Duke's 701 Rebuild & Restoration

[poodle 0]

if you don't mind me asking I'm restoring my 701 the going is slow thou money is tight my truck is getting new kicks and it's running me about 1000 but anyway what shop did you use and did that price inclued striping the paint - bead blasting it or did you do that?

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Okay, I have been disassembling, and blasting and priming my azz off. I have also been part shopin and am gathering a shelf full ff groceries! Here are some pics.

[whfan74 2,015]

The project is looking good as always buddy! Keep plugging away.........can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks for the call and I will talk to you soon! Take care!

[Coadster32 793]

3 ribs and AG's...Like peanut butter and chocolate. What a beautiful thing.

BTW-I like the red shelves!

[Rod(NASNUT) 1]

Looking good Duke, keep up the good work :thumbs:

[Butch 194]

Duke you do more in a month than I do in a year and I'm retired. Plus you have a wife and a regular job. I don't know how you do it. :dunno:

[wheel horse 1045 2]

duke my ole 701 is comin along great.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Thanks, Scott, Chris, Rod, Butch & 1045

Butch I have deffinatley been at it since early November non stop 5 months now and about 2 1/2 more before the show.... I have to push myself every day 7 days a week. I have chores to do and I guess I know whats the agenda Is and just set myself a goal to do it! One thing, I'm getting tuckered out thats for sure. I Plan on after the show being lazy for a couple months. The next one up on deck for a resto is my RJ-56 after that I plan on trying to restore a couple a year which I think is managable. Just looking at the parts involved on the RJ's there is not much to them compared to a 701 with a HY-2 setup. I guess I am blessed that I have the health to do it and feel very fortunate for that! Well Just got off work late had our weekly managers meeting, time to go out in the garage and blast and prime paint a few more parts till about 11:00 then watch the news for an hr then off to bed and up at 5:30 a.m. thank god its TGIF!

[wheel horse 1045 2]

hey duke its me archie are the rib tires your picture showed on the shelf goin on the 701

[Suburban 550 28]

Good to see all the progress my friend. Looks like you'll be ready for the June show. Don't you ever get tired?

[HorseFixer 2,012]

hey duke its me archie are the rib tires your picture showed on the shelf goin on the 701

Yes Arch they are going on the 701. Stay tuned you will see the progress as I go along once it is completed will have ya over for a look see! :thumbs:

[BTK07 0]

Good job so far Duke. I've have a 753 that has that yellow paint under the red too. I thought it was odd too, but thought someone wanted to give it a paint job and all they had at the time was that ugly I-H yellow LOL

Can't wait to see your new 701.

Bill

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Well gents its been quite awhile a matter of fact April fools day 2009 when I made my last post. What I was doing was trying to get this 701 ready for the show that year and ran into having to some trouble & needed to get some machine work done on the loose front end parts, and just to be honest with you, there was just too much to do on this one done in time and there are allot of extra goodies I wanted to do on it so I decided to switch gears and restore my RJ-56 instead which was allot easier. A few weeks later from burning the candle at both ends I wound up having a stroke and lost the use of my whole left side Through the good lords grace I came out of it in pretty good shape. Anyways I am back at it last night I pulled the Ole girl out and started acclimating myself from where I left off. I really am about 1/2 way through it if ya figure all I have the engine built, new rubber all around, 75% of tractor sandblasted & in primer, decals purchased, paint bought, new plastic dash, shifter boot, all kinds of misc parts, so I still have lots to do but allot of the $$$ money part is done already which is a good thing. The tractor has a HY2 kit which will be gone through. I have a set uf bUgEyEs with the Beehive lenses and a tombstone weight which will go on the tractor. I also have a set of mid mount & rear cultivators that I will put on it so there is still much to do. I checked the front of the frame where the steering shaft goes through and was surprised that the tolerance was in good shape. Ray Baker (suburban 550) gave me a like new front Axel Brian Marion (buckrancher) has steering parts and will be tightening those up for me so time for me to get moving on the tranny. This tractor set out in outside and as you can see by the shifter boot prolly has a qt of water in the tranny I will take the tranny apart tomorrow and see whats up. No doubt it will need bearings seals and all the std groceries. The frame I will take & have sandblasted & touch up some welding that looks like somebody tried to pretend to weld and grind the welding cherries off of it. Well anyways here are some pics.

~Duke

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,041]

Looking forward to the progress photos! Glad to see you are back at it. :woohoo:

[Brrly1 1,146]

Looks good Duke. Will follow until you finish! If it looks anything like the 56 I am sure it will be top notch.

:D

[VinsRJ 721]

Duke, look'n forward to seeing the additional progress :woohoo:

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Thanks Guys Well its comming up on nearly 4 years since I first mad this post and nearly a year and 5 months since I last posted. Well time to get at it this time for sure being the 61's are this years tractors at the show guess I better get this one going. Today I split the frame from the tranny, and took off the wheels was talking to my favorite Prehistoric Dinosaur on the phone the other night and he said its a good idea to run some kerosene through it to flush out the crud. So I have it blocked up on a bucket and figured I would go PU some kerosene tomorrow and hook up a stiff hose over the drive pulley shaft then clamped over a drill bit and turn the tranny over with a 1/2" drill motor. After I get the Mung and Drool outta it Ill split the case and see what is up. ~Duke

Edited December 29, 2012 by HorseFixer

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,041]

I know this subject has come up before but I forget the comments as to why.... Your tranny has yellow paint under the red and if I remember right so does mine on my 701. Was this a primer used back then?

[fireman 1,021]

Hey Duke! Glad your back at it. Always feels good to get back in the shop!

[rmaynard 14,922]

I know this subject has come up before but I forget the comments as to why.... Your tranny has yellow paint under the red and if I remember right so does mine on my 701. Was this a primer used back then?

Interesting question. My 701, which has original paint, has no primer, yellow or otherwise. However, my Commando did have yellow under the top coat. It had been repainted in the 80's.

Sent from my MB520 using Tapatalk 2

[AMC RULES 36,954]

After steam cleaning my rusty 702, I found some of that yellow primer too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKCjLUKBUJE&list=UUd_ptV1TUpPlW1VhCjxez_Q&index=10

[HorseFixer 2,012]

I know this subject has come up before but I forget the comments as to why.... Your tranny has yellow paint under the red and if I remember right so does mine on my 701. Was this a primer used back then?

Steve I dont know, earlier in the thread I asked questions about this and there seemed o be a black primer on some parts then the yellow then the red. The yellow was EVERYWHERE I mean EVERYWHERE. The yellow could have been factory not for Wheel Horse but by Wheel Horse for a Company or something Like a State Hwy or Road Department. This Tractor has Serial Numbers 2 Higher that Ray's Suburban550. Maybe Ill ask Ray sometime if his has any Yellow under the Red. For now its a Mystery.

~Duke

[HorseFixer 2,012]

After steam cleaning my rusty 702, I found some of that yellow primer too.

Yeah thats interesting yers does have some Ole Yeller on there but strange its not everywhere like mine was, all over engine carb, you name it it was there. :scratchead:

[AMC RULES 36,954]

Though not shown on the tractor, the ol' yeller is there under the red on the belt guard, toolbox and fenders too.

I think I remember reading that the yellow is actually some zinc, or cadmium type primer used back in the day under specific colors...red being one of them.

Something like that.

Edited December 30, 2012 by DUAL AGS RULE

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

Glad to see your back on it duke! This is going to be one nice tractor when your done with it! It looked great when I saw what you had primed when I stopped by this summer! Can't wait to see some more work on it. ~Jake