1956 case 311 tractor.

[thegawd]

well I have FINALLY installed the alternator. it wasnt as straightforward as I had hoped.

hell I thought remove the old and install the new but NOOOOOO. LMAO.

The first bracket was absolutly perfect. but the lower bracket, with how it was installed originally for the unknown 4 pin alternator, you could tell the bracket was cut and welded in place.

well with the new 3 pin alternator I could not plug the plug in and so I had to alter it and add a 3rd bracket. the 3rd bracket is installed to the alternators ground. it seems solid now where I could flex it with only the 2 brackets.

nothing ever moves fast but at least I'm moving in the right direction.

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[thegawd]

well, I can almost put the body back on! I soldered some terminals in the dash for the lights. now I just have to drill a couple holes and install the switches and plug the lights in. then I can put the body back on and then run wires and mount lights.

of course theres lights on the fenders so I need to get those mounted as well. I have started building the mounts I just need a 11/16" drill bit to drill 4 holes and 1 bolt and 1 nut. I have 3 out of 4 and if I have to buy 1 bolt/nut then I will buy 4 new ones instead.

I have ordered a 1/8 npt fuel valve to install on the carb. I want it installed before I run the engine again.

hell I guess I need to rebuild the carb aswell but that can happen after the body is put back on.

hey, I have an indicator light! yeahhhhhh it could use a new steering wheel... I'm guna wrap it in tape!

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CHEERS!

 

[Erik the Awful]

When I do finally restart it I'm just going to let it idle for like a half hour, then let it cool and check things out. hopefully that will clean all the sludge out.

You need to run the snot out of that engine to get the water boiled out of the oil.

 

[thegawd]

Thanks Erik! how long should I leave this oil in before I change it? this tractor will be hauling wood as its primary job. I'm going to pull a couple trees home asap but it wont see actual work until deer season is over or I shoot one. hopefully I can just shoot one and get that over with. LOL If I get a snow plow then it will get a bit more of a work out.

Im open to all suggestions on what I should do to clean this engine out and with my inexperience I dont really know any "best practices." especially on a shoestring budget. lol

Hell I already blew the budget and need to work up the nerve to enquire with the "book keeper" on doing a full fluid change with the hydraulics and rear end fluid. LOL I'm guna check those out sometime today.

 

[thegawd]

Torque tube is pretty much empty. this is for hydraulics and takes 12 quarts of hydraulic fluid. can you see the drop on the dipstick? no I couldnt get it in focus! LOL

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Transmission fluid is nasty as hell, milky as F, overfull and takes 5 gallons of sae 90 gear oil.

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there, now I have a case to present to my wife. haha. I'm sure that's at least another $100 bill. LOL

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Yuck!

 

[thegawd]

No Kidding! lol. I told my wife.... lol. I do have some hydraulic fluid but I'm not sure how much. I definitely need 5 gallons of gear oil though

I cant get this valve cover to seal, it just needs a new gasket and I have given up on it. I can deal with that with the body on but I have been screwing around with it all day. I fabricated up a steel bracket that I thought would help close up the gap. I ran it from one stud to the other but it did not make a difference. the gasket is very much compressed and wont seal the imperfect surface.

so I need one of those as well.

 

[thegawd]

I got the fuel valve just a few minutes ago. I also have a female to female adapter on the way. so dumb that they would make 2 deliveries to deliver 2 tiny ass parts.... lol. I can't do anything with this without the other half lol. its easily half the size of valve I took off. there is lots of room beside the carb for this without interfering with the exhaust.

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[Erik the Awful]

Here's my advice if you're really trying to do this dirt cheap.

If the head gasket's actually leaking, you won't be able to boil the water out of the oil. You'll need a head gasket before you do anything else. Got any copper sheet? You could probably hammer-form a gasket out of copper. Of course, copper sheet is worth more than a gasket these days.

Personally, I'd go ahead and change the oil. What follows in this paragraph is desperation. Rub the oil between your fingers to get a feel for how much lubricity is in it. If it feels watery, drain the oil and simmer it in a pan at 220°F for a few hours - hopefully you have a shop stove or hot plate and a thermometer that you can use for this gooberishness. If the oil isn't too contaminated you can forego draining and boiling and instead run the engine hard the first several times you use it. If you mistakenly run oil that is too contaminated, you're going to ruin the engine bearings.

