8 N timing/ Old Hokey

Tom/Idaho

Member
1948 8N. Had this tractor for ever and ever. Added Electric Power Steering last December. Great and trouble free addition. Changed points and condenser numerous times. Always fired right up on 2-3 revolution. Always has!
Decided to get the timing tool from The Old Hokey and check the timing for the first time ever.
Evan on such an easy starting engine I can"t believe the difference.
Fires up each and every time before completing a revolution.
May be hard to believe, but it"s true.
Thank you Old Hokey for this tool.
Tom/Idaho
 
(quoted from post at 21:38:41 04/25/18) 1948 8N. Had this tractor for ever and ever. Added Electric Power Steering last December. Great and trouble free addition. Changed points and condenser numerous times. Always fired right up on 2-3 revolution. Always has!
Decided to get the timing tool from The Old Hokey and check the timing for the first time ever.
Evan on such an easy starting engine I can"t believe the difference.
Fires up each and every time before completing a revolution.
May be hard to believe, but it"s true.
Thank you Old Hokey for this tool.
Tom/Idaho

Thank you for the testimonial ;-)

TOH
 
The Ford Front Mount Distributor has gained a certain undeserved stigma to it as being very difficult to work on. In reality, it is a basic preventative maintenance project which is not all that time consuming nor difficult to perform when done correctly. A good step-by-step instruction manual like the original Operator's Manual and/or the I&T F-04 Manual is an essential tool. Once you have done the job a few times you can do the job in your sleep, but, the manuals are still good to have handy for reference. One important part to consider are the points. New sets sold today vary on quality and it i s highly recommended that you read all the recent posts on brands. ECHLIN, STANDARD IGNITION, and BLUE STREAK are the best choices. Recent discoveries have shown that some sets of these are now using cheaper Cheena suppliers and are junk -won't open all the way. The phenolic rubbing block is a key element on these points too as opposed to the cheap plastic ones in some off-brand sets. The Timing Jig TOH sells is a good tool to have and does speed up the manual setting on these but that being said, the original method detailed in the manuals works well too, it just takes a little more patience and time. One of the myths surrounding the front mount too is that one must remove the hood to do a tune-up. Not true and only makes the job much more time consuming, more work involved, and more chance for error. Besides, it is not needed. I've also wondered why some would say this because setting the point gap, at least to me, seems that trying to set while still mounted would be extremely difficult to do. The front mount was designed to be pulled off the engine and taken to your bench to be worked on. I have my own method with some additional steps added. Whenever I work on anything electrical on my tractors, I always first disconnect the battery. Next, I take a plastic spray bottle filled with mineral spirits (charcoal lighter fluid is the same thing) and spray down the external area of the distributor top to bottom then air blast all the crud off. This makes it easier to handle/deal with once it goes to the bench. Point replacement is usually done when performing a complete tune-up so after the unit is cleaned and ready to pull, I then take my air gun and blast the head and the four plug wells so when I pull the spark plugs, no debris fall into the cylinders. The next step I do is loosen the fan belt and slip out of the way. Then gently let the generator down out of the way. I have rather large hands and found out many years ago this step allows me to access the distributor to now remove from the engine. Even with the added steps, I am use to my own method, doesn't bother me, and certainly is a lot less work and headaches than removing the hood. For those who may be interested in one the jigs TOH makes, the last I heard he was in limbo on his part production as he broke his ankle or foot so has been out of the loop. FYI: Windy Ridge Farms is his contact info/web site.

FORD FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR TIMING JIG by TOH:
lVQqucil.jpg

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)
 
(quoted from post at 18:38:41 04/25/18) 1948 8N. Had this tractor for ever and ever. Added Electric Power Steering last December. Great and trouble free addition. Changed points and condenser numerous times. Always fired right up on 2-3 revolution. Always has!
Decided to get the timing tool from The Old Hokey and check the timing for the first time ever.
Evan on such an easy starting engine I can"t believe the difference.
Fires up each and every time before completing a revolution.
May be hard to believe, but it"s true.
Thank you Old Hokey for this tool.
Tom/Idaho

Electric power steering,,,on an 8N? I'm dying to hear more about that.
 
(quoted from post at 09:50:59 04/26/18)
(quoted from post at 18:38:41 04/25/18) 1948 8N. Had this tractor for ever and ever. Added Electric Power Steering last December. Great and trouble free addition. Changed points and condenser numerous times. Always fired right up on 2-3 revolution. Always has!
Decided to get the timing tool from The Old Hokey and check the timing for the first time ever.
Evan on such an easy starting engine I can"t believe the difference.
Fires up each and every time before completing a revolution.
May be hard to believe, but it"s true.
Thank you Old Hokey for this tool.
Tom/Idaho

Check the archives - discussed at some length.

TOH

Electric power steering,,,on an 8N? I'm dying to hear more about that.
 

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