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Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died Wednesday. He was 98. Men like him made it possible for us to be pursue happiness and live free. I just hope that their memories and sacrifices won’t be lost to revisionist history.

Take one old implement seat. Length of scrap pipe and piece of plate. VIOLA!

Got a phone call yesterday from my friend whos is in the scrap metal business and lets me know when he gets a WH in , this will be the 3d save from the scrap pile, I just finished up the last one 2 days ago witch is a Auto 16 ,and what do you know this one was Another Auto 16 ,he told me the guy who dropped it off used it for parts for his Sears tractor restore, So no engine , or electrics ,also no belt guard , gave it a bath today so I could give it a good look over , Did a test on the hydro and its fine other then the brake pawl is wiped out but I have a good 90-1140 trans axle already to swap, As far as engine replacement I have a bunch to choose from ,most are Briggs V twins , I decided to do a re power with a Briggs V twin ,I test ran the engine today on my bench so she is a good runner , and I began the test fit in the frame witch seems to fit very well alignment is not a issue the engine will have to live1 inch further then the stock kohler if I want to retain the fuel tank and battery location , it fits well and I do not see any hood alterations needed , I will beef up the frame if needed I will have question for the repower guys and or puller guys , I did a little research on this Briggs apparently this engine is designated for Aircraft a few ultralight company's used this engine. it is a 1 liter, 993 cc 36hp it weighs only 3 lbs more then the stock Kohler , right now my biggest issue will be finding a pully. it is a 1 1/8 just as the kohler but it is a tapered type shaft .not straig like the Kohler that was in this WH .

Picked this up today, a rusted hunk. Freed up in 15 minutes, was not as bad as it looked. An old friend gave it to me. New they are 2K +

Well guys it's been over a year since I built a new custom tractor. I'm thinking a slammed on the ground early round hood. AKA project rug rat. Time to gather parts now. Good stuff to come, enjoy!

I’m guessing he’s gonna press arbors with it… Cool old tool!!!

Well " Forsaken " is running and driving. Hard to believe but it is. Crazy the engine runs as smooth as it does. This tractor was left in the woods for 20 plus years. I dragged it home for yard art and now it's back in service again. It's not finished yet but the hard stuff is done. It had to be all rewired. Also I had to put a solenoid on it as the old key switch was shot. So that's the wiring and stuff you see on the side. We also put those head lights on it to fill some holes in the hood. Is it perfect ??? Heck no. Do I have more in it then what it's worth ??? Heck yeah, but it is back from the dead. Had to change the tires and wheels as the rims were rotted away. New key switch. Had to add solenoid. Swapped out starter. All new wiring. New carburetor. New choke and throttle cables. New plug. New fuel lines, pitcock, shut off valve, fuel filter. Cleaned the tank. New air filter. New muffler. Replaced all fluids. Washed off most of the dirt and moss and weeds. Pinstripe and added flames to the tins. Added head lights. I want to look into replacing the spring on lift lever as it won't lock in place. Drive pulley is pretty squeaky. Replaced the seat. Freed up the steering as it was seized up.. It will get there.

Picked this guy up today. 1975 C-100-8. I need a Horse to be used exclusively for moving and towing trailers, log splitter and such. So the story goes this was purchased new by an older gentleman for snow blowing. His grandson is who I bought it from. As the older gentleman reached his 90’s he was forgetful it seems. He went to take his tractor somewhere and loaded it up on his trailer. All fine except he left it running and didn’t strap it down. Needless to say it found its way off the trailer. When the gentleman’s son came to help he noticed the tractor was still running. I’ll keep my fingers crossed the ole 10hp still thumps. Left rear hub is busted and the right front spindle was snapped. Steering wheel trashed along with the fender pan. Came with 2 sets of wheel weights. The cast iron ones on the tractor are on. Any suggestions outside of cutting the hub off with a torch? Wheel is garbage so no loss if I have to. Front spindle already replaced.

Yeah. But I'll bet that dump truck project of Kevin's is still up on the top of one of his shelves.

