My not for export Major

This forum is for the Fordson New Major, including the Super Major and the Power Major.
BearCreek Majors
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My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

I have always been 99% sure that my 53 Major was built for the UK and shipped over here to the US as used equipment. It has tail lights, a hand brake, 36" rear wheels, and had the remains of one cast iron front wheel. Over the winter I was up in the barn rummaging around and notice on the rear cover on the rear end lid, there are clips on the two top bolts that I believe are to attach chains to hold up the lift arms when using a quick hitch, quick hitches are extremely rare over here and my guess is the original owner wanted to keep this option and converted my Major to the standard hitch when it was traded in.
Last weekend when we went to play at my Uncles farm I sent the kids up in the barn to get a usable hood to slap on the Selene for the weekend, what they found was a slap in the face, the hood from the 53 has a tag on it that for some reason I never noticed or had completely ignored . The tag reads
Palace Garage(Englishs) limited
Fordson Dealers
Agricultural Enginers
Endless Street
Salisbury
Phone 5135

Can anyone tell me if the Palace Garage was or is in Salisbury England or Salisbury Maryland?

Pat


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Last edited by BearCreek Majors on Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.

essex pete
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Post by essex pete »

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl

Put in Endless St Salisbury.

Looks like a possibility.

BearCreek Majors
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Post by BearCreek Majors »

Thanks Pete! I did a search for the Palace garage but came up with nothing in Salisbury.
The fact that you found an Endless street in a Salisbury, that is in the UK pretty much seals the deal for me.
My grandfather farmed with Majors, his first bought new in 53 and the love of these machines has been passed down through our family for generations. My youngest boy was giving his daughter a ride on the county just an hour ago. I have always found the history of the Majors quite interesting and having one made for the UK just kinda makes me feel good.

Thanks for the help

Pat

Mike Kuscher
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Post by Mike Kuscher »

Hi Pat,

I 'googled' "Palace Garage & Sailsbury".
Here is an extract of what I found...


...The south end of Endless Street is mainly occupied by shops and commercial premises, including the Regal Cinema and former County Hall, subsequently the Palace Theatre, which was built in 1889 and was in 1960 a garage.

From: 'Salisbury: St Edmund's parish', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 6 (1962), pp. 83-85. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... mpid=41786 Date accessed: 14 May 2010.

...so, the premises have had a variation in purpose but was Palace Garage in the 1960s.

Mike
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virtuozo
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by virtuozo »

Hi There from Ol' Blighty,

I came across your article whilst searching for Palace Garages. I served my apprenticeship there in 1960 and can indeed confirm that this is where your tractor hailed from.

Palace Garage, as the name suggests, was formerly the Palace Theatre, which was converted and turned in to a garage in 1948. Needless to say, it was a very interesting place to work. The original front entrance and lobby was made in to the show room with two wonderful staircases sweeping up to the Parts Dept, formerly the balcony. The stalls were gutted to form the main workshop, with the stage being taken out and transformed to house the only lift, a single post platform ramp.

Palace Garage was a Retail Fordson dealer operating under licence from the Main dealer a few miles away, Brewers in Wilton, who held the franchise for most of Wiltshire.

In 1959, a new purpose garage workshop was built in Endless Street, just 100 yards away which meant that the theatre building was used just for tractors, whilst the new workshop specialised in Ford cars and truck repairs. With the strong rural presence of Brewers in Wilton, Palace Garages could not compete, so the building was sold to developers who knocked the building down and built one of the first supermarkets there (Sainsburys) in the city. It didn't stop there, as the supermarket relocated to a huge site on the city's main car park and the building at the Palace was converted extensively in to office accommodation.

One of my abiding memories was taking a school trip to Dagenham to the Ford Plant and seeing the construction of Fordson and Dexta tractors being made, and where the forge doors could only be opened by a Dexta pulling them free, the resultant unleashing of hot metal, noise and heat was like being in a thunderous volcano. This happened once a day at 4.00pm. Quite an experience for a boy of 13.

As you are probably aware, Ford stopped production of all tractor production, can't remember the year, and then concentrated on car production, only for that to eventually close and now become derelict. It still awaits redevelopment and it's vast concrete space has been used for practice and rehearsal purposes for the thousands of volunteers participating in the 2012 Olympic ceremony.

