My Ford Tractors

FRONT AXLE, FRAME, AND SUPPORTS

Some V8 conversions used modified radius rods that wrap around the wider engine. Others relocated the rear ball mounts with special brackets. Neither of those solutions look like a "stock" solution Ford engineers might have come up with. Radius rods are supposed to go straight back to the original ball mounting points. My solution was to take advantage of a not-so-obvious difference between the 8N front axle design and the earlier 2N parts. The later 2N tractors appear to use tubular radius rods just like the 8N, until we try to swap them. Oops, the 9N-2N radius rods are 1-1/2" longer! Why? The difference becomes obvious when the front axle is made wider. Move the axles out and we see that the radius rods on the earlier tractors swing out with the axles. On the 8N, only the steering links swing out because the radius rods attach to the axle center section. One reason for the change might have been thinking the slightly shorter 8N radius rods would be slightly harder to bend.

The tightest spot is at the engine / transmission adapter, near the new starter location on the right side. A few sketches appeared to show that the front axle would only need to set a little wider than I run my other tractors and the radius rods would clear the wider engine. For a V8 tractor, wider is a very good thing.

Finding 9N-2N front axle parts was easier than expected. Stealing them from my working 2N tractor wasn't an option (at first). Rule No.1 = Don't start stealing parts from working tractors for project tractors. It is too darn easy to end up with nothing that runs and snow coming. In this case a maintenance-repair problem became an opportunity. The wheel alignment on my 2N was suddenly wobbling all over the place. Jacking the front end showed that the front spindle bushings were completely gone. My 2N has 8N front hubs, but the axle and radius rods are still original 2N parts. The fastest way to repair the steering was to put a spare 8N front axle assembly and radius rods on the 2N. That got the 2N back to work quickly, and provided parts for the V8-8N project.

AXLE SUPPORT

Rather than fabricate a new axle support completely from scratch, it appeared simpler to use an original 8N front axle carrier. The axle carrier normally bolts to the front of the 8N engine and oil pan. The V8 engine has a stamped steel oil pan that can't be used to support anything. Holding the carrier in position, aligned with the crank pulley, showed that the 8N axle carrier can't possibly bolt directly to anything on the V8 engine. A custom bracket will have to be made that will provide a mount for the axle carrier that is 3 to 4 inches in front of the engine. The engine has two 7/16" threaded holes near the water pumps on each side of the engine. Plus, the two cast-iron water pumps provide front motor mounts.

This is a test fit with the steering gear, dash, shifter, battery box, and radius rods in place. The battery box almost slipped right into place, but the mounting points will have to be modified so the box can sit about 1" higher. The radius rods will have to be longer, but there does not appear to be any reason they can't run straight to the axle. A bonus is the additional room this creates for exhaust pipes to turn up at the front corners of the engine.

The new bracket parts were drawn to scale on my computer, then an order was placed with emachineshop.com. In about five days the necessary bracket parts and mounting flange were dropped off on my porch. The parts were cut from 1/2" thick plate steel.

The axle center section needed a new bushing. It only took a few minutes to press the old bushing out and replace with new, so the axle is ready to fit into the carrier. Oops, sorry, this photo is upside down. I did install a front axle this way once. Didn't catch the mistake until it was time to bold the outer axles on. It didn't work out very well. Do-overs are no fun.

This photo has a long set of 2N radius rods aimed at the mounting points on the outer axle. It looks like the radius rods only need to be about 4" longer. If I add the length to the big end they shouldn't need any additional stiffeners. The axle parts are bolted at what I feel is a reasonable width, but could go wider if there is any reason to.

This photo shows one of the two long 7/8" bolts used to set the correct distance from the face of the engine. I started out with the hand crank hole perfectly aligned with the engine pulley, but ended up dropping the front axle support about 1" in order to make sure the water pump belt had enough room to wiggle a bit. That is going to make it a little more difficult for the lower radiator hoses to go under the axle. That is still the plan. It will keep the radiator as low as possible making the necessary hood modifications much easier.