Well a little more progress, got both rear hubs off. Pro-tip if the hubs are junk just use an angle grinder. Bust off the the die-cast and grind right at the keyway. Grind until you get down to the key and use a chisel to spread the rest, comes right off. Took me 15 minutes for the pair. Why am I telling you all this, old news I quite certain to many of you. If you look real close I did nick the very end of the shaft with the grinder but meh no big deal. Don’t judge me I was on to something and I couldn’t stop. 😂

DETAILS ALSO KNOWN AS: WILLIAMS, WOODY RANK: CORPORAL (HIGHEST RANK: CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FOUR) CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II UNIT/COMMAND: HEADQUARTERS COMPANY, 1ST BATTALION, 21ST MARINES, 3D MARINE DIVISION MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: FEBRUARY 23, 1945 MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: IWO JIMA, VOLCANO ISLANDS CITATION For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as demolition sergeant serving with the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 23 February 1945. Quick to volunteer his services when our tanks were maneuvering vainly to open a lane for the infantry through the network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, buried mines, and black volcanic sands, Cpl. Williams daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machine-gun fire from the unyielding positions. Covered only by four riflemen, he fought desperately for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. On one occasion, he daringly mounted a pillbox to insert the nozzle of his flamethrower through the air vent, killing the occupants, and silencing the gun; on another he grimly charged enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and destroyed them with a burst of flame from his weapon. His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strongpoints encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective. Cpl. Williams' aggressive fighting spirit and valiant devotion to duty throughout this fiercely contested action sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Installed a horse friendly ‘scratching’ post, made out of old rotary brushes. The lower blue brush is there to raise the height for the horse to use, and also to cater for the visiting deer, foxes, cats, etc, that regularly visit, they can’t reach the higher mounted one! I haven’t seen any badgers yet, but they are around this area.

If that happens then we just do not deserve what they did for us for we can no longer then recognize honor and sacrifice, and their example will not be repeated when that need surfaces again. And surface it will.

The new mill is sitting in place! Now to re-do everything that I un-doed!

Painted up some front rims for a friend @Docwheelhorse (yes, for a Wheel Horse GT-1800). Didn’t use the playing card trick, stuck to my old tried and true tape/masking method. Smoke gray was the color of choice.

Done! Frank’s fired up and I didn’t even have extra parts!

Picked up a couple of tie rods for the steering for the 800 special at the PA show. The old ones were just a little bit worn.

Just bought a wheelhorse. First one. Seems to fit my old fashioned style.

I scored this table and six chairs on a freebie ad, I'm not sure of the age I believe its Black Walnut. I want to refinish and need some advice from our resident craftsman or any others who wish to chime in.

Refinishing that set is a serious undertaking. My intent is not to sound discouraging but to make you aware of what you are up against. A total refinishing is not in my opinion the way to go. That requires a certain amount of knowledge about products for it and the compatibility of the different ones to be used. Parts such as the turned chair and table legs are not easy to do. Quite honestly if that job was to be given to a professional the cost would be several times the cost of a comparable new set. Set is most likely maple with a dark stain. I am sure that table top is veneered. So having said all of that what I would do if I wanted to keep it is the following. Again it is what I would do for myself and I am relatively pickey with these things , but it really depends on one’s taste which can’t be argued with. Set has quite a bit of wear. So why not make the most of that? I made furniture for clients that wanted that look and it is not easy to achieve from scratch. On areas such as the chairs , table legs and trestle preserve what is there . They are solid wood. Merely clean everything well with mineral spirits using a mild scotch brite pad such as the gray ones. You will already be surprised on the difference. Then oil it with a mixture of half boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits . Wipe it dry afterwards. That will bring everything back to life accentuating the natural patina of the worn parts. After that dries for a few days merely use a wipe on poly over everything. It will seal what you achieved in prior step keeping that fresh look. If not the oiled worn parts will look lifeless after a while. Two coats will suffice with a light scuffing between coats. Use a white scotch brute pad. Now for the hard part. The table top. It is the most visible part and it’s horizontal. If it was solid wood it would be easy but I believe it is veneered. It does not have a matching wear pattern as the other parts. It does have damage from liquid which penetrated finish. Solid wood would have a lot of options which cannot be used here. On that one I would sand the clear coat on it almost off not going through it. 220 stearated sandpaper going with grain using a block. You are going to get more white areas where water damage is and top coat is peeling . The edges of table should be solid and you can sand through color in areas to imitate wear. Then same as chairs . You may want to darken the white area with a little stain to even out top. The now thin top coat with the sandpaper scratches will absorb the oil mixture. Then the wipe on poly probably three coats . Scuff the last coat to eliminate any gloss and just polish it with cloth. You should get a result similar to photo below, Another idea is to paint everything but the top. I would then send top to a refinished and just stain and top coat. The top only will be reasonable in cost but not cheap.

Just had to dump fresh oil all over before I found a funnel….

Sir yes sir. Exactly right. Thank-you for sharing sir. Don

Holes found (thanks to flash photography), threads chased for good measure, bolts greased. The nub looking things are plug welds to fill some p.o. mounting holes.

