Massey 135 Project

JeffScott

Member
Bought a 1967 Massey Ferguson 135 recently and began tearing it down with the intention of maintenance, a thorough cleaning, and a new paint job. This is not a "Restoration" per se, more of a "Renovation". I'm replacing parts as needed, including some badly bent up sheet metal, all electrical wiring, a couple gauges, voltage regulator, front tires, etc.

This tractor was poorly maintained in its past life, from what I've seen so far. I replaced all the fluids including a hydraulic flush, radiator flush, engine oil. Old coolant and engine oil were dirty, but with no contamination. The hydraulic fluid had water in it, but it's now clean. I replaced the filter on the pump as well. The engine runs great with no blow by and had a rebuild about 1000 hrs ago according to the previous owner. Here's some pictures of the beast in various stages of work.


Home from the purchase


My son trying to get the bumper bolts loose


The old Hydraulic filter


The air cleaner element. Looks like it hasn't been cleaned in a while


Almost done stripping it down. Pulling the radiator and alt later this week

So the plan for cleaning is some industrial degreaser and a portable steam cleaner like the kind you use in the bathroom or kitchen. I also have a pressure washer that I plan to use sparingly, I don't want to get any water inside the tractor anywhere.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to cleaning it up and prepping for paint? I'm using Valspar tractor and implement paint which I will spray with a HVLP gun. I'm on a budget for this build, so no automotive grade paint I'm afraid.

Thanks for looking.

Jeff
 
Hi, I have basically the same tractor, but a diesel. You will really like the tractor. Yours looks to be in great shape and with excellent tires. I found that the tires should be filled or weights will be needed if you use the tractor to push snow. As for cleaning it, I would scrape off any dried
grease, use the degreasor, power wash with soap/water, and then let it dry. The paint will stick to it then and it should come out fine.
Obviously sand the metal panels, and prime any parts that receive any putty. Does it have power steering? I did a quick "renovation" to my MF135 several years ago using the same methods that you are using and it turned out fine and the paint has held up great. I keep it in a barn too. A pic is attached, and another of a Ford 850 that I recently did. Good luck!
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Thanks man. Your tractors look great. I almost bought a Ford 860 and then I found this Massey. I do like the Fords too. Mine is actually a diesel too, just hard to tell from the right side.

Jeff
 
Great. The 3 cylinder Perkins diesel is a terrific engine. It has great power, is very fuel efficient, and always starts. Mine starts even
down to 5 deg. F. without any heater or starting aid. I am always impressed with it. The only issue that I have had with the tractor is
traction. Even without the loader on it I found that the traction could be better. I think it is the 14.9 by 24" tires compared to the narrower tires on the Ford. I have the tires loaded now and have added about 300
lbs. of weight to each tire. That did the trick. When needed I also have a 400 lb. weight that I hang off the back when using the loader.
The only other thing that I have done over the years is to replace the 3 pt. hydraulic piston with the newer one using a rubber o ring
instead of the older piston using the metal rings. Pics attached of that project. That stopped the lift from slowly sinking when the engine
was off when weight was on the back. Good luck with the tractor.
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All I can say is scrape off every bit of stuck on stuff you can find, then comeback a day later you will find more, its a slow process. What I found that works really good is the cheap Dollar General brand oven cleaner for a degreaser (it will even etch some paints).

My 1965 MF 2135 industrial (gasser) the day I bought it.
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When I was finished (couldn't stand the yellow).
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(quoted from post at 14:28:43 03/23/16) All I can say is scrape off every bit of stuck on stuff you can find, then comeback a day later you will find more, its a slow process. What I found that works really good is the cheap Dollar General brand oven cleaner for a degreaser (it will even etch some paints).



I agree the red looks better. Nice job PT. Did you fabricate the cage or is that a manufactured item?
 
My dad built that cab in like 1986, or around that time copying the style of the MF cabs offered at the time. He had put it on his tractor for a few years, and when he sold the tractor the guy didn't want a cab. It sat outside for 20 something years, and all the windows except for the windshield got broke. I replaced what was rusted out, and added the wire mesh instead of new glass so I could shred around trees without getting whacked by branches.
 
