cleat 5,996 #51 Posted March 25, 2023 Broke the beads free on the rear wheels. Pushed the tube valve stems in and taped over the inside of the hole in the rim. Taped up the tires. Wheels are in great shape, just need a quick sand and paint. It is snowing here now so job is on hold. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bds1984 1,429 #52 Posted March 25, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 11:06 PM, cleat said: I bought that F150 new in May 2020 and I baby it way too much It now has 6,000Km on it (3,600 miles) and has never seen snow and rarely sees rain. I can't wait till spring to get that and also my other toys out. Ah yes. Is yours powered by the 5.0? I have a car like that, too. It has seen two light winters and been garaged most of her life. Every time I take her out people stop and ask about it since most think it is a former police car with nice wheel on it. Few have ever heard about the LX Sport model. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #53 Posted March 25, 2023 1 hour ago, bds1984 said: Ah yes. Is yours powered by the 5.0? I have a car like that, too. It has seen two light winters and been garaged most of her life. Every time I take her out people stop and ask about it since most think it is a former police car with nice wheel on it. Few have ever heard about the LX Sport model. Yes the truck is a 5.0L I also have a 5.0 Mustang GT convertible and an XR4Ti as toys. The mustang has never seen snow or rain. The XR4Ti I drove to work for years in the summer so it saw lots of rain and sun. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #54 Posted March 26, 2023 6 hours ago, bds1984 said: Ah yes. Is yours powered by the 5.0? I have a car like that, too. It has seen two light winters and been garaged most of her life. Every time I take her out people stop and ask about it since most think it is a former police car with nice wheel on it. Few have ever heard about the LX Sport model. Nice car. Makes me think of the Marauder. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #55 Posted March 27, 2023 Rear wheels wire brushed, sanded, and primed. 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 12,062 #56 Posted March 27, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, cleat said: Rear wheels wire brushed, sanded, and primed The SMART way to paint wheels! I don't care who you are, or what high-speed equipment you have access to. NOBODY can mount tires without scratching rims. Powder coated is almost as bad. I prime the insides with rust inhibitor, mount the tires, and inflate after painting. No other way to do it! Edited March 27, 2023 by kpinnc 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #57 Posted March 27, 2023 Rear wheels painted. I will let these dry for a few days before finishing them. 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,232 #58 Posted March 27, 2023 2 hours ago, cleat said: I will let these dry for a few days before finishing them. They look neat but the yellow tape is sure distracting! Depending on the temp and humidity, leaving them for a week or more won’t hurt 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #59 Posted March 28, 2023 Yes, that ugly yellow tape will be a welcome sight gone. Hopefully though it prevented silver paint from getting on the tires. Not a rush anyways as the hood and fender still need to be done. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #60 Posted March 28, 2023 (edited) I carefully de-taped the tires. These will now sit by the window for a few days before pulling the tube valve stem back in and re-inflating. The white residue on the tires is adhesive from the tape. I will clean that off after tires are inflated. Edited March 28, 2023 by cleat 5 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #61 Posted March 29, 2023 Pulled valve stem into place then aired up to 12PSI I will wait a while before installing onto the tractor. 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #62 Posted March 31, 2023 Rear wheels installed. Front end alignment complete. This is how tractor looks as of today. 5 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #63 Posted April 4, 2023 (edited) I did not like how the rear hitch tilted down and all the up and down play it had so I added a spacer. Spacer is simply a little 1/4" thick block of aluminum held in place with two 1/8" roll pins. Hitch pin and the hole in the rear axle got a good coat of anti-seize. Hitch installed. Much more level and very little up and down play. has a little side to side play but I guess that is by design. Here is a couple of close-ups showing the hitch with spacer installed. I likely won't pull much with this hitch, I have 2" receivers on other machines but this one needs the factory hitch for the bagger support bar to hook on to. Edited April 4, 2023 by cleat 4 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,306 #64 Posted April 4, 2023 59 minutes ago, cleat said: I did not like how the rear hitch tilted down and all the up and down play it had so I added a spacer. Spacer is simply a little 1/4" thick block of aluminum held in place with two 1/8" roll pins. I build up the pad area with some weld. The real problem is the ridiculously thin web next to the pin hole gets stretched. I put the hitch in a vise and bend it back in place using a large adjustable wrench. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #65 Posted April 4, 2023 1 hour ago, lynnmor said: I build up the pad area with some weld. The real problem is the ridiculously thin web next to the pin hole gets stretched. I put the hitch in a vise and bend it back in place using a large adjustable wrench. My pin hole seems fine as the pin fits real nice and the hole is round. I have bent hitches in the past, here are two I have as spares. I just thought a spacer would be something different for this one. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 12,062 #66 Posted April 7, 2023 On 4/4/2023 at 9:43 AM, cleat said: Here is a couple of close-ups showing the hitch with spacer installed. On most of my hitches I weld a 2-3 inch plate (notched for the drain plug) of 1/4 steel to do two things: spread the load because I've found busted cases before and because I also don't like the hitch angle. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ML3 1,203 #67 Posted April 7, 2023 On 3/25/2023 at 10:15 PM, cleat said: Nice car. Makes me think of the Marauder. Gotta love the panther platform. My 2003 CVPI. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,004 #68 Posted April 7, 2023 If I remember correctly, the dies for those wheels were one of my projects. That part was a good runner. Funny how the ones that ran well in production fade from memory quicker than the ones that were problem children. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #69 Posted April 7, 2023 10 hours ago, kpinnc said: On most of my hitches I weld a 2-3 inch plate (notched for the drain plug) of 1/4 steel to do two things: spread the load because I've found busted cases before and because I also don't like the hitch angle. Looks good. My bigger haul jobs get done with one of these. Also gets the hitch height up to work better with most trailers. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 12,062 #70 Posted April 7, 2023 8 hours ago, cleat said: My bigger haul jobs get done with one of these Agreed. Much better solution! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damien Walker 246 #71 Posted May 9, 2023 Exceptional work. I did similar to my 518H recently (fitted power steering too), but seeing this gives me the urge again! I have 1.5 518H in rusty and dismantled state... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #72 Posted May 16, 2023 Installed the new steering wheel center cap that I got from Wheel Horse Parts and more. Hood and fender are at my painter's place. This is the paint I gave him to use. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #73 Posted June 26, 2023 (edited) Got tired of incomplete machine in my way in the shop so I moved it to the storage building. My painter has not finished the hood or fender yet and I am not rushing him. Hydraulic control valve was very sticky, I must have installed the wrong O rings. Pulled rod from the valve and installed two #111 "O" rings, greased them with silicone grease then assembled. Nice and smooth now. Edited June 26, 2023 by cleat 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #74 Posted January 14 (edited) Rear fender as removed. Decals removed ready to go to painter's Rear fenders back from my painter's One is for this tractor an the other is for the 520-8 I am building. I will let these dry likely until spring as the tractors are moved to a garage out back and snowed in. + He still has the hoods. The red paint is finished but he still needs to paint the black grill. Edited January 14 by cleat 2 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 5,996 #75 Posted January 21 LED tail lights installed in the rear fenders. One of these is for this tractor and the other is for a 520-8 I am creating. 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites