Hello! I am going to attempt to keep a journal of my tractor restoration process. I actually started this process on October 5th, 2005. I have just now got around to adding some before pictures. I hope you enjoy reading it. Be sure to add any advice that you can to help me through this process. I am a true beginner and I know all of you can help me out along the way.
Like I said, I started this process a few days ago so I will post a day or two at a time so that you can catch up. I begin my process of looking at and eventually buying the tractor.
My name is Steven Stack. I live in Waxhaw, NC - 15 mile southeast of Charlotte.
October 5, 2005 ? 1-hour
I am in the process of looking for the perfect project tractor for me and my son Andrew to restore. He and I drive a few miles down the road to look at a 1947 International Cub. Andrew really likes it and its size. I am not too impressed. There is a lot of rust but it does run. I took some pictures to review later and we left.
October 6, 2005 ? 2-hours
I have almost decided on buying the Cub but something is missing. I cannot get my heart around this tractor. My emotions are not ?there? yet. The problem is that I bleed Green. I just can?t seem to get into anything except a John Deere. I know that it is a bitter hang up but I can?t help it. Growing up, everyone had John Deere tractors and my Dad had one too. The only thing that I can do is to try to find an old John Deere. Not just any Deere? a Poppin? John is the only thing that will suffice as my first project tractor. There used to be an old man that rode his Poppin? John to Grandpa?s house to visit. I can still see pawpaw sitting under the carport hand rolling a Prince Albert cigarette as we listened to the old John Deere coming down the road. I have wanted one of those tractors ever since. As crazy as it sounds, one of the reasons for restoring a Poppin? John is so that I can drive it up to the cemetery to visit pawpaw. I sure do wish he was alive to help and share in the fun.
I decide that I will stop by the local ole? country store and ask Tommy, the owner, if he knows anyone who may have an old John Deere for sale. It just so happens that he had one. I could barely contain my excitement but I didn?t want to give that away for the sake of future price negotiations.
Later that evening, Andrew and I (with my other two children in tow ? Summer 3yo and Nolan 2yo) go to see the big green machine. It is really hard to look at something when a two- and three-year old is with you but they begged to see the tractor and I couldn?t say no. It is a massive 1950 Model A. The sheet metal is in good shape. It doesn?t run but the owner said that he drove it into the barn when it was last running 4-5 years ago. I really want this tractor and Sherri, my wife, has already given me her approval. Remember, there is not a tractor anywhere that is worth getting Momma mad? that is if you want to keep Momma around to do the dishes and the washin?. I think that the asking price is close to its worth. A little soul searching and praying will help me decide.
Full Version: A Day In The Life Of A 1950 John Deere A
October 8, 2005 ? 2-hours
I talked to my mother about the tractor. It turns out that I have a cousin that restores old tractors that I didn?t know about. His name is Billy Ray. He married my Great Uncles Daughter. Billy Ray bleeds Farmall Red. I won?t hold that against him, he is a very nice guy and is very helpful. I went to see Mr. Billy Ray along with my mom and dad. He has 19 tractors that he has, or is restoring. All of his tractors are Farmall or McCormick-Deering except for one 1946 CoOp. He has quite a collection. Seeing all those ole? girls will really get a guy excited ? no matter the color. He offered to sell me a couple of them but since they weren?t green, well? I?ve been through that with you already. If I am going to put hours, days and years into a project and take the risk of upsetting ?momma? I have got to have my heart into it. Understand?
October 9 ? 10, 2005 ? hours and hours of thought
I struggled with the though of buying the ?A.? I really want a project tractor but I was scared to take the plunge. I talked to a lot of people who restored tractors and I talked to Dad about it. He always has really good advice. He was against the idea at first but as we talked, he offered to go in halves with me on the deal. At that point, I was convinced.
October 11, 2005 ? 1-hour
I returned to look at the tractor again. I took Dad along. I also asked a friend of mine to look at the tractor. Mark Griffin is a co-worker of mine and a very good friend. He has restored many tractors in his day and is the one to blame for getting me interested in this hobby. Mark and Dad both gave me their blessing on the ?A? so I bought it.
Here are some before pics.
