1984 Work Horse GT-1600 REFRESH

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

14 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

fight the rust and make it better than it was when I got it

 

Me too... my machines are workers.  But I do try to keep them up and looking good.  I did NOT like the bedliner on the fender pan, especially when I discovered it was sprayed on top of rust.

 

Here's what that pan looks like now.  In person you can see the rust craters, mostly on the bottom and under the seat where only I will know they exist.  The tops of the fenders and the rear skirt are "OK".  Not great, but OK.  No swirls though!

 

 

I should have used a heavier bodied filler primer to fill the rust craters, but it's just fine for my purposes!

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

2 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

Me too... my machines are workers.  But I do try to keep them up and looking good.  I did NOT like the bedliner on the fender pan, especially when I discovered it was sprayed on top of rust.

 

Here's what that pan looks like now.  In person you can see the rust craters, mostly on the bottom and under the seat where only I will know they exist.  The tops of the fenders and the rear skirt are "OK".  Not great, but OK.  No swirls though!

 

 

I should have used a heavier bodied filler primer to fill the rust craters, but it's just fine for my purposes!

 

I may settle for less than perfect, and I’m not even sure I know how to accomplish a perfect job… but if I get it looking good and can “keep it up” as you say, that’s plenty fine with me… and I won’t feel nearly as bad if I scratch it.

 

I painted my 520H, and shortly after scuffed the paint with my boot getting off… oh well I thought, “ still better than it was”.

 

I’m more careful now…

Edited December 2, 2021 by Horse Newbie

[ebinmaine 67,670]

2 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

I may settle for less than perfect, and I’m not even sure I know how to accomplish a perfect job… but if I get it looking good and can “keep it up” as you say, that’s plenty fine with me… and I won’t feel nearly as bad if I scratch it.

 

I painted my 520H, and shortly after scuffed the paint with my boot getting off… oh well I thought, “ still better than it was”.

 

I’m more careful now…

When we repaint a tractor here I want it to look great. Once. 

Ours are all workers. They get scratched. They have character. 

 

I asked Trina if it bothered her to put all the time in like we do to restore a rig then scratch it up...

She says "Nope. I know where to buy more paint". 

😂

[Southern_Secret 463]

On 10/8/2021 at 2:12 AM, kpinnc said:

M.E.K. ....methyl Ethyl Ketone...could find it at Lowes although the video on YouTube said he got it at Home Depot. They may not sell it anymore in Big Box...probably too dangerous for general public

they took it off the shelf is cause it was making meth heads teeth fall out 

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

18 hours ago, Southern_Secret said:

they took it off the shelf is cause it was making meth heads teeth fall out 

Really ?

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

4 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

Really ?

 

No.

 

Still available.  You can even get it on Amazon.

 

I think it's the meth itself that makes teef fall out.

[Southern_Secret 463]

On 11/4/2021 at 8:00 AM, Greentored said:

Been hiding under a rock

@Greentored  I did that for about 2 months when I joined this fourm, before jumping out and scaring everyone 

[Southern_Secret 463]

On 11/11/2021 at 8:39 PM, Jeff-C175 said:

We don't use tapered lug nuts though

I'm sure this has already been solved cause this in now page 16, but the purpose of the bevel on the side facing the hub is to give a "spring like" effect on the lug bolt's.

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

6 hours ago, Southern_Secret said:

I'm sure this has already been solved cause this in now page 16, but the purpose of the bevel on the side facing the hub is to give a "spring like" effect on the lug bolt's.

Thanks for the info… actually we did not solve it, as far as the reason being a “spring like” effect. I didn’t know why they were like that.

 

But we did basically agree that our wheels were correct since all our wheels were the same and surely they would not be that bad of quality control, or wheels slipping by like that unnoticed… at least that’s what I had deduced from the comments.

[Handy Don 12,237]

53 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

a “spring like” effect.

As Horse Newbie said, we agreed that the inward facing bevel had no effect at tractor loads and speeds.

In high speed, high load situations those bevels (punched in during manufacture) always face the lug nuts and are essential for containing wheel flex by giving a lot of lateral surface area via the sides of the lug nut bevels.

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

Painted more parts… I am so ready to get some more parts put back on the Work Horse…

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

The corners of the dash had some stress cracks… had my welder guy weld them up before I painted the dash…

[kpinnc 12,111]

Oh yeah, getting close to reassembly time! 

 

Refresh huh? Looks like a resto (and a good one at that) in my book! 

Edited December 5, 2021 by kpinnc

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

6 hours ago, kpinnc said:

Oh yeah, getting close to reassembly time! 

 

Refresh huh? Looks like a resto (and a good one at that) in my book! 

I do appreciate the sentiments @kpinnc,

but I don’t feel like I can say it’s a restore.

What with me not having done anything to the engine except that I will be changing the plugs, oil, air filter, and fuel filter.

 

I have already cleaned the carb and rebuilt the fuel pump.

