My John Deere model B restoration

[BKarels]

This will be a thread about the restoration of what was my great-grandfathers 1948 John Deere model B.

History

My great-grandfather Clarence Benjamin Hall purchased the tractor new. He was known as CB Hall. We sometimes call the tractor CB’s B. He purchased it new along with a plow and a field cultivator. He used it on the family dairy farm that was east of Twin Valley Minnesota.

My grandfather Emery Hall continued to use the tractor on the family farm.

My uncle Bradley Hall, who continued to farm and milk cows after the death of my grandfather Emery, then owned it.

The family farm was sold in 1985. My uncle Bradley bought the model B on the auction sale, along with the plow and field cultivator. He has used it in his yard and garden for the past 20 years. It is the largest chunk of the 3-generation family farm that is still left.

Bradley is going to hand down the tractor to me. My dad and I will repair and restore the tractor. Since it and its family history are very important to me, we plan to do the best job we can with the restoration. Bradley say if the tractor is ever sold, he gets first dibs, because he wants the tractor to stay in the family.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBsBJohnDeereBlaineBradP7220034.jpg
Here is Bradley and I on the day we picked up the tractor at his place.

[Darren Gunderson]

Blaine,

I think it is great that you have the history on this tractor and that you will be able to keep it in the family. It will mean alot more to you as you do the work on it. I look forward to having you post pictures as you progress on it. Please keep us updated on your progress.

Are you planning on eventually showing it at WMSTR?

Darren

[BKarels]

Darren,
Yes, I plan to have it at the tractor run from W. Fargo to Rollag and the show this year. We have been working on it all summer and its almost drivable again. Then we plan to prep and paint it, all before the tractor run.

[M Kerkvliet]

Cool Blaine!

Looks like you have a BW there! (wide front axle)

Looking forward to seeing it on the hill this labor day weekend!

[Darren Gunderson]

That is great Blaine, we will have to look for it at the show. It is nice that you have the wide front on it. Good luck, and post some progress pictures.

Darren

[BKarels]

Mark,
It's just a regular B. My grandpa and uncle changed it along with the starter. It used to be a hand start then 6 volt but now it's 12 volt electric start.

Darren,
I like the wide front also. My uncle said they changed it to stop the tractor from popping up.

[M Kerkvliet]

Mark,
It's just a regular B. My grandpa and uncle changed it along with the starter. It used to be a hand start then 6 volt but now it's 12 volt electric start.



Had me fooled Blaine! I didn't even know it was an aftermarket WF! The paint being faded the same (and my apparent lack of JD knowledge) had me fooled!

[BKarels]

Mark,
It's not after market. They got it from a neighbor off of his tractor that he took the back end off.

[BKarels]

More pictures

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010003CBsBBeforeDisassembly.jpg
Tractor before disassembly

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010006CBsBBeforeDisassembly.jpg
Another pre disassembly picture.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010040CBsBDisassemblyCrankshaft.jpg
This is the main reason why we had to take apart the tractor.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBsBJohnDeereCrackedFlywheelP828006.jpg
Because the crankshaft was bad in order to get the flywheel tight this is what happened?
The crack really goes from finger to finger.
There is also a small crack on the bottom.





Thats all for now.

[M Kerkvliet]

So it is a JD front end... just not original to that tractor? Does this mean it can be called a BW? I'll have to investigate this!

What are you going to do with the bad splines? Do you have a different crank and flywheel?

Great project Blaine! Keep the pictures coming!

[BKarels]

Mark,
Yes I do have a new crank and flywheel. Pictures to come later.

[BKarels]

More pictures

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010007CBsBDisassemblyBlaine.jpg
Taking off the hood

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010009CBsBDisassembly.jpg
Antifreeze goop


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010001CBsBDisassemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
Checking out the crankshaft and connecting rods


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010010CBsBDisassemblyTransmission.jpg
Transmission


Thats all for now.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010015CBsBDisassemblyClutchBlaine.jpg
In order to remove the crankshaft we had to take off the clutch.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010017CBsBDisassembly1stReduction.jpg
This is the first reduction gear and clutch side of the crankshaft.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010021CBsBDisassemblyEngineRodCap.jpg
One of the connecting rods was the original babited style and the other had been replaced with a new insert style rod. Our new crankshaft was ground 0.020” under size so, we found another insert type rod at Biewers. The bottom one is the babited rod cap.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010015CBsBDisassemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
We got the old crankshaft out. In order to remove the pistons and the connecting rods we had to take of the head.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010017CBsBDisassemblyEngineBlaine.jpg


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010024CBsBDisassemblyParts.jpg
This is the parts area after almost all disassembly.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010025CBsBDisassembly.jpg
The tractor striped and mostly gutted.

