My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)

[Mike476]

Engine stands are more convenient for a lot of uses no question. What I'm debating with myself is whether I want to get back into restoration projects when I retire in a few years, nice for removing cabs from trucks etc.

It's the old "do I want to do something I enjoy at a pace that makes it work" dilemna, which usually takes most of the enjoyment right out of it.

 

[MasseyWV]

Engine stands are more convenient for a lot of uses no question. What I'm debating with myself is whether I want to get back into restoration projects when I retire in a few years, nice for removing cabs from trucks etc.

It's the old "do I want to do something I enjoy at a pace that makes it work" dilemna, which usually takes most of the enjoyment right out of it.

Look at it this way... What else will you do with your time after you retire?

Currently, I'm on a hiatus after corporate life nearly drove me to the point of insanity. I still work, but only when I want to, and the rest of my time is spent working on my home or my tractor. Occasionally, I even take time out to do nothing at all, except perhaps to enjoy an ice cold beer (or three), as I'm doing at this very moment.

You may have noticed that my Massey 135 restoration project is taking a very long time, and while I must admit that it's partly for financial reasons, I must also admit that I'm deliberately taking my time about doing it for no other reason than because I can. Sure, I could get it done much quicker, but what would be the point in doing that?

If life has taught me anything, it's that I should slow down and take the time to enjoy it, while I still can. That said, you should treat your retirement the same way... slow down and enjoy it.

 

[Mike476]

I'll drink to that! :drink:

 

[MasseyWV]

As I work towards completing my restoration project I'm learning at an exponential rate, and while this thread does give a general overview of my progress, it contains but a tiny fraction of what I've learned along the way.

That said, I find myself once again thinking about the possibility of creating CD's or perhaps even publishing a book, but I'd prefer not to say too much more about it at this time. Suffice it to say, the general idea is to share information while helping to recoup some of the costs associated with my restoration project.

Does that mean we will being reading copyrighted material here on Tractor By Net in your thread? Interesting.

No, it doesn't.

 

[MasseyLady]

As I work towards completing my restoration project I'm learning at an exponential rate, and while this thread does give a general overview of my progress, it contains but a tiny fraction of what I've learned along the way.

That said, I find myself once again thinking about the possibility of creating CD's or perhaps even publishing a book, but I'd prefer not to say too much more about it at this time. Suffice it to say, the general idea is to share information while helping to recoup some of the costs associated with my restoration project.

The muffler for the Massey 135 tractor does seem a bit small, but it seems to get the job done. It's been so long since I've heard mine running that I've almost forgot what it sounds like.

MasseyWV, sign me up when you decide to make some CD's, or if you write a book Thanks again for this very informative thread.

:tractor:--MasseyLady

 

[MasseyWV]

MasseyWV, sign me up when you decide to make some CD's, or if you write a book Thanks again for this very informative thread.

:tractor:--MasseyLady

Will do, and you're very welcome.

 

[murphy1244]

Does this mean that this rehab is over??? You done sold out for the big bucks??? What now brown cow?

 

[MasseyWV]

Does this mean that this rehab is over??? You done sold out for the big bucks??? What now brown cow?

Not at all. My restoration project is far from over, and the CD/Book idea is just that, an idea for what I could do after my restoration is complete.

For a variety of different reasons, I've decided to create a blog to help me better organize and present my restoration progress, beginning to end. While I may occasionally post about my progress here, the bulk of the information will be contained in my blog, after it's up and running in a few weeks. When my blog is online I'll post a link to it, both here and in my signature.

Rather than repeat the reasoning behind my decision, here are some quotes from a prior thread I created about the subject.

Quotes from: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/245033-tractor-restoration-threads.html

Lately, I've been giving more thought to my upcoming restoration and how I could share it with others. However, I'm torn about the method of presentation, which is the primary reason why I created this thread.

Option 1: I could share my progress during the restoration, but doing so might make a forum thread difficult to follow because things are often not done in any given order during a restoration. Forum threads frequently stray off topic, which only further complicates matters.

Option 2: I could wait until the restoration is complete, then present it in a logical ordered progression, showing each major step in a categorized fashion, with each major step being it's own post within the restoration thread. Each section could be created and edited ahead of time, then posted in rapid succession so they would be in the correct order. However, this option requires that the restoration be complete, which can take a long time, sometimes years, if it's done properly.

Option 3: I could wait until the restoration is complete, then create a CD, much like the one that was previously offered by Big Dean before he passed away. This option would also require that the restoration be complete, but it would allow me to precisely control the presentation format while providing much more detail than could ever be done in a forum thread, with the added benefit of allowing me to generate revenue to help offset the cost of the restoration.

Option 4: I could use a combination of options 1-3.

As for option 1, I do (sort of) have an ongoing progress thread going now. However, much detail has been omitted, and it's anything but easy to follow certain steps of the process because it was never intended to be a restoration thread.

I've been thinking, and just realized that there is an alternative for presentation that I hadn't considered until now, I could create a blog.

Creating a blog would allow me full control of everything, with the added benefit of being able to make edits and/or corrections whenever I wanted, without having the burden of edit time constraints imposed by most forums. Having a blog would also solve the image hosting problem, while giving me full control of them as well.

Granted, a blog does have some drawbacks, but it solves many problems, and I really like having full control of everything at all times. It would also permit me to share my progress via many social media outlets, including TBN, without the need to post it to multiple sources. A simple link to the blog could be included in my signature so people could visit it whenever they wanted.

Simple and effective, I like it.

 

[Forester Massey]

Dear Massey WV:

I just found your post and am inspired by them. I had a client recently give me a 1968 135 with Z=145 engine. I did a little checking on compression and found it to be 125, 30, 27, and 125. The last owner is dead and his notes indicate he was fouling plugs often and had difficulty starting. I am planning on doing a rebuild and will begin teardown over labor day.

The only bad thing about reading your post is that every time you look into some part of your tractor you find it needs repair or replace. I have never heard this tractor run and can only hope most other items work decently. At lease the price was right.

 

[MasseyWV]

Dear Massey WV:

I just found your post and am inspired by them. I had a client recently give me a 1968 135 with Z=145 engine. I did a little checking on compression and found it to be 125, 30, 27, and 125. The last owner is dead and his notes indicate he was fouling plugs often and had difficulty starting. I am planning on doing a rebuild and will begin teardown over labor day.

The only bad thing about reading your post is that every time you look into some part of your tractor you find it needs repair or replace. I have never heard this tractor run and can only hope most other items work decently. At lease the price was right.

It sounds as if your tractor probably needs an engine overhaul. Granted, it's possible that the loss of compression on cylinders 2 and 3 could be from bad valves, but I doubt it. Likewise, the fouled plugs could be caused by worn valve guides or bad valve seals, but because you're losing compression on two cylinders I believe the oil which is fouling the spark plugs is coming from the oil control rings.

If you do find that your engine needs an overhaul you could do an in-frame overhaul, but I believe it's much better to bite the bullet and pull the engine to do a complete overhaul which will permit you to replace the rear main seal as well as inspect and/or replace the clutches. Some people may advise that you "split the tractor", but I've learned that it isn't much more work to simply remove the front-end assembly before pulling the engine. I did mine in a single evening, but the choice is yours to make.

Don't let the things I've found during the course of my restoration project discourage you. I'm being somewhat picky because I'm doing a complete restoration, but if my Massey 135 tractor were intended to be an average working tractor I would have done things very differently. For example, I would have probably have just given it a valve job and made some minor repairs before calling it a day.