FYI. Many don’t even have the casting model numbers and some have other casting numbers that I’ve been a loss to figure out for 50 years. I once asked an old timer back in the the 70’s this same question. He gave me a typical WW2 vet answer. “I don’t know, who cares, measure the bore and get back to work.” (I miss those guys. You knew were you stood with them. Nothing fake)

Save the Lucas for your car doors. Makes them easier to slam on your rods!

How long ago did it fall down? I get rusty if I sit too long too!

Ya think a liberal coating of Lucas Red n Tacky would bring it back to life Pete?

I've spent some time checking over the wiring and general condition. This afternoon I put a battery on the fender, a new spark plug, and turned the key. This engine will fire with a spray in the carb but the fuel pump wouldn't pull anything. I removed the fuel pump and carburetor to clean and inspect.

Apparently neither will the Hilo

Got a spot on the heavy bench picked out. I can press in races, and might get a broach set. I think it just looks cool! Plus it weighs more than me! IDK have to check eye!

Say it like a Kennedy - Abah !! Seroiusly a 5 ton press is only limited by what is is bolted to and the physical willingness of the person working the handle.I have used many of these over the years - is there a hole at the bottom of the ram to insert tools??

Wow! You did that faster than @ebinmaine’s Colossus project!!!

I have been putting fresh paint jobs up in the loft of my dry shed. Gets pretty warm and seem to make the process go way faster.

The only retail paint stripper that I've found to still work "fairly well" is Aircraft Stripper. But as said above stripping is a lot of work with todays products. Do they need any repairs, are all the joints tight, not wobbly, etc. Maybe a good gentle cleaning, then a wipe down with linseed oil. I've also used Watco Danish Oil in the walnut color on some dark wood pieces like that. I lightly buffed them with fine steel wool, the gave them one or two coats of the WAtco oil. Recently my wive came home with an oil rocking chair she wanted to refinish. I taught her how to do the Watco oil and even she could do a good job with it. it came out very nice, and it preserves some of the wear patina. @formariz might have some good advice to share on this.

Pretty ... Examined very closely and didn't find any 'micro cracks' so went ahead and painted it. Next step, pop the spindles apart to check them out and clean old grease out and put in some new. Then I believe I'm ready to reassemble.

It's actually only $63, I just rounded up. Randy

@RandyLittrellOh, I agree - $75 a cyl is a very reasonable price!

I have had 2 69 Chevy Caprices in my life. 1st one in HS with a 350 4bbl. Dual exhaust. Loved that car and I wrecked it the day before I left for college. 35 years ago I ran across another. 327 2bbl "Grandma car" Rear bumper and trunk caved in. Pulled the frame straightened the Qtrs. and another trunk lid. Put the same exhaust system on that I had before and a set of factory rally wheels. Got a free 4bbl intake so I went to a junkyard and got a Quadrejet, Factory air cleaner assembly and other misc. parts off of a Chevelle SS. Put everything on and it looked factory fresh. Took it to "All Chevy Sunday" in Syracuse and took 1st one year and 2nd another year in the full size car "stock" division.

That may be true Eric, but we're talking about tractors here

For reference, this is the engine I’m putting in. I’ll refrain from using the shroud though. Serial 9183072 The casting tolerance I understand doesn’t need to be perfect here. Well for my bolt holes, it’s too big. It was galling up the clear coat where it was hitting, so I ground down the high spots and smoothed the rest. Waiting for the clear to dry and I’ll stick it back on for another test fit. Yee haw!

I rebuilt mine myself. Not difficult to do. I seem to remember that my ARK500 used 2 large and 1 small o-ring per cylinder. I don't recall the sizes, but they were commonly available and inexpensive.

A Sawzall or angle grinder right along the keyway so you have less material to cut.

If you’re unsure of the model, we can help. Pictures would be best! There should be an ID tag somewhere, either under the dash, on the frame near the left side of the dash stand, or maybe on the rear fender. It’ll have model ID and serial info. If you can’t do pictures, let’s start by doing 20 questions! Round hood? Fender pan? If there’s a fender pan, is bolted to the tractor or does it flip up? Where’s the gas tank located? What size/brand engine? That should help narrow it down quite a bit!

I’ll change it up…

The steering wheel has metal rod in it. You may be able to get it back to useable, just not purdy.....

I'd use an angle grinder and a wizard wheel on that hub instead of a torch...

Probably that Steve. I tend to slam car doors on the rods I use.....If I don't drive off with them laying on the roof that is.

Degreased, washed and clear coated…

It’s amazing what some soak time and a wire wheel can accomplish!