Starting to pound some steel, while I ponder the engine

Just some pix of the metal work that I've started...

The front end took some good hits. This tractor used to have a loader mounted on it, and it didn't have a heavy duty grill guard, and it shows.

Trying to work the dents out of the convoluted, curvaceous grill metal is tricky for sure. I was able to move most of the dents out by using a 1/2" drive socket that matched the curve profile.

Dropping the skins...

Today I pulled off the body panels, gas tank, and heat shrouds to reveal the top of the engine.

Dropping the Oil Pan to Assess the Damage

I have this big hole in the side of the engine block that was caused by the crankshaft beating a piston connecting rod against the side of the engine block - after the piston's connecting rod cap bolts let loose.

I am at a crossroads with the engine. Do I look for a new block? Do I try to salvage this block? How bad is the damage? What is my price break, and which option is best?

In order to get an initial assessment of the damage inside the block, I needed to drop the oil pan so that I could have a peek inside. This is what I saw.

First, I had to drain the crank case .... and after years of sitting with that gaping hole in the block, a bit of water accumulated in there.



Dropping the oil pan...





The oil has turned to a slimy sludge from the water that had been sitting in the oil pan...



Here you can see a lifter pushrod hanging down. This should not be here, it should be on the other side of the cam shaft. The problem is that the camshaft seems to be missing a section where the piston connecting rod and crankshaft conspired against it.





You can see a nearly perfect circle of cracked block...





From the "you never know what you're going to find" files, there was a 2 inch diameter disc of steel sitting underneath the flywheel.

Cleaning Out Her Nose

I peeked inside the nose of the MF65 and it was a disastrous mess that my obsessive-compulsive side could not let go un-addressed.

So, I started dismantling the nose and cleaning out the years of crufty dust+steering fluid shellac that coated everything.

Piles of Parts

The wrong spare engine in component form. This is a Continental G193 engine from a forklift. My MF65 has a Continental G176.

Here is the G193 in part form...

Pick up of the tractor

December 26, 2011 : I picked up the tractor from my cousin's place, and brought her home.

The new engine is more rough than I had hoped or expected, but it just means that I have a lot more work ahead of me, and a much larger sand blasting outfit than I currently have.

Here is a time lapse video of us loading up the tractor on the trailer, and some pictures of the pickup and after I got her home.

Online Parts Catalogs

Thanks to a kind soul at TractorByNet.com, DJ54, who directed me to AGCO, I now have a full, interactive parts catalog at my fingertips.

Just punch in the search term "65 tractor" select "Massey Ferguson" in the list box, and click the "Exact Match" box then click search...... parts heaven!

Or, just click this image and jump right to the book!