Hey there ... i just joined this forum .. which is nice being that i have just purchased a NICE '50 Model A .... that is quite complete ... I am third owner ... S/N 6520XX {sorry no full info posted here .. no offence intended towards anyone} ...

And now that i have an "A" .. i figure that this here place would be a fairly good spot to pick up info on restoration and repair and also get directions to quality replacement parts and services ..

well I brought my A home last weekend and right off started gettign into the mix of tearing it down... It took a bit of time each day after work to get the front grills and hood/gas tank nose piece and the intake/exhaust pipes off .. However,, prior to getting the hood foo I had the carb and valve cover off ... I still have yet to find out how much trouble it will be in removing the clutch ...

SAT 13JAN07 I got the engine free ... It was stuck ... Althought there is a tight spot somewhere midway in one of the cylinders ... i figure that a good hone and some fresh rings should help alieviate that problem ...

The only reason i have not gone out to get parts yet is that my other half says i have to save a lil' here 'n' there to get parts .... So there is no hurrying through this build up ...

SAT 20JAN07.. Well as of now i have removed the hood/gas tank .. The cylinder head and freed up the stiff valve, next is to service the valves and seats and run the head through the dishwasher... The clutch facings and plates have been cleaned {the springs could use a replacement}... the aircleaner is the only part so far that is actually ready for paint { at least something almost finished } ... the cooling system pipes have been bead blasted and parrtially polished { just to remove the original cast seam grinding marks and maybe smooth it up a bit } ...the upper pipe has to be replaced at the block mounting flange due to severe corrosion ... Some botls and/or studs have broken off in the dissassembly so a small bit of drilling .. grinding .. and thread chasing is in order ... also .. the intake/exhaust manifold is busted at some {repairable?} places ...

So i figure that this week i will work on the radiator and the steering column with controls and possibly order in some parts for the carb or even the engine kit ..

Some pix ... i will try to get more as time goes on
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/sylverhare75/a...460762382630799

21 JAN07 .. i have tore down the radiator and will bead blast the housing parts ... I can see { YES .. visually peer THRU} the core passages and see light ... all of them .... However there may be a spot or three that could use a touch of some silver solder to plug up a pin hole here and there ...

I just really hope that i can find ALL of the needed parts/gaskets used for the build up of my A ... because i would be a very dissapointed man if'n there were not available ...

till next time
cool runnings
Matt

SUN 28JAN07-- And with the continuing saga here ... This past week i have taken the steering pedestal from very stuck and rusty to clean and free moving... And rebuilt the ''Behlen" power assist steering pump and steering gear... Alll of the ports have been pluged with general notations on which brass fittings are required to replumb and notes for the sizes of hose... The radiator lower tank and side plates cleaned up quite nicely however the upper tank has 14 broken off bolts/studs in which i now have to extract .... A John Deere dealer I worked for previously has a short part list and is working for me to see wheather or not OEM parts are still available.. Just some smalller things that are not listed on any aftermarket web sites ... The pistons and con rods have been removed as well ... with one piston needing a GOOD cleaning both needing fresh rings and the opposite con rod needing the bearing redone (see "Babbit bearings" in main discusion forum)...

I figure that now i have removed enough from the tractor it should be light enough to not be unstable when i remove the front wheels then block up the front end for fresh skid-mores and bearing/seals ...

As it seems i am quickly running out of space to layout all my parts ... I need to start getting repair parts and gaskets and paint so I can start the reassembly .. Or at least assemble some smaller ... assemblies ... {kinda reduntant}

Like i said before i will try to get some more pics up to show 'pro'gress/'con'gress

till next time
Cool runnings
Matt

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/sylverhare75/a...460762382630799

i hope this link works ...
there are more "during" pics now

cool runnings
Matt

03FEB07... Work on the "A" has been slowed just a bit due to me getting through the tear down faster than the funds for parts has been rolling in... Right now not much progress has been made except that i have cleaned the pistons up to looking new and the bores in the block reconditioned to being smooth {honed not re-bore}... For some reason i have not gotten any consistent readings on the actual piston/bore size using calipers [one says 5.496" piston 5.505 bore .. while another reads 5.538 piston and 5.548 bore}.... Some day I will take the slugs into work and use the mic set there to measure the piston diameter to see what exactly i have {there are no markings on the pistons except an - up G - mark on the bottom of the skirt}...

