General freshen up of 1967 Ford 4100

[Pete O]

So much for leaving it until after Christmas, I can't seem to rest while this machine is still occupying my workshop.
I tackled the power steering leaks again today. New copper washers, stacked to achieve the necessary thickness, solved the leaking pipe banjos but once that was sealed, as soon as the steering hit lock, oil sprayed out of the side cover gasket.
I got to thinking that perhaps the pressure relief valve in the pump was stuck and over-pressurising the system; removed the pump, stripped the valve and fitted a new O-ring but it all seemed pretty good. I pulled off the side cover and discovered that the gasket supplied in the Bareco overhaul kit was poorly made, one hole was out of position and made a path for the oil to leak out under pressure. The photo shows where the punched hole is off line with where the bolt has gone, and the incorrectly placed hole is very close to the edge of where the cover has compressed the gasket.

I had some gasket paper in the appropriate thickness so made a new gasket, coated it with quality gasket spray and re-installed the cover. No more leak.

Getting rid of all the oil leaks on this machine was one of the major objectives in doing the overhaul- it has leaked out of virtually every seal and gasket for as long as I have owned it. I seem to be getting there, although there is a fuel drip from the injector return line and possibly from the injector pump also- I'm not completely sure if the pump return line leak is dripping onto the pump or if the pump itself has a leak. I will have to get to that in due course, however the next mission will be to sort out this wiring loom.

 

[Pete O]

Got the wiring done today, then hooked up the throttle linkages, fitted the cowl, installed the new stop cable and DROVE the tractor out of the shed Still plenty to do on it but it was nice to get it out of the way for a while, I gave myself a Christmas present by working on a project other than the tractor for a few hours.

 

[Pete O]

I took a break from panel-beating the badly damaged front cowl (I absolutely HATE panel beating) and whittled a drawbar from a forklift tyne. I've never had a drawbar for this tractor so have always had to pull from the 3pl, this should be much better. Steel other than the 'mild' variety is impossible to obtain here other than in round bar, so I pick up scrapped forklift tynes when I can.
Got the tapered side flat and to the required thickness on the shaper, then radiused the inner end on the mill


Bored a 1" hole at the tractor end, then a 7/8 hole for a standard towball plus a 1" hole for a heavy shackle at the outer end, then radiused the end; I initiall put a large radius on it but then decided to re-cut the radius, centering off the shackle hole so the shackle can swing. Had to taper the inner end as I have made this somewhat wider than the original would have been.


A surprisingly time-consuming job but it sure beat working on that cowl. I had no intention of engaging in panel work when I started this project but having put so much time into it, I can't put a beat-up panel back on the thing.

 

[Dave M7040]

I took a break from panel-beating the badly damaged front cowl (I absolutely HATE panel beating) and whittled a drawbar from a forklift tyne. I've never had a drawbar for this tractor so have always had to pull from the 3pl, this should be much better. Steel other than the 'mild' variety is impossible to obtain here other than in round bar, so I pick up scrapped forklift tynes when I can.
Got the tapered side flat and to the required thickness on the shaper, then radiused the inner end on the mill
View attachment 534435

Bored a 1" hole at the tractor end, then a 7/8 hole for a standard towball plus a 1" hole for a heavy shackle at the outer end, then radiused the end; I initiall put a large radius on it but then decided to re-cut the radius, centering off the shackle hole so the shackle can swing. Had to taper the inner end as I have made this somewhat wider than the original would have been.
View attachment 534436View attachment 534437View attachment 534438

A surprisingly time-consuming job but it sure beat working on that cowl. I had no intention of engaging in panel work when I started this project but having put so much time into it, I can't put a beat-up panel back on the thing.

A drawbar from a forklift fork. It cannot get any better!!
The only course I got a A in during 4 years of engineering study was metallurgy. Having often driven forklifts during summer jobs, I was always in awe of the forces and twists a Clark forkift fork, just to name one of many, could accept without any permanent twists or cracks.

I envious of your machinery and skills. Great work!

I have a friend who is into planishing wheels, metal stretching and shrinking.......... non of it interests me at all. The amount of effort that goes into removing an almost imperceptible flaw is just too much work and not enough reward for my brain.

Dave M7040

 

[TimberHole]

I sure like these restoration threads. I laughed at your panel comment as I can relate. I spent last night bead blasting and painting miscellaneous parts for my Yanmar overhaul. They would have been fine as is but I can't stand to look at the old stuff after doing this much work. Going the extra mile sure makes a difference in the finished product. My dad shipped an aircraft engine to Europe a few years back that he had overhauled. Looked like it belonged in a museum. My old man set the restoration bar pretty high!

 

[Pete O]

Haven't updated this for a while, there has been a little progress.
I got the front cowl and the two halves of the engine cover painted and installed. Today I fitted the new decals to the sides.
The BareCo decal kit was really appalling quality, the stripe on each side is in 3 pieces as it goes on 3 panels. The 3 pieces were different widths, the blue was a different shade from one piece to the next and the long white stripes had a crooked edge that looked like it had been cut with plastic scissors by a 3-year-old child.
I used a straight edge and a scalpel to trim the crooked edges, in the first photo you can perhaps see how straight the decal isn't when compared to the straight-edge.

This photo showcases the varying shades of blue, as well as the different widths.

Trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear, here's the result


Ah well, all the panels used to look like this, so it is definitely an improvement.


I also painted the arms and links for the 3-point hitch, as well as the drawbar receiver. Got them all fitted up today as well.


I need to do some work on the mudguards and strip the wheels and then do some white painting, also obtain a grille and an instrument cluster. Getting there.

 

[Jstpssng]

Nice. I like those old Fords, but alas; I don't have the talent (or workspace) to do them up right. My father had a 4500 of that vintage which we will be selling this summer. Right now it's in the barn but various pieces of tin from side and front panels are scattered all over the barn, shop, greenhouse, and who knows where else. This spring I will be gathering them up and looking for help figuring out where everything goes.

 

[banjodunn]

G'day looking good there Pete, it is a shame the quality of some of the Bare co products have slipped in the last twelve months or so, what part of vic are you in?

 

[Pete O]

G'day looking good there Pete, it is a shame the quality of some of the Bare co products have slipped in the last twelve months or so, what part of vic are you in?

G'day, I'm in West Gippsland, near Drouin & Warragul.

 

[TimberHole]

Looks good Pete. I enjoy watching your progress.