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That is why you young whippersnappers need to keep us old coots around, we can give you all the advice you don't need!

Took a 90 min ride one way last evening to pickup this '93 classic to use mainly for mowing. I decided on this since My son prefers the hand motion control over our 416h's foot control (oem copy). He, in my opinion, is nuts... 😆 but, to each their own. It's in good shape overall and seller and I talked WH whole time I was there. Good to meet him. (He has like 12 Wheelhorses) I mentioned the Big Show to him and he is interested in attending as I said how its such a great event. No engine noise or smoke, lower hours, fairly clean. (Already dismantling tonight to clean and go over everything!) Will need a new carb or ???... Mostly, It runs great, but i noticed tons of play on the top shaft (Walbro carb) compared to my 314-8 and it changes rpm when moved around. No leaks anywhere else I can see so far. This one seems to need a little tlc, like new bushings for contols etc although they are good, i might as well replace since it's apart. Last pic is progress..

I recently did just that (except to 6.5") with a jig saw. I swapped the electric start goodies on a 181 over to a yank start 161. I had the shroud firmly fastened to the work bench but you might find it easier clamping the saw like John said. You can't see it in this picture but you couldn't tell it was cut. High speed on the blade but slow and easy as you cut.

Drum sander in a drill press. Mark at 1/8" and lock quill. Attach a piece of plywood to table, slide, rotate cover until desired size.

@8ntruck suggested a new thread, and I concur. I picked up this ‘57 Star Chief. 347/Auto 4 door. The car runs and drives but has it’s flaws. My vision is to finish up some active projects, and then get going on this. A short list, is the Ford Taurus engine, my bathroom trim, our wet bar, the FEL, and a couple other customer projects. The car is also buried by the camper in the barn, so there’s that timing too. I’d like the interior to stay as stock looking as possible. I’d like to keep the patina. Some modifications to the body will be necessary. I’d like this to be a Mad Max style resto-mod. I have a beautiful rust free 2001 Chevy 2500HD chassis. Being extended cab short box flavor, it’s 143.5” wheelbase is a bit longer than the car’s 124” stretch. This would place the rear axle about mid-trunk opening. Perfect location for a drop in 5th wheel hitch! As mentioned in the hot rods thread, the leaf spring hangers are indeed a bit long for this pipe dream, extending about 5” past the bumper’s current location. We’ll figure something out. Possibly there are shorter spring options as Chevy tended to use many different spring orientations and lengths. Maybe we will need a 4 link and air bags to allow bobbing the frame. More on that later. These are my wheels and tires from the truck frame, that will be used on the project, in their very accurate mocked up positions via roof tape measure on the floor.

Typical setup for a sickle bar mower guys. Not modified, just rebuilt using components from Surplus Center. The entire mower was a frozen pile of rust when I got it. The attach-a-matic has to be replaced with the sickle drive setup.

Welcome to the Madhouse Dan. You will find anything and everything on this truly wonderful site. These guys and gals have helped me do a ground up restoration of a C-125 which is now road legal and registered, including having the engine rebored and rebuilt. But they also advised on topics as wide ranging as cookery, electronics and local language quirks. It really is an Encyclopedia Britanica of a forum. Belts can be tricky if you don't have one to show the business you go to. Even if you have the old ones, who's to say they are not stretched or too out of shape to measure accurately, or even that they were the right belts in the first place. The best advice came earlier in the thread, find a tame belt supplier you can get a range of sizes from to find the right ones, or better still take the deck along and get them to find the right ones for you. I have a place who did that for me up here. Whatever you decide, enjoy your new obsession er .... Hobby, it's a hobby, completely harmless, not at all addictive, forget I mentioned obsession. My therapist told me negative language is not helpful in such cases. My restoration project Fred, in his snow plowing get up. Best regards Mick

https://www.grainger.com/product/23M596?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-bmsBhAGEiwAoaQNmituGJatrMr9yqEQZmfbdCRJDP5wr2GTCpPGUzmaMEdUKhHRWR4IkxoC6tMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds all to often , see the wrong type puller used on the weakest spot of , hub , that would be the outer bolt flange , the closer you get to axel mount / hub start point . the more effect your pull will be , KROIL is what you want , on / in that area , days out , remove any holding bolt / Allen plug ,DRIVE it around , get that KROIL CREEPING , thats what it does best , usually a rust run out track , will show its working . a pull on the axel / flange inner start point is what you want , strength against strength , not against outer bolt flange . get that KROIL , working , shop around for similar , puller at H/F . just a suggestion , puller pete

