Well, thanks to the goodness of Ben (bensdexta), I was informed of an original NOS control lever that was being offered on eBay, in the UK. It wasn't cheap, what with the exchange rate and shipping - and it took nearly two months in transit - but it finally arrived last week. Yesterday, I removed the lever that was on the tractor and immediately saw that it was a two-piece lever. In these two photos, you can see the lever that is on a Ford 8N tractor, and three levers laid out on a table:
In the photo with the three levers, the one on the left is from a Ford 9N. It's a one piece lever, just like the one in the middle that I just got. The one on the right was on my Dexta when I got it. It is a two piece lever. The configuration of the two Dexta levers is really close.
Anyway, I installed the one-piece lever on my Dexta, and voila, I can now move it all the way up, and all the way down, albeit a little snug as it is raised:
It strikes the vertical quadrant strut, but, if I push it slightly outwards, towards the tire, the lever will go all the way up. I am happy about this!
My apologies for not posting much over the past few months, but I have been checking in regularly. I was pulled off of my Dexta restoration in order to restore Ford Funk OHV, 6 cylinder tractor for a friend. A paying job! I've also acquired a '43 Ford 2N that I'm tearing down and cleaning up. You can follow my exploits here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/tractorNstuff
My hope is to be back on the Dexta by late spring. Can't wait to get her going.
Don