Custom Tractor with 6 cylinder Chrysler engine

I volunteer at the Canadian Transportation Museum. We have a Custom tractor. One of the cylinder walls is badly scared. I would like to find a good used replacement engine.

If the other five are in good condition it may be just as cost effective to have the one
cylinder bored and sleeved back to standard piston size.

If you can't find any identification on the engine as to manufacturer, size, or casting numbers, take a picture of it and we can help. You will
need the information and tech specifications before getting gaskets and components anyway. re sleeving it is a good way to go if there is little
wear on the other pistons/cylinders, and the piston is usable. Many custom tractors used chrysler 6 cylinder flat head engines, so that may be a
good starting point. A picture might take permission from our site moderator if it does not post, ask in the feedback form to the left (above
the Face Book logo. Jim

There were a ton of Chrysler flatheads made in various sizes. A lot of the larger Massey Harris combines had industrial Chrysler flathead sixes. If I remember right it could have been a 262 but there was another size too. Dodge Power Wagons in that era had the flathead six but I doubt if it would be an industrial engine, most of them were regular 230 or 250 cu engines. I had a 1962 Massey Ferguson model 82 combine that had the Chrysler flathead six. They made flathead sixes all the way up until 1972 which surprised me when I found that out. Find out what size engine you have so you know what you are dealing with and you might get lucky on a search. You probably will have better luck in Canada than we would have here in the US. If a good used one doesn t turn up you can always sleeve that one cylinder like what was suggested.

Dunno what your budget is or how perfect this thing has to be, but unless there's LOTS of $$$ or this thing needs to operate PERFECTLY for hours and hours under full load, simply honing the bore and putting it back together with a new or good piston and rings should be acceptable.

If not, and there's only one bore in need of help, have it bored and install an O.S. piston.

That will be MORE than fine for a museum piece or a tractor seeing a few hours of use in a year.

Oliver, MM and Cockshut used a 6 cyl
Chrysler in their Combines. The small 28"
one would have a 230cu. The 42" would have
a 265cu. A little longer block but a
custom could have had one. Even a straight
8, and a torque converter.

Re-boring and having a sleeve installed would probably be your most economical solution. Long ago when I first started working in auto shops, there was a guy that would come with a portable boring bar and bore out a bad cylinder and install a sleeve - right in the chassis.

The advantages to that type of repair is that there will be no issues of it fitting the mounts, accessories, or available space, and everything can stay as original.

Joe didn't mention that the museum is located in Westlock, Alberta ..... NW of Edmonton. Here's a link below, they just
opened up for the season last Monday. One great photo on that home page and then other links to see what it's all about.
Here's the link. Good luck with your engine issues Joe.
Untitled URL Link

I vote for the bore and sleeve, a fine repair. Or possibly just bore and oversize piston. And you keep the tractor original this way.

That bore and sleeve is good for any use. I have had that done. But as it is a musieum display it is not going to be run hard or heavy for long pierides of time so I have a different idea. Just hone it and forget about it not being glass smooth all the way. That and possibly just a new piston, might not even need that and new rings. Years ago I rebuilt a Kohler engine is small engine class at adult school. The cylinder was in very poor shape with some vertical slight grooves. The rings were stuck so bad had to chisel them out of piston groves. Instructor said it had to be bored would not run without it. I did not have the money for that and said I will just put it back together with just a hone and new rings. Used it heavy for years with no problem and no oil usage. When it finally did hafe problems it just died all at once because the head of the piston busted off in a ring grove. Now remember I said I had to chisel out the old ring, that probably started a hairline crack to eventually get to the point the piston head poped off. If I had put a new piston in at overhaul time I think it would have lasted for more years. Remember this was full load at full throttle all the running time. Your tractor will not be doing that and as long as the roughness is not to where it will catch thr rings you would have no problen for the next 50 years. Might loose 1% on compression and increase oil usage 1% and perhaps have to clean that plug 4 times as often as the rest but it will work. Remember where I said my instructor said it would not run, whele it was good for over to years untill the top of the piston came off and condition I said piston was in that I probably should have replaced but did not, Never had it use oil or low power.