Odd project. 25-ish years ago I used to spend a lot of time driving back and forth between St. Louis and Fulton Missouri going to our plant out there. Almost every time on I-70 I’d see the same ugly brown 1970’s Ford LTD sedan pulling a flatbed gooseneck trailer usually loaded down with farm equipment of one kind or another. I always wanted to get a picture but who carried a camera in those days? The gooseneck ball was mounted on the rear deck of the car just behind the rear window. I don’t remember if there was any outwardly visible structural work on the car, but even passing the thing in the lane next to me it looked pretty stock. presumably there was something structural under the trunk lid, but people do crazy things. I was always wary of the rig so I didn’t linger around it, but I saw it on the road dozens of times over a couple of years so the setup was apparently pretty robust. I thought for sure I’d find some mention or picture of the contraption online somewhere but my searches all failed to unearth anything. Our purchasing manager at work remembers it too, so I wasn’t hallucinating. It was a normal looking car towing a big ol’ gooseneck trailer..certainly a bit of an oddity. I’m not really sure what my point is other than relating what I saw years ago. Steve

So far I've been lucky using the bolt flange. In the pic below you can see the extreme amount of pressure that I was exerting on this hub. One bar to keep the puller from turning as I tightened the jack bolt with a 36" long breaker bar. Tons of pressure, rap on the smaller portion of the hub to create vibration, hub moved about .010", more pressure, more hammering, etc. This hub fought me every inch of the way like this, but I finally won without damaging anything. Yes there was plenty of lube involved as well.

You mean like this??

If all else fails, another movable chicken coop!

You needed something else laying around in the way. Shop looked empty!

Stump removal … took a few shots to get it to pop outa the ground.

One other option. '57 Poncho united with a bus? Some thing like this.

I do indeed have other things to take care of. It’s a want, not a need. Like @ebinmaine’s build, it’ll get there. I have everything “in stock” for the build, within reason. That’s helpful!

My money is on Eric's "Molasses" project being completed first.....

Thanks for all the jokes and wishes. The only thing I missed on my birthday was a slice of fruit cake. For those of us on the down hill slide of life who were born in December birthday days were not celebrated due to " Christmas is coming , be thankful for the things you got , here eat some more fruit cake , we don't have money for everything " . Fruit cake was a treat as it had fruit and nuts , which were not an everyday staple in my parents house and it was made in November and soaked with moonshine . A extremely thin slice would get a kid high with one bite.

How about a fake continental kit to extend the bumper location? Rather than a shiny new tire cover an old hog trough would make a statement.

As some will know Ive posted pics of the D I bought back in the summer. I been tinkering on it ever since off and on. I completely re wired it with 14 and 12 gauge wire, got a lower dash plate to replace the home made one and painted the lettering, replaced the home made console plate with factory one. New seat, which I need to raise an 1" or so cause it pushes against the gas tank (need all the leg room I can get). Took the rear counter weight basket off and cut it down to stack all the steel I have closer to back of tractor, which Im currently working on the steel to fit and stack and get painted. So for now I just got the front wheels and hubs all painted along with the back wheel weights. I think the black gives it a different look to go with the black loader. Heck I even painted the steering wheel center cap with paint markers. Not too bad for first time. Hopefully I will get alot of the tractor tins painted this summer for a over all better appearance, wont be all taken apart but just to clean it up. Heres a couple before and after pics soon as I can make em load.

I haven't given up my search for my LTD/gooseneck combo and in the meantime found that there are other options for adventurous Kevin: Chevy Caprice with Roof hitch. I think we posted the VW version of this before too. Maybe just polish up the Pontiac, fit the truck engine and transmission, put the suspension from a Corvette under it, make sure the rain gutters are structural, put a hitch on the roof, modify the trailer to fit it... Silliness aside, although this looks a little dubious it seems like putting the hitch pin just aft of center of the vehicle's wheelbase would contribute to a very stable towing experience. Probably would be even better if it was FWD/AWD too as the whole rig would obediently want to track right behind the power axle. Sideways push from cross winds or a passing semi would have to act on the whole car instead of wag its tail. Panic stops would put more vertical load on all four vehicle tires instead of unloading the front wheels. Hmmm. Innate ugliness of 1970's cars not withstanding, I think they were onto something here. Steve

Brought a few out in the sun and left them run a while for their year end warm up. 417A 310-8 312H 520H

Yeah, it's expensive but would be a treat and memory. Guess I could just spend the same money on whiskey and women and get the crabs for free. LOL

Mark the circle 1/8" from the edge. a grinder You can get metal blades for a jig saw and clamp the saw upside down in a vice Same for the grinder as it's probably easier to control the piece vs the tool

C’mon guys… I had to suffer through all that to get down here to say “Happy Birthday @elcamino/wheelhorse!”

I didn't notice the Euro plate, but that box of metric bolts did clue me in.

OK enough of this seafood business... we eat beef ... if we can afford it now. Couple of nice 11/8" porters will send a guy to the poor house these days. Ah well life's too short. Her b-day is 1-9 and gonna have to spring for some L tails for that! We pulled into Halifax one patrol for repairs and the supply officer somehow had crates of live lobsters delivered. We had lobster races on the mess decks. The crazy things submariners did!

TLABR - That Looks ABout Right

#2 701-702 with HY pump

Took advantage of this sunny 50F day and walked the fence lines cleaning out 12 bluebird boxes.

Amazing how tenacious an old stump can be--even when the roots are mostly rotted out!

