Hi - Looking for some help and info please- re major project

This forum is for discussions about County, Roadless, MuirHill, Northrop, Matbro, ETA and other Ford/Fordson-based conversions.
henk
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Posts: 2069
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:56 pm
Location: Arnemuiden, The Netherlands
Contact:

Post by henk »

She's from January 1956. So it's a mark I new major model.
They have been taking good care of here. Looks nice and complete.
Kind regards, Henk

Fordson New Major February 1957 Mark I

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Many thanks Henk

So she is an E1A :D

I have just been reading through Brian Dyes document on identifying your major, now i know where the casting are on the tractor i will record them and report back.

Yes,she appears to be a very good tractor, over the period of me looking to buy one i must of seen over 50 rough ones.

Tiger
True Blue
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:58 pm
Location: Rickmansworth

Post by Tiger »

Sounds like you got a goodun, Are you in the UK.
Another unfinished project

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Tiger wrote:Sounds like you got a goodun, Are you in the UK.
yes, staffordshire

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Been thinking today, the surround which holds the revs gauge which goes around the fuel tank on later majors, would this piece fit my major? obviously i will need a tacho take off point on whichever engine i use.

And when people extend the bonnets for the six cylinder engines do people use another spare bonnet to cut the extended piece out of?

Foxen
True Blue
Posts: 236
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 8:10 am
Location: Scania, Sweden
Contact:

Post by Foxen »

fergusont20 wrote:Been thinking today, the surround which holds the revs gauge which goes around the fuel tank on later majors, would this piece fit my major? obviously i will need a tacho take off point on whichever engine i use.

And when people extend the bonnets for the six cylinder engines do people use another spare bonnet to cut the extended piece out of?
The "shroud" you're talking about is the one for the power and super major, it will not fit on your New Major Diesel without you replacing the fuel tank and steering column with appropriate ones from a power or super major...

The usual way to extend a bonnet is in fact to cut off the needed extra bit from a spare bonnet yes...

To clarify something you wrote earlier about yours being an "E1A", all New Majors, Power and Super Majors are "E1A" :)

E1ADN - Petrol(Thanks Brian)
E1ADKN - Kerosene
E1ADDN - Diesel

I'll be following this post with some interest since it could always come in handy, knowledge about swapping an engine for another one... Tho, I'd swap my super major engine for a 2700-series ford engine if I were to, no pesky electronics and preferrably I wouldn't want a turbocharged version(I am thinking about the lifespan of gearbox and rear axle as they were never meant to withstand the power which can be achieved with a turbocharged modern engine)...
Essex Lily - Super Major -62 (No. 1618924)
Mr Fordson - Super Dexta -64(dad's)
"Si is est non infractus , effrego is quod animadverto si vos can redintegro is!"
<Ut simplex, validus quod constanter ut ferrum talea campester = Super Major>

Brian
Grumpy
Grumpy
Posts: 5216
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:07 pm
Location: Norfolk, England.

Post by Brian »

Don't see many modern turbo 6 cylinders with a power rating of 1400 hp.

That is what was going through a Major gearbox and back end when the tractor was fitted with a Rolls Royce Merlin a few years ago. :D
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian

Foxen
True Blue
Posts: 236
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 8:10 am
Location: Scania, Sweden
Contact:

Post by Foxen »

Brian wrote:Don't see many modern turbo 6 cylinders with a power rating of 1400 hp.

That is what was going through a Major gearbox and back end when the tractor was fitted with a Rolls Royce Merlin a few years ago. :D
Hehe... Still, if such an engine is fitted the tractor is mostly for show or pulling, not ordinary work is it now...? I want mine to be usable under normal conditions and a 2700-series engine would be just about enough if I ever get my hands on one :)
Essex Lily - Super Major -62 (No. 1618924)
Mr Fordson - Super Dexta -64(dad's)
"Si is est non infractus , effrego is quod animadverto si vos can redintegro is!"
<Ut simplex, validus quod constanter ut ferrum talea campester = Super Major>

The Swanndri Guy
True Blue
Posts: 413
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:04 am
Location: Near Hampton Downs Motorsport Park,NewZealand

