IH BD144/C153 Engine Swap

[DanielW]

Hi folks,

I have an IH B275 with the notoriously hard-to-start
BD144. The tractor's in great shape, but the engine
has a terrible knock, is very tired, and I have cause
to believe the injection pump has seen better days.

There's a C153 gas engine out of an IH swather for
sale not too far from me for peanuts. I'm wondering
what the chances are of these two engines being an
easy swap? I know engine swaps are never as easy nor
clean as they first seem, but it seems like a
tempting option. Having a gas engine with a little
more HP than the original BD144 would also be great
for winter starting and blowing snow, which is
another reason this seems tempting.

 

[fastfarmall]

I dont blame you wanting to do it, a gutless diesel is no fun to operate! Do you get Red Power Magazine, theres a guy that built a 6166 tractor out of 4166, it took him a year,so anything is possible, i say go for it!

 

[AlinMO]

The BD144 is English built, the C-153 is US built. I bet nothing is common from the grill to the flywheel. You will be better off, time and money, to get another tractor or fix the one you have.

 

[DanielW]

I was rather worried about that. FastFarmall is right that anything's possible, but
it probably doesn't make sense to spend much effort in creating a Frankenstein out of
a pokey little utility tractor. Especially as the C153 isn't exactly a superb engine
to begin with (no sleeves, kind of gutless, if I remember right). My only interest in
it was because it's close and cheap. And especially as the B275 isn't exactly the
World's most user-friendly nor fun-to-use tractor in the first place.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

The C153 out of the swather will fit tractors of the A/B/C lineage with a couple of caveats. One bolt location is missing, as in there is nothing physically there. The crank is not drilled for a pilot bearing, so you have to figure out something in the flywheel.

Specifically the engine will fit the A, B, BN, C, Super A, Super C, 100, 200, 130, 230, 140, 240, and 404.

It will not fit a B275 without heavy modification.

 

[karl f]

The 444 utility used a c153 or bd engine (144 or 154?) I think 444 was a British based rear end. I don't know which c153 block was used or what kind of adapter made it all work. There are 2 153 blocks im aware of, maybe more? 1 has the ABC tractor bellhousing, the other went in a 504 with a similar bellhousing to an H (interchange unknown).
Have daydreamt of working in a salvage yard in the Golden era and swapping things around because why not!

Good luck

Karl