I'm a new member Stuart Fletcher, but everybody calls me Fletch, i'm 26 from England and i thought i'd do a post about me and my tractor(s).
I bought my 1955 Diesel Major from a friend who had saved it from going to the scrap yard but he's got that many vintage projects on the go so decided it'd be a good opportunity for me to get into classic/vintage tractors. As i bought it the engine was completely seized and had been for many years we think, (rain through the valves), the sump was cracked and full of oil and mainly water, rocker cover rotted and so on. The tyres where had it the wings rotten, brakes seized, gear selector seized, bonnet hinge rotted, nose cone beyond any for of long lasting repair, and the list goes on as you can imagine.
My intentions were and still are to fit a newer 4 cylinder ford 2701e engine and eventually through use and finding faults cure them and eventually paint it back up to it's former glory close to a show tractor but obviously it wont be original. Me being of the younger generation decided that the characteristics and rattling noise of the injection pump coupling put me off the idea of rebuilding the engine so i sourced an engine locally and removed it from a welding rig, a fitted it.
Here's a few pics from how i bought it to now, please feel free to look through my album on photobucket: http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/Stu_F ... t=2&page=1
A video I took whilst out rolling one day - http://youtu.be/zuPh1LUAAJM
After a good bath with the steam cleaner
Loader removed - found rear r/h trumpet casting damaged
Obviously the most important thing at the time.... new front tyres, exhaust and a big box of bits from agriline!!
Old engine out new one to the left - There was speculation that the sump's would sawp - They wont!!!
Life with a loader on had taken it's toll on the trunion pin mounts on the tombstone
Modified track rod i fabricated from a John Deere 680 square baler pick up shaft.
Now for some reason i can't find any more of the photo's of the conversion and i'm sure i took plenty but over a matter of long nights after work and early mornings before work it made it's first journey out... 25 miles nearly faultlessly.... see following pics.
Gearbox oil leak from the bell housing. This core plug to the right of the input shaft where you can see clean oil running down had cocked over and wasn't sealing so i fitted a new one, i also drilled the breather on the gearbox that had bee i think soldered up although it looked as if it had never been drilled from new.
New clutch plate fitted as the original was contaminated and slipped.
Morning out on only one of the only frosty nights we had all winter as it was to wet otherwise to get down the fields
I stripped this down to shim the relief valve as it could only produce 800psi - set to 1950psi. unfortunately it still wont lift the 3f Ransomes reversible i want it to that we have on the farm so i've bought an assistor ram off i think a 7600 that i'm going to fabricate some brackets and that'll sort that out.
Day out rolling revealed leaking rear r/h trumpet as it joins the main transmission housing and leaking sump, and front crank seal.
Punctures repaired and new bonnet fitted.
This is my work van, I'm a service technician working mainly with Fendt, Challenger, and Cat, but also on Massey's and Valtra's
One of the/my dads farm tractors 1996 Ford New Holland 7740 SLDP
Ploughing with the plough i want to put on my major.
Hopefully that was enough but not too much for everyone... If anybody wants to know anything about any work I've done on it or the conversion, more pics etc i will be glad to share and help you anyway I can.
Thanks
Fletch
Looks like you had your work cut out getting her this far. 
Dandy Dave!