8N makes more progress

This evening I got a few minutes to work on the 8N again. This time I replaced the Proof Meter (tachometer), added a gas gauge which is like the one riding mowers have – a float extends into the gas tank and sort of tells the gas level when the vehicle is still. I would have replaced the steering wheel, but so far have not figured out how to get the old one off. I removed the center nut and used some Parts Blaster liquid to loosen the fifty-three years of rust. No luck this evening.

I drove the tractor around the yard, enjoying both the new ammeter (which I think I have wired correctly now) and the Proof Meter. I also greased everything I found that had a grease fitting. I found a few more after I ran out of grease in one of the grease guns. I have two full size grease guns and a new air powered one which I have not yet used. The one grease gun is empty now.

Tomorrow I will work on the Ford 640 and remove the rear wheels and fenders to paint them, hopefully remove the gas tank and add a fuel shut off and tank filter AND stop that leak on top of the engine. I can add fender decals to both tractors and might get the hood for the 640 finally repaired and back on that tractor. It has been a long time on it and I want to get it back together again. Lorenzo said he will help me tomorrow. He is a great painter and has muscles to help with the tires which weigh about 200 pounds each if they have no water in them. The 640 needs a new muffler which I have in my tractor stock. I will adjust the points and probably will have to adjust the carburetor since the tractor had a very clogged air filter and may have had the carburetor adjusted to compensate for not cleaning the air filter. I bought a copy of an original ground wire and will put it on the 640 as I can't use it on the 8N since it is a 12 volt system now and the battery post is too far from where it was on a six volt system. I do have a new battery box for the 8N and will paint it red tomorrow and get it on soon.

Tractor Boy

Farmall Cub Switch Replacement

It was a cold, wet, dreary day in Central Texas. Perfect weather in which to replace the light switch I replaced last week. The first replacement was blowing a 20-amp fuse in less than a second when turned to the farthest right position. Fortunately, I had added a separate fuse holder to the circuitry when the replacement did not have a fuse position. I spoke with the nice folk at Farmall Cub Forever and ordered a three position six-volt switch which arrived a few days ago. This time I took pictures so you can see what I was doing. Again, I replaced one wire at a time. The switch has a protrusion which fits in a notch in the console, and I replaced it so the two were properly aligned. I discovered it was easier to take the console off this time, and I did not need a small monkey to reach in the confined space. I did; however, forget that I placed a piece of board between the hydraulic housing and the hood/fuel tank. So, when I started up the Cub to see how well it would run, there...

Farmall Cub greasing

Replacing gear oil and greasing the ’49 Cub ought to be a straight forward task(s). Well it hasn’t been. The transmission fluid was tan, looking like tan paint. Folks on Yesterday’s Tractor Farmall forum said it meant water had got inside the transmission. I wonder whether this tractor was under water at one time. I bought a Spectricide brand insecticide pump, put kerosene in it, and flushed the transmission, then refilled with 90 weight gear oil. The gear oil looked like and had the consistency of thin honey. Pic 1300 shows the transmission filler plug. A lot easier to reach than the plug for emptying the transmission. Note it has a square head. All of these plugs are square headed. Three and a half pints later, the transmission was back together. After the transmission, I decided to check the steering gear oil. It was not tan. It was black as could be so I flushed the housing with kerosene again and refilled with ¾ pint of 90 weight gear oil and replaced the filler plug. Pic 1301 s...

Farmall Cub carb and oil

The past few days I have been working on my Jan 1949 Farmall Cub tractor. I replaced the oil filter which was made of cardboard with one from NAPA with a metal body. Pic 1264 shows the oil drain location on the right side of the engine. 1268 shows the oil drained, and 1269 shows the old oil filter. The oil was a bit dirty, but much, much cleaner than the black oil I drained from the 8N Ford. The oil filter reservoir cap needed cleaning and painting so I took care of that too. A dental pick was used to scrape off mu7ch of the dirt, followed by a small steel brush. Then a coat of primer and two coats of Farmall red made a pretty looking cap. It is a good thing I have tools! A set of used dental picks, several small brushes, a cleaning tank, left handed drill bits, and finally a can of carburetor cleaned were all used to clean and restore the carburetor. Tractor Supply sells a kit for the IH carburetor on the 59 year old tractor. Pic 1261 shows the carburetor as removed ...

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