Here is a 1967 MF135 diesel I bought a few months back (another yellow one, but was originally red, and gray) for $1500.00 running.
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Stripped it all down, and starting to re-paint it. I put the 2135 industrial front axle on it (and put the 135 swept back axle on the 2135). The cab from the 2135 is going on the 135. The 2135 gasser will go up for sale once I get this one all painted, and put back together.
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Looks awesome!

Question, is there any need to prime previously painted metal, say like on the engine and chassis, if it is not peeling or loose? I did buy primer, but
I'm wondering if it's overkill to prime over everything first, then topcoat.

What do you think?
 
I don't prime, but I use Rustoleum stops rust paint, I add acrylic enamel wet look hardener, and use some acrylic enamel reducer to thin it some (not supposed to put the hardener in without having some enamel reducer mixed in the paint first). As long as its clean, all loose rust, and paint removed, sand any shiny paint so the new paint has something to bite into it the paint should stick (if the paint you use says to prime first then prime it). I use scrapers, wire brushes, oven cleaner, pressure washing, and sanding to prep for paint, the more you prep the better the paint job comes out. Since I use Rustoleum I use sunrise red, for anything that is silver I mix a 1 to 1 ratio of aluminum, and smoke grey. The get the flint grey color I found that a mix of aluminum, smoke grey, and gloss black paint mixed to a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio is fairly close to flint grey. On the 2135 I used only smoke grey so its a lighter color than it should be.
 
(quoted from post at 17:58:38 03/24/16) I don't prime, but I use Rustoleum stops rust paint, I add acrylic enamel wet look hardener, and use some acrylic enamel reducer to thin it some (not supposed to put the hardener in without having some enamel reducer mixed in the paint first). As long as its clean, all loose rust, and paint removed, sand any shiny paint so the new paint has something to bite into it the paint should stick (if the paint you use says to prime first then prime it). I use scrapers, wire brushes, oven cleaner, pressure washing, and sanding to prep for paint, the more you prep the better the paint job comes out. Since I use Rustoleum I use sunrise red, for anything that is silver I mix a 1 to 1 ratio of aluminum, and smoke grey. The get the flint grey color I found that a mix of aluminum, smoke grey, and gloss black paint mixed to a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio is fairly close to flint grey. On the 2135 I used only smoke grey so its a lighter color than it should be.

Thanks for the tips. I plan to use Valspar hardener in the paint, I've sprayed with it before and it works well with Rustoleum or Valspar enamels I've found. As far as color, I've already bought a gallon of Massey gray and that's what I plan to use on the engine and chassis. I know that's not the original color, but I like the look of it better than the Flint gray. I've seen quite a few restorations using it also, some from the U.K., it seems to be popular there.

For the sheet metal I bought Massey red so it should be faithful to the original color. I'm going to paint the radiator black and the alternator, shroud, and exhaust pipe Rustoleum aluminum and finally the exhaust manifold VHT high temp aluminum.

Hopefully it will look as nice as yours PT.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
Only reason I use Rustoleum is that I can't afford the good stuff, but it holds up really good with the hardener (and as long as the surface is prepped good). The prep before paint is at least 95% of work in paint job for a paint job to look good. I also keep it out of the sun when I'm not using it which really helps makes the paint last much longer. If you use a HVLP spray gun you use a lot less paint (I use the cheap $20.00 Harbor Freight HVLP gun). One last little trick to get a nice shine is when you are finished painting is to give it a once over with a quick "coat" of enamel reducer like when you start to clean the gun. The quick coat of enamel reducer lets any over spray sink into the paint, and eliminates any dull spots from any over spray (an old painter taught me that trick), and it works as you can see.
 
Here's a couple pics from today. Got the chassis torn down as far as it needs to go for paint. I'll spend the day tomorrow cleaning and degreasing. Used party balloons to seal up all the engine openings. Cheap and effective.



Once it's clean, I'll roll it into its new house/spray booth. 10x20 ft inside. Hopefully it stays up when the wind blows!