More to come later.

[M Kerkvliet]

Looking great Blaine!

Thanks for posting the pictures! I know it takes some time to write a post like that... done a few of them myself!

Your project looks great! Hope you are further along than your pictures show... you are running out of time!

See you soon!

[BKarels]

Mark,
Yes I am farther than the pictures show. We are almost done. Some fender fixing then painting the fenders and thats it.

Can't wait for the show

[40avery]

Way to go Blain,

The thread is very well put together and interesting for people that never see the real inside work that goes on during a good restoration.

Rick

[BKarels]

More pictures

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010030CBsBFendersBatteryBox.jpg
Here we are trying on some accessories that we picked up from Biewers in Barnsville. The old battery box was shot. We found a set of fenders that I have always wanted. They need some work. They look better here than they really are.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010029CBsBStep.jpg
And a step.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010035CBsBDisassemblyHoneingBlain.jpg
Here I am honing the cylinder walls. My uncle said the tractor had been overhauled some time ago and the rings looked like new yet. So we are going to put it together with the same rings.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010041CBsBDisassembly.jpg
Another view of the tractor before we took the transmission apart.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010039CBsBDisassemblyTransmission.jpg
The fifth and sixth gear set needed some dental work.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010042CBsBDisassemblyTransmission.jpg
Dad struggled to get the gear off the shaft. He thought it was kind of strange that it looked like it had two keys in the shaft but they were not exactly 90 degrees apart. It turns out the key had sheared off. The gear then had seized to the shaft. So in fifth and sixth gear, the only thing that was driving the tractor was the fact that it had seized to the shaft. That explained why he had so much trouble getting it off. He had to cut it off with the torch.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010046CBsBDisassemblyTransmission.jpg
The top sliding gear shaft also had some bad teeth on some of the gears. As well as a bad bearing and the fact that the shaft was shot where the gear was seized to the shaft.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010047CBsBDisassemblyTransmission.jpg
After another trip to Biewers, we had a pretty decent looked top shaft and gears to put back in.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010004CBsBDisassemblyAlternator.jpg
The tractor had been converted to 12 volts and had an alternator put on. Very functional, but not exactly the look we were going for.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010048CBsBDisassemblyGenerator.jpg
My uncle said it started much better on 12V so we found a 12 volt generator from a A. It fit right on except we had to turn the belt pulley around.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010049CBsBAssemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
The used non babbitted rod we got, had had the pin bushing spin in the rod bore and damaged the bore. We had to have the bore cleaned up at the machine shop and a new bushing installed and sized to fit the pin.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010050CBsBAssemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
Installing the pistons.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010053CBsBAssemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
Dad didn’t think his ring compressor was going to be big enough. But it worked. May not work on a A or a G piston.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010054CBsBAssemblyEngine.jpg
Dad puts old spark plug boots on the rod bolts to protect the crankshaft while installing the pistions.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010055CBsBAssemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
Not a very big hole but it is pretty easy to get at what you need to.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010056CBsBAssemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
Torqueing connecting rod caps.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010057CBsBAssemblyEngine.jpg
We are ready to put the head back on. The block and head face did not look the greatest, so we painted the gasket with permatex copper gasket paint/sealant. Did you know a new head gasket at John Deere is $50.39? Not a set, just the gasket. Dad thought that was kind of expensive.