Hope that this gives a flavour of where your tractor came from and some of it's heritage. It's certainly given me fond memories of my youth and of Palace Garages chequered and colourful history

Kindest regards

Ray Waters

MartyBoyce
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by MartyBoyce »

What a brilliant reply and what a brilliant site , reading a post that joins the dots like that is just , well it is just brilliant , makes the site worth joining just to see things come together like that :clap: :clap: :clap:
Some say that she is ugy , just a relic from the past
new tractors do it better and new tractors do it fast
but to me she is a beauty , every curve and classic line
My old Blue Fordson Major , hell to me she'll do just fine

BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

Ray, Thank you so very much for your reply. I cannot tell you how very much I appreciated it. The fact that this tractor is now in a different continent and will someday again be a fully functional restored piece of history is a testament to you, the men that you worked with, and the people that built these machines.
I am now more than ever proud to be the owner of this girl and thrilled to have been able to spark some of your memories from years gone by.
At this time she is up in my barn in pieces, carefully packed away in totes full of parts wrapped up in oily rags or smeared full of grease, silently waiting her turn. As long as I am still sucking air and able to move, her day will come.

Thank you.

Pat

virtuozo
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by virtuozo »

Hi Pat,

Thank you for your kind comments.

Best of luck with with the restoration of your very unique British Major, which if she could talk, could tell a story or two, especially how she managed to cross the pond and get to you. A very clever tractor in deed.

Regards

Ray

AdrianNPMajor
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by AdrianNPMajor »

What a wonderful story. Any chance of some photos of the tractor in its current state, even if it's currently dismantled? One thing's for sure, when you begin the refurb, there is no shortage of impressive experts on this site, who between them, as I have found, know just about all there is to know about the Major in its various forms.

BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

Ok, here she is, looking quite sad at the moment. The bonnet radiator and several other parts are between her and the back wall, the engine is in the tote, and the front ax is …..up there somewhere! If you look real close at the crankshaft standing up in the tote you can see the throws are hollow, I have never seen this on any other crank, and I am rather leery about using it. If it needs to be reground I may just spend some more money and put in a newer one.
I have actually had an itch to start to put her back together most of the summer but I have to leave her be until I get the Selene done

Pat

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Dandy Dave
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Dandy Dave »

Makes you want to run right up there and start cleaning, painting, rebuilding, and restoring pieces. :D Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

Brian
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Brian »

She is an early engine with a cast crank.

The cranks gave few problems in the engine but are very fragile as you have it in store or in transport. Any slight knock or bang can cause it to break. They grind up OK within limits, I had mine done in Henrietta a few years ago,

The chap that did mine used to grind them "back in the day" and commented that they used to break in the van being delivered, if not cosseted!
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BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

So….. while I had the valve grinder out, and waiting for parts for the Super Six I went up in the barn and grabbed the head for my “UK Major” and figured I’d do a valve job on it quick.
As there is actually two engines in the tote I was checking casting numbers to be sure I had the correct parts and discovered that it is actually a 54, ? ?? X is the date code.
After pulling it apart I found that all of these intake valves were bad as well, so I stole from Peter to pay Paul and grabbed the good ones from the other engine in the tote. Had some of the worst pitting I have ever had to grind out on two of the exhaust seats but everything eventually cleaned up OK. I will have to drop it off at a friend’s shop this week and have him clean up the gasket surface on his mill, it looks like it was run with a bad head gasket for some time as it has some pretty good head gasket scars around two of the cylinders.

Pat

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Dandy Dave
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Dandy Dave »

What kind of valve grinder set up do you have? I have an older Sioux re-facer and seat tool that is the grind stone type. I have had some real crusty valves seats to deal with in the past. Some to the point that I had to set up in a mill and bore for new seats. Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

Got the head over to my buddy’s shop, when he gets some time he is going to throw it on his surface grinder to clean it up. The weather is saposta be nice today for thanksgiving but start getting bad tomorrow so I plan on getting both the blocks outside and steam cleaned before I have to go to the inlaws for dinner.

Dave, I grew up using an old Black and Decker that my dad had but it was getting real hard to get new seat stones, the valve grinder had seen its better days, and a few of the expandable mandrels had broken. So several years ago I had the opportunity to purchase the Sioux from the local Ford dealership as they hadn’t used it in years. My brother still has dads unit and this one is a vast improvement for what I do with it. I am amazed at how cheap you can pick up valve and seat grinders now days, no one has any interest in them anymore, a B&D unit went for well under $100.00 last year at an auction I was at.

Pat

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I have never realy took the time to clean and organize the cabnet, there are probably things in there that havent seen the light of day in thirty years.