So I figure that until I get some cash flowing in I shall just resort to patiently hand sanding the remaining parts to prep for filler.primer.paint... I do have to say that when a bit of time is available and one have very little to do ... Emery cloth or roll sandpaper and the use of a boot polishing action {little circles} does work .. It is time consuming _ however results are seen... And it lets one carefully monitor the integrity of the parts {rust or lack there of}

Also i have priced fresh skidmores for the front and rear and to get all it is going to set me back 1046 just for that ... I have looked for used but hold air with no luck ... At least in the imediate area ... So maybe sometime this week i will jack and block up the front end and remove the front wheels for clean up and refresh of seals/bearing where needed .. I say - " When replacing one ... might as well do it in a matched set .. since ya there''

That is the progress report for the past while ... More to come ... eventually..

Cool runnings..
Matt

Matt, if you don't mind me asking how much did you pay for the model A? I want to buy one my self but I'm a little nervous about doing the rebuild.

Steve

My "A" was pick up for 750 ... The last previous owner gave me that price back in JUL/AUG .. i scraped together some savin' cash and then in JAN i had enough and went down to buy it ,,,, While the time passed he realized that it was worth more that the quoted price ... However he stood by the original price ... Now mind you that when i picked it up, it had been sitting for about 10yrs and had 4 flats, locked engine, and just about every part frozen that should be free spinning...
This should give you an idea with pricing but it may all depend on the supply/demand in your area, and also the condition ... i figure that i got a smoking deal {with exception of needing 4 new skid-mores} ... Completeness, age, integrity, and the amount of 'work' that has to go into a rebuild/refresh/restoration should be considered also in determining the price .. So .. say i were a beeting man .. a "brand new" may run 3500 .. a clean paint,new tires 'new engine' maybe 3000 ... a 'maintained' not restored about 2700-3000 ... a locked and complete around 1500 but no more ... and last .. a "PARTS" tractor ... NO more than 800 ... those are my 'guesses' ..... I rreally dont know ... but it sounds goood ..... maybe .. {shrug}

good luck Steve in finding your ideal "A" ... and when it comes to the rebuild ... just ask when questions arise ... some one should have the answer ....

Cool runnings ..
Matt

25FEB07... It has been a few 'days' since my last update.. So I shall try to get this up to speed... I finnaly got the front half of the steering shaft out of the top of the steering pedestal {the front part with the gears}... It just took a little bit of sanding down of some rust build up on the shaft itself, and then it just slid right out... Then I jacked up the front a bit to remove the front wheels which had been mounted on the INSIDE of the hub .... None the less they are off ... Since I am trying to get the A back to as close to new as possible the bearings, felts and the keepers are still available from Deere as new parts so those are going to be replaced...
Another piece to the puzzle that has been torn down and cleaned is the governor housing and fan drive ... Bearings and seals are in OK shape and can be purchased new so those in the left and right ends are getting a refresh as well as the governor wieght pins ... The bevel gears are in immaculate shape and both have a nice even wear pattern on them showing that the adjustment was niether too loose nor too tight ... The vent pump {which I think is a rather ingenious setup} is clean with no scoring on either face or in the bore... The fan end on the other hand is a different story ... I had to drive the fan and friction plates backwards to remove the end keepers and the lock ring ... The front friction plate came off relatively easily as did the fan blade itself ... The trouble came while pulling the rear plate off using the GEN pulley and spring ... It plate had been working its way up towards the end and just before it got close it came loose ... Popped free ... Cocked a little and still under spring pressure it cracked around the ceter hub portion ... And luckily for me the new plate is on my part list and ... YES .. STILL available from Deere ...The fan shaft is in good shape with just some concern about the splines for the fan .. They should be fine ... ... Getting back to the governor housing I do belive that in the event it is possible I will try to ream out and install a bronze bushing with O-ring in the hole that the governor/fuel rod control shaft goes through {I thought it may have been a wee bit loose for my likings}... As for any real news nothing major yet except i have ordered a few parts so far ... Engine gasket set , a choke lever spring, a governor leaf spring and a DTLX 71 carb kit with bowl gasket {it does not hurt to have too many carb parts}... Next SAT those should be getting picked up so I may actually start putting things back together instead of just dissassembly...

