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1954 Ford 850 Tractor w/blown Head Gasket (at the very least)

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awemawson:
When I took the rocker cover off my old 1954 Fordson Power Major years ago to cure an oil leak, at first I thought someone had fitted a wrong push rod as one rocker was at a significantly different angle from the rest. I then noticed that the valve cap was missing. Had to get on cutting the field so it went back 'as was' and I used it for four years like that with no issues. Totally forgot about it until just now.

I'd have told the chap who bought it if I'd remembered  :bang:

vtsteam:
I'm not surprised Andrew -- I read somewhere that the caps were an after sale addition -- recall style, on some of the earlier engines to prolong exhaust valve life. Mine I believe is one of the earliest 800 series tractors -- serial number is only in the 9000's).

I believe the 800 series (mine's an 850, meaning it has a 5 speed transmission instead of a 4) was the beginning of the 172 Cu in engine -- earlier engines were 134 CI. So anyway, I've heard of engines without them, and others where people took them off for some reason.

Anyway, though that all may be true, I think I'll try to get 4 of those rotators back in the engine one way or another.

I have a lead on a local guy who works on tractors, and might have one. The big tractor dealers have all closed in  this area over the last 5 years.

RussellT:
That worked well.  I would never have dared to mill it with superglue clamps.  :clap: :clap: I think I'd have been putting bolts through the valve holes.

Do you have a part number for the missing part?  Is this any help?

http://www.nospartsltd.com/product-p/8eq6550a.htm

Russell

mattinker:

--- Quote from: vtsteam on May 22, 2014, 09:42:03 AM ---
I guess if I do end up tryi ng to make another cap, the trick will be the .350" bore and flat face inside. Might have to actually make a rose cutter or something to cut that.

--- End quote ---

Make a miniature boring bar. The flat bottomed hole, use a modified two flute end mill as a boring bar, face off the bottom of the hole from the centre.

Regards, Matthew.

vtsteam:
Russell I got the idea from a description by Tubal Cain in his book "Simple Workshop Devices" where he describes turning washers to thickness on a faceplate, adhering them with Turner's Cement -- in that case resin and beeswax. After turning to thickness, they are released with a rap from a mallet.

I know I've read somewhere else, probably online that super glue has been used for something similar in more recent years.

After milling the test sand casting with the new fly cutter I had a feel for what a 5 thou cut would feel like with this rig. It was a very light tapping of the casting -- not a great deal of force. After wrestling the head onto the mill, it seemed like the weight and inertia of the head alone could almost resist that force --  I thought that if I could just stop it from sliding with a positive stop, or having it lift, it would take care of itself.

Since the head was a lot longer than it was tall, I figured a line of glue tacks along that direction would do both. Kind of like putting a heavy weight on top of a bench and trying to push it lengthwise on grass. You can't, even though grass has negligible strength. The front legs are immobile. The bench will only pivot upwards at the pushing end. It can not slide. It doesn't take much friction to prevent sliding, which is why wheels were invented.

Super glue basically increased the "friction" of the milling table. It is strong in tension, so the glue under the near end only has to resist upwards pivoting forces - and those are low because the glue and bearers are directly under that end. Not much of a lift vector. There was almost no overhang. Plus a very light cut. And the glue at the far end only has to act as friction. Like a trip or a stop. Well it was dotted with glue all along its length, too.

Anyway, I estimated it would work. And as a test I surfaced the bearers -- they have much less mass to absorb the milling forces. And they held. So adding a big heavy mass of cast iron on top of that could only improve "friction", down force at the ends, and standing inertia. I don't think any of the glue spots felt much force at all.

Of course when I took a hammer to the bearers from the side (not down the length, which lines up the glue spots) super glue's poor resistance to shock loads made it release.

Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

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