That,s all today

[BKarels]

More pictures

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010058CBsBDisassemblyClutchPully.jpg
The clutch belt pulley was worn pretty bad from the brake pad. We found a really nice one at Biewers.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010061CBsBDisassemblyClutchPully.jpg
The new pulley had a broken operating sleeve. So we had to disassemble both of them to switch the sleeve.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010062CBsBDisassemblyClutchPully.jpg
Here is the broken sleeve on the new pulley.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010063CBsBDisassemblyClutchPully.jpg
Even after soaking the sleeve with penetrating oil for a few days, we still had to use the puller to remove the sleeve from the new pulley.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010064CBsBDisassemblyClutchPully.jpg
We had to heat the drive gear on the pulleys to get them to come off.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010070CBsBDisassemblyPowertrolBla.jpg
Here we are removing the powertrol and final drive cover.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010071CBsBDisassemblyPowertrol.jpg
Here is what it looks like from the inside.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010073CBsBDisassemblyTransmission.jpg
Here is the final drive bull gears on the axles. The differential shaft is just beyond that. Near the bottom you can see the front section of the PTO shaft.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010074CBsBAssemblyTransmissionlBl.jpg
We had about 0.015” of vertical movement of the axles at the axle housings. Here we are tightening the axle nuts to put some preload on the axle bearings. Our IT manual (slightly better than having no manual) said they should have 0.0001-0.004” of end play. That did not seam right to Dad for a slow moving load bearing shaft. So he looked it up in the John Deere tech manual at the dealership. That said to have a preload. It did not give a torque but said to tighten with a 20” wrench (I think it was). So we tightened them up. They still sounded good when we spun the wheels, so we left them at that.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010075CBsBAssemblyPowertrolBlaine.jpg
We put a new seal on the powertrol rockshaft piston since we had it off.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010076CBsBAssemblyPowertrolBlaine.jpg
Here I am putting the piston housing back on.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010077CBsBAssemblyPowertrolBlaine.jpg
We disassembled and inspected the powertrol pump. It had not been used for many years and was pretty much out of oil, so we were afraid the pump may have been damaged. Luckily the pump only turns when the PTO is on and looked good. We replaced a bearing and put in new seals on both ends.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010012CBsBAssemblyFrontAxle.jpg
When we got the tractor, the front axle had these two steering arms. We found many places that sold the top style. But then would have had to buy 2 of them so they would match. After a couple of hours of searching the internet we found a company that sold the bottom style which matched the good one we had. We also had to replace one of the front rims that was bent and wobbled.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/P1010067CBsBDisassemblyTieRod.jpg
One of the tie rods had been welded and was kind of crooked. Biewers had a new one on the shelf, so we decided to replace it. When we were trying to remove the old shaft from the tube the weld broke. This is what it looked like. Not Good. Not much was still holding. I am glad I was not driving the tractor on the road next to a river bank with this tie rod on.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010006CBsBAssemblyFanShaft.jpg
We went through the fan shaft and ventilation pump. We had a broken spring on the pump vane. We had to replace the bearings and also put in new seals and orings.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010008CBsBAssemblyChassis.jpg
Here it is going back together.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010017CBsBAssemblyReductionCover.jpg
The bearing bore was worn for the first reduction gear. We measured the bore and the new bearing and wrapped shim stock around the bearing to take up the clearance and get a snug fit.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010019CBsBAssemblyEngineBlaine.jpg
We replaced most all external gaskets and seals. We did not want oil leaking all over our new paint job. A couple of gaskets we did not get ordered. Here Dad has shown me how to make our own gaskets. It was kind of fun.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010024CBsBAssemblySeat.jpg
The seat frame was warped for some unknown reason. This made it hard to slide the seat forward or back.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010025CBsBAssemblySeat.jpg
We rigged up this slightly dangerous looking setup under the front axle to straighten the seat frame. We tried to stay clear of where a jack could have squirted out at us. We had to flex it way beyond straight before we got it stay fairly straight.

[Jerry Christiansen]

Blaine,

You and your crew are doing an excellent job of restoring the family B. Your pictures and explanations in this thread are top notch. Thanks for all the good work!

If you want to belt the B up to a Prony Brake at Rollag and give it some gentle break-in time, come and see me. We can give the tractor a light load for a while, then we can vary the load up and down. We can stop any time you would like to check things out and/or make adjustments.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen

[BKarels]

Jerry,
Thanks for the invite. I will try to get down there if we aren't to busy threshing.

