inch of sludge on the bottom of the crankcase





Fortunately all of the transmission gears and shafts are in great shape. Some wear on the gears but nothing chipped or broken.



These snap rings made the air turn blue in the shop for a better part of an afternoon. The dog and cats where no where to be found the rest of the weekend. The bottom ring ring wasn't too bad but the top ring just wanted to go in circles. I finally found an old dental pick, bent it to the right shape, held my tongue just right, and smacked it with a hammer til it popped out of the groove.

The magic "Upper Sliding Shaft Left Hand Snap Ring Tool"



Bull Gears are in great shape


Hmm....Something does not look right here . Note how the left hand axle shaft sticks out from the castle nut further than the right shaft and whoever did the repair tried to shove one side of the pin over into the the nut. After removing the axle, the story became a little clearer. Apparently the outside bearing spun and the axle spacer wore about a 1/8" off the shoulder of the axle (see next photo). Apparently this sent a message to grease the bearings because when I pulled the axle there must have been at least three tubes worth of grease in the housing




This may explain all of the transmission fluid in the right axle housing. Note the punch marks in seal housing which may have distorted the seal.

Countershaft and Differential are in good shape. New bearings all around and it should be good for another 70 years








Finally got it clean




Down to a bare case


After many hours with a wire wheel, needle scaler, and even a dremel to clean the rust out of the lettering


Finally starting to go the other direction. Prior to applying the primer I sprayed on a coating of a rust neutralizer called PHIX. According to the label and others I have talked to, you just shoot it on, wipe off the excess and apply the primer. This is the Deere Buff Primer/Sealer. Looks more like old Cat Yellow to me. In any case it sure looks better than it did before. Next will be a few coats of high build primer to fill in the rust pits.


More later

Way in the back of the axle tube, there are pockets that go down near the inner seal area. These areas got filled with oil and grease in my '43 "B". It took forever to get the grease and the oil out of the tubes. If you look closely, you can put a wire in one of those bottom bolt holes and go out through the tube. I guess the drill bit went through there. It makes for a good drain when you're trying to clean the crap out of those tubes

Lookin good!!! I'm learning alot from you all. Having a 2 cyl. Deere has allways been a dream of mine and this year I'll have one to restore . Keep the pics & info comin!!!

The Old A's Lookin Good,

Chris

Looks excellent! I'm learning a lot from watching this. I have to re-build my transmission on my '37 A and this is priceless info. I'd like to see more photos and info. on the tranny when you put it back together. Does anyone out there offer a video of a complete tear down and re-build of the transmission? I believe I could do it myself if I had one.

Mike