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BurtB

69 GT-14 Restoration

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BurtB

Google Drive link to pictures, feel free to comment.

 

Been a while since I was on the board or have worked on our tractor. Got stuck triaging the entire rest of our little playfarm such as roofs, foundations, and electrical. Excuse the mess in the garage, still a work in progress, but at least the roof isn't going to collapse and it doesn't leak. 

 

Anyhow, back to the tractor in question. It is a 69 GT 14, not that I've verified the year. Goal is to restore mechanical function to new/near new. Engine will be rebuilt, transmission rework very likely, wiring redone. We'll also be printing some emblems/instruction panels. If needed, I'm hoping I may be able to bore the engine on my lathe but we'll see. As for paint, we'll likely just be painting the engine. Everything else will get oiled and polished with orange rust being converted.

 

My son (15) is also using this as his FFA project and is the one taking pictures. He will be posting as well and his uname will have Strudel in it. One of my goals is for him to learn technical communication/research/etiquette. Please feel free to address him and send him on learning rabbit holes. 

 

Engine is out of the tractor, I see what looks like an impression of the spark plug ground on the top of the intake valve. Exhaust manifold is looking like some sort of BIP frankenstein assembly. Have spare carb, carb rebuild kit, fuel pump rebuild kit.

 

Today I have to go pick up a fruit press: our apple trees responded with a bumper crop after their first pruning in a decade. Hopefully we will do further disassembly of the engine this evening and I'll get some measurements.

 

Comments/questions/suggestions are very welcome.

 

What is the best way to access the transmission and how much should we disassemble to get there?

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Easton Rich

The GT-14 is a great tractor. Enjoy your time with your son!

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Strudel

Hello, I am the Strudel he was talking about. Like he said, this tractor will be for working on the playfarm and also to get some hours in on my SAE for FFA.

We got the tractor last year, from some guys who seemed to do tractor derbies. Luckily, this one was not put through the wringer. It used to run before the winter, but that doesn't matter either way since we're going to re-do basically all mechanical and electrical aspects.

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Strudel

Alrighty, so, I'm wondering what this wear on the top of the piston is from? I think it's only on this side.

If you'd like to access any other images, please refer to the top post for the link.

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Edited by Strudel
I goofed up and originally put "files" instead of "images."

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BurtB

Cylinder bore is 3.5045 at the largest. This is deep in the cylinder perpendicular to the crank. Has maybe .0005 taper on that axis.

 

Parallel to the crank high on the cylinder, we get 3.5022. Perpendicular to the cylinder, high on the crank, 3.5040.

 

So, bore exceeds wear allowance of 3.503. However, we're okay on roundess as it's less than .003 OOR. Taper is also okay as it is .0015 at the worst when measurements are vertical. (.002 allowed).

 

Rod journal on crank isn't tapered. However, it is 1.4994 - 1.4987. 1.4990 is the minimum. We're also . 0007 OOR with . 0005 being allowed.

 

Valve guides check right at nominal .3125 in all locations. Might be a hair larger on the exhaust side, but not enough to matter.

 

Haven't checked head flatness yet.

 

Took some measurements, I won't be able to fit the block on my lathe carriage for line boring. Also don't have the grinder to handle the crank.

 

Can't cheat these dims without burning oil and wearing out the crank, can I?

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Strudel

The roll pin and stop pin are hitting the governor gear.20250918_180138.jpg.881089d20f71c8e410fb7855b5a1eaf0.jpg

 

20250918_175834.jpg

Edited by Strudel

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BurtB

Chipped a fin getting the BIP homemade exhaust manifold off. Had to strap it to a pipe vise table, heat with a torch and use a cheater on a 18" pipe wrench to get it off. Chipped the fin when the pipe nipple finally broke loose. Maybe I should have just cut it out. It's not a bad chip and the head should mostly hide it. Just hate it happened.

 

Block is now at the shop.

 

Shop agreed bore .010 over.

 

What do y'all think about this rebuild kit from Little Red Barn?

 

What should the original exhaust manifold look like?

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BurtB

Pic of the exhaust outlet face.

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953 nut
15 hours ago, BurtB said:

What do y'all think about this rebuild kit from Little Red Barn?

They are good kits, 

 

15 hours ago, BurtB said:

What should the original exhaust manifold look like?

What you removed looks like the factory set-up, short nipple, 45,  another nipple about 3" long and a screw on muffler. 

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BurtB
3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

What you removed looks like the factory set-up, short nipple, 45,  another nipple about 3" long and a screw on muffler. 

 

That's surprising. I thought it was homemade. Easy to replace, I guess. Small exhaust valve and the pipe is inside the port adding more constriction.

