restoration/reassembly of completely disassembled 1940 9n

jeffing65

New User
hello, I am new to YT and this forum. I would like to have any helpful input, advice, and suggestions before beginning my upcoming project.
So here's the project.
I have a 1940 ford 9n that is completely disassembled. This was a restoration project that was started by my friend and neighbor a few years ago. He unfortunately had a stroke and now his health will not allow him to finish it. He has passed the torch, and graciously given it to me, to be its new steward and finish it in his stead.
It was his plan to have the majority of it be chromed (although I don't plan to), instead of painted, and to this end had smoothed and polished nearly the entire drive train. See the attached pics.
I am just now beginning to unpack and inventory the entire thing and form a project plan.
In the meantime I would welcome any observations, ideas, and advice from everyone's knowledge and experience to help me do the finest job I can and honor both his generosity to me and to the spirit he intended for this little 9n

Thank you to all in advance and let me know if I can answer any questions or post more pics.

Jeff
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Oh WOW! I've never seen such organized, clean, and paint & oil & grease free tractor parts before. What a generous project your friend gave you. Take your time and work piece by piece with photos along the way. What fun.
 

A chrome 9N, now that would be something to see. I hope he took pictures during disassemble, they would be helpful to you. If you don't have one, I suggest you get a manual, it will help with assembly. Do you plan to paint it? If so I suggest the proper all dark gray for the 9N.
 

Hi steve, thanks for your reply. Yes its going to be a great project. My friend Henry was a machinist and he also was a avid restorer of late 30s and early 40s Cadillac's. This 9n was completely disassembled, all parts were cleaned, tagged and packed in bags and boxes or wrapped in paper and bubble wrap. The cowling, fenders, etc. were all sandblasted and wrapped up. It has been stored in his shop like this for a number of years, since having his stroke, and with further failing health unfortunately he was never going to be able to finish it.

Henry is the most incredibly wonderful kind of gentleman that one could ever hope to know, and I am very honored that he entrusted something so dear to him into my care. I do intend to take all the time needed to do as fine of a job as I possibly can.

That is why I am starting by seeking all the advice and experience from those such as yourself that I can get.

I don't know if it will be possible, but if fate and the coming years allow, I hope to present him with a book containing photos of the entire restoration from beginning to end along with the names of all the people ( your name will be the first ) who have taken an interest in and been willing to give me guidance towards completing this project.

Jeff
 
jeffin........2-things........squander $25 fer MPC (master parts catalog) and FO-4 manual. As fer paint, paint it enny color that pleases you ...except... Yellow'n'Green. Unless yer an experienced spray painter, I'd suggest brush paint yer castiron and short nap paint roller fer yer sheet metal. NO thinner required. The 3-speed 9N came from the factory, dark grey; sometimes called battleship grey; industrial grey; forest grey. The later 4-speed 8N's came with lite grey sheetmetal and red castiron. ........HTH, painter Dell
 
Ah you got the tractor kit with some assembly require. Look like a lot of work was done. Awfully kind of you
friend to pass it on to you. What sherman auxiliary trans, Step up or step down? Good luck with you quest.

Kirk
 

Hi walston, yeah that's audacious isn't it. He put a great deal of time into smoothing and polishing as you can see in the pics so i I hate to waste all that effort by just painting over it. I dont know what I am going to do about paint. For me chrome would be cost prohibitive as well as not my first choice to begin with ( brass or copper plated maybe? LOL ). This is just beginning so lots of possibilities to consider. Also yes he took somewhere between 150-200 photos of disassembly and I do have a MPC and shop manual
 

Don't know about color ideas yet but I can say it wont be yellow'n'green LOL.
Considered maybe standard colors with a clear pearl over it.

Long way yet till paint.
 
Wow. I've never seen preparation like that. I agree chroming would be way over the top. Here are a couple of websites to look at that involve
restoration of N tractors. The first is John Smith's site (http://www.oldfordtractors.com/index.html). Lots of pictures of restored 9Ns in
the history section and a very thorough detail of several of his restorations. The second web site is John Korshot's website. He has very
detailed documentation of his restoration of a 9N.

Good luck and have fun. And come back with more questions when they arise. Here are3 pictured some of my 9Ns
tractors005_zpsf71f459e.jpg

http://www.external_link.com/
 

hi kirk, yeah, more than some i think (read all directions thoroughly before beginning) LOL.
i dont have an answer for you about the sherman right now. I have just started to unwrap parts and open boxes.
Although I am an experienced mechanic, and lifelong dedicated Ford man, I am by no means familiar with everything there is to know about the 9n or the n series in general, or their options and variations.
This will be a bit of a reading and learning experience for me before I can properly access everything I have and truly get started.
 

