JBNeal

a cautionary tale of the Farmall 1206 during the refurbishing of Dad's 1966 Farmall 1206, I had flushed out the block several times to get crud out, using a coolant flush and a garden hose each time. A few months after this tractor went back to work, an area of paint blistered on the side of the block about the length of my index finger, then eventually a coolant weep was observed after hours of use. The attempt to weld the crack failed, and eventually the block was replaced as there were several local donors available at the time, with the original engine guts transferred to the replacement block...alotta cussin and discussin went into that venture, as the mechanic who did the block replacement defied instructions and rattle-canned the replacement block to match the rest of the shiny tractor, getting red overspray on black hoses and white sheet metal. After it was all said and done, Dad commented that the tractor never had a serious problem up until the original injector pump failed and I fixed it up nice, and that it ran strong for decades with rusty sheet metal and half-rotted and chewed up wiring...he went on to add that I had flushed that engine one too many times. He went on to tell the story of a neighbor who bought a Farmall 866 at an auction that ran well but was absolutely filthy...so one winter, that neighbor decided to clean up that red tractor, and come to find out all that dried up gunk and grease was plugging up every leak on that workhorse, and the guy had a time keeping fluids in it during planting season...so the guy never cleaned it again afterwards so the leaks would plug back up with dust and grit. "Now ya tell me" is what I was a-thinkin after that tale had been shared 🙄

VINTAGEPIC: looks like a big '57 at the loading dock over on the FB

In the factory parts manual, there is an optional 195°F thermostat, so I reckon that the massive flathead castings can absorb a fair amount of heat. Using that infrared thermometer is a good approach to determining if ya have a hotspot or hot block. Your crankcase oil is also considered a coolant so check that as well. When I drive my flatheads in the triple digits, the temp gauge will crest over 200 but not for long...haven't spotted a hot spot yet.

VINTAGEPIC: saw this '39 Dodge on the FB

additional information - heater core catalog

additional information - heater core catalog

here is an example used from '51-'53...the electrical circuit is not exposed like '48-'50 units and has an improved mounting bracket

I am in the process of putting together a write-up on refurbishing Pilot-House 6V wiper motors, as these are not too difficult but there are a few details that can be frustrating if overlooked. Of note is a leather seal on the gearbox that takes some skill and patience to replace, as well as indexing the crank arms, re-soldering the electrical connections, and replacing critical rubber grommets...stay tuned...

I saw this pop up on the FB recently, and was interested to see that oil filter element inspection was a thing at service stations back in the day. I remember Grandma's '87 Diplomat stating to replace the oil filter at least once a year, and to change the oil at least once every 5000 miles...so I reckon the annual oil filter change was a thing for awhile, before the industry shifted to the play-it-safe mentality of change your oil and filter every 3 months or 3000 miles, whichever comes first.

VINTAGEPIC: saw this B-1 and C-1 on the FB

VINTAGEPIC: saw this big B-4 double parked a li'l close on the FB

additional information - steering gearbox rebuild parts

additional information - fluid coupling rebuilding

VINTAGEPIC: spotted this B-4 on the bad side of town over on the FB

additional information - spin-on bypass oil filter installation additional information - spin-on bypass oil filter installed

VINTAGEPIC: spotted this Pilot-House down at the drag strip over on the FB

VINTAGEPIC: spotted this B-1or2 in a faraway land on the FB

if'n you're running with DOT 3, shouldn't that be flushed every 3 years or so?