 

We've been kicking around the idea of a vertical stack with a weather cap and both really like the idea. Shouldn't be hard to do, could make the manifold face from a piece of cold roll. Other than that, we have no plans for anything cosmetic that isn't stock. 

 

We are making some small changes such as front mule drive, rear pigtail with flasher relay, switchable rear PTO circuit as a dead man (hoping to build a post auger), maybe a hidden rear 12V with the pigtail.

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953 nut
7 hours ago, BurtB said:

vertical stack with a weather cap

I did that when I first got the GT-14 a dozen or so years back, keeps the exhaust gasses out of my face. Having a brace under the pipe helps too.

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BurtB

@953 nut now that's slick. How did you brace it?

 

I'll have to wait until I get the block back but we're totally doing the stack. Should be able to clean up the exhaust manifold face on the block, may need to helicoil the holes. Hopefully my terrible stick welding skills are up to making the 90deg manifold.

 

Engine rebuild kit and main bearings ordered. Cleaned bearings with carb and brake cleaner for inspection. Found an intermittent tight spot in one of the bearings, so one of the balls has a hickey. Other bearing may not be as smooth as it should be. They'd probably be okay for a long time, but it's not worth chance-ing.

 

We'll be starting on trans removal this evening. Strudel is about to learn how use simple green and elbow grease on the frame. 😈

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953 nut
32 minutes ago, BurtB said:

How did you brace it?

 

I'll have to wait until I get the block back but we're totally doing the stack. Should be able to clean up the exhaust manifold face on the block, may need to helicoil the holes. Ask the machine shop to run a 1" pipe tap through the internal threads.

The exhaust is one inch Black iron pipe that screws into the engine block. The transition from horizontal to vertical is made with a black iron 1  ' X 1/2" X 1" T fitting. A 1/2" pipe plug was drilled and taped to 1/4-20 to secure the upper end of a brace that goes to the engine mounting bolt.

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BurtB

I've got the tap, I'm just not crazy about BIP as the manifold. My gut says it can cause constriction and turbulence. However, it was used stock so it must not be that bad.

 

It would be a lot of work and fiddling to make a plate mounted manifold.

 

That bracket to engine mount wouldn't be difficult at all, I'm totally going to steal the idea.

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Handy Don
35 minutes ago, BurtB said:

That bracket to engine mount wouldn't be difficult at all, I'm totally going to steal the idea.

An alternate that I’ve seen was a standard elbow clamped to a wider top end of the angled support bracket with a “U”-bolt. 

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Strudel

Panels have been taken off to access the transmission. The transmission will be took off tomorrow. Engine is currently in the shop, being re-bored, possibly will take ~2 weeks.

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kpinnc
On 9/18/2025 at 4:44 PM, BurtB said:

Can't cheat these dims without burning oil and wearing out the crank, can I?

 

Sounds like you're doing it right! :thumbs:

Edited by kpinnc
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Strudel

The tractor is actually not from '69, it's from '72. I just checked the MO. Also, we're planning on separating the pump from the transmission to get the transmission out.

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953 nut
10 hours ago, Strudel said:

we're planning on separating the pump from the transmission to get the transmission out.

If you remove the two frame support bars outlined in red below there is no need to pull the pump.

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BurtB

That is very helpful.

 

So, would the best way be to:

Pull those bars.

Put a jack under the transaxle/pump assembly.

Pull the 8 bolts holding it to the frame.

Lower it when free.

 

I'll add some picures later today before we try to pull it. I also have a question about the Nylon control plate slider thing and the tapered screw/pin that is part of the linkage.

 

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953 nut
38 minutes ago, BurtB said:

That is very helpful.

I'll add some picures later today before we try to pull it. I also have a question about the Nylon control plate slider thing and the tapered screw/pin that is part of the linkage. The ball on the motion control will slide out of the nylon plate.

So, would the best way be to:

Pull those bars.  Once the bars are out the four bolts holding the rear portion of the frame can some out and remove it. Put the bolts back in the holes to keep dirt out.

Put a jack under the transaxle/pump assembly.   I prefer jacking up the frame, block it up securely, then using an engine hoist to lift the transaxle but if you don't have one then I would take the time to build a dolly to transport it with. Much safer and easier to move the transaxle around the shop.

Pull the 8 bolts and hoses holding it to the frame. The bolt on the lower right side is the most difficult to remove so do it first while the other three are holding all the weight.

Lower it when free.

 

 

 

 

 

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BurtB

Looking at it a little more, your dolly method is superior. Now I just have to figure out where our furniture dollies ended up.

 

Pic attached of the ball on the motion control plate. Nut is backed off but it is firmly in the plate.

 

Also, this is not a 90-2062 unit, nameplate shows 90-2070.

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