Not a lot of progress on my Ford 740 project last week. I managed to split the transmission from the rear section, remove the PTO shaft and replace all the seals including the seal between the hydraulics and the differential. I also separated the hydraulic lift cover from the rear section to inspect the piston and linkages. There is a pin in there that routinely wears from riding on a large cam when the lever to lift and lower the arms is moved. I wasn't disappointed; it was worn almost in half.

It didn't appear that the PTO seals had ever been replaced before. All the existing seals were original Ford brand seals and the gunk on the bottom of the hydraulics section was thick and gooey. Probably a combination of hydraulic oil and 50 years of accumulated dust that manages to sneak in. I had a little moment of panic as I was raising the rear section with my engine lift to position it better to insert the seal that fits between the hydraulics and the differential. I still had the rear wheels mounted and, as I lifted the rear section (hydraulic sump and differential), the weight shifted and it started to flip over backwards. Fortunately, the engine lift remained attached so it didn't get far. I had to hook on a come-along to pull it back up and over into its proper position.

Most of Saturday afternoon was spent waiting for the guy who wanted to look at the one tractor I had for sale. Fortunately, he did eventually show up and the sale was consummated.

A good part of Sunday was spent cleaning up bolts for eventual painting when I re-assemble the pieces. This process is done with a wire wheel chucked into a 3/8" corded drill. I do this outside as the wire wheel throws pieces of dirt and rust everywhere. It's slow and tedious work but I do it with all the bolts to get rust and grime out of the threads and clean up the bolt heads and nuts. You need clean threads to get the proper torque and the bolt heads and nuts just look better if they've been cleaned. I've seen paint jobs where it's obvious nothing was dis-assembled and the new paint was applied right over gobs of dirt and grease. Tacky, tacky.

Tractor restoration

This blog will be a journal of my progress with tractors in my restoration queue. I am currently working on a 1956 Ford 740 and have a 1959 Ford 641-D in my shop waiting for its turn. The 740 has been sodablasted (www.atozsodablasting.com/) and is currently being completely disassembled for painting.

It's at this point that I replace any worn parts such as bearings and seals. I'll also pull the head off the block to take a look at the valves and pistons and remove the oil pan and one or two bearing caps to check the wear on the piston and main bearings.

I do this as a hobby working evenings and weekends as I can find time away from my day job. I'll update the work on this tractor from time-to-time as I make progress with it.

I also have a 1959 or 60 Ford 841-D that I'm trying to sell, completely un-restored. If it doesn't sell I'll put it in the queue for a restoration project, too.

Thanks for checking in!