74 C-120/Raider update

[Anglo Traction 759]

Quote

Love the stack Richard!! It looks fantastic, although I think the section of pipe under the muffler may need a little trimming. :thumbs:Matt

Hi Matt, Your right with the positioning. In the pic, it is perched on a piece of Ali Tubing resting on the floor. The height will be dictated by the minimum 90 deg bend radius I can get. Should be a bit lower hopefully.

Over 2 weeks of C"*p weather here in UK. They actually lifted the Hose Pipe Ban in my area yesterday !. So for you guys over in U.S. who are tired of the heat and drought, regular torrential rain look's like this-

 

Needless to say, it has put paid to my outdoor progress on prepping and painting the Hood and Fender, but have made some advances-

 

Still have to do a final prep & colour coat, then Laquer.

As I've had to divert from painting, I decided to clean up the three Blades for the rear section of the Cultivator Attachment-

 

(I found some new replacement heavier duty Cultivator Shovels while out in France last year, perfect size and fit, so I got 5 now + the 2 originals it came with .

.....just have to clean the Green Paint off them in favour of red.

These 2 'Ducks Foot Blades'  had been 'E-Bucketed' initially (3rd one is currently immersed and simmering)-

 

Not sure where these are from and don't think they are WH, but they will be fine for 'Ridging' prior to seeding/planting.

Hopefully the weather will improve at the end of July when I get my hands on a Welding Kit which should speed things up a bit.

Stay cool and dry !

Regards.

 

Edited July 18, 2017 by Anglo Traction

[bowtiebutler956 649]

Sure wish you would send some of that rain this way Richard. Glad to see you have been able to make some progress, I really enjoy seeing your work. Guys like you, Martin, and many others here do such beautiful work, it makes me try harder to do better.

Matt :flags-texas:

[darren 49]

Wow Richard. Your attention to detail is something else (I'd expect nothing less from somone who prdouces such beautiful steam engines of course.. ). It's gratifying to see a Myford is being used in the work too

I wish I had your skill and patience. That PTO is to die for!.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I too have a cultivator attachment (I need to collect it from Hindhead) just need to find something to cultivate so that I can take some pictures!

[Anglo Traction 759]

On 12/07/2012 at 2:19 AM, bowtiebutler956 said:

Sure wish you would send some of that rain this way Richard. Glad to see you have been able to make some progress, I really enjoy seeing your work. Guys like you, Martin, and many others here do such beautiful work, it makes me try harder to do better. :thumbs:Matt

Hope you've had some rain there in the last month Matt. I'm glad that I'm able to inspire people to find their abilities and standards, I'm always trying to do things better when time is not against me.

On 13/07/2012 at 9:07 PM, darren said:

Wow Richard. Your attention to detail is something else (I'd expect nothing less from somone who prdouces such beautiful steam engines of course.. ). It's gratifying to see a Myford is being used in the work too I wish I had your skill and patience. That PTO is to die for!.Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I too have a cultivator attachment (I need to collect it from Hindhead) just need to find something to cultivate so that I can take some pictures!

Hi Darren.Thanks. I'll sneak a pic to the T/Engine in somewhere for you later. Yes the 'Ole Myford is a great piece of Machinery and I hope to put in some time on it soon to make a few more parts ,......haven't even taken the Welder I got at the beginning of August out of the box yet

Hope The cultivator is now in your possession and your tearing up the lawn with it to plant something .

Yeah time!. I'm way overdue again with an update and not much to show really, despite being seen posting and sending Pms on here and another Forum at silly hours of the night/morning and usually after doing a bit of work on this project...... However, some good news on obtaining a Seat.

I found this on the Bay of E and it was 2 miles down the road. I won it and was back in my garage within an hour of the Auction ending(includes chatting with the Seller for 35mins)-

 

 

It's an Atco Auto Steer and seat that bolts onto the Walk Behind Cylinder (Reel) Mower. I only wanted it for the seat and I'll clean up the rest of it and re-sell it.

Seat is pretty good and identical to the Euro original......and they are sooooo comfortable that I may well do away with the springs initially.

The bonus was that it also had all the original decals which will be re applied after painting-

 

 

 

Cleaned up well, nice and solid with no cuts or tears. Only defect is a bit of scuffing on the surface in the lower back area. Hope to sort that with some Vinyl Dressing-

 

.

