BadDecisions
Silver Member
Saw the necro-thread revival about swapping to a diesel engine in an 8N, and while I'm not at all arguing for doing such a thing as I agree - waste of time, money, and effort. But, I'll admit...it's a thought that has crossed my mind once or twice with my own 8N, largely thinking along the lines of lowering operating RPMs as the lower gear adapter boxes aren't exactly commonly available any more... and it did bring up another thought in my head that I haven't seen touched on in threads like that
Given the relatively lighter weight of a tractor such as that 8N, or really any of these antiques...assuming, just for the sake of argument, that there was some easily obtainable, dirt cheap and bolt in 35-40HP diesel that could be put in one of these things, and the transmission/axle would hold up to the power, would it even be usable power that could be put into the ground? With my own 8N, I've yet to find the limits of power, but have frequently found the limits of traction.
The whole thought somewhat reminds me somewhat of my younger years when I shoved a hot V8 motor into a Pontiac Fiero...getting that power to the ground on tires that actually fit into the wheel wells was a major challenge (though tire technology has improved greatly in the 20 years since doing that). Putting that same V8 into something like a Chevelle or Monte Carlo, despite being a MUCH heavier car, also made a MUCH more enjoyable driving experience. When I look at the videos of guys that have done the V8 conversions on old tractors, I never see them being worked as tractors, and only vaporizing tires or being cruised as show pieces.
Given the relatively lighter weight of a tractor such as that 8N, or really any of these antiques...assuming, just for the sake of argument, that there was some easily obtainable, dirt cheap and bolt in 35-40HP diesel that could be put in one of these things, and the transmission/axle would hold up to the power, would it even be usable power that could be put into the ground? With my own 8N, I've yet to find the limits of power, but have frequently found the limits of traction.
The whole thought somewhat reminds me somewhat of my younger years when I shoved a hot V8 motor into a Pontiac Fiero...getting that power to the ground on tires that actually fit into the wheel wells was a major challenge (though tire technology has improved greatly in the 20 years since doing that). Putting that same V8 into something like a Chevelle or Monte Carlo, despite being a MUCH heavier car, also made a MUCH more enjoyable driving experience. When I look at the videos of guys that have done the V8 conversions on old tractors, I never see them being worked as tractors, and only vaporizing tires or being cruised as show pieces.