Ohh .. by the way .. I do have some bad news ... I found my left side piston craked just below the piston pin about a third around the skirt ... Now I have to locate just ONE .040 over Model A {5.538(skirt)-5.542(bore)} piston with pin ... In good serviceable condition { HINT HINT .. } for a fair [another hint hint] price... I am not looking to purchase a matched set as long as the one I find is a cast iron ... Balance is not an issue ... Weigh both .. Find lightest ... CAREFULLY cut other to match ...

One other thing ... I would like to add a Speed/Tach/Hour meeter to mine .. although I would need a new governor drive shaft and housing end plate along with the guage... braket can be fabricated and cable gotten from a Tach shop.. Those are NOT available from Deere {dadgummit}

That is about as up to speed as I can get readers with out having a 'field' trip to my garage ....

So .. till next time ...
Cool runnings ...
Matt

26FEB07 ... correction to piston size ... its a 045 over ... carbon had to be cleaned off .. 5.546 bore ... piston still 5.538 ....

08APR07....

Well .. Its been quite a while since I have added any updates to this log/journal ... There are not real significant updates to progress to date ... Still hand sanding the tin and other painted surfaces .... Although i have found a manifold that replaces the broken one that was removed ... Still looking around for pistons ... Although I have not really decided weather or not I should just go for a set of 045 over stock type pistons thru an aftermarket dealer or keep hoping for a good used set ... i have been tossing around the idea of installing the 60 LP type ... Being that a few times I have seen some reference to getting 'more pop per cylinder' ... ?higher compresion??? ... I would like to see some design specs for the two to get an idea why that is {crown domed not dished ??}... Wel in any event the pistons are really the least of my worries ... I happened across something that said B blocks at one time rested on the frame rails and can rust thru where the two parts touch ... So ... Me and all my 'wisdom' went to get a good look at my block ... No it does not touch the frame {good thing} ... However it has two holes in the water jacket just below right side cylinder ... So much for not removing the block ... Now I have to decide , Do I search aroundand get a good used block and hope that there are no cracks or weak spots- try and repair this one or should I check into this company that manufactures aftermarket blocks and get thiers ... Trouble is ... Will the aftermarket block conform to the rules of the Antique Tractor Pulling rules/guidelines in relation to the block ... I would at least once try out one of those pulling trials just to see how The A runs with a load ... So with that new found problem ... I kinda figured that in the event of an approval of the aftermarket block being a Go for the stock replacement criteria .. I may as well refresh the crank, con rods{which I need to do anyways}, get 60LP pistons and just spring for a quality aftermarket manifold and other assorted aftermarket parts... So much for a restoration ..Its more like a refurbishment with upgrades ... No Expo awards here ... I suppose its not too bad ... I guess a clean, strong runner is just as good as anything... We'll see ...

Till nextt time ...
Cool runnings...
Matt

how ya doin Capt. Rik here I also just bought a 1950 A found it sitting under a tree in Parrish Fla. also locked up had to take the brake units off just to roll it haven't gotten it home yet trailer I brought was 7 inches to narrow 91 inches to the outside of tires is the tractor trailer was 84 oh well. I brought the brake units home and took them apart cleaned them up just need some shoes and springs and a few o'rings. Looking forward to the journey of restoration I see you have yours pretty much dissasembled as soon as i get mine home will have to figure where to put it for take down. I am almost finished with a Ford 3400 1967 loader 3cyl diesel I have a friend who has a 2 acre shop in Odessa Fla about 35 miles from me I do most of the work there body panels and loader parts are in my driveway wife not to happy neighbors seem to be ok with it. I will be bringing the tractor home in a day or 2 to start putting it all together body panel and loader wise still have to paint the frame of the tractor everything else is done. Rebuilding the control unit this morning found a few broken springs and bad o'rings minor stuff. When I am done with this one it's going to Conn. to a house I have up there to clean the yard up old nursery 4 green houses have to come down about 1000 cinder blocks to move the reason I bought the loader in the first place. Well as your going along on your resto please let me know where you found parts most likely I'll need similiar to yours. Mine the fenders are missing and the front grill top metal is shot as are the fuel tanks mine is a single front wheel model. Well have fun keep in touch Capt. Rik

