WilliamTO-35
Silver Member
First, some advice on a cooling system thermostat for a Ferguson TO-35, and ( I think) a TO-20 and TO-30. If you can't find an aftermarket tractor supply thermostat for your tractor, use one for a small block Chevy , almost any year. Way back , someone decided to standardize on 54 mm. diameter thermostats , and that's the size used on my Ferguson, and a lot of GM and Ford car engines . I wanted a 160 degree F thermostat, but the one from the tractor supply actually checked out at 178 F. I got out my box of old thermostats, and noticed that nearly all of them were the same size as the old Ferguson thermostat. I found a genuine 160 F thermostat at Summit Racing , Milodon brand, also rated as a " high flow" thermostat, and labeled as " all Chevrolet" and " all Ford".
Interestingly, it's a bit different in design, but physically identical to the 40 year old 180 F thermostat I took out of the Ferguson .
Now, for my head gasket question. I wanted to buy a Victor brand head gasket, which is steel on the block side, copper on the head side, and with a soft filler material in between . The Victor gasket ( now Victor Reinz) is no longer available, so I bought a Fel-Pro gasket set. The Fel-Pro head gasket is steel on the block side, and a fiber material on the head side. The original instructions with the gasket ( several years old) are to use a sticky spray gasket sealer on the steel side, but no sealer on the fiber side. That's good advice if the engine uses head bolts, since you may need to adjust the alignment of the gasket while you're getting the head and head bolts lined up. But the Ferguson uses long block mounted studs , so there's no gasket alignment isssue . I wonder, therefore, if using a spray gasket sealer such as a Copper Coat type on the fiber side would be a good idea. Fel-Pro keeps changing its mind on the issue , so they don't seem to be sure either.
Interestingly, it's a bit different in design, but physically identical to the 40 year old 180 F thermostat I took out of the Ferguson .
Now, for my head gasket question. I wanted to buy a Victor brand head gasket, which is steel on the block side, copper on the head side, and with a soft filler material in between . The Victor gasket ( now Victor Reinz) is no longer available, so I bought a Fel-Pro gasket set. The Fel-Pro head gasket is steel on the block side, and a fiber material on the head side. The original instructions with the gasket ( several years old) are to use a sticky spray gasket sealer on the steel side, but no sealer on the fiber side. That's good advice if the engine uses head bolts, since you may need to adjust the alignment of the gasket while you're getting the head and head bolts lined up. But the Ferguson uses long block mounted studs , so there's no gasket alignment isssue . I wonder, therefore, if using a spray gasket sealer such as a Copper Coat type on the fiber side would be a good idea. Fel-Pro keeps changing its mind on the issue , so they don't seem to be sure either.