Yes ultradog, it really would. I think deserves to be given every attention to detail it can considering the great starting point that i have been given.
No reason to take a diamond in the rough and only make it into an average lump of coal.
 

t
Thank you hcooke for the links, I will take advantage of those sites.
And I agree, chrome would be a bit much. LOL Besides, chrome don't get ya home.
 

I have a 1940 9N fully assembled (in the rare and desirable metal-flake purple and gold color scheme) that I'd be willing to trade for your pile of parts, just to save you the labor. :D
Seriously though, that's a great project. Good luck and keep posting photos as you go.
 
WOW, Looks like you got a good start. You friend being a restorer, did he by any chance keep track of how much time he had put into it?
That would be interesting to know.
Brass Plating? Is that even possible? Back in the '70s I was restoring a 650 BSA Chopper. I wanted to Brass Plate the springer fount end. I
checked all around and was pretty much told there was no such thing. Course back thing I didn't have the resources of the internet.
 

thanks ScoutB, I appreciate that sacrifice you'd be willing to make saving me a scraped knuckle or three. LOL

yes i will take as many photos as I can. I am also going to try to conscript/draft a friend or two and hopefully video the project as it progresses.

In the next few weeks I will try to organize a working system for that as well as the progression of the work itself.
 
Jeffing65,Some Assembly Required, all you have to do is insert tab A into tab B,ect.ect.Nice project several kinds of plating would be possible but many $$$.Battleship grey Imron with a couple clear coats with hardener on it would look like a mirror and be tough as nails.Jeff this is a great place if you have any questions,there are many knowledgeable folks here to help you with advice, keep us up to date on your progress
 
It looks ripe for powder coating. It would have a very tough finish then that could be done in original colors but still show the
attention to detail once folks know the paint job (like at a show or something). You are a brave man, but you got it from
someone who went about it right. It doesn't seem like you ended up with a bolt bucket and a pile of parts. I think I'd tackle it.
 
hi fuddy duddy,
I dont know how much time was put into that but I am curious about that as well. I will try to find out about that and let you know. I think it would be quite a bit. The finish on all of it is incredibly smooth. I have 100+ photos he took of the dis-assembly that i haven't looked through yet. There might be some of him doing that. If so I will post them.

As for the brass plating, I would think it should be possible, considering things such as table lamps and bed frames are brass plated over some kind of cheap tubing made of tin or something similar.
 

yes, Den N Ms, I have used imron with hardener and clearcoat on a couple projects in the past and had fantastic results. Thats what I was possibly thinking about when i mentioned using pearl in the clearcoat. I think that would give the gray a very nice added quality to the finish.

I also considered the powder coat option as notjustair mentioned. I will need to compare the pros and cons of all these options as well as the costs for each. As is for most of us, I will need to balance cost over the entire project, and make compromises along the way.
 

notjustair, I agree. I'm very fortunate in that I have something good to begin from, and not as you say, just a pile of rust and junk to try to make into something.

I have my friend Henry to thank for that. He put a great deal of pride and dedication into this, as he did in all things, and now I get the benefit of that.
 
I got to thinking about lamps and things that are brass plated after I asked the question. Course those are done in a factory setting. Guess
the question would be, could you find someone to do it? I think the places I tried back them were say more that it was impossible for them.
Most likely would cost as much as chrome. Would be nice to use a combination of the three, Chrome, Brass and copper.
 

yeah, im sure its not as common as chroming is as far as having someone do it. its not all that hard to do. all that is required is a tank for the solution and a rectifier to electrify it with a really high voltage, but the main problem is that the solution is toxic and a hazardous material requiring all kinds of regulations, so it prevents it from being practical for people like you or I to do ourselves.

I'm sure the cost to have it done would be very high. At least as much as chrome and I would guess more.
It really would be nice to do a combination of the three though wouldn't it? If done right I think it could really look sharp. The other thing I think would look good would be a black chrome/gun metal type finish.

I would be willing to give it a try if I had been born rich instead of such good looking you know. hahahaha
 
It's too bad the original owner couldn't finish the job. I'd love to see the thing finished as he envisioned it in his mind.

Would have been quite the looker. :shock:
 
WOW!
All the laborious grunt work done and everything tagged and bagged. who could ask for anything more!

Because your friend was intending CHROME, then you know that to honor him you don't have to be a purist and stick to factory N colors.

So . . . for me and because of the incredible prep job he did, I like NotJustAir's natural powder coat idea. If not that and if it were mine, I would paint it red and grey like an 8N to give it the distinction it warrants.