I've not been completely idle and have managed to finish the prep and paint of the Cultivator/Harrow (Rear section only). Also obtained some new Plough Bolts for the new Shovels (yet to be repainted Red). I shall also want to make 3 new Standards (the curved Rods) for the Ridger Blades so the angle can be adjusted and use both bolt holes in them-

 

 

But what of the Hood and Fender work?. I have to say I'm not happy with the Hood, but I'm going to leave it to really harden for a few months. I had a problem with a delayed reaction somewhere between the Bondo Filler and Primers on the Hood top. It wasn't until the 4th colour coat went on that it began to separate, but only in 2 small isolated and different areas. So I admit failure here and I've laquered it as is for now and will redo the top section later and blend in on the edges. The Fender only has a small colour blemish under the Lacquer .......but hey !. it's gonna be a worker-

 

 

I apply my decals dry after positioning with Masking Tape, then removing only a part of the Backing Sheet at a time and smoothing out.

The Hood Pivot Hinges now have bushes fitted and I cut down the old Hood Latch Rod to be used as the 'Stop Rod for the Hood.

Oh! , just noticed it's 1.40am local..............I'll be back! See Ya.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Anglo Traction

[Zeek 2,284]

Nice work!

[bowtiebutler956 649]

Absolutely Gorgeous! Very top notch Richard.

Matt :flags-texas:

[Martin 2,130]

as always richard, looking good! its really getting there now.

i really like that seat....

also been looking for a cultivator like that to put to work on the c125.....

not much around here, so im thinking of making one up similar to the original from parts from other brands.

[Lars 526]

Omg .. that thing u have on the pict there looks fantastic Richard .....

And i if had known u looked for a seat i could have shipped one to you... But i gave it away for 2-3 weeks a go it was on my raider 10 when ill bought it it was in almost perfect cond....

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

I seem to have never caught this thread This has to be one of the nicest restos I have ever seen! I love your attention to detail! Great work!! :bow-blue: :bow-blue: ~Jake

[Stigian 1,234]

Spectacular work as always Richard. :handgestures-thumbup:

[Anglo Traction 759]

Hey Zeek , Matt ...Thanks.

Martin.....Cheers, if you need any Dims to fab a Cultivator , let me Know.

Lars....what a shame about the seat, sounds like it was a good one. Thanks anyway.

Jake ...Thanks , and for taking the trouble to look in.

Ian...... Cheers Mate. Hope all's ok. Will be in touch sometime this week.

I've been playing with my Car and Van over the last 3 weeks with their Annual Servicing, repairs and Pre MoT Inspection etc. The Van was covered underneath with Dorset Mud from the Steam Fair and I couldn't present it for the MoT in that condition.....Passed with a clean bill of Health (again).

So I got some WH time in over the last few days, but only managed to 'Tick Off' the Steering job on the list, so this is a very brief update.

Before any of you who are Resto Purists and cry 'Sacriledge' , the Dash Housing is not the original and had a small crack in it (repaired). I have all the original Upper Shaft and Housing etc hanging on my garage wall still.

This was something I had in mind to change and I suppose you could call it Exprerimental. The (Kelch) Steering Wheel is from a Homelite Tractor and is a little smaller than a WH.

Adapting it was straight forward and uses the Roll Pin hole in the Upper Shaft where I used a close fitting H.T Shouldered bolt to clamp it all together-

 

 

I obtained an Automotive Universal fit C.V Joint Boot, cut it to length and fitted it so that the lower end would just press against the refurbished Bearing. The Bearing was a quick fix for the little 'Play' in the Old Dash Bearing and Shaft. 2 holes drilled and tapped 3/8" UNC for the S/S Bolts and the Nylock Nut/Washers fitted with just enough clearance inside.

Plenty of grease in all the moving bits and is now pretty watertight and oh so smooth and strong with no play at all. Look's reasonably tidy I think.

Seat is going on next when the paint on the fab'd adapter Plate is dry and I've just finished drawing up the Fender Stand/Latch Plate dimensions, then it's time to play with the Welder.

I reckon I can adapt an old narrow 4 1/2" front Rim that Fordsonmajortom (Michael) kindly gave me to match the one I had on this Tractor originally (Offset is different and the Hub Tube is shorter), so I will be hopefully looking to go with Tri Ribs on the front.