That's it for now

Jeff
 
(quoted from post at 18:39:19 03/25/16) Yours is a lot cleaner than my 135 was, mine was really nasty. I used 10 cans of oven cleaner!

I'm into it for 5 cans. Almost have it clean now. Rain tonight and tomorrow though so I'm on break.
 
Pulled the lights off the hood and sandblasted them lightly which exposed a few rust holes in one. Going to try some JB Weld to seal them up.

Going to finish the cleaning of the engine in the next two days and post pics when it's all degreased.


 
My brothers 135 did have any headlights so he went with the UK style even with the cost of shipping from Ireland it was still cheaper than a US style grill that's available in the US.
The day he got it.
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After the new UK style grill/head light install, and a couple of other changes.
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I've got it almost ready to roll into the booth and pull the wheels. It's 95% clean except for the fuel line that sprung a leak last night.

Question for the forum...do you think I should drop the axle and drag links to paint? I can see some areas that won't get sprayed on very well. I could use a brush on the hard to spray areas I suppose. I'm also dropping the exhaust manifold and pipe and painting them separately.

Here's a couple pictures from today:



 
What I like to do is get all the hard to get at places a couple of coats like the under belly, under the floor boards, around the pedals. You can unhook the radius rods, and the drag links which will make it easier. I wouldn't drop the front axle just give the underneath and hard to get at spots a couple of coats of paint first.
 
(quoted from post at 18:44:48 03/28/16) Also when using the hardener in the paint use a really good respirator. The hardener is some really bad stuff to breath in any amount.

Agreed. I just bought new 3m organic cartridges for my respirator. Made sure they were appropriate for isocyanates. That's nasty stuff for sure. Also got a Tyvek moon suit to keep the paint off me too.

Hopefully sometime this weekend I'll start shooting primer on it. I've decided to prime as I've removed paint in different areas and have a little flash rush going on too. The Valspar oil base primer says it's ok over rust, so I'm hoping it encapsulates it. I don't have any funds for POR 15 or other rust converter, unless someone knows a cheap one. I think the primer will work fine, I just want to do this once. :D
 
Well I should have read the directions on the Valspar Primer a little closer. It can't be sprayed, just brushed or rolled. I read an interesting thread on another forum about someone who tried to spray it with bad results. You're not supposed to thin it out according to Valspar. The topcoat tractor paint can be thinned and sprayed though. So I'm just stuck with a gallon of primer.

Looks like I'm going to shoot Rustoleum Metal Primer instead. It's a reliable and decent primer that I've used before. I guess I just thought to use Valspar primer because I'm using their topcoat. Oh well, live and learn.
 
(quoted from post at 16:40:17 03/29/16) I never have used Valspar paints before so that's interesting about thier primer.

I kept reading about Valspar and how much people liked it. Their seemed to be an uproar when Tractor Supply discontinued it and replaced it in their stores, so I figured it was decent paint. I'll report back with my findings once I spray some.

This weekend I'll be priming all the parts I took off the tractor, including the sheet metal and we'll get the 135 rolled into the garage to do final prep before priming.

I'm thinking about using VHT high temp engine primer for just the engine as I'm concerned about the temperatures that the block and head can reach. Should I be? I'm guessing the Valspar or Rustoleum enamels cover those parts just fine without flaking or adhesion problems, and maybe I'm overthinking this.
 
Out with the old Massey Ferguson graphics...




Spraying some Van Sickle primer that I thinned 8:1 with naphtha. Using a Porter Cable HVLP gun with a 2.0 mm tip. The Valspar primer didn't spray well since it can't be thinned, too much orange peel. This Van Sickle primer sprays really well.

 
(quoted from post at 21:56:53 04/02/16) If the gun on yours was purple it would look exactly like my Harbor Freight HVLP gun.

I have one of those guns too. You can't beat it for the price! It's a good gun.
 
I got most all the parts that are off of the tractor primed yesterday. Going to roll the tractor in today or tomorrow and begin priming it. Hopefully I'll start shooting some color this coming weekend. Looking forward to it.