Terry
 
(quoted from post at 09:50:37 03/29/15)
thanks ScoutB, I appreciate that sacrifice you'd be willing to make saving me a scraped knuckle or three. LOL

We do pride ourselves on being a helpful bunch here. Just doing my part. Welcome to the forum by the way.
 

It is too bad that he is unable to finish it himself, and I would have no problem following through with his vision for it.
Just because of all the hard work, time, and attention put into preparing such an awesome finish, I am reluctant to not continue in the direction he had planned. The matter of cost is the deciding factor in the end. I am going to look into every option however.
An idea I had this afternoon is, instead of chrome, what about a black nickle plating?
If paint is the only choice in the end, I will certainly go with a two color like the 8n, using the dark gray but instead of red I think maybe a metal flake burgundy/maroon or a candy apple. Given the cost of good paint and primer these days plating might not be all that much more in the end. I will have to see how it compares in the end.
 
Terry,
I think I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. There are so many 9/2Ns out there painted with a red belly. Not much of a
distinction there. However, I don't think you were here when a member, don't remember who, said he use to sale these tractors back in the
70's. He said folks would buy a lesser 9/2N with a red belly before they would buy a better one at the same price painted all grey. So that is
something to think about. I agree that an all grey tractor is not very exciting. Jeffing going to have to put a lots of thought into that one.
This tractor here will always be a Trailer Queen. Made to take to shows. So it will need to drastically different or painted correctly only with a
better paint job than any one could imagine.
 

Fuddy D,

You're right to disagree.
He sounds like someone who will make the right decisions for himself without my 2 cents worth and I'm not really qualified to suggest anything here cause I've never owned a 9N.

Plenty of 8N's around without detracting from the "distinctive" all grey of the venerable 9N. :)

Terry
 

I just got back to the shop and was reading the differing perspectives you guys were discussing about the paint schemes.

the correct all gray of the 9n vs. the red belly 8n

I would like to say to terry that although your right, I will always make my own decisions in the end, I also always welcome the "2 cents worth" from every one. Hearing all points of view and why ( ie. as much info. as possible) I believe, always results in better and more informed decision making in everything.

And on the point mentioned by Fuddy Duddy, I should clarify, since we have all just met and no one knows my personality yet.

I believe that even if something is of show quality, it still should be used for its intended purpose. To do otherwise is kind of a dishonor and just a waste IMO. No matter what level I finally achieve for this tractor, it will always be used as a working machine first and foremost. and if it can make it to a show or occasional ride in a parade sporting a little style and a bit of a shine, then that speaks to what a wonderful thing it really is. How many things can continue to provide unwavering performance and such a high level of desirability and respect after 65 years in the face of the fickle, throwaway world of today. She will never be a trailer queen. She'll just try to be a queen.
 

Jeff,

Very well put philosophy and many here feel the same way.

The true value consists in their utility.

I was just thinking an hour ago that when our Fall Fair rolls around again next year, I'll just wash off all the mud, paint my front bumper and my running boards and drive her there. :D

My grey sheet metal took a bit of a dive this winter and so I might redo it this summer. I stuck my tractor in a storage tent last Fall thinking I was providing some TLC. Problem was that here at sea level in a valley with incessant rain, I had the tent zipped up which turned it into a super humidifier. Well . . . the intensity cause all the grey to break out in little blisters because whoever had painted it before me introduced moisture in their spray job.

Cheers,
Terry

Jubilee #31242
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absolutely, i would be proud to drive your jubilee, just as you suggested.
In high school and through my 20s i owned and drove a 1969 428 cobra jet mach 1 mustang every day as my daily driver and drag raced it on the weekends at a local drag strip.

This car was an all out, head turning, jaw dropping, stunner that earned a couple of best appearing car trophy's out of a field of shelbys, hemi mopars and yenko camaros. I drove that car every day and enjoyed every minute while all the the others hovered over theirs with a dust rag and a high pucker. if you cant let something be what it is and do what it was designed to do then it really isnt that and you might as well have something else. Im truly glad that you and others here have the same philosophy.

if ya scuff it or break it then you fix it and continue to fight the good fight with pride and your head held high.
 

A great muscle car era for sure. Drove a '65 Mustang for a month in California in the summer of '76.
My first car was a '56 Ford and then a 60 TR3 from 1965-1968 -- the only sports car with enough leg room.

About tractor [i:0ecd651532]utility[/i:0ecd651532],
I went looking for a quote I had seen in the 2000 year old oracle, the I Ching and found it.

From:
Hexagram 14
Possession in Great Measure
"Great possession consists not only in the quantity of goods at one's disposal, but first and foremost, in their mobility and utility for then they can be used in undertakings."