I talked to my mother about the tractor. It turns out that I have a cousin that restores old tractors that I didn?t know about. His name is Billy Ray. He married my Great Uncles Daughter. Billy Ray bleeds Farmall Red. I won?t hold that against him, he is a very nice guy and is very helpful. I went to see Mr. Billy Ray along with my mom and dad. He has 19 tractors that he has, or is restoring. All of his tractors are Farmall or McCormick-Deering except for one 1946 CoOp. He has quite a collection. Seeing all those ole? girls will really get a guy excited ? no matter the color. He offered to sell me a couple of them but since they weren?t green, well? I?ve been through that with you already. If I am going to put hours, days and years into a project and take the risk of upsetting ?momma? I have got to have my heart into it. Understand?
October 9 ? 10, 2005 ? hours and hours of thought
I struggled with the though of buying the ?A.? I really want a project tractor but I was scared to take the plunge. I talked to a lot of people who restored tractors and I talked to Dad about it. He always has really good advice. He was against the idea at first but as we talked, he offered to go in halves with me on the deal. At that point, I was convinced.
October 11, 2005 ? 1-hour
I returned to look at the tractor again. I took Dad along. I also asked a friend of mine to look at the tractor. Mark Griffin is a co-worker of mine and a very good friend. He has restored many tractors in his day and is the one to blame for getting me interested in this hobby. Mark and Dad both gave me their blessing on the ?A? so I bought it.
Here are some before pics.
October 12, 2005 ? Delivery Day ? 4-hours
I met Archie Baker at the ranch to pick up the tractor. Archie is an elder of the church I grew up in and runs a body shop and wrecker service. He is retired now but still tinkers from time to time and is always willing to drive his flatbed around when someone needs a tow. Dad rode with Archie to pick up the tractor and took it back to its restoration place at Dad?s house in his barn.
When I got home from work, Andrew and I rushed over to Dad?s to see the green monster. Andrew was so excited.
I figured that since the tractor was running when he drove it into the shop, I would clean out the carburetor and the sediment bowl, put some fresh gas in and fire her up. I may have to put a couple of new plugs in her so I picked them up earlier that day. Before the days end, she would fire. I was sure of it. It wasn?t that simple!
Mark came over to join in on the excitement. He is very knowledgeable about old tractors so his help would be immeasurable. I took off the flywheel cover and noticed that there was a large rust spot on the bottom of the flywheel. Apparently, the drain hole had been plugged with trash and water had accumulated around the bottom flywheel. The starter resides under the flywheel so it too had sat in water. The starter was in really bad shape. It had rusted and was completely frozen. Mark and I removed it and placed it in oil to see it we could repair it. It will have to soak for a few days. I removed the old plugs from the ole? gal and filled the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil. I tried to turn the flywheel. It would only move a quarter of a turn. I was disappointed. It is beginning to appear that the previous owner didn?t ?drive? the tractor in the barn using its own power. Meanwhile, Andrew is trying his best to clean the carburetor and sediment bowl. The copper tubing between the sediment bowl and the carburetor is completely clogged with dirt or rust or something. I wonder how so much trash could accumulate in a copper tube when there was no sign of the same type of trash in the carburetor or the sediment bowl? If I didn?t know any better, I would think that the tubing between the bowl and the carburetor had been dug up out of a swamp and placed there sometime since the tractor last ran. Who knows? I really don?t think the tractor was driven in the barn where it sat when I bought it. I get it cleaned out and re-installed when Andrew finishes with his cleaning. Another friend of mine shows up. Marvin Snead and I grew up together (sort-of.) He is my go to guy on painting this baby when the time comes. He is also knowledgeable in engines so he is sure to prove to be a valuable asset in my undertaking. Mark left early so that he could go to church. Marvin and I continue to work the flywheel back and forth to see if it would break loose and spin. There is good compression on the left cylinder but I forgot to check the right one. The pistons will have to break free and the starter will have to be repaired before we can even think about starting her. She won?t run today, that?s for sure.
With the starter and pistons soaking, Andrew and I get in the mini-van and go home somewhat disappointed. It is after 9pm and Andrew has school tomorrow so I have to get him in the bed or ?momma? is gonna have my head.