I've been searching for decent quality replacement front bearings (HEIM), but they are pricey if you add the shipping and import duty, so if any of you Guys in the U.S know of a quality alternative brand and good retailer that ships worldwide, I'd be grateful , as I can't tell what is quality on the Auction Sites.

Regards

Edited July 18, 2017 by Anglo Traction
replaced images

[bowtiebutler956 649]

You really do fantastic work Richard! You never disappoint.

Matt :flags-texas:

[Zeek 2,284]

Wow beautiful work as usual! Beautiful paint!!

[neil 2,398]

steering wheel looks like it was meant to be there Richard & it looks like it would be comfortable to hold

Great Job

[Lars 526]

Yepp it sure looks realy realy good Amziiiiing nothing more to say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[meadowfield 2,545]

awesome as always!

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

Very nice work!!! :handgestures-thumbup:

[Anglo Traction 759]

Hi All, Thanks Matt, Zeek, Lars, Mark, Jake and Neil - Yes, the Steering wheel is very comfortable (and there's plenty of belly room). The smaller diameter should not need any more effort to turn than the original (I never turn them unless the Tractor is moving). Should be very easy when I change over to Skinny Wheels and Tri Ribs later and put a Suicide Handle (or Brodie) on it.

So, after playing with a Pencil and Ruler as mentioned in my last post, I made up the platework and machined angled faces of the 35mm square support posts for my replacement Fender support bracket. I'll be bonding a full length Rubber pad on , rather than the 2 Buffer Pads as on the original-

 

I then had to learn to use my Welder. Over a couple of days and 3 Welding Rods later, the traditional test of whacking the trial joints with the biggest hammer I could find, proved resistant, so I went for it and laid the four important beads on the stressed (tension) side of the Bracket.

With the seat adapter plate in place, I could fit the seat and trial fit the Bracket before welding up the front unstressed (compression) joints. Not fitting Springs yet, I prefer a low seat direct fit, as I'm only about 70kgs (155lbs) soaking wet with no back problems.

Added the usual chrome plastic edging strip where I tend to lift the Fender up-

 

It fits perfick and flush.

So the Fender is now has about 4lbs of steel added and strengthed it enormously. As for the Seat Latch, the old original one was really tatty and the wire stop was missing, so I made new ones, The Latch now has a much larger Jaw and a smooth closing action. I'm still going to add a second safety catch using the vacant hole seen in the pic below-

 

So, apart from cleaning up the underside of the rear Fender and checking the Earth (ground) for the rear light, I can tick this off the list-

 

Before I go too far with the back end, I have to make a Lift Cable Conduit and a Cable, so the first thing I have to do is work out the travel and clearance height of my primary Attachment, then it's carefully loosen the Tranny to Hoodstand bolts and gently jack up the Frame to get the Cable Conduit in and clamped down.

When I think back to seeing all the damage/dents in the back of this Fender and wondering if it would be better to find another, it's amazing what you can do with an assortment of hammers, bits of wood, a few 'G' clamps and lumps of steel if you put your mind to it

 

 

Now at the point where I have just 'Odds n Sods' to finish off or sort out, so pretty soon, I might just be tempted to throw in some fuel, prime the system and turn the key....it's nearly 2 years since this Tractor was wheeled into my garage. Patience is a virtue !.

Regards.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Anglo Traction

[bowtiebutler956 649]

You have some serious skills Richard! I'll never get tired of seeing pictures like those. It looks like a big piece of candy!

Matt :flags-texas:

[massey 111]

Absolutely beautiful. :handgestures-thumbupright: :handgestures-thumbupright:

[Martin 2,130]

looks real nice richard. i like the seat pan support you came up with. those round bumpers really dont last too long. lots of weight in a small area, some of the new ones ive put on some of mine are already flattened out and looking worse for wear. i guess they dont make rubber like they use too either.......

love to see some more pics of the whole tractor...... :thumbs:

[neil 2,398]

As always Dicky. superb workmanship

I hope you are not going to work this machine when its done as it is too nice to send to work

I know ! you can bring it to my stable & i will take good care of it

I wished you lived a bit closer Richard , i would love to visit you and see the tractor i

[Stigian 1,234]

Nothing short of spectacular Richard, your attention to those little details always amazes me

Good to read you have finally found the time to have a play with your welder, I bet your having real fun now you can make sparks fly

Out of interest what size are those rear tires? They look a little bigger then the skinny AG's currently fitted to my Raider 10 and are just what I'm looking for to fit on my 6X6.

