1956 Ferguson TO35 Restoration

Way2Deep

New User
Hello Everyone,

I am new to the forum and will have pics posted soon. I have been on a forever search of my Grandfather's 1957 TO35 for over 25 years. While it doesn't appear that I am going to find it, I settled for one he owned, however briefly, and sold to our neighbor. It is a 1956 Ferguson TO35 serial no. SGM 171565. The neighbor passed and his daughter mentioned that she would sell me the tractor for a very reasonable price, especially considering that according to another neighbor he had performed a rebuild to the upper end of the engine for the owner just before he passed. So, I bring it home, and upon unloading it from the trailer i lift the oil fill cap and it is solid, full of dry, hard packed dirt like residue that required scooping out. The fuel tank was gummed up solid, carb was full of solid dry material, this thing had not been touched in years much less a complete top end within 12 months. I had the block tested and it passed and from there we had the entire engine rebuilt. New cam, valves, rings, everything was re-machined and/or replaced. Rebuilt the generator, new governor, new carb, new tank valve bowl and screens, new gauges, new switch, new clutch, the transmission seals, everything I could find that may need replacing. New front end, pin & bearing, new tie rods, new front axles, rear axles pulled, new shims, packed, greased and set. The radiator was a bear!!!! ended up getting one and the shop cut and welded the part and pieces back together to make it work. Although I do still have the original I hope one day to find someone to rebuild. Where I am now, someone has welded on the hood and taken the temper out of the metal and warped it bad. Also there is some rust in it as well as the aprons on the side. My hood has the two button push pins, one on each end to release the center in order to refuel, water, etc. Does any know of a place where new sheet metal can be found. I can find clamshells everywhere, but no hoods. I have found a place that said they can sell me new old stock for the entire tractor but it is nearly $2,000 for everything. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. I am already way over $9,000 in this tractor and still need the sheetmetal and find someone to blast the chassis so we can disassemble and begin the paint. I have some paint that was mixed by a local shop to match the metallic grey chassis, and even used the old paint code numbers to do so. I will need to get the Bamboo Beige and the Aluminum Codes which I am sure I have written down somewhere. But metal is my hang up. my fenders are eaten up on the bottoms as well as the brackets for my lights and in fender tool box is shot. I can find and piece a lot of it together aftermarket but this new old stock is intriguing and expensive. However, I would love to know if anyone has a lead on the entire hoods. I would even take a good clean used one if I could find it, but it HAS to have the two button push pins. AND, I need the two lift arms for the hydraulics. They have been obliged on each end from years of work and although I may be able to drill out a larger area and press in bushings, I am not sure that I can't just find good used or new ones out there. HELP!
 
There is a lot of salvage yards. Don't know where you live but you should be able to
locate one. Also you can buy fenders from several dealers. Sparex is one that has good
supply. I don't know of anyone that makes the complete hood. Just look for a good clean
one. This site carry's a lot of parts on left side page.
 
Also go to --fergusontractors.org/fena---resources then Paint Color-Code. Also FENA is the club for Ferguson Tractors. It is $25 yr with 5 magazines yearly. Also a EXPO yearly in different locations each year. A lot of great people and information. We would like for you to join.
 
The wife's 1950 TO-20,
New sleeves, pistons, connecting rods and bushings, oil pump rebuild, replace oil pick up tube seals, new main
bearings, rod bearings, turned crankshaft, resurfaced flywheel, new ring gear for flywheel, Kevlar clutch disc,
head work with new valves, new water pump, new front axle pivot and the pivot pin hole reworked, new front
spindle bushings, repack front wheel bearings, new grease seals. Sure seals on Rear axle, radiator replaced,
install thermostat, rebuild Hupp transmission-busted gear, replace bearings in final drive, change trans fluid,
add water temp gauge, hour meter, volt meter, amp meter, master electrical disconnect, Rebuild steering box,
add grease zerk to new top bearing collar, belts, hoses, spark pugs, points, condenser, ign rotor, dist cap,
ign wires, 12V conversion, add solenoid to starter system, rebuild Rest-O-ride seat, new tires on rear, new
tires on front, new exhaust system, Lower 3 PT arms replaced, rear brakes, rebuild air cleaner, carb rebuild,
add fuel shut off solenoid, Hyd pump rebuild, rework hyd linkage by welding elongated holes in linkage back to
being round with sections of carbon rod, weld in diamond plate behind front axle for additional strength to add
FEL that has not been done yet and probably never will at this point, tie down hooks on front axle, place fire
extinguisher on 3 Pt linkage...and paint. She stopped counting at 5 grand. I stopped a bit higher. Then I found
the updated parts for the Hupp trans that will stop it from hanging up between ranges. That means it comes
apart again and *might* get an Everett trans installed also at that time. Oh yeah, I didn't add the value of
the Everett to the price tag either. That kinda showed up after I stopped counting. That was about 10K. I am
glad she stopped at 5K. Self inflicted silliness has no limits.
 
way,
before you run off and start painting, be sure to check your serial numbers.
if you have an (early 1956 model) it could have been painted beige hood/fenders and green body
This paint scheme is the most rare, but I do not know around what serial number in 1956 the color change was made, am sure someone on the site can tell you or give you information to determine the number.

later 1956 models were painted beige hood/fenders and gray bodies.

I have a 1957 that was painted beige hood/fenders and gray body.
attached are a couple of tractors painted in those color schemes.

If this is any help to you, I am not a purest, I later painted my 1957 TO35 red and gray as later model Ferguson are painted.
your paint scheme is purely up to you as it is your tractor.
a155139.jpg

a155140.jpg

a155141.jpg
 

I am in the western part of the state of Virginia. Zip is 24426. This is the second one i have restored although it is the first one with this much sheet metal rot. According to the numbers that I have checked, my tractor is a late 56 which makes it a flint metallic grey chassis, not a green belly. However, I have had one dealer tell me my tractor was built in Feb, but still the numbers say flint grey, from all i have seen.I would love a green belly, but this as well as the last one are both going back factory and period correct. Does anyone out there have any leads on good sheet metal for the hood? and how about the lift arms?
 

I have been told that at one time enclosures of some sort were made for these tractors. I am guessing they were canvas but I am not sure. Does anyone know of such contraptions?
 

I had seen those, I was referring to the enclosure for the operator station. I had seen a few TO20s with them installed.
 
by "enclosure" do you mean cab? I have never seen a factory one but that doesn't mean there weren't any. the one's I have seen were home made.
 

I felt the ones I have seen were aftermarket or homemade. But I did want to ask if anyone here had seen any. I have heard there were some Ferguson accessories that were not made available in the US although they were offered in England.
 

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