Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux

[m3a1]

Carb kit came today! I didn't have to pace up and down the sidewalk for very long. Alas, the gasket for the AICC was a bit off...disturbingly so. The people who offer these kits online must have to pay for their advertising by the letter because there is very little information to go by so, perhaps my order was half a bubble off plumb. Aside from that particular gasket, everything else seemed very much the same and I am going forward with it.

What could possibly go wrong?

Spent about an hour with my gasket-making kit making a correct gasket for the carburetor. Two tries. ALWAYS two tries. The first effort to learn on and the second to make it perfect.

My gasket-making kit, on the outside, is a small general purpose storage box from Home Depot. It is very small and very storable. On the inside there is a little collection of supplies for tracing, measuring, punching holes, cutting, trimming and whatever it takes. All of it is off-brand kit picked up on the fly, found mostly at second hand stores for pennies, and almost all of these bits are very likely leftovers from little Timmy's fourth year of grade school...except for the cuticle scissors which are quite grand and seem to be MADE for finely cutting gaskets by hand. YEAH, I commandeered them from the bathroom and if my wife ever comes to me looking for them, I'll just shrug and pretend I don't know what she's talking about. I can play dumb. In fact, I'm surprisingly good at it. Like it comes natural....

Make what you will of that.

Frankly, there's not much chance of her missing them. Doctors get their nails done by someone else while the rest of us poor schlubs have to cut our own gaskets.

THERE IT IS AGAIN! Balance in the universe! In fact...

Universal Balance Achievement Badge - AWARDED!

The latest find for the gasket-making kit was an off-brand Exact-O knife with a safety cap that has an annoying ability to come off at the most inopportune times and fellas, it is sharp! I get a helluva lot of exercise picking that cap up but, with the cap on it, it happens to fit 'just so' in the little storage box and it stays put. All my REAL Exact-O knives live together in the 90210 case up on the shelves somewhere. They're so nice, I have guilt when I use them. They're more like tools for the cool kids; kids who buy their gaskets pre-made; gaskets that come in generous kits that fit seven different styles of carburetors so no one ever has to lift anything more than their credit card. Heck, they probably even have the butler doing their carb work for them.

But where's the fun in that? Cutting your own gaskets is a bit like 'craft time' (sadly, minus the elbow macaroni and the Elmer's Clue).

Where I came up short today, aside from the errant gasket, was I didn't have any 1/64 gasket material. After a couple of calls to fellow gear-heads (none of whom had even a scrap of gasket material) I made a trip to O'Reilly's and bought some, just in case using shoebox cardboard was truly a bad substitute for 'real' gasket material. You've done it. I know you have. My goal is one-and-done so this time, this ONE TIME, my poor, dirty, unloved little tractor gets to fly business class, rather than coach because, using real gasket material is very 'uptown'....

Cheers,
TJ

[rickf]

Shoebox?!!!! A TRUE mechanic uses cereal boxes and beer cartons!!!! The timing cover on my 401 Jeep is sealed with a cereal box and Permatex #3 and has not leaked a drop in 10 years. And on a Jeep V8 that is also the water pump and oil pump.

[m3a1]

Let me guess. The beer goes in the cereal!

Aye-aye, Captain Crunch!

[rickf]

40 years ago on camping trips it certainly did! Absolutely was not going to waste precious cooler space on things like milk. I had a couple beers at my Sis in laws wedding last week, first beer I have had in three years. Don't even know what beer is costing nowadays but I do know I am saving a fortune over my past habits!!!

[m3a1]

After a day FILLED with my wife laying claim to every free moment I had, I finally dug in my heels and said....NOPE. I need some 'ME time'.

Gathered all my bits and pieces and sat down to put the carburetor together. Turned down the new plunger thingies to fit the bore and after several efforts with 320, followed by 400 grit sandpaper, they finally went in without complaint. Still a nice tight fit but, loose enough they didn't hang up in the least.

However, when it came time to put the bowl on, things went all pear-shaped. There's always SOMETHING! Screws for the bowl began to gall up so, I called a halt, took ALL the bowl screws out, removed the bowl, tap-and-died the lot and put everything back together nice and neat.

Gonna find a paint marker pen and put the date of my rebuild on this thing, somewhere. This carb was probably manufactured around 1969 and has definitely had at least one rebuild to some degree.

The bottom of the bowl has a nice brass plug to facilitate the emptying of the bowl. I'm thinking of replacing it with a small valve of some sort. No doubt draining the carb for the occasional long periods in which the tractor may be out of use will do wonders for the longevity of the thing and I'm not anxious to have to repeat the carb rebuild process anytime soon.

Not my favorite job..

Anyway, I'm happy with the results of the rebuild and I'm sure those results are going to pay big dividends when it comes time to fire the ol' tractor up.