I met Archie Baker at the ranch to pick up the tractor. Archie is an elder of the church I grew up in and runs a body shop and wrecker service. He is retired now but still tinkers from time to time and is always willing to drive his flatbed around when someone needs a tow. Dad rode with Archie to pick up the tractor and took it back to its restoration place at Dad?s house in his barn.
When I got home from work, Andrew and I rushed over to Dad?s to see the green monster. Andrew was so excited.
I figured that since the tractor was running when he drove it into the shop, I would clean out the carburetor and the sediment bowl, put some fresh gas in and fire her up. I may have to put a couple of new plugs in her so I picked them up earlier that day. Before the days end, she would fire. I was sure of it. It wasn?t that simple!
Mark came over to join in on the excitement. He is very knowledgeable about old tractors so his help would be immeasurable. I took off the flywheel cover and noticed that there was a large rust spot on the bottom of the flywheel. Apparently, the drain hole had been plugged with trash and water had accumulated around the bottom flywheel. The starter resides under the flywheel so it too had sat in water. The starter was in really bad shape. It had rusted and was completely frozen. Mark and I removed it and placed it in oil to see it we could repair it. It will have to soak for a few days. I removed the old plugs from the ole? gal and filled the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil. I tried to turn the flywheel. It would only move a quarter of a turn. I was disappointed. It is beginning to appear that the previous owner didn?t ?drive? the tractor in the barn using its own power. Meanwhile, Andrew is trying his best to clean the carburetor and sediment bowl. The copper tubing between the sediment bowl and the carburetor is completely clogged with dirt or rust or something. I wonder how so much trash could accumulate in a copper tube when there was no sign of the same type of trash in the carburetor or the sediment bowl? If I didn?t know any better, I would think that the tubing between the bowl and the carburetor had been dug up out of a swamp and placed there sometime since the tractor last ran. Who knows? I really don?t think the tractor was driven in the barn where it sat when I bought it. I get it cleaned out and re-installed when Andrew finishes with his cleaning. Another friend of mine shows up. Marvin Snead and I grew up together (sort-of.) He is my go to guy on painting this baby when the time comes. He is also knowledgeable in engines so he is sure to prove to be a valuable asset in my undertaking. Mark left early so that he could go to church. Marvin and I continue to work the flywheel back and forth to see if it would break loose and spin. There is good compression on the left cylinder but I forgot to check the right one. The pistons will have to break free and the starter will have to be repaired before we can even think about starting her. She won?t run today, that?s for sure.
With the starter and pistons soaking, Andrew and I get in the mini-van and go home somewhat disappointed. It is after 9pm and Andrew has school tomorrow so I have to get him in the bed or ?momma? is gonna have my head.
October 14, 2005
It is Friday and I am hoping that Andrew and I can go work on the tractor today. I want to take the head off to see what is sticking the motor. I decide to go by the John Deere place and get him an authentic John Deere cap. I wrote in the inside of the cap, ?To the best John Deere tractor help ever. I love you, Steven.? He loved the cap. He even slept with it tonight. He is a special kid. I do love him.
We didn?t get to work on the tractor tonight. Hopefully tomorrow? cross your fingers.
What?s in a name? I want to name our tractor. I am not going to refer to her as ?the tractor.? It means so much to us; it seems only natural that we name her. I had once thought about naming it Tommy Green. The tractor has lived on Tom Greene road for the last 10-years. The man I bought her from is named Tommy and of course, the tractor is green. Tom Green seemed fitting. Problem is, Tommy is a boys name. Tractors should be named after girls so Tommy Green won?t work. I haven?t mentioned naming her to Andrew so I will ask him about it and see what we can come up with.
October 15, 2005 ? 4-hours
What a beautiful October day. It is above 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Sherri, Andrew, Summer, Nolan and I go to mom and dads. Sherri is planning to drop me and Andrew off and take the others shopping. We were starving so we stopped by Mary Elizabeth Baptist Church and bought two-pounds of BBQ to eat when we got there. They have the very best barbeque. We buy it every year when they have their fund raiser.
After my belly is full, I get to work on our still, un-named tractor. I have huge plans today. Today, I will conquer the world. Ha! Not hardly. I suppose I just told you the outcome of the day but oh well? this is how it went.