[BKarels]

More pictures

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010027CBsBAssemblyCarburator.jpg
We got a carburetor kit from Marks Carburetor and Magneto Service.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010031CBsBAssemblyBrakes.jpg
We went through the brakes. The right brake was worn really bad. The pedal shaft was real loose in the bore and the pedal flopped around a lot. My uncle Bradley says that is because they used it mow hay and were always making RH turns. The LH brake pedal had been broken and was welded. We found a good left hand brake assembly at Biewers. All of the parts are the same between the left and right except the pedal. So we then had everything we needed to get both brakes fixed up. Just a set of linings and rivets from John Deere is about $100. So with the used brake assembly we did not need to by them.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010032CBsBTestDrive.jpg
After all of that work it was finally time to get it running again and do some test and tune. Dad rigged up a fitting in the bottom of a oil jug to use as a gas tank. He then just tie strapped it to the air cleaner. After rebuilding the carburetor, it still did not idle without having the choke pulled out. So it was back in the shop.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010036CBsBAssemblyCarburatorBlain.jpg
We thought the old bushings and throttle shaft were in pretty good shape and after watching the shaft move during our test drive we decided to replace the bushings and shaft since we already had them. Here I am driving in a new throttle shaft bushing.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010040CBsBAssemblyCarburator.jpg
The brass part in the center is the main nozzle stem. Since we did not have the correct puller to get it out when we had it apart the first time, we left it in and cleaned what we could with the blow gun and carb cleaner.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010041CBsBAssemblyCarburator.jpg
Since it did not idle we needed to remove the stem to see if our problem was there. We rigged this up to remove the stem. We used a piece of ½” keystock and sockets to support it. The keystock provided a flat surface to contact the nozzle. Tapping on the top pushed it right out.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010044CBsBAssemblyCarburator.jpg
Dad made a copy of the idle circuit page from the John Deere tech manual at the dealership. He says if you know how it works, you can fix it. After seeing where all of the passages go, we blew air in the holes and checked to make sure air came out all of the holes that the passages led to. It turns out the small passage was plugged that goes between the arrows that are labeled “AIR FUEL MIXTURE” and “IDLE ADJUSTING NEEDLE SEAT”. We had to remove a plug and use a drill bit to clear it. That was our problem.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010042CBsBAssemblyDifferentialSha.jpg
Their was only 5 gaskets on the whole tractor that we did not replace. During our test run wouldn’t you know 2 of them started to leak. The differential shaft bearing quills. We had snugged up the bolts when we had it apart the first time. This must have disturbed them enough that the started to leak. So we had to remove the clutch, first reduction cover and gears and the brake housings to get at them to replace them.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010043CBsBAssemblyDifferentialSha.jpg
We had to measure the old gaskets and find gasket material that was about the right thickness. We made new ones and installed. We then used a dial indicator to verify the differential shaft had the correct end play.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010046CBsBAssemblyPTOShaft.jpg
During our test drive we were testing the powertrol system since we had it apart. The powertrol worked fine. But wouldn’t you know we found out the PTO shaft was bent pretty bad. Bummer since we had already had it out and laying on the bench once. So we rigged up another slightly dangerous looking setup to attempt to straighten the shaft. Watching the dial indicator we would jack it up and flex the shaft a little farther each time and then spin it to see it had any effect. We finally go to the point that the whole back end of the tractor was off the ground by lifting at this point on the PTO shaft. Wow, what did it take to bend it in the first place. We had to assist the tractor weight by hitting the top of the shaft with a brass punch and a sledge hammer. We got it straight to within 10-15 thousandths at the end. You have to look at it pretty close to see that it is bent now when it is turning.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010048CBsBTestDriveBlaine.jpg
With one round of rework done it was time for more test and tune. We still had a leak on the oil filter cover, even after replacing the brass washer between the bolt and the cover. We found that tapping on the bolt with a hammer seats the brass washer to the surface of the cover and that took care of the leak. We did not want to tighten the oil filter cover too tight as that will warp the metal filter can on the top. This causes a leak and low oil pressure. We know that because we had to fix that when we first got the tractor, it had almost no oil pressure on the gauge.

