Let the restoration begin

[dgjks6 6]

So the adventure continues. And my competency is in doubt.

After getting this far I thought the hard parts were over. Took my wife and 3 little ones to the airport so they cold go on vacation while I stayed home to work and pay for it. Then I picked the big kids up from track and thought I had the rest of the evening to finish the tractor. I stopped at the toro delaer to get a new drive belt and another can of paint. You know its bad when everyone in the shop knows your first name and stops what they are doing to come out and ask how things are going. They wanted to make sure I had the right paint. I said I knew what color to get and had to bite my tongue and not explain the difference between "new red" and "apple red" paint. After all, I didn't want to sound cocky. New belt says wheelhorse and is a lot tougher than what was on there.

After reading JimD's post I thought I would throw on some sheet metal, attach the PTO, take some pictures, and post on red square how smoothly it all went. Really, what could go wrong? Well, I got cocky and karma stepped in.

First - no bolts to attack the clutch plate. No idea where they went. Actually I think I know, but then I would need new bolts for the sheet metal on the engine.

So off I go to sears and get 1/4 by 20 x 5/8 with the flanged and locking ends. Of course they don't have them, so I get 3/4 inch long bolts with star washers (thats what I ended up using, but I bought several types of bolts and washers just in case).

Then I get home and attach the clutch plate. No problem, then I notice the brake and top hoop bracket can't go on. So I take off the plate and put on the bracket.

Yeah, I know, one bolt is red, but it fit so leave me alone. I wasn't going back to sears again. They also know my name and wonder what I am doing coming in every day for $4 of bolts.

So then I bolt back on the clutch plate

Anyone see the problem. Yep you guessed it. Need to put the bearing on first. Luckily this mistake let me know which direction to put the bearing on so I would not have to come back here and ask yet another stupid question.

So off comes the clutch plate, but the bearing won't fit. I try some grease. No luck. I try oil. No luck. Then I clean the inside with 800 grit sand paper and I clean the shaft with that also. Then I put it on. No luck.

So what do I do next? I now you are thinking hammer, but with the money I have in this engine, smacking the crank with a hammer is the last thing I will do. So I use my hand. And guess what? It works, sort of. The bearing in now stuck 1/4 way down the shaft and won't move.

I mean it is stuck. So anyone got suggestions? The funny part is (laugh with me and not at me guys) that I don't remember taking it off, so it must have just slid off.

Oh - and what are these? They were at the bottom of the parts box, and for the life of me I can't figure where they go. And please don't tell me I have to take the engine off to put them on.

[Cody 276]

Try heating the bearing up with a small torch and she should slide off, but when doing so try not to heat the crank to much because that will expand with the bearing and you will have no luck getting it off. Good Luck she's really looking good :thumbs:

[Anglo Traction 761]

It's probably tight because of the patch of rust on the Shaft. When you get it off with the aforementioned process, give it a few wipes with P800 grit and WD40 or similar to polish it up. Is the inside of the Bearing Race clean ?.

[dgjks6 6]

OK - this is another I quit post.

Been working for over an hour.

Heat worked. Got the bearing off. Then burnt myself. Then cleaned the sahft and inside of the bearing. Now goes on and off without a hitch. Put it on and then the PTO then the brake. The brake at its full open position would not allow anything to move. So off everything came. Moved in the drive pulley, reassembled, brake still too close, so repeated the proces 2 more times until everything spun. Then tried to put on the hoop. I got it off without taking the snap ring thing off so I figured I could get it back in without removing it. Turns out thats not the case. Took eveything back apart and put it on, put everything back together only to realize I put the hoop on upside down.

Came inside to watch horders and call it a night.

I thought when my wife gets home in 12 days I could have the entire tractor finished. Now I hope just to get the PTO working.

But there is a silver lining. I have a 416-8 that makes a funny noise when stopping. I think I found the problem. In looking at my other horses to try to put this together I found the drive pulley on the 416 is loose. I hope this explains the noise. But I need to do the battery move around thing to figure this out. You know the story 4 tractors and 3 good batteries.

[Horse'n Around 22]

I was just looking at picture of the parts that you have left over and the squared off black metal piece with rolled end is either a throttle or choke cable holder/stay or at least thats what the part is for on my 702's. Im 100% guessing on this next one but it appears to me that the two rubber pieces with the bolt thru it looks like they might be rubber bumpers or isolators for say a hinged part to lay against such as a seat, fender,hood or something like that. My experience with Wheel Horses is limited to my 702's and my Raider and these rubber parts are not used on either of them so this is purely a guess based on what Ive seen pieces like this used for on other things such as cars etc. I dont have the faintest idea about the silver part with the large center hole in it so I wont even guess Maybe its for mounting a flux capacitor or something cool like that

You've done great on this Now that your about finished with it we all expect to see a video or at least some pictures of you riding it around with a huge grin

John

[chris11 184]

try turning that sleave around, i think the groove goes to the outside.isnt there a snap ring that holds the pto pulley on? also try some corse emery paper on it.

