CNKS: painting your 460

Thanks

Paul

Thanks for the description of your project, and your thoughts. It was a good reality check on my 340 project. Wow, you really do have it apart. That big 6 cyl block must not have been easy getting out. I"m sure it will look terrific when you"re done.

I replaced the front axle on mine because the doglegs were hopelessly frozen in the most extended position when I bought it. I removed, cleaned and painted the steering/power steering housing because I learned the hard way not to hammer on the shaft when trying to remove the steering wheel with a puller (popped the expansion plug on the bottom).

From what you say it sounds like getting the Fasthitch off is do-able. And if I don"t get it cleaned up properly and painted like the rest of the tractor, it really will never look "right" and I know I"ll never be happy. I"ll give it a try - I hope I can break it all free.

I did try to start getting Fasthitch components off - the depth control shaft? (vertical handle with straight line of gear teeth) but the bracket that holds it in is bolted with two slotted round headed "screws". Slots too narrow for a drag link socket. They appear like they"ll break a screwdriver before they let loose and nothing to grab onto. How did you get those out?

These number series Farmalls have alot more features that make them much more useful, but they are sure much more difficult to clean and paint properly. I went from a Cub to the 340U. What a difference! Think my next project will be a Super C, but not for awhile. Good luck!

I don't know anything about IH stuff but I will add a comment. I sometimes wind up modifying a tool for a special need, like heating and bending a wrench to a special angle. I have also ground down drag link sockets to fit screw slots. By doing that you can make the fit near perfect with the screw slot and if you carefully use an impact wrench, say 3/8 drive with reduced inlet pressure, the screws usually come out fairly easily. The sockets are not that expensive to replace and getting the screw out without mangling the slot is worth it in most cases. This of course presumes that the screw slot is wide enough to make grinding down a drag link socket a reasonable solution. I've also used square drive screwdriver tips in a 3/8 impact at reduced pressure to "convince" a screw to come out. You need to have a snug fit of the driver in the slot for either method to be effective.

Rod

Grinding down a drag link socket sounds like a good idea to try on those two screws . . . I"ve never tried anything like that but I"ll try it this week. I"ve got to believe they are 5/16" bolts, and considering they seem to be pretty well frozen in place, extra persuasion after a good soaking in Kroil, is certainly the only hope. Thanks for the idea.

Paul

CNKS

Your comments made me smile . . . how many times have I thought those same thoughts "do I really want to do this?". Sometimes it seems like an obsession, you just keep going and going. But I know I"ll never be satisfied until I do it the "right way". But yeah, deeper and deeper. I bought the 340U with the intention of putting together a loader tractor to help around my farm restoration. Unfortunately it"s been in the garage for two years in various states of assembly, and I"m still picking up heavy rocks in a wheelbarrow.

CNKS

My front tie rod ends were totally worn out - I priced them at Case/IH and I seem to recall they were $60 each. After gagging at that I visited my NAPA dealer. They made me a xerox of their ball joint catalog pages and I matched up thread size(s), length, etc. and purchased as set for something like $12 each. They were a perfect match. I"d be glad to fax you those pages - I see I circled part No. 269-2075, but I"d check your dimensions first.

My rear ends are a different story. I have power steering by the way. Instead of loose and worn, like the fronts, the rears joints were very tight and dry. They are not conventional in design - the head is at an angle. Case/IH replacements are $120 each. I drilled and tapped a hole to fit a zerk fitting into each, but discovered they are not lubricatable ends but rather packed with a sort of paper. I"ll try to force a bit of lube in there but thinking the rear ends get much less action than the fronts, I chose not to replace them.

The wheels and trim are IH901 - I was surprised how much green is in the color, but I confirmed it first from Rod"s table, and comments from a fellow on Red Power.com - it actually looks whiter in the photo than in real life. The loader frame is an IH 1701, which I bought separately, and I thought it should be a whiter so I used IH832? - I"ll check on that.

One of the more tedious jobs has been totally rewiring everything, as all of my gauges (except oil pressure) and tach were shot as well as the wiring insulation. I made a new harness and finished the rewiring just recently - it felt really good to fire it up and get it running again - I think I needed that before starting on the back half.