Pics of my new (to me) 1700 and some questions

[pclausen]

Thanks JC.

Appreciate the tips on the gasket and felt, and how to grease! My balls are bone dry right now (that that didn't come out right, lol), so I'll be sure to apply plenty of grease to the zerk fittings.

Checked with the local dealer and those gaskets and felt pieces sure are pricey!

SBA326760040 Gasket, 1700,1900 $ 48.75 each
SBA398130170 Felt Seal, 1700,1900 $ 30.00 each

I'm going to pop those retaining plates and see which, if any, pieces needs to be replaced before ordering.

[rayikeo2]

I would grease them up first to see if replacement is even necessary before ordering new gaskets. If they have been running dry it won't hurt them to run dry a little longer while you determine how bad or good they may be.

[pclausen]

Thanks. I popped the gaskets and felt seals off and was able to tirm them up a little, re-grease and them reinstall.

I took the wheels off and sure enough, they were filled with calcium cloride. After getting them drained, I attempted to pop the beads like this:



But the tires were completely fused/rusted to the rim as seen here.



Not sure if the rims are salvagable or not. I'm going to drop them off at a tire shop in the morning to see if they can get them separated and assess the situation.

Since I had the rear wheels off, I figured I might as well pop off the fenders and clean up all the rust and repaint.

[murphy1244]

That little blue machine looks kind of lost in there.

[FairfaxStu]

FairfaxStu is a long time friend of mine, and he was visiting the day I got the call from mom and saw the scene. Not a pretty sight and something that I'll never forget. So I do appreciate Stu getting on my *** about getting a roll bar for this 1700...

No problem and you know that I will continue to be on your a** until I see a pic of one installed. That was a very tragic and sad day for me as well. Jens was a great guy and had a very dry sense of humor that cracked me up - "So this is your little sister?" I hope I made you laugh with that memory rather than bum you out.

-Stu

[pclausen]

Lol, yeah, I remember that comment well! Yes, he was a great guy for sure!

The local shop was able to dismount the tires from the rims. One rim is shot and the other was border line. That calcium chloride really did a number on them. I looked around and was able to score 2 new rims w/ shipping for under $260.

That outfit on ebay wouldn't budge from the $385 price on the ROPS, and shipping was $275, so needles to say, I'm still looking.

[JC-jetro]

L

That outfit on ebay wouldn't budge from the $385 price on the ROPS, and shipping was $275, so needles to say, I'm still looking.

Pete,

You're doing a pretty good job bringing your rig up to snuff. A bit more of patience and maybe you can secure a ROPS. I have looked at some after market like Hercules and in my opinion they don't look real good specially the one they had for 1700. Tubing , geometry of connection and welds were questionable and it did not have OSHA label. You got a decent deal on the rims though.

JC,

[pclausen]

Thanks JC. Still looking for a roll bar. Got the rims in and went ahead and painted the outside (they had some sort of silver finish). Not OEM, but the centers fit perfect and the steel is just as thick, if not thicker, as the rusted out OEM units.

Unfortunately, the old tires were too messed up in the area that meets the rim, and they did not recommend getting new tubes. I found new 11.2-24 8 ply tires for $179 a pop, so I'll likely bust out a pair tomorrow once I get a shipping quote.

So I started working some more on the fenders. The steel brush wheel on the drill didn't really do a good enough job I though getting rid of the rust and paint, so I switched over to my blaster. Here's the 1st fender ready to be painted.



2nd fender on the operating table



1st fender painted and 2nd fender sitting in the background ready to be painted as well.



I did paint the outside of the 2nd fender just a little while ago. Tomorrow, after the outside is dry, I'll shoot the insides of both of them. (I already sandblasted the insides of both) Went through 100 lbs of sand getting them cleaned up!

The hood is next. I even got new Ford 1700 stickers to put on it. Trying to figure out what to do about the broken grille surround (white plastic piece). I can probably get some mesh grille to fix that portion.

[grainger12002]

jc what happen to your comment about this not being a show tractor ? If it were in my garage i would be accused of getting carried away......but i would do as you have have and be right into cleaning and painting the rusty spots. Thanks for sharing your progress it will be a handy and nice looking addition !!!

My best form CT,

P.S. send us up some of that 60 degree stuff will ya !!

[grainger12002]

sorry about that meant to say pc not jc.........guess i should have had that second beer after all