Winter Projects??

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,052]

I've been so busy working on other things and running around that my garage is empty.....zero tractor related projects in the garage at the moment. So the last few times I've been out there, organizations and clean up has been what I've been up to. I got a tool chest from the in laws for Christmas so I've been putting my "good" tools in that and then I picked up a tool set from hobo freight for mobile repairs and shows. Yea it's cheap stuff, but if the guy on Vice Grip Garage can get a car running that's been sitting in the weeds for 15 years with it, I can mess with a few tractors with it that aren't that bad.  

 

I do need to lift the engine out of my C-161 and do motor mounts, and I have a Ford 100 garden tractor that needs the peerless tranny split and the detente springs replaced so I better get a move on before the warm weather gets here!

 

 

So post up your wintertime projects! Weather it's tractor related, automotive, wood working, or home repair, let's see what you're up to!!

 

 

 

 

     

[Keaton 464]

nice, and hobo freight, good one. I've been working on my racing mower and making messes 

[ebinmaine 69,619]

5 hours ago, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

So post up your wintertime projects! Weather it's tractor related, automotive, wood working, or home repair, let's see what you're up to!!

 

We've been spending time getting the basement workshop cleaned up and reorganizing all that stuff out into the barn and new workshop space. 

At some point Trina and her momma will be / have been working on creating an apartment for the momma in our basement.  

 

 

[Bar Nuthin 885]

My tractor (I'm naming, Sanford) is a self-perpetuating project all unto itself. Every day it reveals something new that needs attention. 

 

 

Edited January 3 by Bar Nuthin

[Beap52 1,008]

Several of my neighbors have whole house generators.  You know, the self starting/testing, propane. automatic start ones. 

 

I don't have one of those but I do have a donated 8,000 (10,000 surge) watt portable open frame generator.  The Briggs and Stratton Elite is electric start with only 12.5 hours on the meter.  My neighbor's widow gave it to me after he passed away.  She said he wanted me to have it.  (I mentioned a few months ago that Joe had a bad cancer and I helped with his care and even sat with him a few hours before he passed so his wife could go to grocery store.) 

 

The generator wouldn't run (carb sat with gasoline in it.) Joe told me one time that a shop said it would be too expensive to repair the generator thus he bought a whole house unit.  After cleaning the carb twice it now starts and runs smoothly.  I  already had two breaker boxes in basement one of them being for generator with the selected few breakers needed to maintain livability  if/when commercial power is down.  In addition, a receptacle is mounted on outside of house to plug umbilical cord of generator into.

 

Local weather is calling for ice Saturday night.  Snow is usually not a huge problem for us because it seems we are at the right latitude that ice is our biggest challenge. If we loose electricity, I can roll the generator under the carport, run the umbilical line and hopefully have enough gas to last the duration.  (in anticipation of the storm, I filled all of gas the containers, the 47 Chevy and El Camino with premium fuel.)

 

If my preparedness doesn't push the storm north--then nothing will.  And thus goes my big project for the winter. 

[Easton Rich 448]

My project is combining a b80 and Commando 8 to make a stock pulling tractor. It’s name is Steven. You can see it on here I have it posted as Steven the Commando/B80 puller

[ebinmaine 69,619]

33 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

I  already had two breaker boxes in basement one of them being for generator with the selected few breakers needed to maintain livability  if/when commercial power is down.  In addition, a receptacle is mounted on outside of house to plug umbilical cord of generator into

 

Got a lockout on that to separate the house from road power?

 

[Horsin'round 141]

15 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Got a lockout on that to separate the house from road power?

 

 

Absolutely necessary,  code in these parts!

[Beap52 1,008]

19 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Got a lockout on that to separate the house from road power?

 

Yes. 

[ebinmaine 69,619]

3 minutes ago, Horsin'round said:

 

 

Absolutely necessary,  code in these parts!

 

 

Yepp here too.  

 

We're gonna have a whole house generator connected sometime soon. 

All the parts are here. Just need to hang more wires.  

 

 

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,052]

2 hours ago, Bar Nuthin said:

 Every day it reveals something new that needs attention. 

 

 

 

I've been there!!

[adsm08 2,366]

So far this winter upgrading my computer for Windows 11 has been the big project. The irony is that after all the money and work to get it there half the stuff I use it for doesn't work right in 11, so I'm going back to 10.

[Achto 28,146]

Will be preparing for my winter resto the next couple weekends. Upgrading air power with my new compressor. This bad boy has a 14hp Kohler with the air delivery of 18.5CFM @175psi, 24.4CFM @ 90psi. 

 

 

The gas engine means that this compressor can not reside inside the shop. Tomorrow will be spent setting up an enclosure and plumbing lines into the shop.

[WHX?? 49,827]

7 minutes ago, Achto said:

Tomorrow will be spent setting up an enclosure

I'd come over and supervise but I got my hands full moving tractors...'sides supposed to be colder that a witches chest in a brass bra ... 

[ebinmaine 69,619]

2 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

I'd come over and supervise but I got my hands full moving tractors...'sides supposed to be colder that a witches chest in a brass bra ... 