P.S. I still have four engine mounts sitting on a shelf awaiting collection..

[Anglo Traction 759]

On 29/09/2012 at 9:18 PM, bowtiebutler956 said:

You have some serious skills Richard! I'll never get tired of seeing pictures like those. It looks like a big piece of candy! :text-datsphatyo:Matt

Hi Matt, I'm a bit of a 'Jack of all Trades'. I like to try my hand at anything practical, and thanks, the 'Ole Red Lady' is looking much tidier now it's nearly complete.

On 29/09/2012 at 9:25 PM, massey said:

Absolutely beautiful.

Massey, Thankyou, and for taking the time to look in.

On 30/09/2012 at 4:55 AM, Martin said:

looks real nice richard. i like the seat pan support you came up with. those round bumpers really dont last too long. lots of weight in a small area, some of the new ones ive put on some of mine are already flattened out and looking worse for wear. i guess they dont make rubber like they use too either.......

love to see some more pics of the whole tractor......

Hi Martin, Thanks, Yes the new Support Bracket has done the job, so strong and stable. The Fender does not rock or twist as much and the full width rubber pad spreads the load.

Those Toro Rubber Bumpers are nowhere near as good as the originals.

On 30/09/2012 at 6:51 AM, neil said:

As always Dicky. superb workmanship. I hope you are not going to work this machine when its done as it is too nice to send to work.....I know ! you can bring it to my stable & i will take good care of it. I wished you lived a bit closer Richard , i would love to visit you and see the tractor i

Hi Neil, Well I'm afraid I will be working it and getting dirty (it's what they're built for), but I will take a lot of care with it and keep it in tip top condition (like most of my things). Ok, I assume you have some space down ther for another Tractor . I've seen the allocated Horticultural Area for 2013 at Ardingly, twice as big and on a slope, so if you come to this one, you'll see it (or them) there.

On 04/10/2012 at 7:14 AM, Stigian said:

Nothing short of spectacular Richard, your attention to those little details always amazes me

Good to read you have finally found the time to have a play with your welder, I bet your having real fun now you can make sparks fly

Out of interest what size are those rear tires? They look a little bigger then the skinny AG's currently fitted to my Raider 10 and are just what I'm looking for to fit on my 6X6.

P.S. I still have four engine mounts sitting on a shelf awaiting collection..

Hi Ian, Thanks and yes , always take care of the little details....fewer problems to come back later and bite you.

Welding......taken to it like a duck to water!. If I see 2 bits of steel laying around , I have to weld them together .

The Tyres are Duro 23 x 10.5 x 12. They aint cheap new. I was lucky and got these N.O.S for £75.00 the pair .On 7" Rims, there is an inch overhang either side and the diameter is 22 1/4"......I promise I'll be down to see you very soon for a Coffee.

So I have to say Sorry guys, but I have no Pics for you yet, but I'll get some soon... .......My excuse has been that... She Lives !!! .

I've been nervously connecting the Fuel Lines and priming the system, checking everything twice (except I failed to tighten the Fuel Tap Gland nut up and had a fuel weep).

Wheeled it out between the rain showers and fitted the Gear Lever.

She fired up before the Starter could spin it 2 revs, a cloud of black soot that was in the muffler cleared immediately and it settled into a very nice sounding high idle. Ran it for 10 mins to cure the VHT Paints, charging system working fine. Let it cool, then just had to take it for a ride around the Block. Steering is great, gears are all there now.... I'm So relieved.

I have a permanant grin like a Cheshire Cat now, First Full Kohler rebuild and Tranny repair and it's looking good so far.

Lots of Engine tinkering and bits to make yet. Lots of goodies received in the Post over the last week as well, So I promise the next post will be bulkier.

Thanks All. Regards

 

 

Edited July 18, 2017 by Anglo Traction

[Stigian 1,234]

Come on Richard, were all waiting to see your beautiful machine in action.

When's the video coming? :D