The first step of conquering the world is to remove the valve cover. This is the first step of my journey to see the pistons. The valve cover came off nicely only having to remove 2 bolts and inside the cover looked like it just came off the assembly line. It was beautiful.
Next is the head. To get the head off, I have to take off the following: steering wheel, steering rod, hood, gas tank, air intake, exhaust extension, exhaust, manifold? the list goes on. There has to be a better way, I thought. Dad walks up at this time and I explain what I am planning and he gives me that ?look.? You know the ?look.? It is a dad?s nice way of saying that you are a complete idiot to do this now. He proceeds to tell me, ?Let?s not do that now, the starter has already been removed and needs plenty of work. We need to try to repair it and if the starter won?t turn the flywheel we?ll tear into her.? He has a good point. The ?A? is not in the building yet. We parked it outside to remove some of the dirt and gunk and planned to start it and drive her into the shop. After all, the tractor was running when she was parked... right? If I tear the engine down at its present location, it will have to endure the elements until I can get her back together. I guess we could have towed her into the shop but with the arrangement of the shop, that wouldn?t be easy.
I take his advice and put the valve cover back on. We proceed into the shop and remove the starter from the oil bath that it has soaked in for 2-days. It is still in bad shape and I am not convinced that we can do any good by working on it. I told dad that this is a futile attempt and we should trash the starter and buy a new one. He tends to have ?more sense? than money and gave me that look again. I tend to be more wasteful. We are a good balance together. Actually, he is a good balance for me. I am usually no help to him.
We tore into the starter. We filed and sanded on the shaft after removing the armature from its case to see if we could break the gear loose from all the rust that had welded it to the shaft. We worked and worked and finally, it broke loose. There was plenty of work to be done to get the shaft and the armature ready. The case was in bad shape and the starter hood was equally as bad. I placed one end of the shaft into the cheap mans lathe. A cheap mans lathe is a drill press for those of you who do not know. This sped up the process significantly. The brushes in the starter appear to be recently replaced and were perfect. Two-hours later, we have a practically rebuilt starter. This is going good. I learned a lot about starters today and it was an eye-opening experience to know that we restored the seemingly ruined started to almost new condition. This lesson will be very useful down the road when I want to throw away another part that costs in excess of $250.00. Thanks dad. We hooked up the starter to a battery with jumper cables to see if it would run. It did. Dad and I grinned from ear to ear. We were ecstatic! If you could have seen this rusted out piece of crap before we started on it, you would be grinnin? too! Trust me on this one. I installed it on the un-named girl and hooked up the jumper cables. Will the starter turn the flywheel as dad said it would? I sure hope so. I jump up on her and press the starter. Keep in mind, I have no gas in her and the spark plugs are removed. The carburetor has only two of the four bolts installed. I just want to see her turn over.
Oops! We won?t know if it works today. It seems that there is a short in the cable going to the starter. Sparks are flying and the starter won?t turn. Remember, we know the starter works because we tried it. I will have to run a temporary wire to the starter to check it. That won?t happen today because I am whooped!
I called Mark when I got home to tell him the news. He has a trick for me to try when I go back there. I will explain later but I am tired from all the work and excitement so I am going to turn in.
All-in-all, it was a very productive day. She is about ready to go, I can just feel it. It is amazing how you can get attached to a piece of rusted metal. You really can. She truly has a personality of her own. The fun is learning it.
It is Friday and I am hoping that Andrew and I can go work on the tractor today. I want to take the head off to see what is sticking the motor. I decide to go by the John Deere place and get him an authentic John Deere cap. I wrote in the inside of the cap, ?To the best John Deere tractor help ever. I love you, Steven.? He loved the cap. He even slept with it tonight. He is a special kid. I do love him.
We didn?t get to work on the tractor tonight. Hopefully tomorrow? cross your fingers.
What?s in a name? I want to name our tractor. I am not going to refer to her as ?the tractor.? It means so much to us; it seems only natural that we name her. I had once thought about naming it Tommy Green. The tractor has lived on Tom Greene road for the last 10-years. The man I bought her from is named Tommy and of course, the tractor is green. Tom Green seemed fitting. Problem is, Tommy is a boys name. Tractors should be named after girls so Tommy Green won?t work. I haven?t mentioned naming her to Andrew so I will ask him about it and see what we can come up with.