I got the funny feeling that is the fate of the remnants of the bus once the engine and transmission come out......

Kinda like the menu from a Chinese Restaurant... Pick one from column A, one from column B - you want duck sauce with that???

Everybody get in their comfortable chairs , this is going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG build project. Bets on which comes first, project complete or Flip flops grand children . I had to go there @squonk and @WHX?? made me do it.

Wow now your not as dumb as the other guys said you are. Good eye Kev & attention to detail... you shoulda went in the Navy! BTW the plates are a BEACH BALL!

The unit your grandson picked out appears to have an audible indication too. That would be a good thing to have when chasing down a loss of power, don't even have to look at the unit to know you have found voltage but can look at the readout to confirm full voltage. I like it.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good 1-1/8" NY Strip, medium rare. At least they are only about $9.99/lb down here.

It was our 48th anniversary today so we went hog wild (pun intended...keep reading). There's a place about 10 miles from here on Bass Lake, one of Indianas larger natural lakes. We've been thinking about trying the Woodshed Tap and Grill since we moved here but we're not big on eating out and just never got around to it. Since she knows I could sustain myself on bacon alone Nancy mentioned this sandwich to me. It's called a Pigout BLT. 1/2 pound of applewood smoked bacon. The picture doesn't do it justice. To say it was excellent is an understatement. Nancy had fried cod and said it was delicious. I'm thinking this place will become a regular thing. They have a fried perch dinner that has my attention.

Nice tractor! I also have a 314-H and a 314-8. There’s not much that a 314 can’t do. I have a 520H with a bucket loader that can be a bear to start. The 314’s, never an issue.

And doing so, you can probably use the original belt...... Still like the idea to add the flap-a-doodles on the second stage impeller....

Just spit balling here, but wouldn't it be easier to shorten the truck frame to fit the car body? It would put your hitch behind the axle but you could compensate for that with a heavier rear suspension.

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this testing tool -- called Power Probe - ( see photo) ?? My grandson wanted it for Christmas so we got it for him and he was explaining to me its features -- I enjoy working on our horses but electrical has never been a knowledge area i developed very well but always looking to learn -- so grandson was telling me the comparisons to a multimeter and a couple other features for checking circuits etc - - Any thought or insights? thanks. Bill

The power probe 3 in Black is $36.08 cheaper.

@953 nut Richard’s art work for reference. The wheel wells will need to move to make it look correct. I hope to be able to massage them in without making them a hack job. Precise cuts, symmetry, taking my time. I totally got this!

@Pullstart potential project really intrigues me, so I have done some digging and thinking as to how I might construct the beast. The 4 door wheelbase is 122 inches. The 2001 2500HD wheelbase ranges from 133 inches to 166 inches. Kevin wants to put the axle on the centerline of the trunk for 5th wheel towing. I will assume that the donor chassis is 133". @953 nut how far did you move the rear axle when you doctored the pictures? If it was 10 inches, it looks like the hitch is going to be really close to the edge of the back window. Since the station wagon rear window is closer to vertical, a set of station wagon rear doors, bits of station wagon roof, rear window, and tailgate would make more room for the hitch. Another idle thought - would Chevy 4 door wagon roof and doors graft directly onto the Pontiac. They would bprobably be easier to source than Pontiac parts. This would make a great discussion and possible build thread of its own, rather than cluttering up this thread.

Oh man... please no encouragement...

From across the pond? I was thinking he was from Norfolk VA... Goes to show what we have in common with our across the pond brethren. Scratch getting belts from TSC then.

It looks like I might be getting more stuff to work on. Her 100 year old grandfather gave her three buggy frames, engines, transmissions (mostly swing arm, not IRS), and all the parts to build them. They don’t have the time or knowledge to put the, together or enjoy them, so she would rather give them to me than sell them. If it all works out (I realize I have limited time here), I’d love him to see the old school hoop buggy run and drive again. She recalls memories of him giving her rides on it, and he told her he used to take her grandmother to Silver Lake Sand Dunes with it too! The sand rail buggy has never been finish welded or assembled past what it shows. There’s another sand rail too.

belt length -------- i have used this resource link many times for belt length - - everyone may wish to add to their bookmarks favorites -- mower shown here on Red Sq interchange for 211-3 is cross reference mower deck model 05-36xr05 ---belt is #106751 @80x 1/2 deck belt ----- and 106533 @ 40x 1/2 -- both available on partstree.com -- before you spend any $ i suggest you confirm the specs on your own ------------ heres the link once you look up the correct belt number you can determine spec https://outdoorpowerinfo.com/belts/wheel_horse_belts.asp?fbclid=IwAR30E10elLLRa8PlrLjmGTcqSvqLUTNkx01uBu4Kp-fUgu5zy0AW0xHBZOM

Wow thanks for all the messages guys and making me feel welcome. Some really nice pictures you've shared, you guys have set a high standard. Unfortunately I don't have the old belts so we were thinking maybe measuring with a piece of string to get the size right.