[dgjks6 6]

No, the sleve goes on the way I had it. Trust me. I tried the other way. There are reatined clips that go in that groove.

I am still working on the PTO. Who ever thought something so simple could be so difficult.

LESSON #1 - attach PTO rod earlier in the rebuild process.

Also - I am not painting the tractor next time until I am done. I have scratched all of my beautiful work.

[C-Series14 15]

Go to your online drawings and look at the throttle and choke drawings. It looks like you have a throttle from a C-175, it is a lot longer. It also shows where those cable clips go...

[dgjks6 6]

This has never happened before. My wife and kids are all in Florida. I am home alone with the dog. I don't have to work. I have all day to play with the horses. Toobad its only 35 degrees. But the garage is mine for the day.. I am skipping church, but I'll mamke sure to say a few prayers.

I talked to my wife this morning and told her my plans. She thinks there are other things I should be doing.

[mavfreak 11]

My wife says that all the time!!!

[dgjks6 6]

Should have gone to church.

Got all the panels on. Fit is not the best. Scratched a lot of parts.

Connected the battery and fired first time. But...

PTO always spins. Can not stop it. And I smell burning new $33 belt.

[mavfreak 11]

when in neutral does your tractor want to drift

[dgjks6 6]

Time for more pics. Still working on the PTO thing. Also (don't tell anyone - I lost the clips that hold on the foot boards - I put the other 2 somewhere that I wouldn't loose them) I had to steal some parts from the 416. But its together. Runs like a champ. Still working on fine tuning the PTO and PTO brake.

Only thing left is to paint the hood. But need warmer weather.

[wheelhorse656 20]

:thumbs: :)

[dgjks6 6]

when in neutral does your tractor want to drift

nope, the belt does completely stops when the clutch is pushed in, and in neutral no movement. just sits there and purrs.

[dgjks6 6]

just a quick update and venting session

Whoever designed the black hood needs beaten. There are so many nooks and crannies on that hood I don't know if I will ever finish it.

[JimD 3,345]

Greg, you saw my C85 hood. ya just keep adding coats of paint till all the nooks and crannies are filled in! :thumbs:

[145Automatic 7]

Greg, I have to thank you for this post. Not only has it been very informative but also entertaining. I can sympathize with some of your mishaps cause they have happened to me too. But you have also cover issues that will likely happen to me in the future. The way you have ducumented this entire rebuild is outstanding. Keep fighting the good fight, and have fun masking that darn 2 color hood for paint.

rocks. :thumbs:

[dgjks6 6]

In response to JimD and 145automatic - I have a plan - I will keep fighting the good fight - with lots of paint!!

Now to todays misadventure (it actually started last night)

Little bit of background here - I have a spare set of 23x10.5x12's that I use for winter plowing. I originally planned to use those on the c-85, but then found out they were larger than the 36inch deck.

Next background story - I bought a 416 and noticed a white rim. The guy also had a c-175 so I thought he just swapped out the rims from the 416 (which were silver) for the rims on the c-175 (which were white) - no problem - I needed a set of 23x8.5x12 for the c-85. I was thrilled. I caught a break. I could just swap tires from the 416 to the c85 and put the 10.5's on the 416 and run the 48 inch deck.

Fast forward to this week...

one side of the 416

the other

and the back

I have had this tractor for months, and just noticed different tires. When I think about it, everytime I looked at it, and every pic I took were from the same side.

Foiled again, but not out. I am going to go with the original plan and put the 10.5's on the c-85 and see how it mows.

I took the weights and chains off and am now in the process of painting and tubing the tires. Best investment was the tire changer. Got the tire off in 3 minutes. I may look for a job in NASCAR.

[Forest Road 594]

Coming along VERY nicely! Hats off to you for:

A - the longest posting ever.

B - the perseverance to see it through!

Hang in there the end is near!!!

[dgjks6 6]

And I bet you guys thought I quit again. Well, nope. My wife left with the kids and I had all kinds of time to myself to work on the tractor, but cold weather and laziness won and I did very little. I did snad and start to paint the hood and I did get the tires on, and today I did a few other odds and ends.

First the updates:

Day #319

Parts = $1207 ($33 for a new drive belt and $44 for decals)

Tools = $397 (no change)

Disposables = $299 (paint, bolts, and sand paper)

Now for the tire story-

So I took the tires off the rims and painted the rims, thenthe paint ran because I sprayed on too much, so I tired to and the run off before the paint was dry and ruined them, so waited a few days and touched them up and decided to live with the results. Then I put a tube in one of the tires and infalted it. The tube leaked and I swore a lot, then I took it back off along with the tire and checked the tube and there were no leaks in the tube, so I put the tube and tire back on, and inflated again. It leaked again. After carefule inspection I learned that there is air trapped between the tube and tire and leaks out when you inflate the tube. Lesson learned the hard way.