I put about 2-3 hours on the tractor with no more problems.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010049CBsBAssemblyGreaseZerksBlai.jpg

We replaced most of the grease zerks on the tractor after sandblasting so they had good check balls.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010051CBsBCoilProblem.jpg
After our test and tune we were feeling pretty good. We did not have any leaks and the tractor ran good. We put it away one evening and the tracter sputtered and killed. We looked and determine that our migshift gas tank had just run out of gas. The next day we noticed oil all around the governor housing. This was now one of the 3 gaskets on the tractor that we had not replaced. No sign of a leak before. This meant we now had to remove the governer housing. We decided to put some more gas in it and clean it up and make sure that is where the leak was at. Then we noticed the ignition switch got left on when the tractor ran out of gas the night before. Wouldn’t you know the points were closed and the battery was stone dead. We charged the battery. While washing it off with the hose the tractor started missing. By the time we got it back in the shop it would hardly run at all. Thinking it was wet Dad was drying the wires and noticed the coil was cracked. Turns out when we left the ignition on, the coil overheated and it leaked out all of its coil juice / oil. We installed a new 12V coil that has an internal resistor. The old one was not wired with a resistor.

Our leak was solved.


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010053CBsBAssemblyGenerator.jpg

We went trough the generator. We had to put on some new brush holder leads and replaced the front bearing with a sealed one like the alternators have.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010058CBsBPrepHood.jpg
On to the Body work. The hood had been cut like so many had to make it easy to replace the muffler.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010060CBsBPrepHood.jpg
Dad had heard that most of the aftermarket mufflers with the rolled flanges do not fit through the original holes in the hoods. Sure enough the patch we bought was the same way. We had to cut around the hole flange in the patch with a jig saw and bend a new flange lip on it. I am glad we found this before we had the hood painted.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010061CBsBPrepHood.jpg
Here is the patch after being welded into the hood. Some grinding and filler work to do yet.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010063CBsBPrepSandblastingBlaine.jpg
Here I am sandblasting. We did most of the piece parts ourselves. Our air compressor is not big enough and it is a slow process. We had an old helmet in the basement. We used clear tape as tearoffs on the shield. Dad said we should get some racing tear offs you would be able to see through them better than the tape. Taped an old pair of shorts around the bottom of the helmet. Worked better than the cheap blasting hoods they have at fleet farm.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010066CBsBPrepGrill.jpg
We had a couple of bad areas in the grill screens. We cut some very small strips of sheet metal using tin snips. Then with a 000 tip on the torch welded them into place. Not perfect, but Will look ok from a distance.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010071CBsBPrepSteeringWheel.jpg
In another attempt to keep some costs down we filled in the cracks on the steering wheel with JB weld. Sanded them down level. Painted it black. Then painted with 2-3 coats of clear coat so your hands don’t get black. We will see how it holds up.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010072CBsBPrepSeatBack.jpg
The seat back used to have a metal back to them. Remember when you had to exchange core when you got a new seat back. We did not have one, so we made one from a piece of sheet metal. Now we will have a place to put our nice “John Deere” decal on the back of the seat.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010073CBsBPrepSandblastingGuy.jpg
We hired the frame and wheels to be sandblasted. Guy Klosterman / Superior Sandblasting did it for us.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010075CBsBPrepSandblastingGuy.jpg
We wrapped, taped or precleaned anything we thought would be damage from sand intrusion. This saved us a lot of work and our air compressor may live to see 2009. $ well spent. He has charcoal filtered air piped into his helmet so he is breathing fresh air.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010078CBsBPrepSandblasting.jpg
Here is the point where it is starting to look like we are making progress. A few shots of the tractor after it was sandblasted.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010079CBsBPrepSandblasting.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010080CBsBPrepSandblasting.jpg