Cheers,
TJ

[m3a1]

Small headway on the tractor. I'm really just moving forward in baby-steps...studying the diagrams, watching the applicable YouTube videos, and making note of all the part numbers. I'm starting to get my head wrapped around how the power steering assembly works (it's magic, by the way) and where the design flaws in the steering column lent themselves to the problems that I am told are happening with this machine.

We haven't even got it fired up yet and not because I've been sitting on my hands but rather, the property owner has taken a small vacation and the neighbors are watching over things. While I am welcome to be there in his absence I thought it would be better if the folks left in charge didn't have to distinguish between me (who should be there) and somebody who should not be there. Far simpler for them if I just take a small hiatus from the tractor.

But, I have been applying myself to the project in other ways. The carb is done and ready to go back on. I've ordered a small mountain of parts for a resolution to the steering problem (which is a common problem and not too hard to figure out what will be needed before taking everything apart) and investing in a little bling as well, such as a new steering wheel and a replacement for the missing grill.

These are things that one notices immediately and judges the rest of the machine by so before the wife comes face to face with the tractor I'll do just a little bit to make it look a little bit less like the street urchin is presently is. I even dropped a few dimes on the striping that goes around the circumference of the hood. No immediate plans for putting that on, to be sure, but maybe some day.

I am closing in on the day when this little machine comes to life again! Yippee!

Cheers,
TJ

[rickf]

You are a trusting soul, Once I spend the money I want possession. I certainly would not be buying a lot of parts for a tractor that is not in my possession yet!

[m3a1]

it's a person I trust....completely.

[rickf]

Got it, I didn't know if this was one of those deals you found cruising the back roads stalking peoples backyards. And for those that think that sounds strange, that is where probably 75% of old tractors and vehicles you see in shows come from. Stuff that people like me or TJ has seen from the road and knocked o the door and said "Hey, do you want to get rid of that?". They can say yes, no, or get the hell off my property, I have heard all three.

[m3a1]

Well...I must say, things are looking up around here. Parts for the tractor are now being delivered almost daily and I think we can all agree that there is nothing quite so gratifying as a brand new steering wheel for our project showing up on the front porch in a box that doesn't look like it has been run over by a steam roller. Steering wheels. They're the promise of good things to come!

Cheers,
TJ

[Hambone]

Got it, I didn't know if this was one of those deals you found cruising the back roads stalking peoples backyards. And for those that think that sounds strange, that is where probably 75% of old tractors and vehicles you see in shows come from. Stuff that people like me or TJ has seen from the road and knocked o the door and said "Hey, do you want to get rid of that?". They can say yes, no, or get the hell off my property, I have heard all three.

I'm sure I rank right up there with you guys, I've made many of those stops, and not necessarily on the back roads, a lot of stuff to be found cruising the older parts of town. This is Arkansas, so I've been meet in the front yard by many animals, strange people and an occasional firearm.

[m3a1]

Yes, but when met with a person with a firearm do you also say, "Hey, I like that. Is that for sale too? Maybe we can make a package deal!" That's the power of positive thinking right there.

I bought a firearm from the Nice Lady...what we in Texas call a Belly Gun...really only suitable for 'close-up work'.

Cheers,
TJ

[m3a1]

Back from DISNEY WORLD! According to The Good Doctor's smart watch, on average we walked about 8 miles per day. My back and knees held up so there is hope for me yet....and that was after the HUGE mistake of riding Space Mountain roller coaster the very first thing...which lit my back up like a Christmas tree throughout the ride. It was torture. When we stopped I wondered if I would still have the use of my legs. I did, but The Good Doctor came prepared and without asking what they were, I popped the pills she gave me like they were candy and then chugged a bottle of water to wash em down and happily, my back never went nuclear. No more roller coasters for me.

NOPE.

Anyway, what can I say about the place that hasn't already been said by someone else? My experiences were all positive, the food was good and not overly pricey, amenities were fabulous and the park staff were as friendly as could be and the icing on the cake was, every time we needed a bus, boat, monorail or what-have-you....one rolled up right when we got there. The stars were all in alignment, fellas.

I haven't seen my 'new' tractor for over a week (TWO weeks, actually!) and the new or refurbished parts are piling up around here. Can't wait to get back to it and see what happens with a fresh carb hung on it and a temporary fuel source.

Cheers,
TJ

[m3a1]

Speaking of DisneyWorld...there are always treasures to be found if you look in the right places. Here we have a WC-21 with ALL the options, including the ultra rare Coca-Cola dispenser.

But seriously, aside from a slight massage by the Disney Imagineers, the truck is all there. I'd love to have it.

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[rickf]

Was that on some back storage lot? I don't think the semi-modern strollers quite fit into the montage very well.