And then there were two... My new Super Major

[AdrianNPMajor]

Rebuilding the engine is your only option. It's also an excellent option. The oil pressure is very low, so something is worn and needs replacing. Post rebuild you should be looking at mid 40's psi cold, 41psi or so hot (couple of hours ploughing). You'll also be back to full power. The water in the oil is going to need addressing asap. By the time you've had the head off to investigate, you're on your way to dismantling the engine.
Great engine to work on, and all the parts are available.
Have fun!
Best
Adrian

[URL=http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[lectricman]

I'm actually kinda looking forward to rebuilding it, to be honest. I rebuilt the engine on my '56 Major and thoroughly enjoyed it. This time around I will be taking care to not overlook some of the little things I didn't do with the first one. My '56 still has low oil pressure when hot, but I never replaced the oil pump or checked the clearances on the cam. Plus the crank can't be machined any farther now. I guess I'm looking at the super as a second chance to make a new tractor out of an old one. Unfortunatly it will probably take some time, between work and finances Oh well, I still have the '56 to play with in the meantime.

[AdrianNPMajor]

You do need a bit of luck with the rebuild. If the engine has been abused over the years, there's more to do. With the Super you may find that things aren't so bad. I have rebuilt two Major engines - a 57 mk2 engine, and a 63 NP Super engine. On both the crank was in mint condition and didn't require a regrind. The cam and bearings on the 57 Major were also in excellent condition. The cam lobes on the 63 engine were damaged, as were the followers, (Brian says that this was a common fault on the NP Super due to new valve springs), so I installed a new NH camshaft and followers. Turned out there was no wear on the cam bearings, so again the luck factor kicked in. Re the oil pump, yes, it's worth the extra to fit a new one. You have to work on the theory that the old one has pumped some unclean oil over its fifty years.
I envy you. I'd love a project like yours.
Best
Adrian

[lectricman]

I didn't document the rebuild of the '56 as well as I should have, so I plan to take lots of pictures as I go through the Super. All of the pictures on this great site, as well as the knowledge of the members, are such a great asset to have available. I hope to be able to help some other people along the way as I have been helped. It will be a lengthy project, for sure, but I will try to keep everyone updated as I go along.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Photos are a great idea. I took mine so as to be able to look at everything in detail, at the time and afterwards. I'd recommend using a proper camera, and not a mobile phone camera. The former allows you to create images with a large file size, which in turn allows you to zoom in to see the detail. This means that the camera will spot things missed by a Mk 1 eyeball.
Another benefit is that the images are available for other members. I love playing with the emoticons on this site. Two of my favourites are

and

I often find the need to use both!
But my most favourite of all, for the reasons above, is

Best
Adrian

[oehrick]

Has somone been tampering with yer emoticon Adrian? sometimes it shows and sometimes just says needpics in text - probably my Mozilla having a hissy fit but thought I'd post a test

Asbestos underpants on and

Rick who's favourite is and has had a nice afternoon flattening bracken with his leaky old Major Its great, but not Super, New or Performance, whoops here we go again

Best regards from Bogside-on-Bure, near enough to the Royal Norfolk Showground to be able to say with certainty that our Fearless Grumpy Brian, (and Pascal) will not have had a drop of rain to spoil Henrietta's day in the spotlight (can't comment on how long it might have taken to fight the traffic in and out though and the forecast for tomorrow is not altogether brilliant)

[Pavel]

What do you expect, Ricky, they're all gremlins!

Pavel

[oehrick]

You're not wrong there Pavel

I can see 'em tonight (and hear the voices !)

I've only recently started using Mozilla as a browser and still have Internet Explorer installed so have been keeping an eye out for any odd actions or conflicts, you know what Micro$oft is like for taking liberties wrote off a drive unit on the 3 axis cnc mill/router/engraver I built from scrap and then discovered that Windows will change port addresses on the fly even when the address is forced by the software, thats why it ran past 2 axis limit switches and into a mechanical stall. I fixed 'em, off came Windows and it runs fine under DOS - they folks in 'merica probably think nobody uses BASIC for control programs these days, ahem well perhaps they don't but I do

Go carefully

[Dandy Dave]

Still a good deal. And better then a lover with a headache everyday all day long. Dandy Dave!

[Dandy Dave]

You're not wrong there Pavel

I can see 'em tonight (and hear the voices !)

I've only recently started using Mozilla as a browser and still have Internet Explorer installed so have been keeping an eye out for any odd actions or conflicts, you know what Micro$oft is like for taking liberties wrote off a drive unit on the 3 axis cnc mill/router/engraver I built from scrap and then discovered that Windows will change port addresses on the fly even when the address is forced by the software, thats why it ran past 2 axis limit switches and into a mechanical stall. I fixed 'em, off came Windows and it runs fine under DOS - they folks in 'merica probably think nobody uses BASIC for control programs these days, ahem well perhaps they don't but I do

Go carefully

DOS. Have not heard that term since the 1980's. Green Screen IBM PC 360's. I can see where it will work well with machining parts. Dandy Dave!

[lectricman]

I had a little time this afternoon and decided to take a closer look at the new Super. As I posted earlier, there seems to be water getting into the oil, so I pulled the valve cover to at least have a look. What I found was not pretty at all:



I guess that confirms the previous owner's claim that it had been sitting for some years. Obviously the water in the oil is not a new problem either. So, I went ahead and removed the front cowl, radiator, and will be pulling the head soon to see what else I find.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Here's where the luck factor kicks in. Let's hope that oil emulsion hasn't corroded the crank and the cam and its bearings.
Great photos. Looking forward to seeing more as you get deeper into the engine.
Good luck.
Best
Adrian

[lectricman]

Here's where the luck factor kicks in. Let's hope that oil emulsion hasn't corroded the crank and the cam and its bearings.
Great photos. Looking forward to seeing more as you get deeper into the engine.
Good luck.
Best
Adrian

No kidding! Are cam bearings even available? I don't think I have ever seen them listed by a supplier.

[AdrianNPMajor]

The cam bearings are cast iron and machined directly in the block - see photo.
Being cast iron, the oil emulsion is less likely to have damaged them. If you end up needing a new cam shaft, they are available. If you can afford it, I'd fit one.
Best
Adrian

[URL=http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hello Lectricman
Just had a look in my workshop manual. It appears that on some blocks the cam bearings were bushed (see photos). The manual doesn't explain why these engines were given this treatment - an obvious assumption is that it was an in-service operation to correct worn bearings, though this may be a wrong assumption. I've only done two engines and neither had this. Perhaps someone with more knowledge could shed light on this.
You'll soon know what state your bearings are in. With any luck, yours will be just fine, as I found on both the engines I rebuilt.
Look forward to hearing and seeing more.
Best
Adrian

[URL=http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[URL=http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[lectricman]

Looks like I will find out when I get into it. It will probably be awhile longer, though. The a/c died on the house yesterday and its looking like I will need a whole new unit . I guess if it isn't one thing, it's another.