The past two weeks I have been working furiously on the 1952 * N to get it ready to be a show piece (another name for Parade Queen) for the opening of Vacation Bible School. Painting is pretty complete. I bought a OEM tool box and realized it goes in the location where the solenoid has been on this old 8N since I bought it dead in a field about three years ago. Pics 004-007 show the solenoid on the brace under the hood. The hood is off the body at this time. That was a three person job both to remove it and to replace it again. I still had a quarter tank of fuel which added about 24 pounds to the weight of the hood. Pic 011 and 012 show the solenoid atop the starter where it is supposed to be. I lengthened one wire by soldering a piece in the line, and replaced another, being careful to work one at a time after studying what was supposed to happen electrically. Once the battery was in place I turned the key and pressed the starter (gear shift in neutral) and the starter turned as it should. So, all was well. I thought this, but later found this a premature conclusion.
Pic 009 shows a new hood pad in place. A lot of these items were purchased almost three years ago when I started this renovation and have been waiting patiently to be used. Pic 008 shows the right front wheel on the tractor again. I replaced five of the nuts with new ones and painted all of them, but the air wrench removed some of the paint when I tightened the nuts.
The thermostat goes on top of the engine inside the upper radiator hose (pic 013) after the fluid is drained into a large plastic container beneath the drain petcock at the bottom left side of the radiator. A separate adjustable clamp keeps it in place. There was no thermostat to replace. Pic 014 and 015 show the air funnel which inserts into the opening on the air filter. A screen is over the air funnel. While I was doing this I removed the special screw which holds the cover in place and shortened it on the side which had been touching and scratching the air cleaner. I am continually amazed that this tractor ran with so many things missing, bent, or broken. It did run from the field to my yard back in 2005.
More later.
Tractor Boy