 
Finally got the tractor in the booth to start working on it. I have to drop the exhaust and the manifold as well as replace the thermostat while I have it torn down to this point. It's one of those "might as well" things. I've spent a few dollars doing repairs and upgrading parts just because. I think I'll name the tractor "Money Pit"

 
Got the rear wheels off tonight. Had to go buy impact sockets for the lug nuts and wheel center nuts (1 1/16 and 15/16). Now it's time for some wire cup action with the angle grinder and some spot priming.



 
Haven't made much progress lately. Got the wheels painted using Valspar MF Red and Tallmans AG French Silver Mist, which suspiciously looks like early Ford Grey...

Hope to get the chassis rolling again and out of the booth so I can paint all the parts that are off of it.






 
Got the wheels together and back on the tractor. I've got a rolling chassis once again! Now on to paint the rest of the pieces that came off the tractor in Silver, Black, and Red. I'm hoping by Monday 95% of the painting will be done and re-assembly can begin next week. I've got a garage full of parts I bought to replace some of what came off of it.




The overspray on the tires was mostly from the last owner's primer attempt. He didn't believe in masking anything he sprayed paint on. I am going to use some Lacquer thinner and a rag to take it off, at least I hope that will work. Any other tips for removing dried overspray??

 
Shot paint on various parts yesterday and today...





A little different paint scheme on the alternator...



I really like the contrast between these two colors. Massey Gray and Red...




I will finish the paint tomorrow and re-assembly will begin in earnest next week.
 
Started putting it back together today. The exhaust manifold and pipe were first up. I used header paint for the manifold good to 2000 degrees.




The fan was sporting a new paint color...




Finally today, started working on the dash and mounting light switches and gauges.

 
A few more pictures...

Started the new wiring. The old wiring was a rat's nest so I just decided to go new on everything. I'm using 10 ga. and 14 ga. for the lighter loaded stuff. The battery ground and positive cables are 1/0. I had some on hand, doesn't need to be that big, but why not?





 
Progressing on the rebuild. I got all the wiring installed and before I put it in the wiring loom I test bumped the starter to make sure everything was hooked up right. It started immediately upon turning the key and I shut it right down. No burning wires so I must have done something right there.

I will connect the fuel line Friday or Saturday and prime the system and do a full scale start up and function check before I put any sheet metal on. Just want to make sure I don't have to tear it right back down to fix anything I missed.











 
Getting closer to having the tractor completed. Today I mounted the fenders and the LED work lights I bought on the fenders along with the associated wiring to the toggle switch on the dash. They are bright! I kinda wish I could have LED's on the front as headlights, but I like the look of the tract-o-lites too much to change those.



 
Almost done. Wired up the headlights and installed the hood and front grill. The hood does have a slight bend to it and it doesn't shut perfectly, but I'm going to either try to bend it back or not worry about it too much, it's not that bad.

From here, I need to fabricate a new bumper. I've the the steel ready, just need to do the welding. I also have some Massey decals coming which should complete the build. Pictures hopefully next weekend.

Thanks for viewing. I'd be interested in what y'all think of the build.

Jeff









 
After all this, you might want to take a couple hours and comb out the radiator fins.
Are you going to take it to Esbenshade's show next month? Miner know's more about it than me.
 
(quoted from post at 06:49:01 05/16/16) After all this, you might want to take a couple hours and comb out the radiator fins.
Are you going to take it to Esbenshade's show next month? Miner know's more about it than me.

Good idea on the fins. I don't plan to show or parade. It's actually going to the field soon. I just got more detailed on the renovation of it the further I got into it. Certainly it could have been a working tractor with a lot less cosmetic stuff, but I guess I wanted something "new" to use so hence, all the paint and stuff.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
Got mine running, now I just need to put a few more things on, and I'll be done.
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You can see how I ran the exhaust, rather than the turndown that makes you sit in a dust cloud it goes right out the back (it's not as close to the stabilizer bracket as it looks).
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(quoted from post at 09:56:58 05/19/16) Thanks, yours is looking really good also Jeff, but I'll be glad when it's done, and out in the field doing its job.

Thanks and agreed, I'm ready to mow some grass!

Here's the finished tractor ready for the field!











 

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