October 15, 2005 ? 4-hours
What a beautiful October day. It is above 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Sherri, Andrew, Summer, Nolan and I go to mom and dads. Sherri is planning to drop me and Andrew off and take the others shopping. We were starving so we stopped by Mary Elizabeth Baptist Church and bought two-pounds of BBQ to eat when we got there. They have the very best barbeque. We buy it every year when they have their fund raiser.
After my belly is full, I get to work on our still, un-named tractor. I have huge plans today. Today, I will conquer the world. Ha! Not hardly. I suppose I just told you the outcome of the day but oh well? this is how it went.
The first step of conquering the world is to remove the valve cover. This is the first step of my journey to see the pistons. The valve cover came off nicely only having to remove 2 bolts and inside the cover looked like it just came off the assembly line. It was beautiful.
Next is the head. To get the head off, I have to take off the following: steering wheel, steering rod, hood, gas tank, air intake, exhaust extension, exhaust, manifold? the list goes on. There has to be a better way, I thought. Dad walks up at this time and I explain what I am planning and he gives me that ?look.? You know the ?look.? It is a dad?s nice way of saying that you are a complete idiot to do this now. He proceeds to tell me, ?Let?s not do that now, the starter has already been removed and needs plenty of work. We need to try to repair it and if the starter won?t turn the flywheel we?ll tear into her.? He has a good point. The ?A? is not in the building yet. We parked it outside to remove some of the dirt and gunk and planned to start it and drive her into the shop. After all, the tractor was running when she was parked... right? If I tear the engine down at its present location, it will have to endure the elements until I can get her back together. I guess we could have towed her into the shop but with the arrangement of the shop, that wouldn?t be easy.
I take his advice and put the valve cover back on. We proceed into the shop and remove the starter from the oil bath that it has soaked in for 2-days. It is still in bad shape and I am not convinced that we can do any good by working on it. I told dad that this is a futile attempt and we should trash the starter and buy a new one. He tends to have ?more sense? than money and gave me that look again. I tend to be more wasteful. We are a good balance together. Actually, he is a good balance for me. I am usually no help to him.
We tore into the starter. We filed and sanded on the shaft after removing the armature from its case to see if we could break the gear loose from all the rust that had welded it to the shaft. We worked and worked and finally, it broke loose. There was plenty of work to be done to get the shaft and the armature ready. The case was in bad shape and the starter hood was equally as bad. I placed one end of the shaft into the cheap mans lathe. A cheap mans lathe is a drill press for those of you who do not know. This sped up the process significantly. The brushes in the starter appear to be recently replaced and were perfect. Two-hours later, we have a practically rebuilt starter. This is going good. I learned a lot about starters today and it was an eye-opening experience to know that we restored the seemingly ruined started to almost new condition. This lesson will be very useful down the road when I want to throw away another part that costs in excess of $250.00. Thanks dad. We hooked up the starter to a battery with jumper cables to see if it would run. It did. Dad and I grinned from ear to ear. We were ecstatic! If you could have seen this rusted out piece of crap before we started on it, you would be grinnin? too! Trust me on this one. I installed it on the un-named girl and hooked up the jumper cables. Will the starter turn the flywheel as dad said it would? I sure hope so. I jump up on her and press the starter. Keep in mind, I have no gas in her and the spark plugs are removed. The carburetor has only two of the four bolts installed. I just want to see her turn over.
Oops! We won?t know if it works today. It seems that there is a short in the cable going to the starter. Sparks are flying and the starter won?t turn. Remember, we know the starter works because we tried it. I will have to run a temporary wire to the starter to check it. That won?t happen today because I am whooped!
I called Mark when I got home to tell him the news. He has a trick for me to try when I go back there. I will explain later but I am tired from all the work and excitement so I am going to turn in.
All-in-all, it was a very productive day. She is about ready to go, I can just feel it. It is amazing how you can get attached to a piece of rusted metal. You really can. She truly has a personality of her own. The fun is learning it.
And?......................................
Don't leave us hang'in. Tell us more!!!!
Steve W.
Steve W.
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