Happy New 8N Owner

[RWS904]

I got what I believe to be a 1949 8N on trade from a friend of mine recently (engine ser. no. 8N238065). He said it hadn't been running for a
couple years, the clutch was rough, brakes were shot and needed other work that he couldn't recall. I couldn't pass it up despite the eye rolling
from my wife. It's been converted to 12V and came with the original generator in a box with other spare parts.

After reworking the distributor, changing the plugs, and overhauling the carb, she fired right up and runs surprisingly well. I went to adjust the
clutch and found it looks like the 2N/9N setup with an eyebolt, not a clevis. The clutch sticks when cold and is hard to get in gear initially,
but shifts normally after driving it for a few minutes. Not a major cause for concern at the moment, maybe it will be later.

The right rear brake drum was coated with grime, after cleaning it up and changing the hydraulic fluid, it leaks like a sieve. I noticed the
right axle shaft had a two piece squeeze nut that was so badly stripped I could just pull it off the shaft by hand without turning. I guess
it's safe to say that at a minimum I need a new shaft, hub, bearing, etc, etc. I ordered an extensive shop manual collection and will start
looking into what I need to do to replace the shaft. The threads look so bad that I can't imagine it will be possible to salvage it or simply
replace the nut with any hope of it tightening down.

The other oddity (that he warned me about) was that this particular unit only had draft control, and not the position control lever when he bought
it years ago. He threw in an extra top cover he bought off of Ebay with the position control lever, but I haven't really looked it over yet.
Right now, I'm just happy to have her and looking forward to an ongoing project. I'll post pictures at some point of what may be a mutt, but she
is beautiful to me!

 

[Bruce(OR)]

Sound like your mutt might also be in need of the 8N hyd pump to match the top cover. That might take some doing to dig up one of those.
Hope you have many hours of enjoyment with your new toy.

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley]

We;come aboard. Are you brand new to tractors? Do you have the ESSENTIAL MANUALS? the best tools you need to acquire for your 'new' machine are the correct manuals to operate, find parts, and service. Unless you have an early 8N you plan to restore, I suggest you disregard worrying about a serial number. They can mean nothing as engine may have been swapped out. You say you only have DRAFT CONTROL so that is a big clue you have a 9N/2N with an 8N engine so, again, forget about the serial number. It would also indicate you have a front mount distributor so be aware the front mount is the most misunderstood component on these old FORDS. If you mount the unit 180 DEG off, it will destroy the base The important facts to know are if it has a 6V/POS GRN electrical setup or if a 12V switch over was done. You say it is 12V but know there are but a handful of correct ways to do a 12V conversion and many are done in correctly. You say you already started replacing parts , but that is usually a rookie mistake. Cleaning and rebuilding original parts is always the best method for repairs. Get the OEM Manuals and a copy of 'WIRING PICTOGRAMS by JMOR' and copy of '75 Tips for N-Owners' by Bruce(VA). JMOR has the correct ways to wire these N's for 12V. No original Ford manual does -they didn't have 12V on N's so no need - but having the OEM 6V MPC's are need for all the other parts on the tractor. be safe, be smart. Know what you are doing before you do it.


FORD N-SERIES TRACTOR ESSENTIAL OWNER/OPERATOR/PARTS/SERVICE MANUALS:

Tim Daley(MI)

 

[Doug 13]

Sounds like me. Two weeks ago I had a 48 8n given to me. It ran when they parked it! Had to come along it on my tall trailer. Good advice don't go crazy on parts. I'm holding off and making a list. Did buy front tires cheap locally. Figured if I does not run I need it to roll. Good luck!

 

[Jim L WA]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you've done a lot of homework and know what you're doing. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most of us actually read the posts, before responding.

 

[Copperhead don't play]

A lot of people are afraid of the front mount distributor, but it is very simple to set. After you do it a couple of times, you can do it blind folded. Just remember the correct 180 degree orientation.

I do admit I have shorten the two bolts that holds the distributor on, but only because I have five 8Ns with front distributors.

I am to old (70) to swap attachments so I have a tractor for each piece of equipment.

 

[RWS904]

Hi Jim L,

Thank you and others for replying. I'll have plenty of questions along the way, no doubt! I've owned a John Deere 1025R for a few years, but
this is the first real tractor I have owned and it brings back childhood memories of my Grandpa's farm in Michigan.

One other thing I forgot to mention previously is that this one does have a 4 speed transmission, despite not having position control on the
hydraulics.

I have the owner's manual and used a shop manual I bought at TSC for reference when I replaced the points, bench-timed the distributor, and
rebuilt the carburetor.

I ordered the following from Amazon over the weekend, it arrived yesterday but I'm on travel this week so haven't had a chance to look at it yet.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBPWYG5/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After changing the hydraulic fluid and cleaning out the milky brown sludge, I confirmed the 3 point hitch raises and lowers but haven't had any
weight on it yet. The two bottom Ferguson plow and 6' scraper blade are still on the front of my trailer but I hope to get them off of there next
week.

My next task will be to drain the water from the rear tires and inspect the brakes, axle shafts, bearings and hubs. As I mentioned, the right
side was (is) leaking badly, so not sure how bad anything will be once I get in there.

First picture is after I degreased her and gave her a gentle rinse down with a garden hose.

The second one was taken just to annoy my wife before we went for a Sunday ride in the Slingshot.

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley]

Yes, not a mystery once you READ the manual and see how it is done. Some even attempt a tune-up while the unit is still mounted on engine, or say they do. I don't see
how that can be done properly. Don't see how it makes it easier. The issue is when the unit is ready to mount back in the tractor. If the cam weights and tangs are
aligned off 180 DEG and is forced down - it won't fully set flush if it is off - the second power gets applied it will try to orientate itself and end up busting the
aluminum base. At that point the unit is useless junk. You need to get a new base or a used base and swap out all the guts in the broken one and do it right. I did that
once when I was rookie and ever since learned. I use good lighting and a telescoping inspection mirror to align unit tang when mounting the rebuilt distributor. You can
tap the safety starter pushbutton with key off to rotate engine cam around to help. The tangs on unit simply can be rotated to align. I do not rely on trying to mark
rotor location when it was removed. You also need to get a good brand of points as many aftermarket Cheena brands sold today are junk. I use the STANDARD IGNITION/BLUE
STREAK FD-6769-X ones -sold at NAPA but demand the SI/BS brand, not the ECHLIN ones. Use the Original Operator's Manual and/or the I&T FO-4 Manual to reference the
chapter on setting distributor.


FORD FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR TUNE-UP AND SETTING TIMING:

FORD FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR CAM OFFEST ALIGNMENT:

FORD FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR WHAT HAPPENS WHEN INSTALLED 180 OFF:

Tim Daley(MI)

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 21:28:03 11/15/21) Sound like your mutt might also be in need of the 8N hyd pump to match the top cover. That might take some doing to dig up one of those.
Hope you have many hours of enjoyment with your new toy.

My 8N has what I assume to be a 2N top cover on it because it has no little shift lever for position / draft control. It is in constant position control mode. I really don't care since I don't use any ground engaging implements.