Progress update on Case 931 project.

[Adirondack case guy]

Made some progress on the tractor yesterday. Weather turned real cold last week so the sugarbush was froze up. Sap will probably run this afternoon and we will be back at makeing maple syrup next week. All heck may break loose with some unseasonably warm weather predicted.
Anyway, The machine shop got my heads and rods done, so I picked them up. Had to put some seats in the 3 salvaged heads that I had, and resurface them. As you may recall, I found bad cracks in all 3 heads when we tore it apart. I also had a hodgpoge of rods when we tore it apart. 3 were newer 70 series rods and weight was way different. Luckily again, had a doner tractor, so we found 6 rods that were close in weight(within 5grams) and swaped rod bolts from the doner rods as they were 6 bolt caps, and the newer 30 series and 70 series were 12pt caps. The machine shop pushed in new wristpin bushings and sized them. We still couldn't seat #5 sleeve as a .005 sleeve shim is slow in comeing.
While waiting on the machine shop, I have been fabing up some mods to the cab plus repairing some rusted spots. The cab updates include an intergrated front visor and a rear extension to house recessed saftey and flood lighting. I don't want the lights hanging off the cab like micky mouse ears.
The reupholstered seat from Speer Cushion Co. came back. I had it done in brown fabric, rather than black vinyl. I also ordered saddle brown padding from them for the interior. Kits are not offered by anyone..
The fellow doing the wrenching was our head mechanic when we had our Case dealership. (closed down in 86)He offered to help me out with this project.
Loren

 

[RBoots]

That looks good Loren. Never been around Case's much at all. There isn't really many I can think of aside from a couple that are near me. Are the heads on those prone to cracking like some tractors, or was it caused from an overheat or some other improper operation? I like your idea for the lights, you do very nice work!

Ross

 

[J. Schwiebert]

Those heads look good! I used to like to do that type of machine shop work. How much recession in those intake valves?

 

[lee little]

Super! That is going to be one sharp 931 ! Lee

 

[jon f mn]

Looking real good Loren! It's going to be a nice tractor when it's done.

 

[Oldiron29]

Loren, I see the sign from Randall implement Co. on your wall any relation to you or your family? oldiron29

 

[greg oliver]

Loren, Nice job! I'm also interested in your light setup. Are you going to take it to the Roseboom show?

 

[Adirondack case guy]

The original owner of RI and I have been friends since highschool days. Met eachother at the local dragstrip. and were business partners in the 80s.
The 931 that I am working on was shipped to RI from the factory, and we transfered it from there when I sold it. We were both Case dealers about 35m apart.
Loren

 

[Adirondack case guy]

Greg, I hope to, if I'm still alive. HeHe.
Loren

 

[Adirondack case guy]

The intakes should not be any lower than .060 That is why I had the new seats installed. They start hard if they are low.
Loren

 

[Adirondack case guy]

Ross,
It is not uncommon to see these older heads crack. The main reason is that they were not a crossflow design, and heat could build in them with prolonged lugging, and these engines had lots of lowend torque. Other factors also contrubuted to cracks included hot shutdowns and unmaintained cooling systems, and loose fan belts.
Loren

 

[1370rod]

Looking good Loren, just know it will be very nice when it is completed. Dang, I could have mailed you a shim, Rod.

 

[JD Seller]

Loren I like how your fixing/modifying the cab. There are just not any Case tractors around me. I can't even think of who was the closest JI Case dealership to me. There were many IH dealers that became CIH but I can't think of one Case that became CIH within 100 miles of me.

I do know and have traded with JI Case dealers all over the Midwest just none close to me. A question I have been meaning to ask you about your area. It seemed that in many areas that when Tenneco bought IH that they kept the IH territory people and got rid of the Case territory people. I know that cause hard feeling at many Case dealerships. IH had a much more hard nose way of dealing with their dealers in the hard times of the 1980s. I know one dealer that threw the "new" IH/CIH territory manager out of his store the first time he came in. The territory rep. came in telling the dealer he was going to have to do this and that to stay a dealer. This dealer sold TONS of Case tractors. He was in the top ten nation wide many times so market share and all that was not an issue. The dealer dropped Case/CIH. He had sold Duetz tractors as a "cheap" line. So he became a Duetz-Allis dealer. He is still selling tons of tractors just not CIH/CNH.

Did the management stay Case or did it switch to IH in your area??? IF it was not for the IH dealerships around here CIH would never have had a chance here. There just were no JI Case dealers. Never really figured that out either. JI Case had enough of a line to completed around here but never did.

 

[Adirondack case guy]

JD, Much the same here with some of the reps. There were some IH people we got along with well, but after the new resigm took effect management said our facilities were out dated and we had to bring them up to their new standards. With the high interest rates it made no financial sense to spend big money on new updated facilities. They also said that they would not let anyone take on a new franchise in our area if we closed. They would just make the area available to the IH dealer to the west of us. That was a real slap in the face for us and rendered our property worthless to any one who wanted to continue a Case-IH franchise. We ended up selling the property to an auctioneer who sold houseold goods. It has changed hands several times since and is now a used car repair and sales place.
Loren

 

[Adirondack case guy]

Rod, I got two shims from John, and they came quick. The # 5 sleeve only had .001 protrusion and we decided we needed more after the fact. Ordered another but it has gotten waylayed along the way for some reason. John's shipment of wheel bearings came for my 440, but the shim didn't make it.
Loren

 

[brutus49DC]

and pulley wear for the fan which was a common problem with age

 

[Adirondack case guy]

Yes, and ontop of that the PS pump was driven off the waterpump pully.
Loren

 

[larry@stinescorner]

Ill second that !