27MAY07-

It has been a while since I have posted an udate here on progress... So to get ya'll up to speed {a slow ta-go speed that is} here is the happenings since last time... As stated in the last post I had found some rather significant damage to the water jacket on the bottom of the block and thus had to be replaced... I found one thru a slavage outlet and had it shipped to me.. Upon receiving the 'new' block I noticed a small, but nonetheless, trouble some crack in the cylinder wall at the compression release port... I really just wanted to get the block and have it punched out and a set of oversized pistons installed... With the crack the block had to be sleeved- no way around it... So off to the machine shop it went... For a price {I wont say reasonable or unreasonable} the shop has bored and pressed in the sleeves, cut the compression ports, and spark plug holes... During the wait for the work to be done, I found and purchased a set of standard A babbit rods and a set of standard used pistons and a set of shims for the rods... All that for less that 90 bucks {finally a savings of sorts}... After I cleaned up the pistons the machine shop called and asked wether or not I had pistons to be matched to the bores... Since I did, I took the pistons over and saw the block... It look darned near brand new... Just a faint line about 3/8 inch from the bottom of the bore where the sleeve stopped and on the deck around the outside... Other than that IMMACULATE... now all there is to do is wait for them to match and finish hone so I can pick it up...

As time passed waiting on the block and machine work I got to looking around on da'A and thought - Hey since I am here why not pull the crank and refresh the mains and seals- plus the clutch and the reduction housing seals- ... While putterin;' anroud I took my multiplier and breaker bar and assorted sockets and loosened the flywheel bolts... then just walked away... Came back a few days later and the flywheel was loose on the crank {so much for a press fit}... I have not pulled the clutch as of yet, so that will stay for a while... However I was looking at the steering section and frame and thought " What the hey - I should just pull both so I can clean and paint both easier" .... See --That is how quick a project can go from justa repower to a complete teardown ... And the thing that gets me ... Is i have not even started on the transmission .... Just to think how far into that I will go ... Although .. keeping with the steering ... I figure I will just pull the front and tear it down and clean up the gears and shafts and bearings .... then reassemble it ... I dont think there is too much to do to that ... and blast the frame and primer since its easy to remove now nothing is in the way ... That is about the extent of the progress so far ...

Maybe I am doing too much ... Or not enough ... I dunno ... I guess I'll find out when I get done ...


Till next time ...
Cool runnings ...
Matt

08 MAR 09

Well it has been quite a while since I have made a post on any sort of progress... I have reasons (excuses) for the lack of progress... Move to AZ and new (larger family)... however I have made a bit of forward movement with the refurbishment/ rebuild...

ok... I just went out and bought a puller for the clutch drive... Broke one puller leg strap doing so although it was removed... Then the pulley,,, reduction housing,,, and large reduction gear were pulled off... Finding the key stock had wobbled around and opened up the slot in the gear hub abd the trans input... so now those have to be replaced (more cash )... So being that its a gear that has to be replaced I thought that I should replace the belt pulley gear and bull gear as a matched set... Hopefully getting each from the same donor tractor... due to tooth wear patterns... the swap seems simple enough... pull and press for the pulley gear... NOTE... I would like to swap out the woodruff drive key type trans input for a splined drive input and gear (part AA4418R for AA5471R {input}.. gear/hub AA4629R for AA5442R) that would eliminate the piece of key stock and get me splines for the drive... ??might be stronger.. less likely to do the same thing... upgrade??

So now on to the crank and cam... The mains wear in good shape... no scoring on the journals... the bearings are in need of replacing... and once the cam came out i thought about the lifters (cam followers/tappets)... in doing so each of the exhaust lifters had stopped turning in the bores and had worn a slight dent on the surface from the cam lobe... cam lobe is not damaged or worn (at least to the naked eye)...


well thats what i have so far... hopefull i can get my A going back together this year... may be ready for next years state fair and pulling season... who knows???

till next time...
cool runnings
Matt