My 1966 Massey 135 Tractor (Pics)

[MasseyWV]

The following are pictures of my progress.

 

[MasseyWV]

Currently, I'm working on preparing the hydraulic lift cover for primer. It has some minor casting imperfections that I plan to either grind down or fill with Bondo prior to priming.

I also discovered that the transmission vent is made of brass, when I had previously thought it was made of blackened steel. It's a small discovery to be sure, but I thought it was interesting because it will contribute to the fine details when the restoration is complete.

 

[Mike476]

Must look at mine when I get home to see if the original vent is still there. Looking good!

 

[Soundguy]

Any time you get off the tractor you should really be lowering the implement, for safety if working around the implement as well as an added "anchor" when on uneven ground.

yep.. and is the law when hauling. on ground or transport locked...

 

[MasseyWV]

Yesterday, I finished grinding, sanding, and sandblasting the hydraulic lift cover, then primed it. After the primer dries, I'll begin filling minor casting flaws with Bondo, then sand and prime them again.

Today, I disassembled the position/draft control quadrant lever assembly and have begun sandblasting all the parts. That said, I've begun to think about what color to paint it and other parts of the tractor. Most of the position/draft control quadrant lever assembly parts were originally galvanized or aluminum so I want to go with colors that faithfully recreate the original look.

The following is a list of various parts and the colors I'm thinking of painting them. Note that the list excludes the chassis and sheetmetal which will be painted with the appropriate Massey Ferguson colors for each.

Galvanized Color:
* Position/Draft control lever assembly
* Headlight bucket brackets (red buckets)
* Radiator cap (black for now)

Cast Aluminum Color:
* Carburetor body
* Distributor body
* Draft response lever (lever and knob only)
* PTO control lever (lever only) (Black/Red knob?)
* Oil filler cap
* Grease fittings
* Coil bracket
* Air filter assembly
* Gear shift levers
* Gas tank (possibly grey)
* Throttle lever (real chrome?)

Brass Color:
* Transmission vent
* Throttle bushing
* Assorted carburetor parts

Black Color:
* Voltage regulator
* Coil
* Startor
* Generator
* Radiator

Real Chrome: (May be cost prohibitive)
* Emblems

 

[MasseyWV]

After disassembling the PTO lever/cover assembly I made a small discovery, the split pin (195468M1 - 1/4 x 1" Roll) that holds the PTO lever onto the shaft was partially cracked. Previously, I had noticed that the PTO lever seemed to have too much play in it, and now I know why.

 

[Mike476]

The tractor will be as tight as the day she was built. There's a fully restored 165 for sale near me, exceptionally well done. $12K is the dealer's asking price.

 

[Soundguy]

man this is going to be a good liiking / running machine!

 

[MasseyWV]

Today, I stripped the zinc plating off the position and draft control quadrants using a strong hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) solution, then neutralized any acid that remained on the parts using a strong sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution. Originally, I believed they were galvanized, but closer inspection revealed that they were zinc plated. Primer and paint don't stick very well to galvanized or zinc plating so it had to be removed prior to sandblasting the parts.

Note that using acid to strip zinc or other plating is a HIGHLY DANGEROUS process and strong acid can blind or burn you before you feel the pain, so I don't advise that anyone try it unless you know what you're doing and take all necessary safety precautions. But if you do decide to try it, remember that mixing acid and water creates an exothermic reaction so you ALWAYS add acid to water (less heat), NEVER water to acid (more heat) because the heat generated by the reaction will cause the water to flash boil into steam and splash acid everywhere.

Exothermic reaction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following is a picture of the position and draft control quadrants shortly after the zinc plating was removed. The next step will be to sandblast and prime them.

 

[Soundguy]

some parts were even cad plated and tinned at the factory..