Post by The Swanndri Guy »

Brian, what about a "T190" with a 74 ETA with 2100 hp@6500rpm and 2050nm@3800rpm with 0-100k in 4 seconds? Will they try it with the 7 cylinder engine?As for putting a Merlin engine into a tractor (or a car),would that be no different to putting a 5.0 litre V8 in the back of a Fiat 500? :roll: TSG.
Fordson PETROL Dexta
Fordson Super Dexta
Ford 3000
Ford 4000
Valtra/Valmet 900

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Had a few hours on the tractor this afternoon

Started by removing the bonnet,nosecone and radiator, all fuel lines and wiring removed

Ive split it and took the engine out and steamed all off again, ive took both rear wheels off to get at the brakes, rhs brakes are wet with oil so need new oil seals and lhs brakes linings are worn right to the rivets, the small spring which retains the shoes is missing so the shoe has been pushing outwards and worn the lining unevenly.

Thats as far as i have got
:D



Image

Image

Image

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Update:

For anyone who has not read my posts in the 590E thread. I purchased this engine last week, i believe it is a 2700 series industrial engine, i dont yet know the exact model number. It was a local engine, which was running in a major the week before i purchased it

Image

Image

I got a couple of hours on the tractor today, I started off by mating up the new 6 cylinder engine to my major backend. was a little tricky getting the engine level, had to turn engine over with a socket on the front pulley to enable me to get the splined drive shaft lined up,luckily my dad and my uncle sid helped me for half an hour, three pairs of hands are always better than one on jobs like this.

Top of bellhousing on new engine is identical to major housing but at the bottom the engine bellhousing is different so you cannot fit the very bottom 3 bolts, i think i will weld a piece of thick plate to the engine bellhousing, and tap 3 new threads so bolts can go through

They had to leave me, so i then removed the old lever which operated the starter motor on the old 4 cylinder engine, as i wont need it for new engine because the solenoid will be wired in to ingnition switch.

I then removed the lever which operated the radiator shutters as i will be removing the shutters from the radiator when i put it back in.

I then took some measurements to see how much longer my two new side rails needed to be, i measured from bellhousing to front of front pulley on both engines and worked out my new side rails needed to be 290mm longer than the old ones.

So then i got a friend to bend me two new side rails out of thick plate.

I have offered them up to the new engine, but both rails will need some small pieces cutting out and then a thick piece of plate welding inside the rail to retain strength, as on one side the oil filter housing and timing cover will foul the side rail, on the other side the piece where you fill engine with oil actually now fits inside the new side rail so you cannot take the filler cap off, so that again will require some creative thinking.

The front of this new engine is supported by means of two thick bolts fastened to a length of sturdy angle iron fixed between the two side rails(see picture), unlike the old 4 cylinder engine which had brackets fitted to the front of the block which then bolted inside the old side rails

I have trial fitted starter motor, but the alternator i have been given does not appear to fit whichever way you put it or even if you turn the body around inside the bracket.

Engine fitted

Image

Top of bellhousing fits lovely

Image

Bottom gets abit messy

Image

New and old side rails

Image


New side rail fouls oil filling infeed

Image

so hopefully tomorrow i will mark out and drill the nescessary holes in the new sr's to fix to bellhousing and tombstone casting above front axle. I can then work out where i need to cut the sr's so they fit around the obstacles correctly.

I was hoping to just be able to turn the a frame upside down and then make a piece running between the two sr's to support it. Unfortunantly because the sump is larger and sits lower i think i will need to lengthen the a frame

Jobs to do:

drill out sr's and modify
lengthen a frame?? and make suitable fixing brackets
wash out and refit fuel tank
order a new steering wheel
fit new brake shoes and oil seals
figure out new hoses for radiator, as outlets in different positions on new engine
remove old blinds from radiator
figure out oil filter setup
Alternator??
wiring??
need oil pressure and water temp guage
need new fuel lines from tank to lift pump
need longer rod for throttle
need longer steering track rod

probably a million more jobs when it comes down to it.



Thanks Mark
Last edited by fergusont20 on Fri Jul 09, 2010 9:07 am, edited 5 times in total.

