Nick's 1951 8N

[LithiumCobalt]

(quoted from post at 16:01:26 09/15/23)

Wow! that is a very straight and clean N! It has apparently had very good care and an easy work life compared to most of them.

Thanks for the compliments. It looks like hell to me lol. Maybe everything is relative. Grandpa is a frugal man so it did not get very much attention over the years. A testament to the durability on these things, though. It just keeps going.

 

[LithiumCobalt]

Another question....who is the best vendor or vendors to send things like the hydraulic unit, steering gear box, generator, starter, etc to have rebuilt?

This post was edited by LithiumCobalt on 09/19/2023 at 11:16 am.

 

[Eman85]

(quoted from post at 06:16:48 09/19/23) Another question....who is the best vendor or vendors to send things like the hydraulic unit, steering gear box, alternator, starter, etc to have rebuilt?

Good Luck, and we're all counting on you!
It used to be real simple and then everyone got old and retired. You talked about rebuilding the engine, I'd live with the little blowby if you have good compression. Unless you have a very reputable machine shop, and I mean very reputable, it's not going to be a fun or cheap adventure.

 

[HFJ]

(quoted from post at 14:00:59 09/19/23) You talked about rebuilding the engine, I'd live with the little blowby if you have good compression. Unless you have a very reputable machine shop, and I mean very reputable, it's not going to be a fun or cheap adventure.

i was in a similar position with mine. i am not a gear head by any stretch. mine had smoke coming out of both ends, and iirc, the GOOD cylinder had 70 psi. i had 38 psi oil pressure cold and 20 psi hot, my local auto parts guy said leave the crank alone and do an in-frame rebuild - new sleeves, pistons, rings and rod bearings. got a friend who's rebuilt many engines to help and provide the ring compressor.

put about four hundred bucks into the job (8 or so years ago), and i'm happy with the results. compression now 90, noticeably more power and it's easier for the operator to breathe

i don't doubt the extra missing psi is slipping thru the valves. maybe one day i'll worry about that - but probably not.

 

[Ed S.]

Tractor is located in Goshen, IN (Elkhart County) way up in northern Indiana, along Michigan line.

I am located in Maryville, TN, which is eastern Tennessee, about 20 miles south of Knoxville. We are pretty close to the NC border also, and, of course, the Smokies, which we love. Have not heard of the two towns you mentioned. Maybe closer to middle Tennessee?

We lived in Knoxville back in the early 1990s, and I know right where "Mur-ville" is.

The shows I mentioned are south of Nashville, so a few hours from you - I'm sure you can find something in your area.

GM is building a huge EV battery plant in Spring Hill, which is why I thought "LithiumCobalt" might be related.

Best with your tractor, and I'm still going to encourage you to tackle it yourself!

es

 

[LithiumCobalt]

(quoted from post at 17:57:55 09/19/23)

We lived in Knoxville back in the early 1990s, and I know right where "Mur-ville" is.

The shows I mentioned are south of Nashville, so a few hours from you - I'm sure you can find something in your area.

GM is building a huge EV battery plant in Spring Hill, which is why I thought "LithiumCobalt" might be related.

Best with your tractor, and I'm still going to encourage you to tackle it yourself!

es

Thanks for the encouragement, Ed! I've been going through your Operation 8N series of posts and what an inspiration. I can't wait to dig into mine, but may be a few years down the road.

The electrolysis pool is a cool idea. Have never seen something like that. Will have to study up on its function and see if I can replicate.

And, yes, good ol' Murvull haha. The locals can definitely tell who the outsiders are!

This post was edited by LithiumCobalt on 09/22/2023 at 12:53 pm.

 

[LithiumCobalt]

What were the original brand and style of tires that would have come on my tractor from the factory? I see Goodyear and Firestone options and several Chi-comm looking ones, as well.

 

[Jim in LA]

More photos

This post was edited by LithiumCobalt on 09/15/2023 at 12:24 pm.

Nice looking tractor, the sheet metal looks to be in very good condition. Here in the South, that is often not the case. I would keep the electrical system original as long as possible. My ‘51 had been converted to 12 volt with alternator and homemade brackets. I replaced everything with a kit from this site. If you need parts be sure to check out the parts section here, they have a really good inventory of Ford tractor parts and manuals.