416-8 restoration?

[Pettybilt 3]

This will probably take a long time to complete. Going go ahead and apologize up front.

Anyway, my tractor has definitely seen better days. I've been waiting for some time to tear into this. However as my only mower I've been reluctant to do it.

With luck on myself side I picked up a old lessco walk behind mower, so with the mowing covered, I'm finally going to do this.
Sorry for not getting a picture of it together, I rolled it in the shop, and before I knew there was parts laying everywhere. It all happened so fast.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Pettybilt

[Pettybilt 3]

It seems that the steering tower on the tractors are sort of cheesy. The steering shaft moves around, a lot.  I had a pillow block bearing laying around, it should make the shaft nice and sturdy. I think this is going to work pretty good. 

 

My youngest daughter was in the shop lending a hand polishing the steering shaft.  

Edited August 22, 2013 by Pettybilt

[Pettybilt 3]

I have been working on this about a week.  Over the weekend i power washed and painted the transmission .

[Wishin4a416 2,185]

Lookin good and it is nice to have a good helper around! What paint are you using?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Wishin4a416

[Pettybilt 3]

Rustoleum regal red spray bomb for the chassis. Not sure if I'm going to use that for the sheet metal though.

[Ken B 3,116]

Looking good. I know what ya mean about not gettin the pics before ya got it all tore apart. Same thing happens to me every time!

[Pettybilt 3]

Got the frame painted the other day, final dry enough to start assembling some of the parts.

[Pettybilt 3]

Sandblasted and painted the steering tower, for a lack of better words. The rustoleum professional enamel covers very well. 

Need to get somethings back together before i can start working on anything else. If i'm not careful ,i'll have everything apart. The wife is already freaking out. She said "its hard to believe this was your mower, there's pieces  laying  everywhere!"  

 

Still need to decarb the onan. Definitely going to be easier to that on the work bench, might as well adjust the vales too. More on that later. Getting side tracked. 

[Pettybilt 3]

I've  been staying after work  to sandblast some small parts . Got most of all it painted.Not a great deal of forward momentum though.   I've also been working on putting brass bushings in place of the factory plastic ones. Should make for a rattle free machine, i hope. 

Here's were it is as of now, and the bushings I've replaced .

[horsesaver98 18]

nice job

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

Good work on the 416. Should look good as new when you are finished!

[Pettybilt 3]

Got a few things done over the last few days. I used a brass thrust washer on the outside of  pto shaft and a brass bushing on the inside. Then i put  a shaft collar on the outside to keep everything snug. Had to machine the battery tray to accept the bushing, might be a little over kill, but i really hate rattles. 

Other than that was able to bolt the transmission on and some of the linkages. 

 

Really hope to get this done by Halloween, would like to use it for a hay ride for a haunted trail for the kids. At least i'm still making forward progress. 

[Martin 2,130]

nice work, looking forward to more updates.....

[Pettybilt 3]

I decided to pull the heads off my Onan to  decarb . I have to admit i was reluctant , however much reading, figured what the hay.

 

A little background on this engine. I bought it not running (electrical problems) with a little over 400 hrs, with no maintenance history. It now has over 600 hrs, since I've owned it i have been rather particular about it. I let it warm up before running it hard, and cool down after. Keep the oil and filters changed.

The engine runs great, no weird noises, no smoking etc. It does burn a little oil though. I've been running Mobil Del vac 15w40,  which seems  helps control oil consumption. 

 

So here are a few pictures of what she looked like.  Seems like a lot of carbon to me, what do you think?

 

I wonder if indexing the spark plugs would help control carbon?

[Pettybilt 3]

Just checked my valves, nether of my intake valves close all the way.

Guess it was a good thing I pulled the heads

[joedodge1 0]

Hi! Just joined the site and just bought my first Wheel horse which is also a 416-8. Love the work you are doing and am very interested in everythig you are doing. I take it you are a machinist? The bushings are a great touch. I don't know anything about my 416 but will be loking to restore it.I have a Kohler in mine. Well keep up the great work and I will be watching to learn...