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010083CBsBPaintWheels.jpg
Here it is ready for yellow paint. We are going to put on new front tires, so we will paint with the tires off. We will then mount them right on the tractor, without disturbing the lug bolt paint.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010085CBsBPaintWheels.jpg
2 Coats of epoxy white primer. Yellow covers better over white.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%202/P1010086CBsBPaintWheels.jpg
Now we have a glimpse of where we are going. Shinny yellow paint. 3 coats of acrylic urethane paint. Notice the yellow fan hanging in the background. The tractor had been repainted and the fan was green. We had heard that some had yellow fans. Sure enough we found yellow paint on the fan, so yellow fan. After dad painted it, he called it his “greatest fan”.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010002CBsBPaintFrame.jpg
With the wheels covered we are ready to shoot the first batch of green. Frame, radiator and half a dozen misc parts.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010005CBsBPaintFramePartsBlaine.jpg
Here I am shooting some primer on the radiator. Dad got a new gun for the project and is using 3Ms PPS paint cup system. It has a cup with a bladder that the paint goes in. You tip it upside down, pull the trigger to suck the air out of the top until paint comes out. Then, no more air, which means you can hold the gun at any angle you can think of and paint comes out. Since the bladder does not need to be vented, no paint dripping from a vent either. Dad says he would never paint anything with so many nooks and crannies like this, without it again.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010007CBsBPaintFramePrimed.jpg
Here it is with the gray epoxy primer on.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010009CBsBPaintFramePainted.jpg
Finally! Something Green!

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010010CBsBPaintFramePainted.jpg
A closer view of the left side.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010011CBsBPaintFramePainted.jpg
And a view of the right side.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010013CBsBPaintAxles.jpg
The next night we masked the axle housings and the wheels to paint the axles.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010014CBsBPaintAxles.jpg
Did the same on the outside of the wheels. We just had to poke a hole in the plastic and mask around the very center.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010019CBsBPaintedFrameAssembly.jpg
Here it is with all of the plastic off. We are ready to do some assembly!

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010020CBsBPaintedFrameAssembly.jpg
Here I am fitting the radiator so we can cut new hoses to length.
We later mounted new tires and tubes on the front and pulled it into moms garage so we had the whole shop to work on and hang the sheet metal parts.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010024CBsBPaintHood.jpg

We decided to paint the inside of the hood and mount the gas tank, so we did not risk scratching the outside of the hood after it is painted.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010026CBsBPaintHood.jpg
Here is the hood with the gas tank installed. Dad is still doing some last minute filler work on the hood and the grill panels. He says they will not look perfect but when you are working with something like this you have to at some point say “that’s good enough”.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010027CBsBPaintSheetMetalParts.jpg
Here are some shots after the final paint was put on. We screwed about twenty hooks into the ceiling. We had rows of parts.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010028CBsBPaintSheetMetalParts.jpg
Parts, parts. It was kind of tricky painting with out running into anything. We have ventilation fans in the corner so you had to paint so the overspray went on the parts you hadn’t painted yet.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010029CBsBPaintSheetMetalParts.jpg
Here is a view from the other corner of the shop. The hood did not turn out too bad, even where Dad welded in the patch around the muffler hole. But this is its good side.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010031CBsBPaintSheetMetalParts.jpg
Here is a view from another corner of the shop.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010032CBsBPaintMufflerExhaustFan.jpg
Here I just finished painting the muffler and exhaust pipe with high temp paint.
This also shows our fancy ventilation system. 2 fans bolted to a sheet of plywood. It just slips into the man door opening and blow air outside. We then tape furnace filters to the windows to somewhat filter bugs etc from the air that is sucked in.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%203/P1010037CBsBPaintedFinalAssemblyBla.jpg

Here it is after we started the final assembly. We wrapped the muffler and air intake pipe with saran wrap to protect them from scratching while we lowered the hood down into place.

[cjmlarson]

I cannot believe you're sitting on your tractor with your shoes on, it looks like it needs to be stockings or booties only! You should be very proud of the job you are doing, you are paying very close attention to detail. The hardest part of doing a great restoration like you are doing, is the very first scratch. After that, they are a little easier to accept. Blaine, you are going to have a lot of fun displaying and operating this when you are completely finished. Keep up the good work! :thumb:

[Darren Gunderson]

Yes Blaine, you are doing a great job documenting and presenting the process. You should be proud of your work. It is good that you are doing it right the first time and getting everything fixed on it. I look forward to seeing it in a few days. Its almost showtime.:thumb:

Darren

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010001CBsBWiring.jpg
We rewired the whole tractor and installed new gauges and a new light switch. We crimped and soldered all of the wires into the connectors.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010004CBsBGauges.jpg
We were told the gauges for our tractor should have white faces plates. But the gauges that were in the tractor were black. Don’t know if they were the originals or not. We had the tractor at the Tyler Plow Down on Saturday and took it to Rollag on Sunday. Most all of the other tractors of our vintage had black gauges. So it is beginning to look like we got some bad information there. These are the cheap made in India gauges. I would not recommend them. The temp gauge does not work at all. The Amp gauge bounces around with the tractor vibration like crazy. The oil pressure gauge reads way lower than the original, don’t know which one is right. We may have been better off with the originals. These were about 1/3 the price of the gauges from John Deere. But you get what you pay for.