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Dandy Dave
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Dandy Dave »

Nice. :D I did the labor on a motor job on a 9-N Ford tractor a bunch of years ago to get mine. It has since paid for its self a number of times. Yes, Modern stuff rarely needs a valve job. I still work on enough old stuff that it makes it a vauable tool to have. Amazing to think how metallurgy has advanced so far that a modern automobile gas engine can survive 300,000 + miles without a valve job. A typical Model T Ford needed the valves done every 2,500 to 5,000 miles. I've used Black and Decker grinders in the past, and agree that the Souix is a much better tool. :) Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

Got the block all cleaned up, ran a tap in all of the threaded holes and started to install some sleeves. I don’t plan on spending a bunch of money on this thing so I dug through my used parts for some good sleeves. I had an old set from my dad’s major with one sleeve that had part of the top burnt away from running with a bad head gasket.
The plan was to machine this top lip down to clean up the burnt part and then shim the sleeve back up to get my .002-.004 protrusion from the deck.
As I don’t have a steady rest for my big lathe I took an old piston, countersunk a center point in it, stuffed it in the sleeve up to one of the compression rings and then chucked the whole thing in the lathe with a live center in the end of the piston. I cleaned the edge of the sleeve up in the lathe, then took the sleeve to the belt sander to get the spigot back down to the correct dimension, made a .015 shim to go under it and it came out at .003 above the deck.

Pat
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Dandy Dave
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Dandy Dave »

Lathe Terminology... Even though you have a ball bearing center in the tail stock, it is still considered a, "Dead Center." The "Live Center" would be in the head of the lathe and would most often used with a faceplate and dog to turn between centers. The terms are throw backs from the old days when the head that rotated was "live", and the tailstock center was truly dead.

Looks like you have the right idea. If everything is true, it should work out. Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

Kiwi Kev
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Kiwi Kev »

Dandy Dave wrote:Lathe Terminology... Even though you have a ball bearing center in the tail stock, it is still considered a, "Dead Center." The "Live Center" would be in the head of the lathe and would most often used with a faceplate and dog to turn between centers. The terms are throw backs from the old days when the head that rotated was "live", and the tailstock center was truly dead.
Maybe I'm not that old after all :scratchhead: :lol:
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International 784 4WD
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BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

Dambit I hate it when I’m wrong! Mr. Hodney, my high school metals shop teacher would have me sweeping the floors for a week for making a mistake like that! :wink:

Drug the back half out of the barn today, I think I’m going to have a few issues.

Pat

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Kiwi Kev
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Kiwi Kev »

BearCreek Majors wrote:
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Is that another Major we have'nt seen before? :scratchhead:

How did that big crack get in the sump Pat?
Kiwi Kev
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International 784 4WD
& looking at another tractor!

The Swanndri Guy
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by The Swanndri Guy »

BearCreek Majors wrote:Dambit I hate it when I’m wrong! Mr. Hodney, my high school metals shop teacher would have me sweeping the floors for a week for making a mistake like that!
Pat, thats not a mistake, its just temporary brain fade, happens to all of us, :beer: TSG.
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Kiwi Kev
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Kiwi Kev »

BearCreek Majors wrote:
As I don’t have a steady rest for my big lathe I took an old piston, countersunk a center point in it, stuffed it in the sleeve up to one of the compression rings and then chucked the whole thing in the lathe with a live center in the end of the piston.

Pat

Don't worry Pat, my live centre is the same as your one.
We must be younger than Dandy Dave :run: :run: :thumbs:

Now Pat, whats the story with that cracked sump, and who did it!
Kiwi Kev
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66 Ford 5000 6X (semi retirement)
International 784 4WD
& looking at another tractor!

Dandy Dave
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by Dandy Dave »

Ouch.... OOOOOwwwwwwwhhhhh AAAaaahhhhhh..... Double Ouch! The trans has mouseitis,... and the pan has Crackphobia of the underside. :cry: I hate when that happens. :cry: :cry: Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

BearCreek Majors
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Re: My not for export Major

Post by BearCreek Majors »

Kev, the Major moving the 54 is my dads, she doesn’t get much attention here at FTP because I never have to fix her. She is also the blame for my Fordson affliction.

Dave, I think the guys are insinuating that you’re an old fart! :wink:

Willows older sister was watching us pull the 54 out of the barn yesterday and said ”It looks like a tractor skeleton”, I’d have to say she came up with quite a fitting analogy.

I bought this 54 and one other Major as a basket case from one of my cousins with the intentions of making one good one out of the two tractors. One can only imagine how the pan got broke, my guess is someone had it stuck real good and jerked a little too hard on the front ax trying to get it out. I went to school with the kids of the previous owner that my cousin got it from, next time I run into one of them I’ll have to ask him what happened.
The other unit, a 57 is an industrial and had a Sherman loader on it for loading coal. But the engine is a 53, and as Nick has found out there is no timing hole in this pan so I don’t want to use it. Welding cast iron doesn’t bother me but getting the crack cleaned out does as I will never get a good weld with all that oil and crud in there, I was laying in bed this morning thinking about running a plasma cutter down the entire crack to open it up and burn the crap out.

Pat

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