Messages

why not just repair the block? if its just cracked you could braze it or nickel rod weld, or for that matter use jb weld. there is not any real pressure on the cooling system. I have done this on other tractor restorations. the old timers used to drill, tap the crack, then put brass screws in along the crack then over lapped them, they then cut off the screw heads, ground them smooth. basicly stitching  the crack. its worth a try & you don't have to disturb the block, i.e remove it.

bob, thats good to know. I thought they were worn from usage.

bob, the piston looks fine, a little worn on the injector side" rounded edge" no cracks or gouges. as far as the rings and lands they look good. just stuck to the piston. number 2 is as stubborn as number1. not out yet, but I have renewed determination now.  thanks again, scott     

bob, the air chisel worked great on the first piston. got it out. now I'm on to number 2. thanks again, scott

bob & blake, those are both good ideas. I'll give them a try. thanks, scott

I just happend to think that the grease gun trick wont work in this instance as this engine has the injector cup in the cut out of the sleeve. now what? scott

blake, I cleaned the rust out of the cylinder I am working on both top side & bottom. I've put oil in the cylinder & lit it on fire several times to heat it up then wicked it out, put a hardwood block in & pounded on it w/a sledge. no movement. I built a small press on top the cylinder put a 1 inch plate on the piston then a 4ton hydraulic bottle jack on it ,pumped till I could no longer push the lever down, nothing. I have used  the grease gun trick on a 12hp headless witte engine once. it works if the cylinder has some thickness to it. I'm concerned that the sleeve wont take the hydraulic pressure. that cylinder is half way down. I may try that on 3 of the cylinders but number 4 has a hole in the sleeve the size of a quarter in it. don't know what to do there. I got some pondering to do on that one. thanks, scott

well its been awhile since I last posted about my "AD" project. I am having a very hard time trying to get the pistons loose. I have tried about everything I can think of. I have never had an engine that stuck. I took the crank out so I could work on 1 piston at a time. still none will budge. what am I missing here? thanks, scott

well I got the 15 running the other day. It runs well, had to push start it as the starter is gone. here are a few pictures of my sons 15. the other crawler is my A D. we plan on getting rid of all the weird ad ons & going back to the way it was. regards, scott

john d , thanks for the pictures,  a difference I see from my sons 15 & that one is in the radiator on the front it only says 15. the side of the radiator casting  says cletrac only , also no tool box in the hood . could this have been an early 15???  ,thanks, scott

thanks to all for your replies, I looked over the 15 last week . the engine is a continental flat head 4 out of a massey-harris 20 farm tractor. I will be trying to start it soon. the boy is really excited to start working on it . now the parts search starts. I will try to post a few pictures soon of the thing so you guys can see whats missing . bob, I would be interested in your leftover parts when your done with them. I would pm you if I knew how it works on here.thanks again, scott

my 20 year old son just bought his first antique tractor, a cletrac 15. from what I can find , they were built for 3 years 1931-33. it has a tractor transplant engine & the data plate is gone. did cletrac stamp numbers anywhere else ? did the 15's all look the same through the production run? what color were they? are parts available? are they somewhat uncommon? I cant find much on these. what model herc engine came in these from the factory? any info would be greatly welcomed. thanks, scott

thanks guys. I guess I wont go after the one on ebay.I was not sure if they were the same. regards,scott

would lower track rollers from any cletrac be iterchangable from one cletrac model to another?I saw a lower track roller on ebay from an oc3 that looked the same as the ones on my "AD". thanks,scott

I got the oil pan off last nite. took off the rod caps on cyl 1&4. so far the crank  look good.  I think I may have to remove the crank as no. 2&3 rod caps have only 1 bolt each accessable for the cap bolts. any ideas?  thanks, scott