Does any one know what color gauges we should have in a 48 B?

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010005CBsBPaintedFinalAssembly.jpg

Here is the left side with all of the assembly done.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010006CBsBPaintedFinalAssembly.jpg
Here is the right side with all of the assembly done.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010008CBsBPaintedFinalAssembly.jpg
Here is the back with all of the assembly done. After a late night on Friday all we have left is to put on the decals.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010009CBsBCompleteOutside.jpg
Here it is on Saturday morning, 8-23-08, with all of the decals on. Done…..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010010CBsBCompleteOutside.jpg
Here are a few more shots of the tractor.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010011CBsBCompleteOutside.jpg


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010018CBsBCompleteOutside.jpg


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010020CBsBCompleteOutside.jpg

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P1010016CBsBWaterLeak.jpg
We found a couple of problems that we can blame on sandblasting. Or maybe we can credit sandblasting for finding the bad spots.

1 We had a water leak in the top water manifold pipe. It exposed a deep pit that began to leak. We dug the bad spot out with a pick and repaired it with JB Weld. We did not have to take off the pipe and disturb the paint.

2 The oil pressure gauge line was corroded and leaking, so we had to take that off and braze it.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8230009TylerPlowDownCBsBTractors.jpg
We wanted to test out and show off the tractor, so we took it down to the Tyler ND Plow Down on Saturday afternoon. We did not have a plow. About 40-50 tractors show up with plows and they rip into a quarter of wheat stubble. What a hoot to see the old tractors doing what they were made to do. They wiped out the quarter in about 2-3 hours. Then they moved over to another 80.

Here are some pictures we took there.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8230003TylerPlowDownTractors.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8230004TylerPlowDownTractors.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8230005TylerPlowDownTractorsBen.jpg


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8230007TylerPlowDownMarkB88Orchard.jpg

Here is Mark Beyer with his rare Oliver 88 diesel orchard.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8230013TylerPlowDownCBsBTowingAlli.jpg
I even got the chance to tow an Allis WD45. It was just out of gas.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8240015CBsBOliverPickupLoadedForRo.jpg
On Saturday night we fixed the water pipe on the B. On Sunday we fixed a fuel leak on the Oliver Super 88. Then loaded our entire fleet of tractors on the trailer.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/CBs%20B%20Restoration/CBs%20B%20Restoration%204/P8240019CBsBOliverPickupLoadedForRo.jpg
Here we are ready to take off for Rollag. We took the tractors up on Sunday and will go up with the camper on Tuesday night.

See you at the Show!!! http://wmstrcommunityforum.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[40avery]

Blaine,

I saw you and your "B" many times on the hill during the show. It is a beautiful restoration and I was SO impressed that every time I saw it you were using it for show work.:thumb: Big thumbs up. keep up the good work.

Rick

[Brian K. Nelson]

Blaine,
You sure have a tractor to be proud of. Alot of heads turned and watched as you went by.
It was great to meet you and your Dad. Thanks for everything you did at the show!
Brian

[cjmlarson]

Thanks a lot for helping pull the 16hp Russell portable .It was quicker than using the steam engine.I also saw you helping others this weekend,thanks again.:congrats:

[M Kerkvliet]

:ditto: what all of the other said Blaine!

You and your dad did an outstanding job on the restoration! I wish my B looked 1/2 as good as yours!

Whenever I saw you driving by... you had the biggest smile on your face! You have a great reason to be proud of your exhibit!

Thanks for sharing the restoration on the forum! It is a great resource for others!

Looking forward to seeing you at many WMSTR events in the future!

[Darren Gunderson]

Like everyone else has said, it was a great looking tractor. I saw you using it around several times and fully intended to find you to let you know what I thought, but never seemed to make it when you were with the tractor. My wife and I went walking around the exhibit one evening and checked it out. You have something to be proud of and have fun with too. I thought it was good how you were helping out with it so often. :thumb: So what is the next project?

