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Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it?

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Newt S.

06-07-2002 07:21:08




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My wife's family gave me a 1946 M Farmall that originally started on gas and ran on distillate fuel. It has been kept in a barn and used very little for the past 20 years. The paint is almost gone and replaced by rust. The rubber is cracked on the tires, but they are still holding air. The engine will run, if you pull it off, but it misses slightly on one cylinder when idling. It will not start on it own(starter and magneto works good!) even with a new 6-volt battery. I have put in new plugs and they turn black at the tip when you run the tractor for a short time. There is very little compression in the engine. I can hear the blow by in the cylinders when I crank it! The lights, generator, brakes, PTO, transmission, etc., seem to be OK, but the clutch slips going up a hill in 5th gear. So here are my questions. How much will it cost me to get it completely rebuilt by a competent repairman (parts, labor, etc.)? What needs to be replaced and/or changed to upgrade this tractor to run on gasoline? How much for repainting and replacing decals? What is it worth as is? What is it worth restored? I really want to put it back into good condition and keep it, but I don’t know if it is worth the investment! I would like the advice and knowledge of some of you IH people out there who have "been there and done that"!

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howard

06-07-2002 18:14:11




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 Re: Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it? in reply to Newt S., 06-07-2002 07:21:08  
if you hire someone to fix it you're in for an education and after you pay the bill you will be married to the old M for a long time. if you realy want the tractor it will be worth it. do you know guys that could help you do the work yourself. there is a lot of good advice avalible here if you get stuck. parts alone won't cost you an arm and a leg if you don't get too carried away. stick with a basic rig job and grind the valves if they need it. the clutch might be ajusted. how much will you use the tractor? parade only? like i said keep it simple; if someone else wants it fixed like new let them pay the bill.

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TNR

06-07-2002 16:53:32




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 Re: Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it? in reply to Newt S., 06-07-2002 07:21:08  
Well,you got some good advice here,but let me warn you!There are some real good,honest mechanics thatll work on it for you for an honest price.but be careful you dont get into one of these guys who tries to rip you off!As mentioned,you can do most of the work yourself.Me personally,I can do the mechanical end of it but I aint no body man!I cant paint or take a dent or sand down a ruff spot without screwing something up!Just to give you some fiqures for my M,engine was ok but most of the gaskets leaked so ALL of them got changed.Accually all of them on the whole tractor were changed.No internal enigne or tranny work at all.rebuilt generator,new wiring harness,new fenders,tires and misc nuts and bolts,seat and steering wheel,vinyl decals,paint and primer,one rear and one front rim,and my belt pulley came in at around three grand,(including some major shipping charges)Guy had to do ALOT,and I mean ALOT of cleaning,straightening,andspit polishing on it and it all came in at around 4000 for the whole works!Could have saved alot of money but wouldnt have it done now!Shes done ben to two shows,but if I had done the work my self,it would still be sitting in the barn in peices!(ANd rusty too,Ilike I said I cant paint)

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ff316

06-07-2002 12:47:08




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 Re: Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it? in reply to Newt S., 06-07-2002 07:21:08  
Unless you can physically kick yourself in the tail you better keep it. I sold a tractor about a year ago and have tried to kick myself in the a@# every day! Trust me, if it means anything at all to you keep it and fix it up. Fireman



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Carp

06-07-2002 08:49:48




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 Re: Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it? in reply to Newt S., 06-07-2002 07:21:08  
Keep it and fix it yourself. These old farmalls are not hard to work on yourself. Red is pretty close on prices if you have someone else do it.



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The Red

06-07-2002 07:45:27




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 Re: Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it? in reply to Newt S., 06-07-2002 07:21:08  
You don't have to do any conversion to run it on gas.

Black on the spark plugs means your mixture is too rich. The lower screw on the carburetor is the high speed mixture screw. Turn it in until the RPM starts to drop, then open it back out 1/2 turn.

Compression on the distillate engine was rougly 5:1. Gasoline is 5.9:1

Inframe rebuild by a mechanic will probably run you around $2,000. Add another $500 for splitting the tractor for a clutch job. Add $1,200 plus for new tires and tubes all the way around.

As is for central Indiana would be between $750-$1,000.

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redrev

06-07-2002 08:22:03




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 Re: Re: Should I fix up my 46' M or sell it? in reply to The Red, 06-07-2002 07:45:27  
Fix it, would be my advice. I've got 6000 bucks in a LAWN TRACTOR! The M is a great tractor, but too big for anyone as old and ugly as I am.



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