Then I saw the spray glue I bought last month and decided to put on the foot rests. And I could not find them. I looked in the same 4 spots (basement, wifes car, garage, and drawer in the family room) where I knew they had to be. They were not there. So I did the same trip several times over the last 7 days wondering where I could have lost them. I was starting to get frustrated, but decided to look in the same spots for the umteenth time, and guess what? They were in the garage right where I had been looking for the last week. So I went to get the glue and now it was gone. After an hour of searching I found it right where I left it.

So then I glued on the footrests, hood stop, and engine decals (which I had been saving for months - and found them in 10 seconds) - and got glue overspray on the rear fender. I wanted to kick myself.

Then finished painting the hood. Got it ready for the clear coat and say I spot I could not live with on the front and touched it up - and did a mediocre job at best - but the clear is going on tomorrow.

So this is where I am at:

[dgjks6 6]

And now, while I am feeling slightly philosophical (its spelled right, I double checked) I am going to ramble about my thougts of this process.

Guys on this site are amazing. Always helpful and I could not have done it without them.

I feel like a little kid. When I was 8 years old, my 22 year old brother would build platic model planes. Every piece would be perfect and painted beautifully. I watched him build a couple and decided to do it on my own. I would do ecery step like he did, and yet my finished product was "so-so". Thats what I feel like with this. Paint is rough in places, everything is a little crooked, and there are already scratches and dings on it.

I am going to finish this project. I am usually a 90 percenter meaning I get 90 percent though a job and only have a few things to complete it, and I just never get it done. This is going to be complete when I finish. All I have left it the hood and decals. This will be the first thing I ever saw through to complete completion.

I picked the right tractor to do for a first one. The k181 was easy to work on. The 1981 era had all the safety things without any complicated wiring so I was able to do it all by myself. The tractor itself was well taken care of by the previous owner - very little rust and lots of grease and paint. I really don't think I could have picked a better first tractor.

I measured the rear wheels and they are exaclt 36 inched. I may have to see if the k181 can pull a 42 rear discharge deck.

Next on the list is the 416-8. It has lots of rust. I spray some PB blaster on it every time I pass by hoping this will help. Then when I perfect the art of wheel horse restoration, I am going to do the 312 and make it look showroom new. I have a few years of work ahead of me.

Anyway, thats all the rambling for now.

[dgjks6 6]

Oh - and I know how every part on this tractor works - except the carb. Those things still seem like magic boxes to me.

[JimD 3,345]

Greg it's looking great! You know it's a strange thing about lost items, they always seem to be found in the last place you look. :thumbs:

[C-Series14 15]

And now, while I am feeling slightly philosophical (its spelled right, I double checked) I am going to ramble about my thougts of this process.

Guys on this site are amazing. Always helpful and I could not have done it without them.

I feel like a little kid. When I was 8 years old, my 22 year old brother would build platic model planes. Every piece would be perfect and painted beautifully. I watched him build a couple and decided to do it on my own. I would do ecery step like he did, and yet my finished product was "so-so". Thats what I feel like with this. Paint is rough in places, everything is a little crooked, and there are already scratches and dings on it.

I am going to finish this project. I am usually a 90 percenter meaning I get 90 percent though a job and only have a few things to complete it, and I just never get it done. This is going to be complete when I finish. All I have left it the hood and decals. This will be the first thing I ever saw through to complete completion.

I picked the right tractor to do for a first one. The k181 was easy to work on. The 1981 era had all the safety things without any complicated wiring so I was able to do it all by myself. The tractor itself was well taken care of by the previous owner - very little rust and lots of grease and paint. I really don't think I could have picked a better first tractor.

I measured the rear wheels and they are exaclt 36 inched. I may have to see if the k181 can pull a 42 rear discharge deck.

Next on the list is the 416-8. It has lots of rust. I spray some PB blaster on it every time I pass by hoping this will help. Then when I perfect the art of wheel horse restoration, I am going to do the 312 and make it look showroom new. I have a few years of work ahead of me.

Anyway, thats all the rambling for now.

I think you are doing a fine job. Learn from this one and the next will get better. I have re-done several C-Series and have never really wanted a spotless and perfect restore job because I use them. I do though believe that if you are going to do it, you might as well make it look good! I give a big and to those with the patience and talent to restore to near perfect condition. Everyone has different ideas when it comes to restoring, keep it original or change things around, it is your decision, it is your tractor. Like me, I replace all bolts with stainless steel but the rest of the tractor stays original. Keep up the good work and learn as you go, see what others do to make it more enjoyable and easier to work on it, like a work platform, or a big rack to hang parts from to paint, or what I want next, a big sandblasting cabinet!!! My small one just isn't big enough!!! My first restore back in 1995 was done in my garage on the floor and in the driveway, no platform, no paint rack, no sandblast cabinet, no websites for help, and lots of paint fumes with a furnace AND hot water heater 10 feet away...boy, as I dumb back then! :D