[BKarels]

well my uncle Bradley has a plow and a pull behind field cultivator.
My dad has an Oliver and a John Deere 317 lawn tractor. So don't try to sell us any fixer uppers. We also have an unfinished bathroom and basement. so we are probably are going to be busy until I graduate.

[GKarels]

Missing. JD Yellow Seat bottom. Last known location? Main street of Rollag, heading south to Barnesville. http://wmstrcommunityforum.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

Blaine and I went to the hill tonight, Thursday, to haul the tractors home. We remembered to take off the seat bottom for the trip north, but not the trip south. It is no longer with us. I wonder how many other JD 2 cylinder owners this happens to. I can see we need some sort of tether / bungee cord underneath. Or maybe it is one of those things that only happens to you once.

Anyway, if someone finds a yellow JD seat bottom, that hasn’t been run over by too many gravel trucks, please let us know.

Thanks
Gary

[M Kerkvliet]

... Or maybe it is one of those things that only happens to you once.


Sorry to hear that Gary and Blaine. I only have one tractor that has this issue, and I have never forgotten it. I suspect you won't again either! Hopefully someone will find it.

[BKarels]

Thanks for all that may have looked.
My mom and I got a new seat at fleet farm.
There was a parade today (saturday) and I didn't feel like sitting on cardboard or wood.

[M Kerkvliet]

Thanks for all that may have looked.
My mom and I got a new seat at fleet farm.
There was a parade today (saturday) and I didn't feel like sitting on cardboard or wood.

That's what Mom's are for Blaine!

You had a nice day for a parade!

[BKarels]

pic's at rollag

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag08CBsBParadeSnowmobilesBlaine.jpg
me and my B pulling Paul Nelson's John Deere snowmobiles

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag08ParadeCBsBBlaineP8310074.jpg

parade pics
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag08Parade317KaylaP8310075.jpg
This is my sister Kayla on my dads 317 John Deere garden tractor.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag08CBsBCornBundleWagonBlaineP8.jpg


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag08CBsBCornBundleWagonBlaineJo.jpg
Picking up corn bundles durring the show with Josh Nelson and Kurt Johnsen.

[BKarels]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag08CBsBClaytonLarsonsStationar.jpg
Me and my B pulling the Larson Russel portable back to base camp.:D

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/gnkar/Rollag%20Pics/08%20Rollag/Rollag%2008%20CBs%20B/Rollag084020CBsBPuttingAwayWagonsCh.jpg
Putting away bundle wagons after the show.

[cjmlarson]

Blaine......I especially like post # 58 :cool:. You did a great job at the show this year helping out in many areas. keep up the good work, it is greatly appreciated :thumb:.

[Andy Motteberg]

Great pics Blaine!! :thumb: I saw your B at Rollag and it is very nicely restored. Wish I could have heard it run! Hope I can see some more of the members on this forum at the show next year, I plan to bring my 1949 John Deere A next year. I was there at the 2008 show with my 1943 Farmall H that used to be my Grandpa's. I'm going to post some pics I took at Rollag sometime soon. Thanks, Andy.

My 1949 A:

http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m344/andymotteberg/1949%20John%20Deere%20A/100_4056.jpg

[BKarels]

I think you accidentally put a not in "If its red keep it in the shed."

[Andy Motteberg]

I think you accidentally put a not in "If its red keep it in the shed."

LOL, it was not a mistake, just trying to get the signature block feature figured out, I changed my signature block and my avatar too.

Andy

[BKarels]

Just to let you know I like all tractors but John Deere is my favorite.:D;):p:thumb:

[M Kerkvliet]

Just to let you know I like all tractors but John Deere is my favorite.

Great minds think alike Blaine! :thumb:

[cjmlarson]

Blaine
Check your PMs.

[Big Coulee Russell]

Thank you for pulling my old portable Russell in the parades this year. I would not have been able to do this with out your help. I often times missed you coming and hooking up because I was so busy with the sawmill. I appreciate your time and care in handling the old engine. Thanks again, and maybe next year we will see each other again to work out a plan for the engine.
Craig

[BKarels]

It was my pleasure to pull it I had a wonderful time and it would be great to pull it again next year

Thanks again,