Jd 430 rebuild project-need some advice

Hey everyone,

Really appreciate what I have learned here already. I am going to rebuild/restore a 58 JD430S with my Dad. His grandfather bought it new in 58. Never been split, all original and nothing other than regular mx items like oil changes/belts/ plugs so it is going to need a lot of things. It fouls the rear plug, but runs and drives.

At a minimum I am thinking it needs an overhaul, new clutch, new harness and hydraulic/oil lines.

I have the service manual, and am looking forward to a meaningful project with my Dad. Not a mechanic, but have some experience and am looking to do this right.

It needs new hood and oil bath assembly, the original ones are damaged from a barn dropping on it from the tornado outbreak of April 1974.

I am amazed and impressed that this tractor has worked since 58 without any major mx/overhaul, though been light duty last 15 years.

What am I getting into here? Best source for parts?

I will try to document and post as I go. I have no idea how I will get 58 years worth of baked on grime off the frame/body for painting. A pressure washer didnt faze it! Maybe I can sandblast it as I disassemble everything.

This project is not for practicality....I know I will be putting more time and money in it than its worth from a monetary perspective. Its about time with my Dad and memories from my youth of my great grandpa.

Any advice/guidance greaty appreciated.

I have several truly restored tractors and implements so I have a little experience in this field. First thing after a service manual you need to print off a parts book from the Deere.com webb sight and then
get your hands on a Two Cylinder magazine or even a Green magazine and from there you have a vast amount of information and parts venders who can provide you with anything you will come across on
your project. A 430S will be a great place to start as parts are readily available for almost anything on it. Before you take it apart drive it enough to tell if the components are working as they should. Check
the transmission to see if it has any excess noise in it. Check and see if brakes operate as they should. Wheels, bearings, linkages, and most of all leaks. You will need to go through every component. We
always start out on gas tractors by removing the tank and send it out and have it cleaned and coated. Most gas tanks were made with zink and after sixty years they can be a large reason many can not keep
their fuel clean. Work on it as an enjoyment and if you see yourself getting burned out take some time away. If you come up on something that has you puzzled there are many on this website that will be
more than happy to help you out. Good Luck and enjoy the time you spend with your Dad. You will remember it the rest of your life.

Some good advice there. But I beg to differ on the gas tank issue. If your tank is not gunked up or rusted out now there is no reason to have it sent out and coated. I actually had a tank goofed up by a place coating it. They didn't have it cleaned out right before coating it.

When I did my 40W I was planning on a complete tear down. I took it apart in the major assemblies. Main trans case not much paint on them so I wire wheeled it off. Engine got hot tanked. So that left axle housings and all the little stuff. I sandblasted all that. Axle housings are separate oil cavity. I blasted them and right after sprayed them with JD buff primer/sealer. Everything else got that too. When I got around to rebuilding the axles/final drives I did a complete tear down of them washed all the sand that got in along with all the other gunk with Stoddard solvent and blowed them dry. The solvent did not harm the primer. Once final assembled it took the paint fine too.
I would NEVER sandblast a tractor without doing a complete tear down to clean it up ! This tractor had that done years before by the evidence I found.
Another time I did a model 50 for someone else. Found a guy did plastic media blasting. Stripped off all the external stuff. Took complete rolling tractor to him. He blasted it and primed it BEFORE I did a complete tear down of it. That worked out good. I would still NEVER even do plastic media blasting and do a tear down. Even sealed up that stuff gets in everywhere ! I took a piece of the media and dragged it across the crankshaft and it scratched it ! Too abrasive for me to leave untouched ! Most of these guys blasting and repaint tractors are planning on selling them. I feel sorry for the next owners.
In addition to the tractor service manual (hope you have a JD one) there should be another one on the hydraulic systems IIRC.

My 430 U came from my uncle's chicken farm. Used everyday almost with loader. When I first got it it would foul plugs, generally just one, frequently. I took care of that on mine by overhauling carb. Mine will smoke a little at startup, probably valve seals, but doesn't take a quart of oil in 100 hours. Mine has had some clutch issues, probably mostly in being used with loader all the time and people riding it. Great little tractor. I found on it when I split it for clutch that a heavy backblade or my rotary mower on the 3 pt will counterbalance the rear section and you can roll the front away with a floor jack under it.

We have rebuilt several 420 / 430 Tractors and have several for salvage . If you think we can help with parts , feel free to contact us by email or
call 573 535 8952. Good luck ,Tom Ziegler

When I started trying to get the 1/2" buildup grime off my B it was like concrete and the only way I got it off is with a pneumatic chisel and needler, then media blasted

Thank you gentleman, Im looking forward to getting started. I just have the JD service manual for now, and will look into the others Tom mentioned.

I dont know what I dont know yet on this tractor, other than what I have already mentioned and it has some oil line leaks. Not sure about the gears/final drive but havent noticed any problems there.

Im sure Ill have many more specific questions once I get started.

I may have learned something here.

Did the 30 series come out early enough that they were available in late 58?

(quoted from post at 08:47:00 09/16/16) I may have learned something here.

Did the 30 series come out early enough that they were available in late 58?

Click to expand...

I dont know. He always said it was a 1958 model. Maybe it was 59?