A minor correction is in order. In the last post, about the DC in the worst condition, I stated it was rescued in 2002. It was rescued in 2003. The first 4 DCs were all rescued during a period of time between January and April of 2003. Call it binge buying!!! LOL
Refurbishing would start in earnest after the collection of all four. My equipment storage barn was getting crowded. The four “sorry looking” DCs made my 1170 look like a doctor in a hospice.
This headless DC was the first of 5 DCs, I rescued. The first part of January 2003 had been “October weather”. We loaded it on the agreed-to date of Jan 11th . The overnight temperature had suddenly dropped way down to 9 degrees. Otherwise, an OK day to manually pull the DC aboard with my makeshift come-along.
The replacement head was one of these two high compression heads found in the pile of parts shown in the previous post.
I juggled all 4 DCs when fixing their mechanical problems. Parts had to go outside for rebuild, or had to be obtained, etc. etc. There was always something to do on one of the other DCs.
Pastor John commented in his reply “It is amazing how much restoration you can do on those DC’s” Here is some insight regarding HOW I made “bad look good”. The simple answer is--- spend money!! LOL I hired the sandblasting and priming. $450 each tractor!!
After each DC got stripped of most of its bolt-on parts and ready for sandblasting, each naked tractor took its turn getting towed 5 miles to a farmer who did professional sandblasting and painting during his slack times.
Sorry no pictures were taken about the following. My 1170 has a Cat2 quick-hitch with a typical hook for the upper connection of the 3 point hitch.
For those DCs with a gooseneck, I just backed the hook up to the round portion of the gooseneck casting and hitched the two together with a single wrap of a log chain. With the DC’s front tires lifted a few inches off ground, the trips were made using large turns around corners.
I put the removed tractor parts on a double pallet for convenience and loaded them onto my hay rack. The hay rack was hooked to the DC’s drawbar. The naked tractor, and every part on the hay rack, got sandblasted and primed.
I left each naked DC, and the wagon load of parts, there for the duration of time the busy farmer needed. After towing back home, any minor scratches, caused on the gooseneck’s round portion, were easy to cover up.
Back home, I used many aerosol cans of original Case paint. The cans were more expensive but very convenient to use for the necessary starting, stopping, and juggling between tractors. For example after bolts were tightened, zapping their hex heads with paint was easy. The picture below shows the early stage of being reassembled. The radiator assembly rode to and fro on the hay rack.
The once headless DC started, ran, and drove like a charm. A little smoke from the oiled cylinders quickly went away.