 

Will get new tires all the way around also… new seat, decals, and Rustoleum paint, all wires and terminals cleaned.

 

I have seen some nice work on Red Square of you guys “restorations”, and I won’t be near that. 
 

But I hope what I do will result in preserving this Horse for another decade or so…

Again, thank you for your kind words, and your words of encouragement !

Edited December 6, 2021 by Horse Newbie

[kpinnc 12,111]

42 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

I do appreciate the sentiments @kpinnc,

but I don’t feel like I can say it’s a restore.

What with me not having done anything to the engine except that I will be changing the plugs, oil, air filter, and fuel filter.

 

Nah, I respectfully disagree. We've all had discussions about what a resto is. By definition a restoration is just bringing something back to a previous working condition. I've restored several tractors without going into the transmissions or the engines, beyond the occasional seal or service. If the engine is good without a total rebuild, then I leave them as they are. Sometimes opening up a perfectly good engine takes more away than it improves. Same with a transmission: some are tight with no leaks, so if it's mine, they just get a service.

 

Maybe it's all about what some folks consider a restoration. Some think it's rebuilding it as it was on the day it was manufactured, but I think that isn't realistic. Plus, none of my tractors are going in a museum. Even if I babied one (which I don't), they are gonna get used. I just want them to a point where taking proper care of them keeps them going another 30-40 years. Maybe my son will know if I succeeded...

 

Less than one hour after I got the Charger home this weekend, it was nastier than most tractors after a year of use. My FIL kept apologizing for getting it dirty. I told him tractors are like kids- they are happiest when they get dirty, so he needed to keep right on working it! Had I done a "complete" museum-level restoration, it would've been all for nothing. And he wouldn't have had use for the tractor if it just looked pretty. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by kpinnc

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

The work I'm doing on the125 I just got is very similar in scope to what Newbie is doing.   I consider it a "stabilization".  Mostly a 'deep cleaning' and repainting the parts that are really rusty.  And servicing anything I discover that's worn out.

[ebinmaine 67,670]

4 hours ago, kpinnc said:

, I respectfully disagree

I was about to type the same. 

 

The amount of time and effort going in to this tractor is more than many many folks have claimed on a restoration. 

 

BBT and I have done 3 full frame off every single nut bolt and washer off, restoration/build/whatever you want to call them. 

 

I've have the cylinder head off but no further in any engine. 

 

All the transmissions we have needed wheel bearings so they were split and gone through.  

 

IMHO... Which doesn't mean much... You're doing a restoration.  

And a good one.  

 

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

@ebinmaine,  @kpinnc, and. @Jeff-C175

 

Thank you guys for your comments.

I value your opinions and experience.

 

Now my 1994 520H, I may baby a bit… as I favor her, and she was my first.

 

The Work Horse will definitely be put to work! As much as I’d like to “save” them both, they will be worked.

I do admit the 520 will not be “called up” for active duty unless needed.

[Lee1977 6,673]

All mine get used. I didn't restore mine I did a lot of repairs with new parts all electric except for a new cam and camp plate, one used front wheel. As for paint I treated the rusted areas with AgriGuard and patched painted them with Sunrise Red that didn't match. I also treated the back side of the hub caps with AgriGuard as they were rusted. 4 new tires 24x9.50x12 and 18x6.50x8. 

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

I bolted a few more parts on the Work Horse today… been awhile since I have wrenched on it.

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

Put some PC-7 on the spindles to try to fill in some worn areas… don’t understand the worn areas on the spindles since the wheel bearings turned freely. Drained the oil out of the Briggs…

Edited December 26, 2021 by Horse Newbie

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

I found this tiny, what looks like a ball bearing around the lip of my used oil container. The last oil I drained that had been dumped in the container was my transmission oil from the Work Horse. This gives me concern that a bearing or something in the transmission has failed, or is about to fail. Take a look at these pics and let me know if you recognize where , or if it may have come out with the drained transmission oil. You can see by the pics that the bearing ball is about the size of a pin head.

[peter lena 8,639]

@ebinmaine  how did you make with the fuel check valves? have all three in the same area , just off fuel pump discharge  ,and carb fuel entry point ,  instant starts , less choke  easier cold start running . pete  

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

5 minutes ago, peter lena said:

@ebinmaine  how did you make with the fuel check valves? have all three in the same area , just off fuel pump discharge  ,and carb fuel entry point ,  instant starts , less choke  easier cold start running . pete  

Have not rally addressed that issue… only one time has the 520H been hard to start/ no fuel, and my 1984 Work Horse has not reached the point in reassembly to where I need to do the fuel system. 

[ebinmaine 67,670]

50 minutes ago, peter lena said:

@ebinmaine  how did you make with the fuel check valves? have all three in the same area , just off fuel pump discharge  ,and carb fuel entry point ,  instant starts , less choke  easier cold start running . pete  

Haven't gotten the new-to-me C160 Automatic back in the shop yet. 

I did get some check valves on hand.