Here's the mock-up and tack weld of two spacers that locate the face of the axle support mounting flange 3-7/8" from the front of the engine.

This is another of several test fits as the small pieces were cut and welded in place to make a sturdy support structure. Short bolts were left in the threaded holes so the new threads wouldn't fill up with weld spatter.

This is the mostly finished front axle support structure with additional 1/2" thick steel braces added. Some of the welds need another pass, and the tabs that bolt to the water pump motor mounts need gussets. Other than that, this has been test-fitted a few times, and is almost ready for prime and paint.

Two pieces of heavy wall 1-1/2" square steel tubing will brace the bottom of the axle carrier. These braces will provide strength that was originally provided by the cast iron oil pan. They will bolt-on between the transmission adapter and front carrier adapter, so they can easily be removed if the oil pan ever needs to come off.

RADIUS RODS AND STEERING LINKS

The longer radius rods were no problem to make using pieces from two sets.

If possible, it's always best to avoid having to measure anything. Two radius rods were installed on each side and strapped together. With everything square, pick a spot about 12 inches from the front and cut most of the way through both rods at the same time. This eliminates any chance of a measuring error and ensures a perfect match for the cut pieces. Cutting near the front puts the additional length at the thickest part of the radius rods, so they will be as strong as possible.

As it turned out the modified radius rods are 6" longer than a set of 8N radius rods. However, since I'm using a 9N/2N front axle, the axle is really sitting only 4-1/2" further forward than where the 8N axle was. That is about where I hoped it would end up. The closer this conversion is to the original dimensions, the fewer hood/grill modifications will be required to wrap it up. The welds are still a bit rough. They will be filled in a bit more, then ground smooth.

Yes, the square tubing is still just laying under the tractor. That bit of fabrication was skipped so I could get the radius rods on it and make sure they were going to work for the full range of front axle movement. Clearance is tight on the right side, there is about 1/2" between the radius rod and the edge of the starter mounting plate.

Steering links will need to be about 4-1/2" longer. I'm betting there isn't that much safe adjustment in the original pieces. Wheels and tires will then go on to check the stance and decide on track width front and rear. What About Tires? The least expensive option, using the rims and tires I have, is standard AG tread rear tires, with some 15" implement tires on the front.

The generator was mounted to check belt clearance. This tractor will be 12 volts, with a small Denso alternator, and a belt-driven pump to provide live hydraulics.

REBUILDING SPINDLES

This simple prybar was all that was needed to remove the old spindle bushings. These are the spindle assemblies that were on my 2N a few weeks ago when they suddenly got very loose. The most difficult part of removing the old spindles was prying the woodruff key out of the slot in the spindle. Remove the cross bolt in the steering arm, Drive a small wedge into the gap and the arm lifts right off with no trouble. From there the spindle should simply drop out of the axle except the key won't let them drop through the hole. These were frozen in place.

Soaked them with PB Blaster a couple of times, and set the hub on a floor jack to raise the key off the axle. Then drove the keys down and out of the slot with a cold chisel and 5 pound mini sledge. The chisel dinged the edge of the key a bit. The ding and rust was easily cleaned up on the belt sander. Use a little grease to keep them from rusting before it's time to put them back in.

Once the spindle is out, clean all the old grease off and inspect bearing surfaces for wear. These were in surprisingly good shape. The sudden looseness was immediately explained. The top bushing on both spindles had slipped down on top of the bottom bushing. Seems like there should have been a lip in there to keep that from happening.

My slide hammer couldn't find an edge to grip in there so I took a large prybar and ran it down until it found the edge of the bushing. In this case it was actually the top bushing.

Raise up and use the weight of the tool to drive both bushings out the bottom. It only took a few whacks on opposite sides before the old bushings and a few gobs of dry grease dropped out.

After cleaning the bore, the top bushing should not be too hard to get started into the hole. Use a block of wood and a medium size hammer to slowly tap the new bushing down. Make sure it stays square in the hole until it is flush with the top of the axle. Of course, if you own a set of bushing drivers use them. The bushings are thin wall and easily damaged.

