Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

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Rijono
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Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Rijono »

Hi all,
This is my first post. I bought a 1953 Fordson Major Diesel around 5 years ago and didn't really know what I was buying (although I am a motor vehicle mechanic by trade) but bought it from a photo sent to me on my mobile phone.
I have been slowly restoring it ever since and have managed to replace many parts such as the brakes, cables, PTO seals, water pump, etc and repair other items such as the hydraulic control unit and the wings, etc. The biggest challenge though started when the engine overheated and upon investigation (followed a jet of steam) a crack in the engine block was discovered on the front left hand corner (very common I later found out). When I investigated and assessed the issue further I found that the crack had been backfilled at some time previously with car body filler. Once I had removed all of the filler I found (to my horror) that some previous owner had ran an angle grinder blade through the crack and into right through the block into the water jacket! I though it was curtains for the block and reading other forums, it normally is. However I managed to prep the wound to the block and (taking into consideration other repair methods) manufactured a 3mm steel plate from a cardboard template and managed to drill and tap the block and secure the plate with M6 high tensile bolts cut to length. Between the plate and the block I sandwiched a layer of Belzona 1111 to seal to repair and used EB25 high temp/chem resistant sealer on the inside. This is now a permanent repair.
To make matters worse, I also found that water was getting into the sump and found that the liner seals (single version) were perished. When i removed all 4 liners I found the second problem, massively damaged liner seats; highly corroded and seat metal missing. Again the Belzona 1111 came to the rescue but it was a really difficult job as the access for medium sized hands is difficult. Basically I had to make some mini "shuttering" in the shape of the liner seal seat at the bottom of the block. Believe it or not this was achieved by using the bottom of a plastic "vanish" powder pot which is almost the right size. Once in place and applied with belzona 1111 I was later able to use a Dremel to shape the newly formed liner seats to spec. It was a slow and tedious task but well worth it. The new liners fitted back in beautifully and I was able to rebuild the engine with new pistons and again I sealed the liner and seat faces together with a thin layer of EB25.
The last thing that was an issue was that there was a crack running down though the block between cylinders 1 and 2 which ran right through the throttle rod cavity. I had wondered why I had previously seen water dripping from the rod on the outside of the block. So to repair this leak/crack I used a Dremel to assess the tiny crack in the cross shaft housing from inside the block and laid a tiny strip of steel micro-mesh around the crack and smoothed in some Belzona 1111, later dressed it with a dremel and sealed it with EB25. Following that I cleaned the cavity internally (from one side to the other) with a coat hanger and tiny strip of cloth and pumped the cavity full of EB25. Once it had cured I re-drilled the cavity with a long drill bit making a new passage for the rod but leaving a coating inside. Applied some silicone gun grade to the rod and refitted it. It works a treat, no leaks. The engine is now fully rebuilt and running fine.

I hope this gives some hope to people who are struggling to find replacement engine blocks for their Fordson Major tractors and want to consider this is an alternative to replacing the block. Let me know if you need any further details. Cheers.....

Emiel
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Emiel »

Hi,

Wow, you’ve gone through a lot of hassle.

Good to read that these repairs are possible.
Best regards

Emiel

N 1937, E27N 1948, 8N 1949, E27N 1950, E1A Diesel 1953, E1ADKN PP 1956, Dexta 1959, NH Clayson M103 1964

Billy26F5
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Billy26F5 »

Good work. Do you have the original block or is it a replacement one (I understand you have repaired the block you started with)? Looks like you won't have to do very much now to finish (the front axle is probably worth looking at, be aware of welded spindle arms). Keep up the good work and you'll see you have a superb Major to do anything.
Replacement blocks are around (second hand) but definitely worth fixing what's already there (and cheaper too).
Sandy
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John b
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by John b »

Great stuff! So nice to hear of someone with proper skills to repair things, too many people look for the problems rather than the solutions and listen to so called experts who tell them its beyond repair. Anything can be fixed, although it's sometimes not financially viable to do so, but its too easy to just throw a part in the scrap and buy another. I was always taught (by the best mechanic i ever knew and a long time ago) that when assessing a job, first to imagine the part is unavailable so what can i do to fix what i have. As these machines get older and genuine parts fewer i think its so important to be able to repair what we have left, it makes sense for preservation, for financial reasons but most importantly for me, the sense of pure satisfaction of knowing you've saved something from the scrapheap and done it yourself!
John
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

Billy26F5
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Billy26F5 »

Agree 100% John.
Sandy
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henk
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by henk »

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Kind regards, Henk

Fordson New Major February 1957 Mark I

Rijono
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Rijono »

Billy26F5 wrote:
Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:40 am
Good work. Do you have the original block or is it a replacement one (I understand you have repaired the block you started with)? Looks like you won't have to do very much now to finish (the front axle is probably worth looking at, be aware of welded spindle arms). Keep up the good work and you'll see you have a superb Major to do anything.
Replacement blocks are around (second hand) but definitely worth fixing what's already there (and cheaper too).
Sandy
Hi, I have repaired the original block it came with. I am guessing it’s the original engine going by the state of the metal corrosion that’s been repaired but who knows what’s happened since 1953. I am due to get the oil for transmission and rear axle this week and can’t wait to roll it out of the garage after so long.

Billy26F5
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Billy26F5 »

Look for the casting code behind the dynamo, and compare it with other codes, also look at the serial number (on the flange behind the starter on the original one, or below injector no. 1 on later ones) and compare it with the ID plate on the firewall if it's still there. As for corrosion it heavily depends on what the previous owners used as pure water will ruin the block pretty quickly, only good coolant will avoid it (use ethylene glycol type coolant). Sounds like you're getting quite a lot of oil.
Sandy
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Rijono
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Rijono »

I checked the number on the block and its the same as on the reference plate on the firewall bulkhead :D so must be the original engine.

This should also help when i eventually apply for DVLA registration as I don't believe its ever been registered for the road. Helps convince the authorities that its an original vehicle and not one that's been built from spares......

wonder if there is any way of finding out the history of a tractor from the serial number/engine number?

Billy26F5
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Re: Fordson Major - recent engine rebuild

Post by Billy26F5 »

I would like it to be yes but I don't know if it is possible, the DVLA might have a record if it had been registered, but if it hasn't been it's a bit of a mystery. What is your number by the way? To be sure it's original, look at all castings for date codes, they're normally pretty similar and only a few days before the serial number, other parts also have codes but they're less reliable (but still well worth writing down). You might find some that are much older but the part looks original, in which case it would be a stock casting. It would be great if you could post the codes too.
Sandy
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