A few days ago I posted about a dc I found with a stuck engine. It has a foot clutch. I called the guy about coming to look at it and get some more info on it. He now says he thinks the block is cracked behind the carbureator.I don't want to get in over my head on this,I've seen some advertised with a block repair behind the carb so that must be the place they crack. My concern is when I go look at it what else should I look for and is this tractor worth saving? DC experts please give me some advice! Thanks.

The biggest headache that I have had restoring the D series is the rust in the cooling system. With a crack behind the carb, perhaps the cooling system has been drained many years and this causes rust flakes to form. Look inside the radiator. Maybe take a magnet to fish for rust flakes in the top tank.

Loosen the oil drain plug and observe what drips out. Hopefully just oil.

The 5505 head showing on the right side is the high compression head.

The foot clutch sometimes does not release good. Take a strap, twine, cord, etc and tie the clutch disengage. With the tranny in neutral, see if the belt pulley shaft will turn.

Two hyd levers are the better setup.

Take a pen lite and look in the fuel tank for rust.

Look for rear rim rust around the valve stems. The rims may be rusted in the inside.

A distributor will be easier to maintain that a mag. 12V is good.

I have found that the crack behind the carb is weldable with a MIG if certain procedures are used. If you get to that point ask me how. An AWF front axle make the DC a nicer tractor to run.

Look at the eagle hitch and see if the latch mechanisms are still there and not broke.

Check around the brakes for oil seals leaking.

An original upper 3 point link is a valuable feature.

it is worth saving,,, as per your handle ,, I would Bet You CAN fix it ,, YES WE CAN.. Lol..if you pass on it ...kindly let the rest of us know ,and share contact info . , that way someone can save it ,,. I only have 4 DCs , and the makings for a 5th ,, making a total of 25 tractors on 3 farms ,of those ,2 are not case brand ,some are working but too many are on sickbay .as long as they are not all together ,, my dear wife don't know how many I really have .. lol...since the banks pay lousey interest ,,. may as well invest in iron ,most I get for equal or just love watching for them and tinkeringless than scrap price ,,

If that's the only place it is cracked, you should be able to grind it out and put some JB Weld in it or electric weld it. I have a Farmall with a cracked block that was electric welded and have not had any problems with it.

I bought a 52 DC and pulled the head off to check the valves and found the block was split from one end to the other. Laid it open 1/8". Got a few spare blocks, so pulled and checked sleeves and pistons and put in another block. Foot clutch, live power,good tires, it will make a nice tractor.

If the block is cracked behind the carburetor/intake manifold somebody forgot to put antifreeze in it and that is where they tend to push out. I have seen many blocks fixed that were cracked in that manner. The DC cooling system is not pressurized and so the block repair does not have to be exactly perfect to work.

You are looking at a very late model DC that has live PTO and hydraulics. It is well worth saving IMHO, as the owner of 6 D series tractors. Don

if they left water in it yes that is where they break, a good block should not be hard to find, I myself have four or five here easy, hope you decide to save it

My DC froze and broke the block behind the carb. We welded it as best we could, Then tried it out, turns out the head was badly cracked also ! Take the valve cover off and inspect it. I found a salvage DC and replaced the whole front end. Kept my Eagle hitch & live PTO.

Yes I forgot to add about the head,, good info! I got a "D" here from a friend that had been left with water, it shows a very small crack on the outside but broke it between the cylinders and if you put water in it, it will run right into the pan