 

 

🥶 

[Jrblanke 881]

I've got several projects cooking! Most are automotive related. The most pressing ones involve getting old cars out of my parents garage! They have retired and are selling the house in the spring. So both my car and dads car need to get out of there. My folks have allowed me to store my old corvette in their garage, so I've been riding that free storage gravy train for about 17 years! In the fall I got it running and rebuilt the calipers and replaced the brake lines. I ran into a problem with the master cylinder and haven't sourced one yet. Once I get the master cylinder and bleed the brakes, I just need to connect the exhaust and install new tires. While working on the corvette, the elephant in the room has been dad's 66 Q code thunderbird convertible. Its been on a rotisserie for about 25 years, and he just never had the time to finish it. Now that he is retired, he wants to do other things with his time and just wants it gone. But before it can be sold and put on a trailer, we have to get the rear axle back under it and front hubs put on the spindles.  So next weekend I'll be headed back to their house to hopefully mount the rear axle and put on whatever stuff go on the front spindles. The goal is to have the car on the ground by the end of the weekend. 

 

Now, while the 2 cars at my folks house are priority, we (wife/kids) still had to run the holiday gauntlet at the inlaws, outlaws, and everyone in between. While I didn't get much accomplished, I was able to wrap up the flip kit and C notch on my '84 C10 before Christmas. I hope to get the bed back on this weekend. That truck has been apart for 12 years, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It started with needing a carb rebuild and an exhaust manifold gasket, but snowballed into an LS swap and static suspension drop.

 

Lastly, I replace the alternator on my uncles 1952 8N tractor. It had previously been converted to a 12v system, but the alternator wasn't charging. I got that replaced in about 15 minutes, but when I tried to turn the tractor over, there were sparks coming from the solenoid. I could hear it clicking, but the starter wasn't turning over. I took the starter loose to test it, which was unnecessary and ultimately proved to be a mistake. I had never taken an 8N starter off, so I didn't expect it to fall apart in my hands when I took it off. I had to get a 2nd set of hands to realign the brushes so I could get the armature back in. In the end, I think the connections on the solenoid just needed cleaning. So back together it went, and the tractor cranked up after sitting for over a year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,366]

Main project for this winter is an engine rebuild on the 49 Farmall C that does most of our mowing and light chores around the farm. I noticed towards the end of summer that it was emitting a haze out of the exhaust, figured it was using a little oil. Ended up chewing a few teeth off the flywheel ring gear at our local show in September so figured this winter I’d split it and replace the ring gear and put in a new clutch while I was there. Took a peek down inside the cylinders before taking it apart and found about 1/4” of coolant sitting on top of the #4 piston. Got it tore down, just waiting for the time to be able to take everything to the machine shop. 

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,052]

On 1/3/2025 at 11:07 PM, Jrblanke said:

I've got several projects cooking! Most are automotive related. The most pressing ones involve getting old cars out of my parents garage! They have retired and are selling the house in the spring. So both my car and dads car need to get out of there. My folks have allowed me to store my old corvette in their garage, so I've been riding that free storage gravy train for about 17 years! In the fall I got it running and rebuilt the calipers and replaced the brake lines. I ran into a problem with the master cylinder and haven't sourced one yet. Once I get the master cylinder and bleed the brakes, I just need to connect the exhaust and install new tires. While working on the corvette, the elephant in the room has been dad's 66 Q code thunderbird convertible. Its been on a rotisserie for about 25 years, and he just never had the time to finish it. Now that he is retired, he wants to do other things with his time and just wants it gone. But before it can be sold and put on a trailer, we have to get the rear axle back under it and front hubs put on the spindles.  So next weekend I'll be headed back to their house to hopefully mount the rear axle and put on whatever stuff go on the front spindles. The goal is to have the car on the ground by the end of the weekend. 

 

Now, while the 2 cars at my folks house are priority, we (wife/kids) still had to run the holiday gauntlet at the inlaws, outlaws, and everyone in between. While I didn't get much accomplished, I was able to wrap up the flip kit and C notch on my '84 C10 before Christmas. I hope to get the bed back on this weekend. That truck has been apart for 12 years, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It started with needing a carb rebuild and an exhaust manifold gasket, but snowballed into an LS swap and static suspension drop.

 

Lastly, I replace the alternator on my uncles 1952 8N tractor. It had previously been converted to a 12v system, but the alternator wasn't charging. I got that replaced in about 15 minutes, but when I tried to turn the tractor over, there were sparks coming from the solenoid. I could hear it clicking, but the starter wasn't turning over. I took the starter loose to test it, which was unnecessary and ultimately proved to be a mistake. I had never taken an 8N starter off, so I didn't expect it to fall apart in my hands when I took it off. I had to get a 2nd set of hands to realign the brushes so I could get the armature back in. In the end, I think the connections on the solenoid just needed cleaning. So back together it went, and the tractor cranked up after sitting for over a year!

 

 

 

 

Love these projects!