No, I didn't stand on my head to do the bottom bushing. I was also too lazy to remove and wrestle with the axles. It was 95 degrees in the shop and the spindles were right there. Why not slip the new thrust bearing and bushing on the spindle, feed it up into the axle, and use the floor jack to shove the bottom bushing into place? It worked so well some people might think this wasn't my first time doing front axle service.

With new bushings and bearings in place, the next step was to service the wheel bearings. One side was a little loose. They looked fine so were just cleaned, greased, and reinstalled. Tighten the castle nut while turning the hub to remove all play, then back off the castle nut to the very first place the new cotter pin will go thru the hole. Don't forget to pump the front spindles full of grease or those new bushings won't last very long.

With the necessary bearing and bushing service done, a set of tires can be mounted and the tractor is finally sitting on tires again! That's a big milestone for this project. The fronts are a set of 15" implement rims with 6.70 x 15 rib tires. They are much wider and only an inch shorter than the standard 16" or 19" front tires.

EXHAUST

Did anyone notice the pipes? The stock Flathead manifolds have outlets located near the front. The left side in this photo points straight down. The right side is about 2" further back and points down and out at a 45 degree angle. This would have been so much simpler if both manifold outlets pointed straight down, grrrr!

The standard exhaust flanges appear to have been made to fit 1-1/2" pipes. That just was't going to be large enough to look right as V8 exhaust stacks on this tractor. The bolt spacing on the flanges would allow 2" pipe, so that was a simple modification. There was no need for a custom muffler shop, the pipes are just two standard mandrel bent "J" pieces, the left side is a 6" radius, the right side is 8" radius. The right side needed an additional 45 degree bend to match up with that manifold outlet. That bend was cut from a standard tight-radius elbow.

The mufflers are straight-thru glasspacks. Everything was clamped in place, tack-welded, then removed and moved outside for final welding. Braces for the vertical pipes were added that slip under the front motor mount bolts. The outlet stack height and tips will be figured out after the hood is done.

The rear fenders are finally off. This is usually one of the nastier jobs on any tractor. Those long carriage bolts are always completely rusted and frozen solid. This was the worst one yet. Those fender bolts have been sprayed with PB Blaster countless times and have never budged in previous attempts to remove them. This time, with my big breaker bar, two came loose, the other two snapped off. When the sway bar mounts hit the floor the hard part should have been done. The fenders still would not budge. The bolts were still completely frozen to the holes in the axles. Banging on the ends with a big hammer was rapidly turning the bolts into rivets, but with a combination of heat, and more pounding they eventually came out.

With the fenders out of the way the castings can be thoroughly cleaned. Up front, the small Denso alternator is finally in place.

LOOSE HUB

The slotted screws for the brake drums were almost as much fun as the fender bolts. Ended up breaking one off and drilling another. After working the brake drums loose, the brake shoes are in great shape, and dry. Axle seals are good. The pack-rat was evicted from the left brake drum. The left hub was loose, even though the axle was tight. At some point the axle nut must have been loose. That quickly wears the splines in the hub. I could replace the hub but in this case decided to shim the splines with aluminum material cut from a soda can.

Be careful! Any pair of scissors will easily cut aluminum strips from a can. The edges of that custom carved shim material will be very sharp! Cut six pieces 1-1/2" long, tapering from 1/4" to 3/8" wide. Partially install the hub so it just starts onto the splines. When looking at the top of the axle, the tapered splines are the valleys that go into the back of the hub. Slide one shim down into each valley narrow end first. Rotate the hub / axle by hand to bring the rest of the splines to the top until you have done all six. Verify the shims are all in place and sticking out the same distance, then slide the hub on the rest of the way. Now the edge of the hub should be out in front of the splines so the washer and axle nut will hold it tight. Tighten the axle nut to 400 foot pounds.

ALTERNATOR

This tractor will have an electric fan mounted directly to the radiator. The front belt pulley will be used to run a hydraulic pump that will provide live hydraulics. The main belt will still run the two water pumps and alternator. I'm hoping that having the live hydraulics pump on a separate belt will make it much easier to "turn off" the external pump when it is not needed. On my other tractors I have to switch back to the short belt and bypass the hydraulic pump. The fan makes that belt swap very inconvenient.