Need cheap gear oil? Go to your local salvage yard. Depending on your local environmental laws and enforcement, they probably have to drain the pumpkins. Ask if you can get a couple gallons of gear oil that hasn't been mixed with engine oil. Ask if you can take a bucket into the yard and drain some pumpkins. I don't know that I would trust engine oil from a yard. My local Pull-A-Part does sell recycled antifreeze.

Speaking of, dump your antifreeze into a bucket and let it sit a week. The oil contamination rises to the top where you can use rags or paper towels to soak it up and get it out. There will also be sediment in the bottom. Pour the antifreeze into another bucket and dump the bottom inch with sediment into your waste bucket. Test your good antifreeze with a hydrometer to make sure it still has winter protection. If you have test strips, you can test the acidity as well.

Valve cover? If the sealing edge of the head is gouged and won't seal, use some epoxy to fill it in and smooth it out. Make a new valve cover gasket out of cereal box cardboard.

 

[thegawd]

hey thanks Erik, I was writing this when you responded...... I have already changed the oil in the crank case and the engine has not run since then. the oil was absolutely horrible! this oil change is ment to "wash" out the remaining sludge hopefully. I'm just not sure how long to leave this oil in to do that. of course I need a running engine for that to happen.

cooper is close to gold around here. I'm glad I live out in the country but cooper thieves are ridiculous, so bad that all new houses dont even use copper pipe at all anymore. I have my eye on a gasket set for rebuilding the engine but that's not happening any time soon, $200 ish. I cant seem to find many gaskets separately but I have found head gaskets, just none in Canada.

I have no idea how this engine runs currently besides the fact that it does run. it has ran for about 15 minutes tops. theres no doubt it was absolutely abused! I wont start this engine again until I get the hydraulic and gear oil changed which is in the works.....

a cereal box gasket is a great idea but it wont be thick enough to seal this. I can literally move the cork gasket back and fourth with the valve cover torqued down.... more on that below...

okay back to what I was writing lol.

it looks like walmart is my cheapest option for the fluids, about $160 for 5 gallons of hydraulic fluid and 5 gallons of 80w90 gear oil, were figuring it out.

I have a question for you guys..... can I just use Ultra Blue gasket RTV silicone sealant for the valve cover? it specifically states that it has superior oil resistance and is recommended for valve covers.

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Both of these surfaces are in excellent shape and are not pitted or have any defects. the valve cover is slightly warped and I'm sure it's because of the 3 bolt configuration, theres 2 studs on one side and only 1 on the other.

If I can use the RTV than it might be easier than finding a replacement valve cover gasket. oh there out there but they are all south of the border and with the whole price of shipping BS and the time shipping normally takes... it will cost me about $60 no matter how I slice it for a gasket. heres the one I'm after as its not cork.... If I could find a cork one in Canada I wild buy it. I'm sure a Case dealer has it or can get all these parts but in my experience they are the most expensive of all options.

Fel-pro VS6907R​

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Anyways thanks for your info Erik I agree with you and would like to do pretty much what you suggested I just need to work it into the budget.

this tractor was not a planned thing, it was free but I knew to actually start using it, it was going to be an investment. were having one of our tightest years ever and with December coming up we have to be careful with our funds. we usually plan shìt like this out and it will get done right, eventually.

one bite at a time.

I'm just hoping to get it to do some work this winter, without killing it and then do whatever it needs next year when I dont need to be running it.

heres another thing.... if I can use the tractor for wood that means I can start fixing my sierra instead of putting it to work. I already have every thing I need, complete body panels, cab corners, complete fuel pump assembly and more shìt I'm forgetting.

I've been using the sierra as a farm wood hauling truck for 5 years now and it works every winter. I have only put 85ish Kilometers on it since I bought it! LMAO driving back and fourth to the bush. because it needs to work all winter and I'm usually busy AF for the rest of the year. I want to finally put the sierra on the road....

holy I think I wrote a book!