T
 

yes, that is really quite appropriate.

if more people actually understood that, and lived by that bit of wisdom ,the world including their own would be more productive and far better off
 
I'm not a big fan of Trailer Queens. Nothing I have would come close to being one. But there is nothing wrong with a tracter that has been
made so nice that it sits on that towable Throng.
How much of a work load would you have it do? I wouldn't use it as hard as I some time use mine. Like bush hogging where it hasn't been
cut in years. If you do have a lots and hard work to do, maybe consider a second tractor. Then you could put this one on light duty work.
 

Im not a fan of trailer queens either. You're right though that I probably wouldnt put it to work in the heavy lava flows and severe brush grubbin' where it is certain to take a toll on the paint and finish. That would just defeat the work that had been put into it, above and beyond a standard working trim.

By the same token however, I would not hesitate to hook it up to a plow, blade, disc, float, fresno, harrow, etc. and proceed out into the worst of the dirt, mud, water, ice, and snow or chain it up and use it to skid logs, clear roads, or uproot stumps making it earn its keep just like you, I, and your tractors do.

I also wont take my 2011 jeep wrangler out into the vicious lava flows and loose unpredictable boulder fields where serious damage or a rollover is a real possibility, if not a certainty. I have an old ford bronco and ford truck for that. But I am not afraid to drive it out through heavy sagebrush, rocks, etc. when im elk and deer hunting because im scared of scratching it or putting a little ding in it. Its still a jeep and if it cant do anything that a jeep does then it might as well be a Prius.

I do totally agree that a daily, hard work tractor, and one that has been made nicer and more special by design will be treated differently though and that is as it should be.

And on that note I need to go get my old 75 ford flatbed fired up, loaded and haul a load of scrape over to the steel yard. I will talk to everyone later. Have a good morning and afternoon.

jeff
 
Great project!
If I was doing it, with all of the prep work that was done, I would seriously consider just clear coating it as is.
Good luck and keep us posted
 
(quoted from post at 17:34:01 03/30/15) Great project!
If I was doing it, with all of the prep work that was done, I would seriously consider just clear coating it as is.
Good luck and keep us posted

Thats what I was thinking, you never see the bare metal. Good wishes for which ever way you go on it. Hope to see how it turns out.
 
(quoted from post at 11:33:06 03/31/15)
(quoted from post at 17:34:01 03/30/15) Great project!
If I was doing it, with all of the prep work that was done, I would seriously consider just clear coating it as is.
Good luck and keep us posted

Thats what I was thinking, you never see the bare metal. Good wishes for which ever way you go on it. Hope to see how it turns out.

But, is there any clear coat that can protect the bare metal as well as a primer and pigmented paint?
 
Cary,

Good point, I was just thinking that.
It would be a shame to have the clear coat weaken or fail and allow serious rusting to come on after all that incredible prep that's been done.
 
(quoted from post at 04:45:59 04/01/15) Cary,

Good point, I was just thinking that.
It would be a shame to have the clear coat weaken or fail and allow serious rusting to come on after all that incredible prep that's been done.

Yes they do make clear coat for bare metal, Eastwood and TCP Global both sell it
http://www.eastwood.com/diamond-clear-gloss-set.html
 
(quoted from post at 15:47:35 03/31/15)
(quoted from post at 04:45:59 04/01/15) Cary,

Good point, I was just thinking that.
It would be a shame to have the clear coat weaken or fail and allow serious rusting to come on after all that incredible prep that's been done.

Yes they do make clear coat for bare metal, Eastwood and TCP Global both sell it
http://www.eastwood.com/diamond-clear-gloss-set.html

hi dune country. thats an idea i hadnt thought of. i will have to give that a look.
I haven't had time to do anything with it in the last week, so its setting just like the day i started this thread and posted the pics.

p.s. thanks for the eastwood link
jeff
 
I probably wouldnt put it to work in the heavy lava flows

Lava flows??? Where do you live???

IMO, you have to clear coat it. Anything else would make his hard work and sweat pointless, including the 100's of roloc pads he had to go through :wink: ---IMO.
and I've never seen one clear coated before which would make it uncommon compared to every other "N" out there---IMO.
 
(quoted from post at 06:13:17 04/03/15)
I probably wouldnt put it to work in the heavy lava flows

Lava flows??? Where do you live???

IMO, you have to clear coat it. Anything else would make his hard work and sweat pointless, including the 100's of roloc pads he had to go through :wink: ---IMO.
and I've never seen one clear coated before which would make it uncommon compared to every other "N" out there---IMO.

I agree, clear coat would be epic!
 

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