The alternator bracket and adjuster are more one-of-a-kind parts made or adapted specifically for this conversion. The brackets were powder-coated black using my discontinued Sears Craftsman powder gun that does not require a compressor. I use an old toaster oven to bake the finish right in my shop. For small parts like these powder-coating is much faster, cleaner, and more durable than priming and painting with rattle cans.

BATTERY BOX

The original 8N battery box worked out just fine with minor modifications. The box needed to sit about 3/4" higher to clear the taller engine housing and adapter flange. The easy part was drilling new holes in the side flanges. More difficult was cutting and re-forming the front mount to reach down to the mounting bolts on the transmission flange. After painting, I'm very pleased with the way the battery box looks and fits.

OIL FILTER AND COIL BRACKET

Some of these flathead V8 engines had a partial oil filtration system nearly identical to the 4-cylinder tractor engine. Some of the previous photos show an original flathead oil filter canister sitting on the left cylinder head. The filter canister was purchased while shopping odd parts on-line a few weeks ago. If this oil filter is going to be operational, supply and return oil line tubing will have to be made. There is already an obvious connection point for the oil supply tube, but there is no place for the return to go back to the oil sump. Some engines have a fitting on the oil pan near the dip stick. This oil pan does not. Many Flathead engines have been built and operated for many miles with no oil filter at all. The advantage is all oil from the pump goes to the main oil gallery. Many engines that get frequent oil changes seem to go at least as many miles as engines that do have a filter. Some builders believe the additional oil pressure to the bearings is more important than the oil filter. It might make more sense to just stick a big magnet on the oil pan rather than putting any faith in partial filtration.

This original coil bracket was in the box of parts that came with the engine. It was cooked in my electrolysis tank to remove old paint and rust, then powdercoated with black, followed by Eastwood Almost Chrome. This bracket wasn't originally chrome, but a little "bling" seemed appropriate for this piece.

STARTER

The small gear-reduction starter slipped into place like it belongs there. This starter has several sets of holes in the mounting flange. This seemed to be the best option. The starter motor is as far away as it can get from the exhaust manifold and the wire terminals are easily accessible.

RADIATOR HOSES

The front axle support will still function as a foundation for the radiator and hood. The original 8N radiator and hood mounting points would not work so they have been cut off. The new radiator is taller and wider with mounting flanges on the sides. The plan is for the hood to tilt forward on the lower dogleg mounting bolts.

The lower radiator hoses have been slipped into place. They are standard radiator tubing "L" pieces with tight-radius silicone elbows used to make the connections to each water pump. This allows the hoses to go under the front axle, with plenty of clearance for the axle to pivot.

Running the bottom hoses this way allows the radiator to sit much lower. The hope is that the hood can be more normal for an 8N tractor. It's certainly harder to make hoses this way, but it also avoids the big ugly using universal flex hoses.

Problem: The thermostat housings on the 8BA cylinder heads are for 1-1/4" hose. The top fittings on the radiator are for 1-1/2" hose. This radiator was made to fit the early flathead engine. Some people would replace or modify the thermostat housings. Others would shim the thermostat housing with a short piece of 1-1/4" hose and clamp the 1-1/2" on top of the smaller hose. Both methods work. When shopping silicone elbows for the lower hoses they had some adapter hoses. Yes, they do have 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" elbow fittings. Trimming the small end dropped them down to align perfectly with the top radiator fittings. Problem solved.

Next problem. One radiator hose is perfectly aligned with my alternator adjuster bracket. The hose really needs to go straight thru the bracket. OK, use a 1-1/2" hole saw to cut thru the alternator bracket, then weld the pieces to a short piece of 1-1/2" od pipe. We now have an alternator adjuster with a hose going thru it. Problem solved.

Most of this will have to come apart so radiator supports can be welded to the axle carrier. The next step is to measure and cut the radiator / hood support pieces from standard flat bar and angle iron. That will have to wait until the altered hood is ready.

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