Leroy, I've done and would do exactly what you suggest. I never was a big fan of "overkill," and for the purpose noted, that should be more than sufficient. gm

Went there a couple years ago when we drove the highway.

(quoted from post at 19:51:38 05/22/19) I volunteer at the Canadian Transportation Museum. We have a Custom tractor. One of the cylinder walls is badly scared. I would like to find a good used replacement engine.

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You need to share a little more info as to the vintage of the Chrysler 6 cyl in the unit you are working on.

Having spent many years repairing aviation ground support equipment the majority of inline Chrysler engines I saw were either the flathead 4 cylinder or the slant 6 engines.

Not impossible but pretty hard to hurt the cylinders on the flatheads.

The slant 6 engines it was pretty common for someone to mix up the bolts when replacing a water pump.
On the slant 6 engine the wrong bolt in the wrong hole will go in just far enough to put pressure on cylinder one.

The distortion basically egg shapes the cylinder and the life of a new engine will now be measured in hours.

Like others have said, bore and sleeve it will be the cheapest route unless you can find an old vehicle or equipment engine cheap.

If your unit has the slant 6 there are still quite a few out there.

His age is before the slant 6. It would be between I am guerssing 46-47 to about 52 as that is when all the assembled tractors were made following WW 2 and the major tractor compantys could not produce the demand for tractors. Custom, Wards and a couple of others I cannot remember name of were all just about the same.

and where are you and joe from, I am from Westlock also. to me a museum should have original looking equipment. never could figure out why they want all their tractors with fancy paint jobs.to me that is not a museum. old Stan Reynolds from Wetaskiwin told me that painting a good original tractor devalues it.no way am I painting my WD40 just to put it in a museum. plus I have tractors that the museum don't have.

The 2890 MM and 525 Olivers used the 250 Chrysler (25" long) engine, not a 230...I have a 2890 MM
engine laying in the shed...Only the very early smaller Cockshutts like a 110-112 had a 23" long engine..

Lots of the smaller Massey Harris combines such as the 26,60,70,72-80-82 used the 23" long engine..

Yes Rustred ..... a lot of people would agree with you, others like the restored ones. Each to his own I guess. I don't know Joe at all, just read his post. Yes, Stan was an interesting fellow ..... made a ton of money with old equipment that a lot of people said he pretty much stole from the owners instead of paying fair value. That's history of course and just the opinions of others but there are a lot of "others" who tell the same tale.

His Custom tractor would have had a 23 inch long flathead 230 Chrysler 6 cylinder engine..There used
to be millions of them around but they are getting hard to find now..

the speck on the museums custom tractor engine are Chrysler Industrial Engine Model IND type 5A-210 serial # 35313 Chrysler Industrial Corporation, Industrial Division Detroit Michigan USA.

I hope this helps to locate an engine that will fit. Also if someone has a line on parts it will help.

Thanks for all your information.

Joe

(quoted from post at 17:51:38 05/22/19) I volunteer at the Canadian Transportation Museum. We have a Custom tractor. One of the cylinder walls is badly scared. I would like to find a good used replacement engine.

Click to expand...

To crazy horse and rustred, yes to each his own. An old tractor that has original paint is extremely rare, and I think that pretty much everyone, if they were to be fortunate enough to come into possession of one, would prefer to keep it original. However, since agricultural museums like to have tractors on display they have to settle for for what they can get, which is almost always going to be one that has been repainted. Sometimes a repaint is fairly good and has been cared for, like the one that RRLund just got. More often though, the ones that I see out there or on Craig's list are 30 year old repaints that were done cheaply and incorrectly and look like junk. I think that pretty much everyone that goes to a museum would rather look at either an original, or one that is made to look as much like it originally looked, and not a ratty old junk.