Pascal
True Blue
Posts: 783
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:41 pm
Location: Holland

Post by Pascal »

Hi Mark,

Great that you make such a progress!
Looking forward to your next pictures.

Good luck!
Best regards,
Pascal

Fordson's don't leak oil, they are just marking their territory.

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

thanks Pascal, time is my only constraint. Looking forward to hearing it running, then doing some work with it, be nice if I can get it done and get the mower conditioner behind it, if we have a heavy crop again that will make the tractor roar and hopefully it will sound beautiful

For anyone who is interested, here is a link to my website that i have been running for 3 years, i havnt had the time to update it since october last year, but if you like looking at pictures there is plenty on there.


http://sites.google.com/site/fergusont20/

Mark

Grani
True Blue
Posts: 508
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: Finland

Post by Grani »

If the oilpan is made of aluminium then it´s no use to weld a bracket and put the 3 missing bolts because it can´t take the stress anyway. Lenghten the siderails instead to go all the way to the rear axle, the there should be no strenght problems. Build a crossmember for the A-support just in front of the flywheel. The oilfillingcap being behind the siderail is no problem if you fill the oil to the cap on the rockercover. The 590E engine is 254mm longer than the Major engine, just in case you need to know. I can se you have the 11" clutch. Is the gearbox new enough to fit to a 13" clutch? You might need one. :wink:

Gubbels
True Blue
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:49 pm
Location: Noorbeek, Netherlands

Post by Gubbels »

Nice work :D

Looking forward to your next pictures.

Good Luck with the conversion.
Restoration project: Fordson Power Major 6 cyl. Conversion http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... f=9&t=1612

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Did a few more jobs on the tractor yesterday :D forgot to take some pictures so will take some later in week

Both new siderails are fitted, the large oil filter housing in its original position would of required me to take practically all of the metal away on the lip of the new side rail, both top and bottom, i didnt really want to do this as it would take all the strength out of the rail, so for the time being i have fitted the oil filter housing off the original 4 cylinder engine as this is much slimmer and you do not need to cut anything out of the rail. Later in the day i asked an old mechanic who has worked on lots of d series, 2700 series in the past, if i could simply just turn the original larger oil filter housing around so it was pointing upwards and not down as this would clear the side rail and require no cutting, he said he could not think of any issues and my concern of having an air lock in the filter would work its way out because of oil pressure. so i need to see next time i work on the tractor if both oil ways are in the same position so i can point it upwards.

I have washed all of the gunk and rubbish out of the fuel tank and refitted that, i have also refitted the battery tray and the fire wall in front of it.

I next want to get the front axle fitted so i can measure how much the a frame needs extending, i have removed the two castell nuts from the long bolts which hold the a frame to the axle but the two bolts will not move, we have tried long poles fitted to breaker bars on the head of the bolt, soaked the bolts, heated them up with propane and thrashed the bolts, we ended up cutting the heads off the bolts and trying to knock out with a large punch but no good, so next time i use my friends very hot gases to get the casting glowing red hot then hopefully the pins will knock straight out.

Starter motor works ok, but i need another alternator, the one i have been given appears to be very old and unlike newer ones you cannot turn the body around so the brackets dont line up with tractor.

Will post some pictures and more info later in the week.

Thanks mark
Last edited by fergusont20 on Thu May 06, 2010 5:58 am, edited 2 times in total.

john.n
True Blue
Posts: 372
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:27 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Post by john.n »

dont filters only work one way or they breakdown quickly if used backwards? turning the filter upside down will make the oil flow backward through the filter.

Dandy Dave
True Blue
Posts: 1859
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:49 am
Location: Copake, NY

Post by Dandy Dave »

john.n wrote:dont filters only work one way or they breakdown quickly if used backwards? turning the filter upside down will make the oil flow backward through the filter.
It is my experiance that the oil flows from the outside, to the inside of a common filter. Reversing an old paper or cotton cartrige type filter will not make much of a difference unless one end is different than the other. However, reversing the flow from inside to out could cause a problem and have the filter blow apart outward as it is filled with particulates. Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

yes, if i put the filter facing upwards the oil will be flowing through the filter the other way, so if there was lots of debris etc on the filter i would in theory blow all that debris back around the engine. It would be interesting to see what would happen if i put a new filter in and tried it, would have to keep an eye on oil pressure and see if filter pushes apart.

