Cleaning Parts!

Not much done this week so far. Cleaning parts and got the head ready to go to the shop for cleanup. Valve job, etc...The top photo is the toolbox that sits on top of the bell housing. You can definitely see how clean the washing soda solution gets parts!!

Trying to get a good process for storing parts after cleanup. Need more shelves!!

First Part out of the Cooker

Got the valve cover out of the cooker... It was clean as a whistle! Sprayed it with etching primer, and WD-40 inside the cover to keep it from rusting...

Chemistry to the Rescue

So, I'm not liking the concept of using a wire wheel to clean all of the tractor parts. I dig around on the internet, and find this concept of electrolysis to clean the tractor parts...

My setup for the prototype was pretty simple. 23 gallon tub, a few bungee straps, battery charger, and a basketball hoop! You can see the F20 valve cover in the tub above...

Here's the unit in action... Doesn't look too exciting you say? Well, before I show you an updated photo, here's the key ingredient: sodium carbonate! Otherwise known as:

Yip! Simple washing soda is all you need! We dropped in 1 tablespoon per gallon of water, and wham! Super Washing Tractor Part rust killer!

So the battery charger is pulling about 2 amps. Not shabby! I intend to get more electrodes added to the tub to boost this up to 6-8Amps. More power!! Grunt grunt!

Here's the tub after 90 minutes. If you are wondering where the basketball hoop went, I pitched it in exchange for a rusty carpenter's square. You can see the nasty rust stuff around the square. The valve cover is completely submerged. Paint is literally falling off of it, and the little rust that was on the part is gone gone gone!!

So, for my tub 2.0, I plan on getting stainless parts for the sacrificial metal, and to create a metal RING around the inside of the tub. This should speed up the process!!

Engine is Almost Bare!

Mice can get into EVERYTHING!!

The oil filter, magneto, and governor are all off now...

Also removed the fan tonight...

When I removed the drainplug, nothing came out. When I took the cap off, I discovered that the drainplug lied to me. It was plugged up with gunky goop. Kinda like hot fudge...

Closeup of the clutch plate.

Still getting engine ready to pull this weekend. After seeing the junk in the bell housing, it definitely made up my mind to pull the engine to clean it all out. I only want to do this once!!

The Headless Tractor!

Got the exhaust manifold off with a bit
of cold chisel work. The stud under the
manifold popped loose, and I was able
to wrench it off.

What's this?!?! A headless tractor!?!? I better go back and show some pics on how I got to this point...


You can see where the block was welded. I'm guessing (well, my father in law gave me this idea) that the block froze up in winter.







Can you see the stuck valve? Not hard to spot!

Closer look at the stuck valve. I'll give it a whack when the head is off...
So, what was the cause of the soldering on the valve cover? Another mystery!

Valve train. Notice the wicks sitting on the top of the rocker pans. There are oiler caps on the valve cover. No oil pump or water pump on this engine!! Good old fashioned thermal, gravity, and splash physics to keep the engine running...

You can see the left most valve in this picture is stuck. Well, it WAS stuck. I popped it with a rubber mallet and it closed. It really wasn't THAT stuck...

So, all in all the bolts have been falling out, the parts have popped off, and I haven't hit any big challenges...

Its time for me to slow down, package up my parts in an orderly fashion, and start planning out the next few weeks..

Oh, in case anyone wants to see this engine in ACTION!! (with the help of my youngest daughter)

Saturday Can Lead to Broken Parts

So Saturday rolls around, and being the weather is nice, I decided to get a few hours in on the tractor. I'm working towards pulling the engine next weekend (Labor Day weekend) and needed to get some more parts removed...

After letting the antifreeze puke all over the garage floor, I pulled off the radiator (with some family help. I think the radiator weighs about 125 pounds, based on the imprint it left on my foot)

The girls pitched in with scrapers to get 70 years of crud off of the parts I've removed so far...

Just when I thought this was going to be a piece of cake restoration, I broke off my first bolt. It didn't provide much resistence. POP! It was gone. The good news is that I just need to remove the tranny cover, and use a little soaking and heat to back the stud out. That will be a later project.

I also broke the exhaust manifold, which wasn't a big surprise. It was already on my list of things to replace. It was rusted solid full. I need to get to two sneaky bolts up under the manifold (see the massive amount of WD-40 in the photo) to get the assembly off. I need to pick up a 13/16" combination wrench to get this little project done...

More on the Color and Birthdate of Tractor

Found this while researching on the internet. Its always fun to see actual documents that were produced in the era of the F-20... It calls out the date of change of paint color. This means Grandpa's F-20 was produced in either November or December of 1936.

IH built 36,033 F-20's in 1936. That averages to 144 tractors per day! Since this F-20 is 68,060, it means only 688 more were built in 1936. That's 4.7 days of assembly.

In the 1930's, workers would have built machines on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve Day. If you look at a 1936 calendar, and back up 5 days, it means this F-20 was assembled on Christmas Eve!

At this point, I'm officially declaring the roll-off date of my Grandpa's F-20 as December 24th, 1936. It will be 72 years old this winter. Time to start planning its 75th birthday party!

(Granted I'm taking a few liberties in calculations, but I'm very confident I'm not off more than a few days). A Christmas time tractor for sure!

Fuel Tank and Toolboxes

Starting to look bare behind the engine!

So after a bit of woodwork, I had about an hour tonight to remove some more parts. Amazing how fast stuff comes apart. I'm starting to figure out how to catalog everything as it comes off. There really aren't many pieces on this tractor!

Got the two toolboxes off (aftermarket box and bell housing box). Also removed the fuel tank. This gave me a great chance to get a closeup of the serial tag on the small box.

Once I had the toolbox off, I noticed some welding on the frame. Apparently there had been something on the side of the frame prior to the toolbox. I'll have to ask Dad if he knows what this was...

I'm researching parts online. I'm surprised how many parts are available. Time to start my shopping list!! Magneto parts, carb kit, hoses, the list goes on and on!!

Hood Is Off

The hood came off with a bit of creative twisting and pulling. Its in great shape, and should look great after a bit of sanding, a little straightening, and some paint.

While removing the ignition timing rod that runs over the top of the hood, the tractor attacked me. Actually, it was the retention spring that shot when I pulled out the cotter pin. No damage, since it was on the rod and couldn't escape. Garfield, our garage cat #3, was not amused.





So I'm starting to list out the things I need to do on the F20, such as replace the upgraded ignition with a stock Magneto. Its not that I mind newer technology, but some tractors deserve to have their original bits and pieces.





I've determined the tractor was originally red, which makes the painting a bit easier. I do need to invest in some wire brushes and sanding paper...









Next steps are to buy manuals for the tractor, and start planning out the teardown. I'm envisioning that it will be 4 phases: front, engine, bits and pieces, and rear axle. Seems easy on paper, but easy doesn't break loose bolts that are 72 years old...

I'm also negotiating with a neighbor to buy an old Oliver wood wagon that is about the same age as the F20. The asking price is $75, so I may need to negotiate...

The Start of the Project

We picked up my Grandpa's 1936 Farmall F-20 yesterday in Eastern Iowa. Its currently sitting comfortably in the garage (the cars can weather the winter outside!) waiting for some TLC.

The F-20 is s/n #68060. During 1936, IH built #32,716 to #68,749, which means this was a VERY late 1936. Overall theere were 148,960 F Series tractors built.

Over the next 18 months I plan on tearing it down, and rebuilding it to its original condition. Mechanical, paint, and some elbow grease awaits! With the help of the internet, friends and family I should be in for a fun restoration!