My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)

   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#501  
Tonight, as I was welding stress cracks and straightening out dents in the grille parts, I made an interesting discovery.

Previously, I mentioned that the lower pan had been welded on one corner, and assumed it had been bent on that corner from impact damage, much like the two side panels had been. As it turns out, the corner had been bent that way deliberately, only I couldn't figure out why until I finally got everything reasonably straight and attempted a test fitting of the parts to see how they aligned. The lower pan was too wide, by about 3/8 of an inch.

Initially I thought that maybe the lower pan was still bent, making it too wide, so I carefully checked the alignment again and everything was perfect, except for the width. This leads me to believe that at some point in the past, the lower pan was replaced with an aftermarket part, and since it was too wide they made it fit by pounding the corner until it did.

To solve this problem, I plan to cut the lower pan in half, then create a basic lap seam by pounding the two pieces together where they overlap, before welding it back together. To ensure a proper fit, I'll bolt the two halves to the grille assembly prior to welding them back together. Of course, I could simply replace the lower pan with a new one (about $40), but that simply wouldn't be any fun.

The following images give a general idea of how the lower pan looked before I straightened it and ground the welds off the corner. As you can see, it was in bad shape.

14t2esx.jpg


suzhmv.jpg
 
   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#502  
I posted the following information to assist a member in another thread, but I'm also including it here for the benefit of those who are following this thread.

The following image is a 3D graphic I created which illustrates the correct initial alignment of the sector gears and ball nut for the manual steering gear box of the Massey Ferguson 135 tractor. It also applies to certain earlier Massey Ferguson tractors such as the MF-35 that are equipped with manual steering.

2krclf.jpg


Having recently overhauled the manual steering gear box during my Massey 135 tractor restoration project, I found the process of aligning the ball nut and sector gears to be extremely simple. It's highly advisable that you purchase a service manual because there are some caveats to watch out for.

Basically, to align the gears you do the following. Note that some steps are omitted for the sake of clarity about aligning the ball nut and sector gears.

  1. Install the steering shaft assembly using the original shim pack and adjust the pre-load on the bearings.
  2. Install the lower sector gear (pitman shaft) with the blank portion of it down, and align it so the lowest tooth on the ball nut of the steering shaft meshes with the tooth next to the blank portion of the sector gear.
  3. Install the upper sector gear (pitman shaft) with the blank portion of it up, and align it so the last tooth on the upper sector gear meshes next to the master tooth on the lower sector gear. Note that the master tooth on the lower sector gear should be 4 teeth from it's blank portion, clockwise as viewed from the slot where the adjusting screw goes.
  4. Turn the steering shaft to each extent of it's travel (lock to lock) to ensure that the ball nut of the steering shaft and both the upper and lower sector gears mesh properly. If any binding is noted, check for proper alignment/meshing of the gears.

Lastly, I strongly advise filling the steering gear box with *green* corn head grease (2-3 tubes should suffice) because the grease specified in the manual is no longer available. Note that the viscosity of common chassis grease is too thick for this application, but giving everything a light coating of chassis grease prior to assembly is fine.

I purchased my corn head grease from the following website:

http://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Special-Purpose-Corn-Head-Gun-Grease-AN102562.html
 
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   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#503  
Previously, I mentioned that the lower pan had been welded on one corner, and assumed it had been bent on that corner from impact damage, much like the two side panels had been. As it turns out, the corner had been bent that way deliberately, only I couldn't figure out why until I finally got everything reasonably straight and attempted a test fitting of the parts to see how they aligned. The lower pan was too wide, by about 3/8 of an inch.

Initially I thought that maybe the lower pan was still bent, making it too wide, so I carefully checked the alignment again and everything was perfect, except for the width. This leads me to believe that at some point in the past, the lower pan was replaced with an aftermarket part, and since it was too wide they made it fit by pounding the corner until it did.

To solve this problem, I plan to cut the lower pan in half, then create a basic lap seam by pounding the two pieces together where they overlap, before welding it back together. To ensure a proper fit, I'll bolt the two halves to the grille assembly prior to welding them back together.

Back to the topic at hand...

This morning, I checked the lower pan again and believe I can correctly shape it without cutting it in half. It will take a fair amount of work, but I think it can be done without too much difficulty.
 
   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics) #504  
Merriam Webster - Ingenuity
a) skill or cleverness in devising or combining : inventiveness
b) cleverness or aptness of design or contrivance
Nice post! Thanks.
 
   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics) #505  
where would you get the green corn head grease? Is it for a corn header on a combine? How hot do you think the steering box gets? I have a mf65 and need to service it. Its manual steering also. I just thought I could fill it with lucas oil stabilizer. I like the grease idea better though, cause it wouldnt want to leak out. I rebuilt a shift on the fly trans in a garden tractor and used green grease and lucas mixed together. I stirred it up and it worked great. The lucas was their oil stabilizer (thick stuff). The green grease is in a yellow and green tube. It has something about 2 guys garage on it. Ever heard of it? I'm glad your back to the tractor. Not that you'd want my help/company, but I wish I lived by you so I could hang out and help. It would be a long commute though.
 
