After frequenting tractor shows and perusing the local ads and internet listings for the past 3 years I finally bought a 1953 Ford Jubilee. I knew before I bought it that it had a stuck clutch and thought that I could overcome that without too much difficulty. It had sat for a couple years in a shed unused. All 4 tires were replaced about a year before the previous owner died and so it has good rubber. The sheet metal needs work and the whole tractor needed cleaning. I have much more thoroughly inspected it now and identified a few issues that will need to be dealt with besides the clutch. The most serious of which is the rear end casting at bottom bolt hole on each side of the PTO is broken off. It appears that somebody tried to remove something like a swinging drawbar bracket and just tried to force stubborn bolts instead of using some PB or WD-40. The damage has not caused any leaking from the rear end but I priced a good casting from Smith's Old Ford Tractors for $425 plus shipping. I may just leave it as it is and wait until I run across something closer to Tennessee and less expensive. I guess because of the hydraulic pump differences between an 8N and a Jubilee the rear casting won't match up between the two. Will a 600 series rear casting work on a Jubilee?
I have had it for two weeks and after first bringing it home I drove it around with the clutch pedal depressed several times, turning figure eights and alternating the brake pedals, trying to get the clutch to break loose to no avail. Well today I decided to pull the starter and see if I could spray some brake cleaner on the clutch through the starter hole. While I had the starter off I thought that I would scrape some of the gook off that area of the engine block. As I tried to remove some of the dirt from the left rear freeze out plug a pin hole leak started. I guess the freeze plugs have corroded away from the inside. Can I get freeze plugs from an auto parts store or do I need to go to the NH dealer?
twtrout
I have had it for two weeks and after first bringing it home I drove it around with the clutch pedal depressed several times, turning figure eights and alternating the brake pedals, trying to get the clutch to break loose to no avail. Well today I decided to pull the starter and see if I could spray some brake cleaner on the clutch through the starter hole. While I had the starter off I thought that I would scrape some of the gook off that area of the engine block. As I tried to remove some of the dirt from the left rear freeze out plug a pin hole leak started. I guess the freeze plugs have corroded away from the inside. Can I get freeze plugs from an auto parts store or do I need to go to the NH dealer?
twtrout
