Resto For My 1979 Wheel Horse B-111 Tractor

[Alan173 303]

I have owned this tractor almost 20 years and it has proved itself over and over again.  About 13 years ago I updated to a zero-turn for grass cutting on my two acre lot.  The last 5 years with my kids growing up too fast my old Wheel Horse has been sitting in my storage barn - and that bothers me!  I have restored race boats, antique motorcycles, so many cars....and why have I not restored my tractor?!  Here are a few shots of my history with this machine that I'm so attached to!

 

2004 - put in a septic field and then had LOTS of grass seed to plant.  2004-2012 - soooo many party's pulling the kiddos around - 'Farmer Al' - LOL.

 

I'm sure everyone on here has very similar stories from their years with Wheel Horse tractors!

 

 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Alan173

[Alan173 303]

Here it is.....pulled out of storage and in the front 'work garage'.  Upon quick inspection...she looks pretty good!  But of course...as we all know...critters make homes in the craziest places!  Eeeeeek!!!

 

 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Alan173

[Alan173 303]

New battery installed and the electrical system tested perfect.  When I originally purchased it I cleaned the carb and it always ran great.  Now....the original 1979 gaskets and carb could no longer do their job.  So I picked up an original rebuild kit # 394698 to match my original 1979 11HP B&S engine (Model 252707).  I quickly learned all the on-line kits contain 'most' of the parts you need.  A trip to the local mower place and a little luck...I finally was able to get a complete kit with the original air cleaner gasket AND the nozzle!  And yes...I can't stand painted carbs...maybe it is just me...but I hate painted over gaskets too!     The ugly....

Edited November 6, 2020 by Alan173

[Alan173 303]

OK - more picture overload.  Well...this now looks much better!  The one picture shows all the internals I replaced.  Carb was in great shape...should be good for another 41 years!   

 

[ebinmaine 67,264]

Very nice work so far.  I'll be sitting around over here looking forward to more pictures and text...

[Alan173 303]

Some days you only get a few things done.  I took the muffler off today...and as many of you know this can be a job in itself!  Looks great - was still the original Nelson Muffler...and if you look real close you can see the 1978 date stamp.  Wire wheeled and 3 coats of black hot paint...

[Alan173 303]

Here is the after on the muffler...moving forward when I can scratch out some free time...

[Alan173 303]

Always fun when you receive 'PRESENTS' in the mail!   .  This is the closest I could find to my original 1978/1979 head light lens.  Appears to be NOS...with the back side decal.  My original is all molded as a single piece...and if anyone has a really nice one to donate to the restoration...I'm ready for you to contact me.  But this one I just picked up sure beats 'cracked into two pieces'.  Also the screw holes line up PERFECTLY - so that is nice.  Drilled out the rivets for the head light assembly and started cleaning everything up.  The original bullet connectors and micarta inserts are still in great shape!

Edited November 9, 2020 by Alan173

[Pullstart 62,783]

 fellow Michigander @Alan173!  These old things sure make kids smile, huh?

 

 

[Alan173 303]

On 11/11/2020 at 3:31 PM, pullstart said:

 fellow Michigander @Alan173!  These old things sure make kids smile, huh?

 

 

 

You BET!!!  Wonderful picture!  Michigan proud.  My daughter's smile when her Dad first let her take a drive by herself on the B-111 was priceless!  I'm sure that felt like a 'REAL tractor'.  Good times for sure....

Edited November 13, 2020 by Alan173

[Alan173 303]

I know I'm putting the 'cart before the wheel horse'...bah-da-BUM...but I just received my decal set and the sand blaster hasn't even hit my parts yet!  I worked with Terry at REDOYOURHORSE.COM...https://www.redoyourhorse.com/...and he was a GREAT guy to work with!  Terry took the time to send me his cell number and we swapped pictures back and forth as to exactly what I needed.  It couldn't have been a better experience!  I certainly appreciate anyone taking the time to create 'restoration items' for anyone jumping down this rabbit hole.

   

Edited November 13, 2020 by Alan173

[Alan173 303]

Here are the original decals if anyone ever needed to know what came from the factory for a 1978/1979 B-111 SIX SPEED...

 

[ebinmaine 67,264]

7 hours ago, Alan173 said:

Here are the original decals if anyone ever needed to know what came from the factory for a 1978/1979 B-111 SIX SPEED...

 

May want to put these pics in the photo section so they're easy reference down the road. 

[Alan173 303]

Finally back to getting some work done after recovering (50%) from a nasty knee injury.  Hood bumped out...decals removed.  Will blast next, bondo/prime/paint.  Will start removing more parts.....

[Alan173 303]

It is always a good idea to test and unwrap/inspect a 40+ year old harness.  Here is what I found with mine!  Literally hanging on by a few strands.  How it worked all these years is beyond me.  After a quick re-wire/repair/restoration I'm good to go!

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,264]

Excellent catch there! 

[Alan173 303]

Power washed the undercarriage....degreased....sanded and painted.  Saved a little on the disassembly work but not making show perfect.  Top side with a spray bomb as well.  On to the engine rebuild and then paint.  

[Alan173 303]

On 11/13/2020 at 4:27 AM, ebinmaine said:

May want to put these pics in the photo section so they're easy reference down the road. 

Will do!  Thanks for the tip.....

[Alan173 303]

Slowly moving forward…some improved dashboard detail.  Original shifter decal still looks pretty good…

[Alan173 303]

Engine paint - Dupli-Color 1605 Ford Red Engine Enamel.  I like the original orange/red Briggs paint and tried to emulate the same contrast to the original Wheel Horse red.  It all depends on the lighting…and fluorescent verse natural light almost makes it look like two different engines!  Very happy with the results.  Here is my original paint red-ish-orange engine in fluorescent lighting:

Edited August 19, 2022 by Alan173

[Alan173 303]

Had a group of parts sand blasted that were too much work to sand by hand:

[Alan173 303]

More paint work.  Worked out all of the last dents in the hood.  Bondo applied to the areas with more significant pitting…

[Alan173 303]

Additional photos:

[Alan173 303]

Hood:

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,489]