Regarding me needing another alternator, has anyone got the codes on a lucas type 12v one? im trying to source another one,either secondhand or refurbished as i only need it to give a charge back to the battery. but everyone is asking me for a code.

I will hopefully get two days working on the tractor next week, it would be nice to think it will be up and running.

Dandy Dave
True Blue
Posts: 1859
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:49 am
Location: Copake, NY

Post by Dandy Dave »

Another thought is that some filter units have a bypass valve that will open up if the filter becomes clogged and let the oil go directly back in the pan with out being filtered. Not sure on your motor but it is easy enough to trace the lines and see if your application has it. If so, the valve must be in the proper way with oil flow. If it is in the block, it will not be a problem. If it is in the filter housing, it will be a problem. Dandy Dave!
Have a Fordsonful day Folks!

1960 Fordson Power Major

john.n
True Blue
Posts: 372
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:27 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Post by john.n »

could you make some sort of a spacer and move the filter to outside the rail?

Kiwi Kev
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Posts: 802
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:44 am
Location: Norfolk Island. South Pacific.

Post by Kiwi Kev »

Mark
If you look in the Major forum, at

http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... php?t=2010

at the County pictures, you will see that the oil filter is up by the injector pump. If you look closely, you will see that it is a remote fitting. A block is mounted in the ususal position and piped up to the new location. You would be able to mount the filter anywhere doing it that way.
Hope this helps
Kiwi Kev

Hang on. Doing it that way, there will need to be 2 pipes, an in and an out. Maybe there is and can only see 1 in the picture. Worth considering anyway.
"Classic Contracting"


66 Ford 5000 6X (semi retirement)
International 784 4WD
& looking at another tractor!

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Pictures as promised

Side rails on - Ive next got to remove the A frame from the front axle, so then i can fit the front axle to the side rails, then i can measure how much longer the A frame needs to be

Image

Pictures shows clearance around oil filter housing using the narrow filter off my 4 cylinder engine, the much larger oill filter housing which came with the 6 cylinder engine would not have fit without cutting away alot of metal

Image

I may need to cut a circle out of the fire panel to allow me to fit a cone air filter as the air infeed manifold sits right next to fire panel

Image

Starter motor fitted,turns over ok but a little slow, so going to take it apart and clean out. going to get an alternator on monday

Image

thankyou all for your great comments and suggestions, im enjoying working on my major and doing an engine transplant.

You speak to some people and they say you just extend the bonnet and siderails, when you do it for real, it is alot more than that, so im enjoing learning what is exactly involved. :)

Kiwi Kev - Thankyou for your oil filter suggestion, im abit ahead of suggestion. Yesterday i asked a friend to machine me a piece to fit onto oil outlet on engine block, will look like a thick spacer, will have the two outlets on, i will the run two hoses off it onto another machined piece fitted to an oil filter spin on head, i thought i may aswell use a spin on oil filter as they are cleaner and easier to change, i run the same setup on my massey feguson 35.

Kev - Have you any more pictures of your hydraulic brake setup, would love to see a pic of inside drum and around brake pedal

something like this:

Image

with a filter like this:

Image

I will hopefully be back on here next week with a video of the tractor outside and running.

Thanks Mark

Pascal
True Blue
Posts: 783
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:41 pm
Location: Holland

Post by Pascal »

Great pictures, Mark!
You are doing a great job.

Good luck!
I can't wait to hear the sound of your "beast" on a flick. :D
Best regards,
Pascal

Fordson's don't leak oil, they are just marking their territory.

fergusont20
True Blue
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:43 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by fergusont20 »

Hello again

I obtained this new air filter last night, it is not intended for a tractor but why not ! :)

Its quite large in size and comes in a very similiar blue colour, i hope to be able to fit in next to the battery as i dont really want to cut a hole in the bonnet and stick it up and out. We will see on monday if it is useable

Image

Post Reply