   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#506  
I strongly advise filling the steering gear box with *green* corn head grease (2-3 tubes should suffice) because the grease specified in the manual is no longer available. Note that the viscosity of common chassis grease is too thick for this application, but giving everything a light coating of chassis grease prior to assembly is fine.

where would you get the green corn head grease? Is it for a corn header on a combine? How hot do you think the steering box gets? I have a mf65 and need to service it. Its manual steering also. I just thought I could fill it with lucas oil stabilizer. I like the grease idea better though, cause it wouldnt want to leak out. I rebuilt a shift on the fly trans in a garden tractor and used green grease and lucas mixed together. I stirred it up and it worked great. The lucas was their oil stabilizer (thick stuff). The green grease is in a yellow and green tube. It has something about 2 guys garage on it. Ever heard of it?

I purchased my corn head grease from the following website:

John Deere Special-Purpose Corn Head Gun Grease - AN102562

You're correct, corn head grease is generally used on combines, but it's definitely very useful in other applications such as steering boxes. It's a special polyurea thickened 0-EP grease, with 0 being the weight or thickness and EP being short for extreme-pressure (very important). As the gears in a steering box mesh, the pressure at the point of contact on the gear teeth is very high and the EP additives compensate by ensuring that a very thin film of lubricant remains between the gears to prevent wear. Here's a video (full of techno-babble) about corn head grease.


I'm glad your back to the tractor. Not that you'd want my help/company, but I wish I lived by you so I could hang out and help. It would be a long commute though.

Actually, I'd enjoy having some help and/or company because my garage can get pretty lonely at times. My wife occasionally comes over to check on me, but you know how women are about garages and getting their hands dirty. About that commute... it's a long one indeed. :)
 
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   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#507  
The following are pictures of the front grille assembly after the mesh ribs, side panels, and lower pan were straightened. Ultimately, I decided to cut a section out of the middle of the lower pan and weld it back together because further assessment revealed that no amount of bending would have made it fit properly, it was simply too wide. The weld on the front of the lower pan was ground flush and the weld on the back of it was lightly hammered to remove slag. The weld could have looked a little better, but this is what you get when you join a series of tack welds together, which is usually necessary on thin steel to prevent burn-through and warpage.

Next I'll perform a few remaining tweaks here and there, then de-rust and/or sandblast everything before coating the side panels and lower pan with a thin layer of Bondo and sand them to obtain a smooth finish for primer and paint.

zirbcg.jpg


ohlgqs.jpg


30rust0.jpg
 
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   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#508  
The following is a picture of a part being de-rusted using electrolysis. Normally, I would use sodium carbonate (washing soda) for the electrolyte solution but I was out of it so I'm experimenting with borax and a pinch of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). I'm only using a pinch of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) because large amounts have been reported to cause pitting in the part being de-rusted. So far it seems to be working fine, judging by the bubbles and the sludge in the electrolyte solution. However, the real test will be tomorrow after I remove the part and scrub the residue off of it.

Note that flat mild-steel bar works best for anodes because it has a larger surface area, but mild-steel rod is all I have on hand at the moment so that's what I'm using. Rebar also works great.

2hnv1u8.jpg
 
   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)
  • Thread Starter
#509  
Lately, I've been thinking about this thread and how it has influenced or affected my Massey Ferguson 135 tractor restoration project. Looking back, all I can say is wow, so much has happened since I originally created this thread. Two hundred fourty nine posts (by me) with tons of information, and hundreds if not thousands of pictures later, I'm FINALLY nearing the end of this restoration project. When all is said and done, it should be finished roughly one year after it was began.

As for how this thread has affected my restoration project, if it hadn't been for this thread I'm not even certain my restoration project would have happened at all. My original intent was to buy the tractor, make any needed repairs, then work the snot out of it until I could afford to buy a new one. Restoration was definitely not a high priority at the time and I'm still not 100% certain what made me decide to "go for it", although I do have a general idea. And lets not forget the fact that maintaining this thread has been a LOT of work with very little reward. Not that I ever expected any reward, especially from the internet.

When I ask myself if I'd do it all again, the thread I mean, the answer I keep coming up with is... maybe. While I'm definitely planning to purchase and restore a Massey Ferguson 135 tractor with a Perkins AD3.152 diesel engine after my current restoration project is complete, I'm not 100% certain that I want to do the whole forum thread thing again, and if I do, it's very likely to be more in line with other threads of a similar nature... Here's my tractor. Here's my restored tractor. No fuss, no muss. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed sharing my progress, but maintaining this thread has sometimes been a royal PITA, and it's been quite distracting at times too.

Basically, my next restoration project is going to be a whole new ball game, with speed and efficiency being top priorities, and all distractions being eliminated whenever/wherever possible. In the event that I eventually decide to write a "restoration guide", I'll continue to take pictures and write detailed notes as with my current tractor restoration project, but fully intend for my focus to be on restoring the tractor, as opposed to posting about it. Then again, I might just change my mind, and guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Honestly, I'm not even sure why I'm bothering to write about this, but it's been on my mind lately so what the heII.
 
   / My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics) #510  
MasseyWV I understand the time consuming process of such detailed post, having done the same in other forums. As a self appointed spokesman for the "Vintage" MF readers THANK YOU. There is no substitute for such a in-dept write up of actual hands on experience. In fact anyone doing a restoration process of any tractor would benefit from reading this thread. Please continue until this tractor project is complete and we eagerly look forward to your next burst of self proclaimed "temporary insanity" when your restoration of a diesel 135 begins. :applause::applause::applause::applause:
 
 
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